Beer · Explainer
How is beer best stored?
Store beer dark, upright and cool. Storing above 20 degrees affects flavour stability, and in research cooling at 2 degrees protected the beer best. Light works faster: in full sunlight a panel tastes a light-struck flavour after less than 10 seconds. Brown glass protects against that, green and clear glass hardly at all.
In brief
The key figures
| Storage temperature | Cool; above 20 degrees flavour stability declines |
|---|---|
| Best protected in studies | 2 degrees, Molecules 2022 |
| Most harmful light | Blue light, 350 to 500 nanometres |
| Speed in full sunlight | Noticeable after less than 10 seconds |
| Glass colour | Brown protects; green and clear hardly at all |
| Best-before date | Mandatory below 10% vol, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 |
| Position of the bottle | Upright, so that the sediment stays on the bottom |
| What can wait | Strong and re-fermented beers; hoppy beers precisely not |
At what temperature do you store beer?
Store beer cool and stable: above 20 degrees the flavour stability noticeably deteriorates, and in research cooling at 2 degrees protected the beer best.
Researchers followed pilsner under transport and storage conditions between 19 and 30 degrees. After 45 days certain aging aldehydes were up to three times higher than at the start, while the refrigerated bottles at 2 degrees stayed close to their starting point.
A shed that heats up in summer and cools down in winter is therefore a worse place than an evenly cool cellar. Fluctuations count, not just the highest temperature.
How much damage does light do to beer?
Light breaks down hop compounds into a light-struck flavour, and in full sunlight tasting panels detect it after less than 10 seconds.
The blue part of the spectrum, between 350 and 500 nanometres, is the most active in this. Brown glass blocks most of that light; green and clear glass offer little to no protection.
So store beer in the box, in a cupboard or in the cellar. A bottle in the shop window or on the counter by the window suffers the most damage, even without the temperature rising.
Should a beer bottle stand upright or lie down?
Beer stands upright, including bottle-conditioned beer, so that the yeast sediment stays as a compact layer at the bottom.
Standing upright also keeps contact between the beer and the crown cap small. With corked bottles it is the other way round: the brewer usually stores those lying down, so that the cork does not dry out.
If you want to pour a bottle-conditioned beer clear, let the bottle stand upright for a day before opening it.
Which beer can you cellar and which beer not?
Strong and re-fermented beers can wait for years; hoppy beers such as pilsner and IPA are best drunk fresh, because the hop aroma is the first to fade.
With ageing, hop aroma and bitterness decrease and caramel, sherry and cardboard-like notes are added. With a heavy dark beer this shift often fits the profile; with a beer that depends on hops, it removes the core.
Rule of thumb for the shelf at home: the more alcohol and the darker, the more patience the beer tolerates.
What does the best-before date on a beer bottle mean?
The date on a beer bottle is a best-before date, and it is mandatory for drinks under 10% vol alcohol.
Regulation (EU) no. 1169/2011 exempts drinks of 10% vol and above from that obligation. A quadrupel or barley wine of 11% vol therefore does not need to carry a date, a pilsner of 5% vol does.
The date says until when the brewer vouches for the flavour as intended. The warmer and lighter you store the beer, the faster it deviates from that.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which strong beers are there in Bathmen?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 349 beers of 8% vol and more from 126 different brands from 11 countries. Prices range from € 1.79 to € 69.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 8% to 15%.
- 't Zwarte Schoap Bliejschoap! Tripel 8.7% · 33 cl · Netherlands
- 't Zwarte Schoap De Verschoappeling Pale Dubbel Bock 8.4% · 33 cl · Netherlands
- 't Zwarte Schoap Het Lam Oaked Quadrupel 10% · 33 cl · Netherlands
- 't Zwarte Schoap Het Lam Oaked Quadrupel 10% · 75 cl · Netherlands
- Abbaye d'Aulne Cuvee Royale 9% · 75 cl · Belgium
- Achel Tripel Abdijbier 8% · 33 cl · Belgium
- Affligem Tripel 9% · 720 cl · Belgium
- Affligem Tripel 9% · 30 cl · Belgium
- Barbar Blond Honingbier 8% · 33 cl · Belgium
- Barbar Bok 8.5% · 33 cl · Belgium
Related questions
How long does beer keep and how should it be stored?How do you clean beer glasses so that you don't kill the beer?How do you organise a beer tasting at home?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Is beer still good after its date?
- Over time, beer loses hop aroma and acquires caramel and cardboard notes. The warmer you store it, the faster that happens.
- Is it fine to keep beer in the fridge?
- Yes. Cold and dark is exactly what beer needs; in research, 2 degrees gave the best protection.
- Is a can better than glass for storing?
- A can lets no light through, so a lightstruck taste cannot develop. Brown glass comes closest to that.
- Why does beer sometimes smell musty or of rubber?
- That is the light-struck flavour. Blue light between 350 and 500 nanometres breaks down hop compounds into a strong-smelling sulphur compound.
- How long does pilsner stay good?
- Until the best-before date that must be stated on the label. Storing cool and dark keeps the flavour longest.
The reasoning
Sources
- Assessment of Staling Aldehydes in Lager Beer under Maritime Transport and Storage Conditions, Molecules, 2022 (accessed 2026-09-05)
- The chemistry of beer aging: a critical review, Food Chemistry, 2006 (accessed 5 September 2026)
- Lightstruck, The Oxford Companion to Beer (accessed 2026-09-05)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex X, EUR-Lex (accessed 2026-09-05)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.