Chip the Beer Guy Rock 107 – Boaks Double BW

Yep…I’m a little late posting today…a little cell phone meltdown to start my Friday so priorities took over.  My tip of the day, the more complex your phone, the more catastrophic the failure-potential.  With that in mind…on to the show.  I say this only because today’s main show topic was beer dating or beer freshness…so much so that Chip was actually winded trying to get the topic in before time ran out.  Freshness dating has always been interesting to me. 

At the mybeerbuzz house, we have a below grade basement, perfect for beer storage (perhaps too perfect if you ask Mrs. Beerbuzz).  I’ve always cellared beer.  I started with strong ales, vintage ales, saisons or Bier de Garde styles and they all aged well.  I then added in things like Sierra Neveda Celebration, Mad Elf & even Nugget Nectar to see how they age…and surprisingly enough they DO.  Of course the taste changes, some for better, some for worse, but none disastrously.  Yes a fresh Nugget Nectar is better, but a year old Nugget is still a nice beer.  Now I have learned when to say “when” and drink a beer when it is best, but keep in mind “best” is determined by your taste…not mine or anyone else.

My point is YES; you do need to pay attention to freshness dating, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all.  Obviously a beer with a lot of ABV or IBU can stand the test of time, and a sweet Brown Ale, wheat ale or light lager may not.  Personally I like to buy fresh and age it myself (to avoid extremes of heat and light), but decide for yourself.  Try aging some beer and experiment for yourself.

With all of this said, I DO agree with Chip that we need to work together to ensure everyone is buying fresh (not drastically outdated) beverages.  Cheers guys…great show and if the Boaks is half as good as their Monster Mash I’m sure it was tasty.