Quote:
Originally Posted by Champagne Brown
. Essentially, beer from local brewery tends to be fresher than other beers?
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Modern supply chains make proximity a non issue for freshness except for the hoppiest of IPA's and the beer snobbiest of beer snobs. Any hoppy beer will have those aromas and flavors fade relatively quickly though. The darker, more malty, and higher the alcohol content the better the beer will keep over time with many lasting and even improving their flavor profiles for years if stored properly. To a beer snob an IPA is trash after 2 weeks from its bottle date, but even to me I notice a distinct difference after a month and definitely after two months. A good stout is still excellent a year later and often even improved with age.
Exposure to heat and light will ruin almost any beer very quickly so don't buy more than you can store in the fridge. Someone mentioned this above and if you were wondering, "Skunked" is a beer enthusiast's word for what happens when UV light meets hops molecules and they break down/merge with sulfur atoms to create off flavors in a beer that smell similar to a skunk. Beer nerds won't buy beer on display or even from stores with bright lighting because of skunking fears. Dark bottles provide the most protection from UV light whereas green provides less and clear provides none. Myself I've only had a truly skunked beer a few times but it's a real thing lol.

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