Two Hearted freshness

I think it depends on the beer, but personally I would never buy an IPA over a month old and that's pushing it.

 

Fresh is best, but I feel you can still enjoy a standard brew up to 6 months after bottling.

I've actually had year old IPA's that still tasted just fine. The hops just mellow out a bit.

 

I was actually just talking about Two Hearted's hop life last night on LNBA. I have yet to consume a bottle that's super- super-fresh, but I can say it's still excellent at least a month after bottling. Personally I think Two Hearted should be fine a good two or three months after bottling, just bearing in mind that the hops will have faded some. They're not invincible (the hops), but it's still going to be a tasty brew at that point.

 

Also keep in mind it's the aroma that fades first. Flavor is going to be pretty stable for the first couple months. (when not stored in terrible conditions)

 

Bells actually has a system for that on each bottle you will find a date and a drink by code A=3 months or less, B=6 months or less and C=12 months or less. Two Hearted falls in the A category.

 

kzoobrew....where you at on this one? You are dropping the ball!

 

Just found the thread, I was slacking a bit.

If we are honest week old Two Hearted is better than two week of which is better than month old and so on. The older it gets the less likely I am to buy it. With all that said Two Hearted is a bit less volatile than many other IPAs. I had a three month old bottle a couple nights ago and it was still a very serviceable IPA.

I would not be a case older than six weeks old. It will still be good beyond that but if I am laying out for a case it is going to be fresh.

 

Let the swords and spears rain down upon me but I am still enjoying nugget nectar after 6 months.Hell its better than no nugget nectar.

 

Drank one from 9/12/12 last night and while not three months old it is older then I usually get it. I could not find it any fresher so I picked it up and glad I did, Just as good as always to me. I usually get it within two weeks so I was a little concerned but I could not tell any difference, I do not know if it will be the case after 3 months. Maybe grab a 6 or 2 not a case.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought it was A=6 months, B=12 months, and C= Cellarable. I don't think I would drink a two hearted that was more than a couple months old. The nose is a huge factor for me which fades quickly in this brew.

 

Yes, that is what i get for not checking the source. Sorry all. That being said, I would not drink one over 3 months. Fortunately living in Michigan never been a problem.

 

Living in SE Mich, I have access to Two Hearted basically everywhere, so I've had quite a few. Two Hearted stays intact better than many IPAs on the market. For example; personally, I like Founder's Centennial IPA a bit more than Two Hearted (I know, right?), but after a month, the hops in Centennial fade quite dramatically and the beer becomes slightly unbalanced by the malt. However after one month, Two Hearted's hops are still very much intact and the beer is still very balanced. I still wouldn't push it TOO far (over 10-12 weeks) but Two Hearted depletes much less dramatically than many IPAs out there.

 

I've bought cases of Two Hearted before and didn't get through them for close to two months. I just kept them in the beer fridge for the whole time and there really wasn't significant difference over the course of time.

 

I just bought a sixer bottled July 3rd ... kind of as an experiment. They had some that was also bottled July 30th, but the ones in the fridge were from the 3rd. Basically two months ago. I'll see if it's much different than I remember.

 

A Month is pushing it? Do you think you could tell the difference between a two-week old and four week old IPA? Would you be willing to take the Pepsi challenge?

 

I agree with the post above (forgot who it was) that said Centennial IPA falls off fairly quickly. I had a sixer of that last year and the first five were great, but then I had one sitting in there for a month or two. When I had it, it suddenly tasted almost vinegary? I wound up just drainpouring it. I hope this Two Hearted's fine. Find out at kick-off!

Go Blue.
...and go Tigers.

 

Since the Tigers are on I just opened one right now.

Tastes about as good as I remember. It definitely tastes a little faded on the front for a split second, and the aroma isn't as strong, but still really tasty. The fresher the better though, for sure.