Quote:
Originally Posted by Saccopoo
Just curious, but wasn't the additional hops used to create IPA's put in as a preservative?
Shouldn't they actually last longer than other beers?
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I don't think anyone is saying that Hopslam won't "last" as long as other beers. What we're saying is that the flavor of a fresh IPA is leaps and bounds above the flavor of an old, stale IPA.
Over time (and due to light exposure), the alpha acids in IPAs break down and you're left with a beer that's much more malty and sweet, with no bitterness or hoppiness to balance out the malty sweetness. That's not to say it's no good or that you can't drink it, but the beer just isn't as good.
As a fun flavor experiment (and due to a friend having a ton of old hoppy beer), we have tried verticals of Hopslam back to the mid 2000s. They're surprisingly tasty still, though there is zero hop presence; they all kind of taste like an orange peel American strong ale or barleywine. We have fooled a few people with this description, but only after they gave a visible look of disgust when we asked if they wanted to try an old bottle of Hopslam.
With all IPAs, fresher is better.