How to store your beer perfectly? || Storing, Serving, Faults || Beer

Have you ever pondered why some beers taste fresher, crisper, and overall better than others? It's not only about making beer; it's also about how it's stored and served. From bottles to cans, kegs to glasses, appropriate storage and service make a huge impact. With these fundamental tips, you'll always offer your beer fresh and tasty.

Storing your Beer

Beer starts to change as soon as it is brewed and can be easily ruined if exposed to oxygen, heat, or light. maintain the following tips in mind to maintain your beer in tip-top condition.

Consume your Beer freshly

Although certain beers benefit from maturing, most beers taste best when they are fresh. Hop smells diminish with time, bitterness lessens, and undesirable flavours, like as damp cardboard, can emerge. When purchasing packaged beer, check the 'bottled on' or 'best before' date to verify it is still fresh.

Store your Beer in cold climate

Cool temperatures are most beers' best friend. Keeping beer in a cool, consistent environment ideally refrigerated helps to keep its freshness, flavour, and aroma. Even short-term exposure to warm temperatures can cause beer to get stale faster, resulting in bland flavours and aromas. However, not all beers must be kept extremely cold. While lagers and lighter varieties do well in the fridge, certain ales and stouts can be stored and consumed at slightly higher temps to bring out their full richness. To achieve the greatest results, keep your beer chilled and consistent. 

Keep your Beer in shade

Light is beer's silent adversary. Exposure to sunlight or even artificial light can cause "light strike," which produces unpleasant odours a defect known as "skunking." Packaging is critical: cans and kegs offer complete protection, whereas dark bottles prevent the majority of harmful light. Green and transparent glass bottles, on the other hand, provide little to no protection and should be stored in sealed boxes or in the dark to maintain the quality of the beer. (For further information on light strike, see the common beer flaws section below.) 

Keep your Beer sealed

Keeping beer sealed not only retains its carbonation but also prevents its exquisite smells from deteriorating. Once a bottle or can has been opened, it is advisable to consume the beer right away to fully enjoy its flavour. Kegged beer has an advantage: it is packaged with carbon dioxide, which keeps oxygen out and keeps it fresher for longer.

Faults in Beer

Bad storage or management can cause unwanted odours and flavours in beer. Some frequent faults to look out for are:

Staling

Most beers undergo Staling over time, which is accelerated by exposure to heat and oxygen. Hop scents and sharpness disappear, and the beer may develop off tastes such as paper or damp cardboard notes.

Skunking

Light strike, also known as skunking, occurs when hop chemicals are exposed to light and emit an unpleasant odour similar to burned hair or cat urine.

Bacterial infection

Bacterial growth in poorly maintained beer lines (hoses that link kegs to taps) is a common cause of bacterial infection, which can result in beer with disagreeable flavours such as vinegar and rancid butter.

How to serve Beer

Glassware

There is a large variety of glassware available, and personal preference, history, and culture are all essential considerations when deciding which glass to serve a beer with. In addition, when selecting a tasting glass, there are a few general features to consider:

• Having a rounded bowl can help swirling
• Inward-sloping walls collect aromas at the top of the glass.
• Narrow glasses can help with head retention (foam stand).

Regardless of the shape, size, or brand of glassware, the glass used to serve beer must be clean. It should be odourless and free of any residues, such as detergent or dishwasher salts, or dirt left by dirty glass-polishing cloths. If you detect bubbles adhering to the side of the glass after pouring the beer, it means the glass isn't totally clean.

Keg beer

Pouring keg beer isn't just for bartenders; whether you're throwing a party or relaxing at home, a great pour can make all the difference. Done correctly, it brings out the finest in your beer by balancing flavour, carbonation, and foam. Here's how to get the best keg pour every time:

• Hold the glass with one hand and place it at a 45-degree angle below the tap or faucet. The tap should not make contact with the alcohol or glass. Avoid touching the top of the glass with your hand. 
• Open the tap completely and pour the beer down the side of the glass until it is approximately 70% filled.
• Move the glass upright and continue to pour the beer directly into the centre to create foam.
• When you've filled the glass to the proper volume, turn off the tap.

Bottled beer: Opening and Pouring

Bottled beer can feel like a ritual, and doing it correctly ensures the most enjoyable drinking experience. Whether it's a crystal-clear lager or a bottle-conditioned brew, these simple procedures will help you pour confidently.

Opening a bottle sealed with a crown cap.

Hold the bottle steady with one hand. With your other hand, use the bottle opener to remove the crown cap in a single stroke.

Pouring Bottled Beer

Some beers, such as bottle-conditioned ales, have yeast sediment on the bottom. While sediment does not hurt the beer, the drinker can choose whether or not to have it in their glass. If you're serving bottle-conditioned beer, pour gently to preserve the liquid pure, and leave the bottle on the table so the drinker can choose whether to swirl and add sediment.

• With one hand, hold the glass at a 45° angle. Avoid touching the top of the glass with your hand.
• With the other hand, slowly pour the beer down the glass's side. 
• When the glass is around 50-70% full, return it to an upright posture and continue pouring the beer into the centre of the liquid, causing foam.
• Pour beer that does not contain sediment until the entire contents of the bottle are in the glass.
• Pour beer with yeast sediment carefully, maintaining it in the pouring position until the sediment is visible at the bottle's neck. At this moment, stop pouring to prevent sediment from entering the glass.
• To eliminate sediment in the glass, a tiny bit of beer is always left in the bottle.

In the case of weissbier and witbier, which are naturally cloudy/hazy, sediment may settle in the bottle or can. It is customary to reintroduce this sediment by gently rolling the bottle or can before opening and pouring the entire contents into the glass.

Optimum temperature to serve Beer

Serving beer at the proper temperature can enhance its flavours and smells, although personal preference is always a factor. While some individuals adore ice-cold lagers, others prefer the depth of a warm stout. If you're unsure, these broad recommendations will help you get the most out of each style:

Beer Characteristics	Beer Style Examples	Suggested Service Temperature
Styles with light to medium aroma, low to medium alcohol	American or international lager, Traditional Czech or German pilsner, Weissbier	Well chilled 3–7°C (37–45°F)
Styles with medium to pronounced aroma, medium to high alcohol	Porter, American pale ale, American IPA	Chilled 7–12°C (45–54°F)
Styles with complex and pronounced aroma, high to very high alcohol	Barley wine, Dubbel	Lightly chilled 12–15°C (54–59°F)

From appropriate storage to the right pour, these tiny procedures have a significant impact on how your beer tastes. Whether you're hosting guests, relaxing at home or running a bar, learning these guidelines will ensure that every beer is served to perfection. Cheers to that!