What's your age cap on IPAs and Pales?

If im personally purchasing it, a month or less.

 

Pale Ale? 140 years shouuld be OK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1536396/Beautiful-beer-lost-in-the-vaults-since-1869.html

 

It varies from Brewer to brewer, but generally 3-6 months for brewers that are known to have a bottling line that does a good job keeping oxygen out. Cans tend to last longer in my experience. Lower the malt/abv, lower the time til undrinkable.

 

I prefer a month or less (obviously) but I've gone up around two months before.

 

Since there was no "11 day 4 hour" option I went with two weeks

 

Depends on the IPA.

Enjoy

 

I usually try to drink within the first 30-60 days (I voted 60), but if I have stuff sitting around that's older, I drink it (and it usually holds up fine).

 

Can't tell unless I also know which bottling line is being used at the brewery. That makes a difference in shelf life.

 

Too often I'll buy one and not notice the date until I get home.

Generally, 90 days at most. The fresher the better, obviously.

 

If I can't drink it straight from the bottling line, I don't bother

I don't really have a hard and fast rule, but after 2-3 months I start to think twice. A lot depends on whether I've had the beer before, if I know how it holds up, and so on.

 

I generally do it by the best by date which is usually 90 days out. I won't drink any past the best by date.

 

Living in PA and buying a lot of cases, I try to buy hoppy stuff with less than a month on it since I know it will take some time to get through the whole case. If I'm buying a six pack on the other hand, I'll buy one with up to 2 months on it since I know it will be gone within a week or so.

 

Ditto

 

Depends on the IPA. Some hold up quite well at 3+ months (ex: Green Flash West Coast IPA). Others are a shade of their former selves at about 2 months (ex: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA). Not bad by any means, but just not as good as they are capable of being.

If we're talking an IPA I don't know, I'm probably still cool with it as late as 60-90 days.

It it's one I'm familiar with, I'll go by what past experience has taught me.

 

I judge it on the beer. some ipa's are so hopped up they'll last a little longer and the taste profile might just change but not completely die off right away. some die off quicker. i'm just happy to have bounties of dirtwolf with an august bbd on them, which right now I think is holding up well

 

I had a 120 that sat around in the back of my fridge for over a year, opened it up this past weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought for sure it would have died off, but to my surprise it was as good, at least in my opinion, to ones that were 1-month off the bottling line.

 

"As hops are preservatives, beers with a lot of hops in them, such as India pale ales, have long been known to have great ageing potential." -George Philliskirk, Chief Executive of the Beer Academy.

Hey, BAholes, which of you are gonna write him a letter lecturing him on IPA freshness?

 

Oh and, for the poll, I answered 90 days but I'll buy a 4-month-old DIPA as long as I know I'm gonna drink it immediately. Price and availability are also factors.

 

Hour 23.

 

Typically I won't buy any IPA older than 30 days. If it is canned I might take a gamble up to 60 days depending on what it is.

 

Yeah, they sell vintage 120 at the brewpub and mark it up $2 for every year it's been sitting. I also prefer 120 with at least 6 months of age on it. Too boozy when fresh. Although I must say when I had 2013 on-tap last spring it was the best I've ever had. Go figure.

 

On average I give them 90 days. I don't feed into the hype that you have to drink a Hoppy beer hours after bottling. If that's the case, why not stop buying beer and brew your own?

 

Amen! 13 was such a good batch.

 

Need an option for "it depends". In general I would say 90 days, but some IPAS fall off quickly and I wouldn't go beyond 45 days or less.

 

I spent last night @ table and vine in springfield going over bottle and can dates for an hour. out of the whole store I found 4, count them 4 offerings that had a bottle date/ code that was with in 30 days. these were all from local breweries. I found that more than half the cans and bottles didn't have a date on them. and so many that were well over 6 months. some of the firestone walker stuff was 2 yrs old. the kid stocking shelves asked me what I was doing and rolled his eyes once he found out. lol.

 

60 days is usually my limit. Graced with great shops and distribution here, so a fresh APA/IPA <2 months old can always be found.

 

I responded 90 days, but that's when I like to have them finished by. Lots of times I'll buy 12-packs in the 6-8 week range. I don't like to buy IPAs after two months. Pales I'll go a little longer (SNPA in cans, for example), but everything needs to be gone by day 90.

Regrettably this policy is something of a matter of necessity, as my best local option seems to have a challenge putting out anything hoppy that is less than a month old. If I see something less than 6 weeks old I usually jump all over it.

 

Buy within 2 months, drink within 6.

 

I buy within one month, drink within two. If I'm getting refrigerated cans I'll buy under 2mo, drink within 3.

Sierra Nevada's Estate, Harvest ales, Hoptimum, and Celebration; and Founders Devil Dancer; are exceptions to the rule and I will buy whenever I see them. Though all are very different with age, I really enjoy what they turn into. Very resiny and hashy. Last March I enjoyed a 2011 NH Harvest, and it was great. Resiny, a little fruity, and very easy-drinking from the lesser carbonation. I let a friend who only really enjoys stouts try it and he thought it was the best pale he's ever had.

 

They cannot all be treated equally, in my experience.. Ive found SNPA holds up pretty well, as does Hop Stoopid, however, Jai Alai I love but don't purchase if older than 2 weeks.

 

Hoppier IPAs 30 days
Maltier APAs 90 days

 

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating , or rather the drinking in this case!
In the days before refrigeration massively hopped beers could be sent out as far as the Australian outback yet still be perfectly good even though the journey took months.

 

I call it at two months. Preferably one month. Of course it will still taste good after that, but I can find another great beer in the store that is fresher, guaranteed. Especially on delivery day. With so many great options these days, why settle? It's a good time to be a hoppy beer drinker.

 

I agree they taste better fresh, but to turn a hoppy beer down just because it's a day older then you prefer, never would I ever.

 

Dude.....you have too much time on your hands



Enjoy

 

I got a Hopslam from 1/2/14 left to drink this week. I suspect it will still be good.

Last year I saved a New Glarus Thumbprint IIPA for a 3 month and a 6 month tasting. It was still really good at 3 months. At 6, it tasted quite different.

 

I honestly don't pay much attention to it. If it tastes funky, I send it down the drain. I've had some old stuff that tasted great and some fresh stuff that was funky. It's whatever -p