Shelved vs Refrigerated

i have noticed that with a few IPA's that they have a small difference in smell when they've been kept warm. not sure the reasoning behind it though.

 

Hypothesis: Hops and marijuana are genetically closely related. Hops in warm/room temp beer could release some kind of chemical compound/aroma profile similar to marijuana that has been heated in a bowl during smoking. The same compound/profile is probably muted if the beer stays refrigerated. Smell is the sense most closely linked to memory, so when you picked up on a similar profile, it took you immediately back to that previous experience.

 

The theoretical answer is that IPA should always stay cold, but truthfully, I haven't seen that big of a difference. I have had the same beer stored warm versus always cold and it didn't change really at all.

Enjoying a beer fresh does make a more substantial difference. I think that the only concern you will have about flavor change related to heat is when you let it sit for a long period of time on the shelf, but by then, the beer is mostly too old anyway.

 

Firestone walker does a cool test. They let people on tours taste 3 month old Union Jack, one from a bottle that had been stored cold and one that had been left at room temperature.

If you have the patience go buy a super fresh batch of ipa and do the test yourself. I think you'll see a big difference.

The key is finding a super fresh batch to test on.

 

There is two separate components to that though. Some argue that IPA's like Union Jack or Double Jack are better with some age on them. The next aspect is that this is a beer that is 3 months old. Like I said above, the time at which the difference is made is when the beer is past its original prime. Most IPA's are in their prime within the first month. Many argue that this is the best time to consume them. The beer wont be altered all that much by sitting on the shelf warm for a month. However, at three months, I believe it!

In short, if you leave an IPA on the shelf for way too long (past its prime) of course it wont taste great, but if you were to drink that same beer within its prime (also shelved) you wouldn't noticed that much of a difference compared to a refrigerated version. At least this is my opinion!

 

Ok, I was not sure if you were suggesting that refridgeration would not extend the life of an ipa.

It clearly does. IPAs should be stored cold. If you walk into a store and see some 2 month old SNPA on the shelf then find the same batch in the cooler, you best believe i'll be taking my beer out of the cooler.

 

I read somewhere (or made up - I have had a few, so not sure which) that a week on the shelf at room temp (75) is the same as a month in the fridge at 40. Not sure if it is true, but a lot of the serious micros ship their beer refrigerated and always keep it cold - apparently it makes a pretty big difference to shelf life.

 

I did that with Dirt Wolf not too long ago. Two bottles from the same sixer were stored differently for 3 months- one on the fridge and the other at room temperature. When I compared them blind it was quite obvious which was which, so I always opt for cold storage these days.

 

Yes.

"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"
-Mother Nature

 

If you can't store your own IPAs in the fridge, buy less at one time.

At the store, ALWAYS check the cooler first.

 

The brewery that I work at does extensive sensory testing of cold versus warm-stored beer. We find that cold storage is vastly better for all hoppy and lower-gravity beers that aren't meant to age (our barrel-aged beers are the obvious exception). We usually see IPAs stay in our "acceptable for brand" range for 3-4 months when cold stored, but only about half that at best if warm stored (room temperature). Even at a month, cold and warm show differences, though both still taste fine. We try our best to get our beer to everyone cold, but obviously many retailers do not store cold, which sucks. In a perfect world, our beers would be cold until you drink them.

 

Cold storage is absolutely critical for beers like IPA. Hop degradation is drastically impacted by temperature.

 

Also, the character of hoppy beers is different when stored differently. Cold-stored beers tend to mostly lose character and get bland, while warm-stored get harsher cardboard and sherry character.

 

For those individuals requiring a more precise answer other than "yes" for making scientific comparisons of parameters and needing a standard room for repeatability of comparison, the "National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST Handbook 150-2G 85 pages (March 2004) CODEN: NIHAE2" can be found at http://www.nist.gov/nvlap/upload/hb150-2g-1.pdf . This link is for the more demanding "BA" that requires uniformity and the best chance for repeatability in comparison. In any resolution to conclusion, repeatability is paramount.

 

Never ran a test on this, sounds interesting. I do have one rule that I abide by when purchasing IPA/IIPAs, if it's refrigerated I will drink it the same day or store it in the fridge when I get home. However, if it's on a dry shelf I don't have a problem with putting in the cellar for a week or two especially if it's a six-pack. I usually drink IPA/IIPAs within a week. I have never thought it was a good idea to store cold beer warm allowing for drastic temperature fluctuations.

 

Drink it fresh. Store it cold. The only hoppy beer that I would shelf/cellar would be something wild. Brettanomyces not only works well with hops, but also creates it's unique character faster at higher temps.

Ex. Orval, Dorothy by HF

 

I've noticed the same thing with pilsners. They must be kept cold as possible. Ive let some sit out for a few days and when i drank them after becoming cold again they did not taste nearly as clean. It was more harsh than the others. But. I share a fridge with 6 other people. So i have no choice but to let some sit out.

 

Proustian moments can hit you like a ton of bricks...

 

Ive oddly enough also had CD from a warm shelf. And noticed that although it was only canned a week prior, it had the type of smell you get on your hands after ripping up weeds in the garden. Acrid & fecund vs. citrusy and floral.