Does beer ever get stale?

Question

Does beer ever get stale?

Answer 1

Sure, some get too old, some are skunky to begin with, and some don't travel well. But American beers are loaded with chemicals, some are just kiddie beers, and of course act and taste much differently.

Answer 2

***If skipper holds a PhD In Food Chemistry and Nutrition then pigs do indeed fly.***

Beer will age well for some time before developing off-flavors, "stale" as you call it. Certain high gravity beers will age well due to its composition of higher alcohols and hop acids levels. These beers to develop off-flavors, however, they are often hidden by the strong flavors from the malt and hops.

The off-flavors that develop in an average beer is due to the breakdown of certain chemical constituents that occur naturally it them. The substrates may be derived from the breakdown of yeast cells or other compounds. Although it is now rare in beers the skunk aroma is from the reaction of light on the hop acids in beer and its eventual joining of sulfur.

Skippy.

Hey Doctoral Man

Yes skunk aromas can and do occur in beer. I have forgotten more about it and beer than you will ever know.

Explain further (if you can) the process of "light-struck beer." Here is a brief explaination to get you started.

isopentenyl mercaptan

When beer, particularly lager beer, is exposed to sunlight in clear bottles it developes an unpleasant 'sun-struck' flavor due to the formation of isopentenyl mercaptan. It is envisaged that photolysis of isohumulone cleaves the isohexenoyl side-chain to form a 3-methylbut-2-enyl radical which reacts with hydrogen sulphide, or any available thiol, in the beer to produce the mercaptan stated above.

So, a cyclic isohumulone (the alpha acid of hops) compound is broken with uv light and a sulfur (likely Dimethyl sulphide derived from barley malt or corn grits) attches to it. The result is the

3-methylbut-2-enyl thiol (prenyl mercaptan) which produces the sun-struck "skunkiness" noticed in poorly handled beer.

Keep flapping your wings piggy.

I thinkl I will have that Oatmeal-Stout now.

Answer 3

Yes! Don't you remember Bud used to have (maybe they still do) the BORN ON date so you knew how long ago it was made and you wouldn't drink it past a certain time period. The hops and yeast are only fresh for so long.

Answer 4

Of course it does. With time any food will go stale.

Answer 5

I think so.

Answer 6

If by get stale you mean develop off flavors over time, you bet it does.  The first way is if it is exposed to light when in a bottle.  The sulfur bearing amino acid with react in the presence of light to produce a "skunky" type flavor.  Very distinctive and unappealing.  You will know it if you taste it.  It especially happens if the beer is in clear glass bottles.  That's why brewers usually use dark brown or green bottles.

The second way beer goes bad is simply with age.  You can really taste the difference if you try fresh beer from the brewer vs that bought in a store.  Try to visit a brewer and see for yourself.  It just gets old and tastes flat.  

Having said all that the beer as long as its in a can or bottle will never become microbiologically harmful.

PhD  Food Chemistry and Nutrition

edit

woh.  looks like "child" got up on the wrong side of the bed today.  If he can't tell the difference between old and fresh beer then he should probably go back to oatmeal.  And skunky beer does exists.  not sure what his problem is.  and yes you better start looking out for flying pigs

Answer 7

Some beers are meant to drink young.  Budweiser (which tastes like c**p from day one) uses a born on date just to be different from those who use expiration dates.

Some beers are meant to be aged.  Barleywines, imperial stouts, strong belgians taste better after a few years.

Answer 8

yes