Out of date beer - safe to drink ?

mark 2008 · 26-05-2008 6:18am #1

Hi, bit of a strange question but here goes....due to a mix up a thing with 24 cans of Milller Genuine Draft was left un-drunk and its now out of date (by several months). Anybody know would they be OK to drink or not ? cheers, Mark

Black Swan · 26-05-2008 6:20am

Shelf-life is an estimate of freshness (but MGD is yukky anytime!).

Xavi6 · 26-05-2008 6:28am

:eek: How could you leave beer long enough to go out of date?! Sacrelige! Don't you dare waste it!

oblivious · 26-05-2008 6:50am

Techniqually no human pathogen can survives in beer, so in theory it should be fine. but the miller may have lost some of it delicate taste:rolleyes:

shanel23 · 26-05-2008 11:38am

My old man offered my 8 cans of draught Guinness last night - the use by date was 14-Mar-2004 - I gave them a miss

colly10 · 26-05-2008 11:43am

I wouldn't drink it tbh, I assume it has a best before date for a reason

BeerNut · 26-05-2008 12:04pm

Two reasons: the law and marketing, neither of which mean the product is in any way more harmful once the date is passed.

FruitLover · 26-05-2008 12:15pm

colly10 wrote: »

I wouldn't drink it tbh, I assume it has a best before date for a reason

The flavour of a beer tends to degrade after the BBD.

So, considering it's Miller, this shouldn't be a problem (where's a barf smiley when you need one?)

junior_apollo · 26-05-2008 12:20pm

Shouldnt be any problem with it whatsoever... I do it all the time and never a problem (hmmm... *ponders*)

What is the date exactly and we'll give you a better idea.. a couple of months no worries.. 2002 may be an issue...

Gurgle · 26-05-2008 12:22pm

mark 2008 wrote: »

Hi, bit of a strange question but here goes....due to a mix up a thing with 24 cans of Milller Genuine Draft was left un-drunk and its now out of date (by several months). Anybody know would they be OK to drink or not ? cheers, Mark

I'm not sure about beer but I believe cider's best-before date is the latest date it can be guaranteed to be within an acceptable margin of its stated alcohol content.

Out of date -> drunk quicker

armour87 · 26-05-2008 12:24pm

Stick em' in the freezer for a bit and get them down ya son!

The Machine · 26-05-2008 12:27pm

A product that has gone beyond its "best before date" is still okay to consume. It may just have lost some of its flavour.

A product that has gone beyond it "use by date" should not be consumed.

BeerNut · 26-05-2008 12:54pm

FruitLover wrote:

The flavour of a beer tends to degrade after the BBD.

And before, as well. With very few exceptions, the fresher the beer the better the flavour. Best Before dates on beer are a compromise between making sure it's still acceptably fresh-tasting while ensuring the shelf-life is long enough to be commercially practical.

Gurgle wrote: »

I believe cider's best-before date is the latest date it can be guaranteed to be within an acceptable margin of its stated alcohol content.

How does that work? Ethanol doesn't degrade, and your mass-produced pasteurised ciders have nothing living in them that will make more alcohol. Even bottle-conditioned ones are highly unlikely to stray outside the Revenue's margin of error.

oblivious · 26-05-2008 1:00pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Even bottle-conditioned ones are highly unlikely to stray outside the Revenue's margin of error.

yep,a general rule is natural conditioning will add 0.5% alcohol

Steve_o · 26-05-2008 2:49pm

I drank 12 bottles of Miller one night that was 3 months out of date, didn't seem different in any way, and no ill effects....bar the usual.

The Bollox · 26-05-2008 2:55pm

Gurgle wrote: »

I'm not sure about beer but I believe cider's best-before date is the latest date it can be guaranteed to be within an acceptable margin of its stated alcohol content.

Out of date -> drunk quicker

Samsons cider seems to get better with age, that's not to say it doesn't taste good when in date, it does as unlike most cheap ciders you don't need to start of bulmers and work your way onto them, you can start on Samsons so for 4 for €5 you simply cannot go wrong

Kimbot · 26-05-2008 3:00pm

One of my mates drank a bottle of some manky drink that was 10 years out of date, he said it wasn't bad and still tasted like it should have.

the beer revolu · 28-05-2008 4:16pm

Currently drinking 03.07 Hommelbier and I swear it's much nicer than the fresh stuff (I've compared) but then it is 7.5% and is bottle conditioned.

oblivious · 28-05-2008 5:46pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

Currently drinking 03.07 Hommelbier and I wear it's much nicer than the fresh stuff (I've compared) but then it is 7.5% and is bottle conditioned.

nice:)

Some of the best before dates on Belgian are done for the American marker

grenache · 30-05-2008 12:32am

Drink them, they're just past their best and will be a little bit flat, but they're safe to drink with no ill-affects.

Garthicus · 30-05-2008 5:24am

You will be fine (pity they are cans of piss!)

Speaking of which, I just ate a pack of Tayto today that was BB Jan this year, they were brill!

Ghost Dog · 03-09-2009 1:27pm

Onlyfinebeer sold me a case of 2005 dated Rogue recently, tasted fine. MGD on the other hand....

oblivious · 03-09-2009 1:42pm

Ghost Dog wrote: »

Onlyfinebeer sold me a case of 2005 dated Rogue recently, tasted fine. MGD on the other hand....

Big difference between Rogue beer and miller, which Rogue was it?

Amalgam · 03-09-2009 1:44pm

I bought a tray of Comet Beer from an Off Licence on Baggot Street, it was out about two months, it lived up to its name. Nothing quite beats the feeling of passing wind and having wet ankles..

Ghost Dog · 03-09-2009 2:50pm

Honey Ale, American Amber, Half a Weizen and Shakspear Stout.

Ordering more today. Hic! (But don't buy the Maisel OOD, 2004, undrinkable. Their OOD English Beer is a good buy, haven;t tried the Belgian or German Selections yet.

http://www.onlyfinebeer.co.uk

ArrogantOne · 01-01-2010 8:26am

shanel23 wrote: »

My old man offered my 8 cans of draught Guinness last night - the use by date was 14-Mar-2004 - I gave them a miss

That's interesting. I have 4 cans of Guiness Draught, just discovered, at the bottom of the can it says: 02/10/06 - so presumably 2 October 2006 or 10 February 2006. Maybe that's the date of manufacture and not the best before date. I don't know.

I am concerned whether I will get food poisoning by drinking these cans. they have never been openned and have been refrigerated the entire time I am told.

What do I do?

the beer revolu · 01-01-2010 7:47pm

ArrogantOne wrote: »

That's interesting. I have 4 cans of Guiness Draught, just discovered, at the bottom of the can it says: 02/10/06 - so presumably 2 October 2006 or 10 February 2006. Maybe that's the date of manufacture and not the best before date. I don't know.

I am concerned whether I will get food poisoning by drinking these cans. they have never been openned and have been refrigerated the entire time I am told.

What do I do?

Try them. If they taste ok, well and good, if not chuck them.
The WILL NOT make you ill.

kawasaki777 · 21-11-2016 7:27am

drank 26 cans dutch gold 13 years out date, no worries

Out of date beer - safe to drink ?

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