Does beer go out of date?

I am at work and we have just found a case of Carlsberg Export (5% ABV). Nobody is sure why it is here but it is going free to a good home.

I have just been asked if I want it. The only issue is that it is 2 years out of date. "Best before 21/03/11."

This raises a few issues for me. Was Carlsberg Export ever best before any given time? If I take it will it kill me?

I'd appreciate advice from anybody who has experience of drinking out of date ale and I can think of nowhere better to ask than here.

WWATDD?

yes it does and unless you plan to lose alot of weight and invest in andrex i wouldnt chance it. Will taste funny too.

Not a chance.

It matures like cheese.

We seem to have a conflict of opinion here but beer as a slimming aid sounds attractive.

Export is alright too.

Grolsch-y.

Drive it to Pompsmouth an I'll have it

Angry of Mayfair wrote:

yes it does and unless you plan to lose alot of weight and invest in andrex i wouldnt chance it. Will taste funny too.

As above, leave well alone. I once had a 4-pack of Tetley's that was about a year out of date and the aftermath wasn't pleasant.

This is definitely the right place to ask such a question. You'll be fine. I know these things. If you're not it's probably something you ate.

Where is Chemical Ali when you need him....?

beer dont go out of date,folk been drinking it for centuries

Beer is at its best for upto a few months after brewing. After that the flavour degrades over time. Sealed properly beer is a pretty hostile environment for microrganisms. It won't kill you but it won't taste good either.

Tinned beer is pretty sterile, not even any yeast in it.

"Normally, bottled and canned beer had to be pasteurized to kill the active yeast left in the beer after brewing was completed, otherwise the buildup of gasses in the bottle would explode them on store shelves or ruin the taste of the beer even if the bottles stayed intact"

Straight from Wiki!

have a can, if it tastes shite ditch it, if not get in.

I have drunk OOD beer on many occasions, sold to ships cheap, not sure about 2 years though.

I have never had beer in the house for more than a couple of days so no idea

I drank some Lowenbrau in Thailand that was five years out of date and me and the missus were both really Ill for a couple of weeks. We found out later that the beer had all been retrieved from the bottom of the canal that was like an open sewer, but as long as it isn't stored in this way it will be fine.

Take it home, don't drink it, just "lay it down" in your cellar and wait for 20 years. It will be worth a fortune. A sound investment.

Gert Loinz wrote:

Beer is at its best for upto a few months after brewing. After that the flavour degrades over time. Sealed properly beer is a pretty hostile environment for microrganisms. It won't kill you but it won't taste good either.

I'd go with this. Best before dates are put on food products to indicate a potential decline in quality from that date, whereas Use by dates are usually due to potential spoilage/ food poisoning concerns.

Try some and if it tastes ok then it should be ok. Or give it to someone with poor eye sight (if you don't know one of them a scotsman will do) as a gift.

Chemical Ali wrote:

Gert Loinz wrote:

Beer is at its best for upto a few months after brewing. After that the flavour degrades over time. Sealed properly beer is a pretty hostile environment for microrganisms. It won't kill you but it won't taste good either.

I'd go with this. Best before dates are put on food products to indicate a potential decline in quality from that date, whereas Use by dates are usually due to potential spoilage/ food poisoning concerns.

Try some and if it tastes ok then it should be ok. Or give it to someone with poor eye sight (if you don't know one of them a scotsman will do) as a gift.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...

Make me stronger!

I turned the offer down.

It was only bloody lager after all.

Take it to a party and then drink the good stuff!

With a bit of tending this thread could push Guest's* Mundane into 3rd place.

seadog wrote:

With a bit of tending this thread could push Guest's* Mundane into 3rd place.

And that's a good thing because ... ? (Six sentences or less, please)

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

Take it to a party and then drink the good stuff!

Now that's enterprising

Peggy * wrote:

seadog wrote:

With a bit of tending this thread could push Guest's* Mundane into 3rd place.

And that's a good thing because ... ? (Six sentences or less, please)

Fishing does not always involve catching, but sometimes one gets a good nibble, no pineapple involved.