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Stale Beer and Flat Paint

    by Daniel Rubin
    Published 

Dad --

Again, a Happy Father's Day. And I think we can throw out those Heineken darks now.

I'm not sure how long they've sat in the basement. But thanks to Real Simple, here's a handy guide for figuring out the shelf life of various foodstuffs and soft goods.

Unopened beer: four months. Those Heinies are about 29 years and 8 months past their prime.

Tabasco: five years. Frozen TV dinners: 12-18 months. Honey: timeless.

And those paint cans that have been sitting in my own basement for about 17 years? I've got plans for them and all, but they lost their lustre more than a decade ago.

Andrew
Posted 06/22/2005 01:52:12 PM
not so fast, suzy....
SOME beer (i.e. made by Bud,Miller,Coors syndicate, or almost anything from the Interbrew conglomerate, as well as many types of micros)are made for consumption iin the 4 months frame. More and more, you are seeing stuff made to be aged for years on end (dfh 120 ipa, anyone)
Geoff
Posted 06/23/2005 06:40:03 AM
Andrew is exactly right. Most of the BudMillerCoors is lower alcohol, low in hops, and pasteurized. Bottle-conditioned beers, higher alcohol beers, beers with lots of hops will stay better longer. Go to http://beeradvocate.com for more information. Bring your questions if need be.
Daniel Rubin
Posted 06/23/2005 06:42:09 AM
So what about those Heinkens?
Geoff
Posted 06/23/2005 02:33:48 PM
It already comes over from Europe with a skunky taste. Maybe it would be better stale.