How to Store Beer

Depending on the style, beer needs to be stored in a way that maintains its flavor and freshness. Some can even be stored and aged for maturation. Follow these easy steps to store your beer.

Instructions

1. Store vintage beers, imperial stouts, strong ales and lambics in an upright position in a cool, dark place for aging. Keeping these beers stored for long periods of time (a year or more) enhances their flavor and helps them develop complexity-just like wine.

2. Maintain the temperature of your beer. Though cycling beer from warm to cold and back again usually only causes cloudiness, for the best flavor, keep your beer in the refrigerator at all times.

3. Keep beer away from direct light. Light reacts with the hops in the beer causing it to stale quickly, often referred to as "skunking." Store beer in a dark place at all times where light cannot reach it.

4. Use carbon dioxide with keg beer instead of compressed air to force it out. Oxygen accelerates the chemical reactions that cause staling in beer. Keg beer can go flat in a matter of days when exposed to oxygen.

5. Take note of the "freshness" or "consume by" date on the beer packaging. If there is no date, store your beer for no longer than 6 weeks (unless you are aging it). Beer is perishable, like other foods, and can only be stored and kept fresh for a limited amount of time. Stronger, hoppier beers may keep for longer.