Comments on: Is it safe?

Question: Is it safe?

docpops — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:46:56 -0800

I have an 8.45 ounce bottle of Sam Adams Triple Bock, ca. 1994, an ale brewed w/ maple syrup, that I was given as a gift. I just found it again in a cabinet. It's been sealed well, kept in dark spaces in air conditioned spaces mostly. Safe to drink? Keep aging? Bury in a landfill?

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:53:57 -0800

I'm guessing even if it's safe to drink it will taste pretty terrible. 13 years is a long time for beer to be sitting around.

By: Devils Slide

Devils Slide — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:55:54 -0800

A lot of beer manufacturers have a "sell by" or "bottled on" date on their products now. Old stale beer really doesn't taste good, and the bottle you found will probably taste pretty horrible and vinegary. I'd toss it, but you're not going to get poisoned if you consume it. Only one way to find out if it's still drinkable: pop the cap and take a sip.

By: dcjd

dcjd — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:56:34 -0800

I don't know if its safe, but check out these reviews. Definately an interesting "beer".

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:57:07 -0800

There's nothing in a sealed bottle of beer that will go bad in a harmful sense, and while I haven't looked this up as a fact, I personally consider syrup similarly non-perishable in my personal life. (There may not even be "syrup" in the final beer if it was brewed with it as a source of sugar for the yeast.) I would drink it now or at the next suitable celebration.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:59:33 -0800

To everyone saying it's going to taste bad: It's possible, but unlikely. This beer has more alcohol than a lot of wines and at that point beer can be aged. Apparently this one was only brewed a couple times and people are definitely still drinking it today.

By: jbickers

jbickers — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:20:22 -0800

Even if it was a brand new bottle, you really want to pour it out - this stuff is horrid. One of the few beers I've ever encountered that I cannot stomach (a point of reference is Samichlaus, it's similar to that. Ick.)

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:26:41 -0800

Triple Bock is one of Sam Adams' "Extreme Beers":

"Samuel Adams Triple Bock is the beer that truly started our odyssey into extreme brewing. Its deep, full flavor explodes with notes of maple, vanilla, oak and toffee. This flavor, along with its heavy, still mouthfeel has drawn comparisons to a vintage port, sherry and cognac. And Samuel Adams Triple Bock should be enjoyed in much the same way. We recommend serving it at room temperature in a snifter a few ounces at a time - one bottle should generously serve two to three. Its warming malt character and fruit esters make it an ideal after dinner aperitif.

Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams Triple Bock can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia."

TheOnlyCoolTim's right about the high alcohol content. I read somewhere that Sam Adams' Triple Bock, Millennium and Utopias are said to age like fine port. Taste it. If you like it, drink it. If not, pour it down the drain.

By: koolkat

koolkat — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:45:49 -0800

If it was stored correctly I would most definitely drink it. It also sounds like it has been stored correctly. Beware though because it is not in any traditional sense a "beer". It is technically a beer according to the German beer purity law because it is made only with barley hops water and yeast, but unless you are an avid beer fan then you might not like it. I have a couple of bottles left and I open one every year or so and I haven't died yet so I wouldn't worry about it being unsafe, just potentially unpalatable.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:56:39 -0800

If it tastes too weird to drink, perhaps you could try cooking with it before dumping it.

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:58:20 -0800

Usually I would say that a beer that has sat around this long was no good, but this beer might be an exception. I remember having some in 1994 and its syrupy quality was most reminscent of port, except malty instead of vegetal. It was interesting tasting but I could not finish the bottle.

Its high alcohol and sugar content may have preserved it. Probably worth a try some night when you've got nothing else going on.

As a data point: I've also drank bottles of Coors and Michelob that have sat around outdoors (not in sunlight) for 20+ years and they tasted just like any other bottle of Coors or Michelob, which is to say, who cares because they weren't that great to begin with.

By: matteo

matteo — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:04:39 -0800

it's probably lost most of its flavor. unless you're destitute, or an alcoholic, throw it away (or keep it unopened on display on a shelf in the kitchen if you're one of those guys). and clean your pantry more often, for chrissakes, you'll get vermin in there

By: jrossi4r

jrossi4r — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:23:48 -0800

Sell it! They're going for about 20 bucks on ebay.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:24:50 -0800

For what it's worth, there are two things that will make even a high-gravity beer like this go bad over time: light (UV exposure specifically — it reacts with hop chemicals to produce "skunky" flavor) and heat. You say this has been stored in a cool dark place, so that raises the odds that it's good.

...or, well, not-ruined at least. Even if it has aged well, not everyone likes old ales. They're stronger, thicker and, yeah, winier than anything freshly brewed, and if you tasted one blind you probably wouldn't recognize it as beer at all.

By: electroboy

electroboy — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:39:45 -0800

It wasn't good when it was bottled. Unless you like a nice cold glass of soy sauce.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:47:45 -0800

Try it! Then blog about it, or at least let us know.

As nebulawindphone pointed out, it's been stored in reasonable conditions, and it's one of the few "beers" that's actually meant to age. It's definitely not "bad" unless the seal somehow became compromised; if something were wrong, you'd know as soon as you tasted it.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:18:10 -0800

In a frosted pint glass, slowly mix 3 parts Kikkoman soy sauce to 1 part maple syrup. Pour in a jigger of cheap vodka.

OMG -- a new cocktail -- and a "hippy, 2chan one at that!"

Bartender, screw the 'Long Island Ice Tea." I'll have a 'Green Mountain Warrior Kikkoman.'

By: JMOZ

JMOZ — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 13:08:56 -0800

ericb: Indeed! And I want credit.

Bonus points if you use Grade B maple syrup (though really, is there any other kind??)

(Hoping that jessamyn, as a Vermonter, is enough of a maple syrup snob to not delete this as noise)

By: jamjam

jamjam — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 13:52:00 -0800

Go ahead and drink it only if it's not flat.

If it is flat, do no more than taste it.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:24:20 -0800

Huh. I've always loved the flavor combination of sweet and salty. In fact when I was a kid I once mixed up some soy sauce and sugar, boiled it down a bit, and made "soy sauce candy". I thought it was delicoius, but I'm weird that way. I'd have to change the proportions (less soy sauce, a tad more vodka and syrup) but I bet I'd actually like it.

By: nowonmai

nowonmai — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:39:11 -0800

It's safe to drink, so drink it. From a small glass. Treat it more like some kind of weird and potentially interesting dessert wine, rather than a normal beer. You may or may not like it but it's not harmful.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:13:02 -0800

I had some of that at a beer tasting once. I didn't think it was nearly as bad as some people were making it out to be. I think the problem is that people see that it's a beer product and expect ... well, beer. And it doesn't taste much like beer. It's something else.

I'd pop the cap and pour out a little and see what you think.

By: mealy-mouthed

mealy-mouthed — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:49:26 -0800

It wasn't good when it was bottled. Unless you like a nice cold glass of soy sauce.

Exactly. I'm all for experimental brews, but this one was a failure.

That said, thirteen is probably several years past any cellar beer's prime. That doesn't mean it can't be safely consumed. Unfortunately it was terrible to begin with, so I don't imagine it improved any.

I vote sell it.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 20:20:09 -0800

I will go with the camp that says that a triple bock fresh from the store is a pretty tough beer to stomach. It may be difficult to tell if it goes off.

By: docpops

docpops — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 20:53:41 -0800

Reading these responses made my night. I knew there was a reason I carried the damn bottle across the continent. I will definitely go as far as pouring it, most likely with a couple friends when we're already stewed. But I doubt very much I'll be able to do more than take a deep sniff. Still, any handcrafted beverage deserves something better than the drain.

By: xoe26

xoe26 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:37:55 -0800

There is an article here: (requires registration)
http://www.decanter.com/archive/121838.html

Which describes a tasting of beers dating back to 1869. They seemed to go down quite well!

By: litlnemo

litlnemo — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:03:38 -0800

Sooo... how was it?