Proper Beer Care, Episode I: IPAs and Other Hoppy Beers

So I love beer. Not the stuff that you pour into a red solo cup shortly before crushing the can on your forehead (WARNING: I have done this, and lets just say the results don't couple well with a hangover). I'm talking about craft beer. The stuff with flavor that isn't most commonly associated with various substances that come out of your body. As my taste buds have matured, I, along with many other beer drinkers, have moved towards stronger flavored beers. A very common way of brewing a beer with a strong flavor is through the addition of hops. They create a wonderful bitter flavor that makes first time tries cringe while picking at the brains of more experienced drinkers who are considering what to drink. Anyways, I fear that anybody who is actually going to bother reading a post with a title such as this one already knows this, and I apologizing for your wasted time. Onto storage!

About eight months ago, I was just starting to get really into craft beer. I got a bottle of Goose Island Big John, an imperial (high alcohol content) stout (dark beer). While I was all excited to drink it, I noticed that Goose Island printed on the bottle that the beer would develop for up to a year in the bottle. I'd never heard of anything like this before. After a first round of research yielded little, I ended up putting it in a paper bag under my bed - one of the few things I did learn was to prevent the bottle from being exposed to the light. 

As time progressed, I started actively reading Beer Advocate, a great resource for learning about beer. I learned more about beer storage, and am now, in a time of self criticism for not following my own knowledge, am here to help teach you.

SKIP TO HERE IF YOU'RE IN IT FOR THE FACTS

Among the many things I've learned is that hoppy beers, particularly IPAs, should always be drunk fresh. If you only remember one thing from reading this, remember that. As time goes on, the characteristic hoppy flavor of such beers fades, leaving the beer a mere skeleton of what it should be. This occurs at different rates for different beers. Some beers, such as a Three Floyd's Alpha King Pale Ale that I recently enjoyed, have a hoppy flavor that fades rapidly, in a matter of weeks. In general, all IPAs and hoppy beers should be drunk within about 3 months of the date brewed. Most respectable beers should have either the date brewed, though it may be in a code, or a drink by date. If you see a hoppy beer that doesn't meet that criteria, it's probably not worth buying. 

Another key factor in storing all beers is, as mentioned earlier, to keep them in the dark. When light shines of beer over an extended period of time, the beer can become "skunked". If you cannot tell by the name, this is a bad thing that will leave the beer ruined. This is an especially big problem with beers that have lighter (ie green, clear) bottles. It is a problem that can be avoided by just buying cans (which I, in most cases, recommend).

Temperature. For most cases*, keeping beer at a constant temperature isn't that important. If you buy refrigerated beer, leave it in your car for a couple hours, put it back in your fridge at home, etc. it'll be ok. Don't boil it or let it freeze, but that should be obvious enough. Ideally, any beer should be stored at the temperature at which it is meant to be drunk (also frequently listed on bottles). About 50 degrees is probably good. But this isn't critical, especially if you're not holding onto IPAs beyond the period of freshness. 

That's mostly it. If you want more information on storing beer, I'd recommend http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store. 

*Certain beers are meant to be kept constantly cold from the point that they are bottled. They are not particularly common, and anybody who's buying one will probably know what it is and how to deal with it.