Store's lights effect on beers to be aged

Respectfully, I think this might be overthinking it. I've purchased a lot of older beers that have sat on shelves and I can't ever recall a beer having lightstruck/skunked flavors. As for artificial aging I believe it's more a product of temperature abuse or even over handling then light damage.

Depending on your palate I'd open one now to check for off flavors. If you're unfamiliar with skunking as a flavor try a Corona you left outside or next to a window for a day next to one you closeted. That skunk aroma is actually a desired in small quantities for the Corona. If your beer shares any qualities with the corona you're going to know if it is skunked or not.

 

Normal store fluorescent lights shouldn't be a big deal unless the beer was close enough to them to really get drilled with both light and heat (like less than a foot).

On the other hand, if these were in a western facing window and caught the sun directly every afternoon, I would be concerned. I have bought beer off the shelf that had been there at least two years and had no problem at all. Be very thankful for amber glass and its light-killing abilities.

 

I agree that I'd be more worried about heat than light for brown bottle beer.

 

just curious...... Ive seen all the recommended temps. but at what temp. would a beer start to really spoil?

 

I think once the temperature of the store exceeds the temperature the yeast is activated, assuming it's bottle conditioned?