I've read a bunch about the IPA freshness on this site but have a question. What is the opinion of the more experienced people here with respect to storing/trading IPA's? Usually when i get them from the breweries they are cold and I try to keep them that way till I get home. When trading they obviously get to room temperature before they reach their destination. Will they be freshest if I keep them cold until just before I ship or is it okay to bring them slowly to room temperature and leave them like that? What about bottles that are bought dry? Thanks!
If I'm trading IPAs I always keep them in the fridge until they are ready to be boxed up and I ship out the same day. I also attempt to get the beer as fresh as possible. So if I'm sending growlers I only get them 1-2 days at most before I ship. Similar idea with cans/bottles.
Your thinking too much into it. If you have a fresh IPA it won't matter. It's true if you want to get them to last longer then yes, refrigeration will slow down the process, but a couple/few days won't matter. Most beers aren't refrigerated during bottling, warehousing, shipping, distribution, or sitting in a store.
I don't store IPAs per say, but I do check dates or ask about the freshness. But after they're bought dark and cold.
