Can Beer Be Refrigerated Twice
It is a common misconception that changing the temperature “skunks” beer in some way. The fact is that temperature cycling seldom ever affects the freshness of beer. Consider this: all imported beer from Europe would be spoilt before you ever bought it if cold beer were to be heated and then cooled once.
While it is fine to simply keep beer at room temperature until you need to chill it down to drink, particularly if you are going through it within a month or two, it is generally best to keep beer in a cooler. Beer can be stored safely for some period of time in a non-refrigerated environment, preferably one that is cool and dry.
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It is important to store your beer in cool temperatures so it retains its flavors for as long as possible. Yes, beer does like to be stored at cool temperatures, and will keep for a much longer time as long as you maintain it at a consistently cool temperature for the duration of its shelf life. It usually does not significantly alter a beers flavor to move from the colder setting to the room temperature condition, and back.
| Storage | Shelf life |
| At room temperature | 6-9 months |
| In refrigerator | Up to 6 months |
Of course, you do not want any significant temperature fluctuations to be extreme, and extreme heat is sure to spoil your beer. Temperature fluctuations do not cause additional chemical reactions, and thus warming to room temperature and refreshing multiple times has no additional impact on your beer.
Allowing cold beer to warm up at room temperature before placing back into the refrigerator should not affect the beverages taste. Beer stored colder will have longer shelf life, particularly if it is a hoppy beer, but no real harm is done to a beer by taking it out of the refrigerator and allowing it to warm to room temperature, and then cooling it back down. Beer is extremely resistant to heat, and it prefers being stored cold, but will likely not get worse if left room temperature for an extended time. Beer is a little more sensitive to temperature changes, but as long as you are going to be drinking within 30 to 45 days, moving it back and forth between cool and room temperature several times does not impact the taste.
A common myth is that cycling a beer from cold to hot to cool temperature back again will harm its flavor. The more common misconception is that if a cold beer gets hot, and then gets cool again, it skunks, but the skunking comes from lightstrikes, not from fluctuating temperatures. According to the most popular version of the temperature-of-beer myth, if a beer is chilled, then made hot, then chilled again, and so on, it will spoil and be unusable.
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Buying a cooled beer from a store, and then keeping it out of the fridge until needed, does no meaningful harm to the beer. Otherwise, this will really make no discernible difference in the beer, unless you plan on keeping your beer long-term. You are not going to notice a difference between the beer in a bottle or a beer in a can when you are taking it out within weeks.
If you are still getting strong flavors, put the beer back in its original bottle and wait until it has settled. If you notice other problems with the beer, like moldy bottles or bad odors, toss it out.
As indicated by the red lines (the lines to the left), the beer degrades at higher temperatures far more quickly. Once a beer is packaged, it goes either to the cool storage facility, or ends up on the brewery floor — whatever the warmer temperature is. If a beer is kept room temperature its whole life, then it should hit a pitching date about 110-120 days after it is packaged, according to the charts. Leaving an unsealed beer at room temperature will keep it in the best condition for an average of four to six months.
Keeping your beer at room temperature will shorten your beers shelf life from almost six months to just a couple weeks, while subjecting that same beer to extremely hot temperatures will impact the taste within just a couple days. If breweries are able to keep their beers as cool as possible as much of the time as they possibly can, then that beer shelf life is extended, so when it hits a retailers shelves, and eventually yours, that beer is going to taste as close as it possibly can to being as fresh from the brewery. It would take a lot of cycles of cold to hot temperatures to make an appreciable difference to a beer, and most beers already go through a few cycles of cold to hot temperatures in their journey from brewery to glass.
While the beer is not negatively affected by the change of temperature from cool to hot, extreme heat would have detrimental effects on the beverage. The use of hotter temperatures, as well as extreme temperature swings (from cold to hot, cold to hot), can cause exaggerated oxidation processes, shortening beer shelf life. High temperatures and extreme temperature fluctuations (cold to warm to cold to warm) might induce an exaggerated oxidative process, reducing the shelf life of beer. This increased temperature (depending on the bottle) can drastically intensify oxidative processes in the bottled beer, not to mention possible exposure to light.
Beer does not skunk because of a change in temperature, it is because of ultraviolet light exposure (which also damages wines, though differently). The only thing that could possibly happen is a permanent haze of ice-coldness, if beer is exposed to repeated cold-to-warm temperature changes.
Yes, 30o shifts of temperature within 5 minutes definitely affects long-term stability of a beer, and yes, beers do prefer being kept refrigerated, and they should be, if they are available. Hoppy beers are more susceptible to temperature swings, but 1 or 2 instances of refrigeration to return to room temperature does not affect the flavors as long as you plan on drinking your beer within the next 30-45 days.
The beer definitely is not going to get skunky–that phenomenon is created by a chemical reaction from UV light reacting with bitter hops in beer, and that is why the smell of skunkiness is most prevalent with beer that comes out of a green bottle or one with clear packaging. When the beer is stored sideways, the cork — through being in contact with the beer — will slowly give its corky taste to the beer, and some corks contain chemicals and other ingredients that will intensify that corruption to the beer.
Can you drink leftover beer?
When the brew is opened, it shall be intoxicated in no less than a little while. After that time, by and large, it’ll be fine, however, its taste will be a long way from what you’ve expected. That intends that there’s no sense in putting away brew subsequent to opening – following two days it’ll taste lifeless and you’ll presumably dispose of it either way.
Does refrigerated beer have to stay refrigerated?
Refrigerated capacity is best for all lagers consistently. Expected a draft brew and many specialty lagers. Non-refrigerated capacity speeds up maturing and advancement of off flavors. A review led by one of the huge distilleries on flavor misfortune in packaged and canned items brought about the 3-30-300 Rule.
Does beer get skunked if it goes from cold to warm?
It is a global myth that temperature cycling “skunks” beer. Temperature cycling, in fact, has little effect on beer freshness. Beer must be exposed to warm temperatures, not heat flux cycling, in order to keep it stale. The best way to keep beer fresh is to keep it cold.