Storing & Pouring

If you want your beer to maintain its pure taste and texture, then you’ll need to ensure you give it the same care you’d give to any other perishable food. Here are a few tips on keeping your beer fresh and tasty.

Storing your Beer

• Shelf life is about three months. Quality is affected by both temperature and light.
• Store beer away from light. Choose a dim or dark location for beer storage, as ultra-violet light soon spoils beer, causing it to be "light struck" and to go "skunked". (Green and brown bottles help beer from becoming light struck, which risks giving the brew a skunky taste.)
• Store beer in a cool place with a temperature of approximately 13°C.
• Keep draught beer refrigerated at all times to maintain freshness. Finish within two to three weeks with a home draught set up.
• Ideal serving temperature is between 4° and 5°C.
• It's tempting to lay bottled beer on its side to efficiently utilize space, but when the bottles are stored horizontally, it can create a yeast ring inside the bottle that will not settle. Store your beer upright - the yeast will settle to the bottom and allow for a clean, yeast-free pour.
• Drink opened beer and don't even try storing it. The carbonation will evaporate and you'll have flat beer even if it's only the next day. If you can't drink it, use it in the kitchen or elsewhere.

From the Bottle to the Glass

• Beer tastes best in glasses made for beer alone. That's because milk, tea, coffee, and even the soap used to clean the glasses, leaves a residue that diminishes a beer's head.
• CLEANING TIP #1: Dip beer glass in clear water, then turn upside-down to drain. If the glass has traces of lipstick, soap, grease or oil, the film of water will break up into streaks or drops. If the glass is clean, you'll see a perfect film of clear water cover the entire surface.
• CLEANING TIP #2: Serve beer in a wet glass that's been washed in a mild, soap-free detergent and rinsed several times in warm water. To prime your glass for a rich head, rinse it in pure, cold water just before you pour.

The Fine Art of Pouring

• The perfect glass of beer boasts a rich head of foam. Not only does it look great, and provide a natural cap for the beer's carbonation, you get a smoother, cleaner taste.
• When you pour the beer, put the neck of the bottle over the edge of the cool, wet glass, tilting the bottle to a high angle. Pour the beer into the glass until you've created a fine, dense-textured head.
• At that point, lower the bottom of the bottle to reduce the flow until foam nears the top of the glass. Leave just enough space for the foam to rise to the lip of the glass.
• Cheers!