First off, styles can be really important to consider when you go to your local beer store. I'm a firm believer that every beer style has its place and should be enjoyed to its fullest extent by those who love it, even if it isn't trendy, "craft", or extreme.
Buying Beer:
- Try to buy beers from a store that has a high turnover rate, this will help ensure you get the freshest beer. Did a new beer just get released? It's probably fresh if they just came out with it and its on the shelf, better yet...in the fridge at the store? Do you have the choice to get the same beer from the fridge or floor...99% of the time you're safer with the fridge!
- Consider the manner in which the store handles their beer, does it have dust on it? Is it a $15 bottle of Double IPA that's been sitting there for who knows how long in a warm climate? Probably not the best bet for enjoying that beer. This is another reason why I try and give beers I've tried another chance if I am unsure of how they were handled, a great beer served fresh could be mediocre or downright poor if improperly handled and/or aged.
- Be a curious consumer: A new trend that I love is the inclusion of best by or bottled/canned on dates. These are an awesome indicator to how old the beer of the shelf is. (Sidenote: Don't shy away from Cans, tons of craft brewers are putting everything from IPA to Barleywine in cans these days) Bottled on dates are much better because the best by date is subjective to the brewers individual interpretation, ranging from 3-4 months to a year or more past bottling, I'd rather make that call on my own. Also, consider that most commercial brewer's only release a beer when it is ready to be consumed, so the assumption that 3 year old barleywine is in some way better than fresh, may be poor.
Storing Beer:
Most beers are intended for consumption within the season they are brewed, albeit there are notable exceptions and factors that impact how well and nuanced a beer ages.
Style Overview
- Hoppy Beers are typically most vibrant within 3-4 months, some argue sooner.
- This does not mean they may be bad after that period but will certainly lose some of their trademark hop-forward flavors.
- Wheat beers are notoriously bad at shelf-life, the nuances of styles such as Belgian Wit and German Hefeweizen are really great young.
- Higher alcohol (7%+) , more bitter, and sour beers are typically much better for aging than average alcohol (4-7%) , malty, clean beers.
**Corked (Belgian) bottles of beer are typically best stored upright, contrary to wine, this helps encourage the layer of yeast ("lees") to settle at the bottom and facilitate pouring when you actually enjoy the beer.**
Enjoying Beer:
Everyone has their own way of doing things, so these are a few of my takeaways.
- Seasonality: Drink seasonally, sometimes we get wrapped up with bigger is better, but it's really refreshing to recharge your palate as the seasons evolve with unique session beers.
- Glassware: Use a clean properly shaped glass that will not hinder the experience (i.e., stifled aromatics in a hoppy IPA or fruity Belgian). I'm a glass nerd, so I go overboard here but I'd recommend everyone tries their favorite beers in the appropriate glass...drinking from the bottle is a last resort (you'll never fully experience the aroma...which actually contributes a ton to taste!)
- Temperature: Serve at an appropriate temperature: most lagers should be colder than ales, but many English beers are wonderful at around 50-55F, if you have a kegerator give a try and see how it goes, you may be surprised of the different flavors that come out a bit warmer. That being said, give some of the bigger beers time to warm up if you're getting them straight from the fridge, "ice-cold" and "frost brewed" are propaganda with no real meaning or benefit for the beer lover.
