How long can you store beer before it goes bad?

If you have ever wondered why most beer bottles are amber or green, the answer is simple. The full spectrum of daylight can have undesirable effects on a beer over a period of time. The ultraviolet portion of the spectrum is especially harmful; promoting chemical reactions that produce "off flavors" that will take the edge off the freshness of a beer. Dark glass greatly inhibits this photochemical effect, whereas clear glass leaves the beer within vulnerable to being "light struck." The industry standard is for green or amber glass, but for some unfathomable reason a number of British breweries stick resolutely to their traditional practice of using clear glass bottles, with often undesirable consequences when such beers are left on a retailer’s shelf for any length of time. The following is a list of some of the top-rated, cellarable, bottle-conditioned beers we have reviewed. All or any of these would be highly recommended for a beer cellar (e.g., a cool cupboard in the basement). Suggested cellaring periods are in brackets, though they are only approximate cellaring times based on personal experiences and in some cases, brewery recommendations. Three gueuzes have been included for the simple reason that these beers have the best cellaring potential in the beer world. Frank Boon of Brouwerij Boon claims a 30-year cellar life for his gueuze beers. * Brasserie d’Achouffe (Belgium) N’Ice Chouffe (up to 5 years) * Chimay (Belgium) Grand Reserve Blue (up to 5 years) * Sinebrychoff (Finland) Porter 1996 Bottling (up to 5 years) * King & Barnes (England) Millennium Ale (up to 10 years) * J.W. Lees (England) Harvest Ale 1998 (up to 10 Years) * Unibroue (Canada) Quelquechose (up to 10 years) * Young’s (England) Old Nick Barley Wine (up to 10 years) * Lindemans (Belgium) Gueuze Cuvée René (up to 15 years) * Frank Boon (Belgium) Gueuze Mariage Parfait (up to 20 years) * Cantillon (Belgium) Gueuze (up to 20 years) * Eldridge Pope (England) Thomas Hardy’s Ale (up to 20 years)

years after the experation date. yea, its still good.

in my belly!!