Does beer expire?

The short answer

Most canned craft beer is at its best within three to six months of packaging. It stays safe to drink well beyond that, but hop aroma drops away, malt flavours flatten and stale, papery notes creep in. Always drink to the best-before date on the can, and treat fresher as better.

Hoppy beers age fastest

IPAs, pale ales and hazy beers are built on volatile hop oils — the first thing to go. A big IPA can lose noticeable aroma in six to eight weeks warm, so drink those first. Lagers and pilsners sit in the middle: clean, delicate and quick to show staling.

Stouts, porters and strong beer keep longer

Dark, malt-forward and higher-strength beers are far more forgiving. Roast, chocolate and dried-fruit character holds up for a year or more, and strong bottle-conditioned beers can even improve, rounding out into sherry and toffee notes.

Three things that ruin beer

• Heat. Warmth speeds up staling dramatically. Cold storage is the single biggest thing you can do for freshness.
• Light. UV reacts with hop compounds and creates "skunked" aromas within minutes. Cans are immune; clear and green glass are not.
• Oxygen and movement. Once opened, beer goes flat and oxidised within a day. Store cans upright and undisturbed.

How to store beer at home

Keep cans and bottles upright, in the dark, somewhere cool and stable — a fridge is ideal, a cool cupboard is fine. Avoid the garage in summer and anywhere near a radiator or window. Repeated warm/cold cycling is worse than steady cellar temperature.

What about our kegs?

A 5L keg should be chilled and drunk within a couple of days of tapping. Unopened, treat it like the same beer in a can: refrigerated and fresh is best.