How Long Does Opened Beer Last In The Fridge? Guide

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How Long Does Opened Beer Last In The Fridge? Guide

How long does opened beer last in the fridge? Usually, opened beer does not last long at all. Most people say it keeps its taste and fizz for only about 1 to 2 days when put back in the fridge. After that, it loses its quality quickly. The shelf life opened beer has once exposed to air is very short compared to unopened beer. It will likely become flat beer and the taste will change due to air getting in.

When you open a bottle or can of beer, you break its seal. This lets two main things happen that change the beer: the bubbles escape, and air gets in. These changes make the beer taste different and lose its good qualities. Keeping it in the fridge slows these changes down a bit, but it does not stop them.

What Happens When Beer Is Opened?

When you open a beer, you hear a hiss. That sound is carbon dioxide gas escaping. This gas is what makes beer bubbly. It is dissolved in the liquid under pressure. Once the top is off, that pressure is gone, and the gas starts to leave the beer and go into the air.

This process is called carbonation loss beer. The more gas that escapes, the less bubbly your beer is. When most of the gas is gone, you get flat beer. No one likes flat beer much. It changes the feel and taste a lot.

The other big thing that happens is air getting into the beer. Air has oxygen. Oxygen is good for us to breathe, but it is bad for opened beer. When oxygen touches beer, it causes chemical changes. This is known as beer oxidation.

Beer oxidation changes the flavor. It can make the beer taste stale. Many people say it tastes like wet cardboard, paper, or old fruit. These bad tastes get stronger the longer the beer is open and touching air.

So, when you open beer, you start a race against time. The beer is losing its bubbles and gaining bad flavors from the air. The fridge helps slow this race down because cold things change slower than warm things. But the changes still happen.

Figuring Out How Long Is “Not Long”

We said 1 to 2 days is a good rule for the shelf life opened beer has in the fridge. But what does “last” mean? It means how long it keeps its good taste and fizz.

• Day 1: The beer will still have some fizz. The taste might be slightly different near the top where air hit it first. It is usually okay to drink.
• Day 2: Much less fizz. It will taste flatter. You will likely start to notice the stale, cardboard taste from beer oxidation. It is drinkable but not great.
• Day 3 and beyond: Very flat beer. The oxidation flavors will be strong. It will taste like spoiled beer in terms of quality, though likely not harmful.

The exact time can change based on a few things. We will talk about those next. But remember, the longer it is open, the worse it will taste. The goal is usually to keep the beer freshness for as long as you can, which is not very long after opening.

Things That Make Opened Beer Last More or Less Time

How well opened beer keeps depends on several things. Knowing these can help you get the most out of a partial bottle or can, even if it is not much.

How You Seal It Matters

This is a very important part of storing opened beer. How you close the container changes how much air can get in and how fast the bubbles can get out.

• No Seal: If you just leave the top open in the fridge, the bubbles will escape super fast. Air will get in easily. It might be flat and taste bad in just a few hours. This is the worst way to store opened beer.
• Putting the Original Cap Back (Bottle): For opened bottled beer, you can try to put the cap back on. You might need to bend it a bit to get it to stay. This is better than nothing. It slows down the fizz loss and keeps some air out. But it does not make a tight seal like it had from the factory. Air still gets in and out slowly. The shelf life opened beer stored this way is still short, maybe a day.
• Using Plastic Wrap or Foil: You can put a piece of plastic wrap or foil over the top of a bottle or can and hold it with a rubber band. This helps a little with keeping things out, but it is not air-tight. Fizz still escapes. Air still gets in. It is a bit better than no seal, but not great for keeping beer freshness.
• Bottle Stoppers: These are special tools you put into the top of an opened bottled beer. Some stoppers just plug the hole. Others have a pump that can pull some air out and create a better seal. A good bottle stopper is the best way to seal opened bottled beer. It helps slow down both carbonation loss beer and beer oxidation a lot more than other methods. Using a good stopper might stretch the acceptable taste time to 2-3 days, sometimes maybe 4 for some beers, but don’t expect miracles.
• Can Lids/Covers: There are plastic lids you can put on opened canned beer. Like foil, they help keep things out of the can, but they do not make an air-tight seal. The fizz will still go away, and air will still get in easily. Storing opened canned beer this way is not much better than just leaving it open in terms of fizz and oxidation.

The tighter the seal, the slower the bad changes happen, and the longer the shelf life opened beer has.

Where You Put It Matters

The fridge is the right place for storing opened beer. Cold helps. Keeping it cold slows down the chemical reactions that cause beer oxidation. It also helps keep the carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the beer longer. Warm beer goes flat much faster than cold beer.

Also, keep it standing up if you can. If the beer is lying on its side, more of the liquid is touching the air gap at the top (even if sealed). This means more beer is exposed to oxygen, leading to faster beer oxidation. Standing it upright reduces the surface area touching the air.

Keep it away from bright lights, especially for opened bottled beer (even dark bottles let some light in). Light can cause a different bad taste called “lightstruck” or “skunked.” This happens fast when light hits beer, even fridge light over time. Cans block light completely, so opened canned beer does not have this specific light problem, but the sealing issue is usually worse for cans.

What Kind of Beer It Is Matters a Little

Some people think different types of beer last longer when opened.

• Higher Alcohol Beers: Beers with more alcohol (like strong ales) might resist getting certain bad flavors a little bit longer than low-alcohol beers. Alcohol can help protect against some types of spoilage.
• Sour Beers: The sourness (high acid) in some beers can also help protect against certain unwanted changes.
• Darker Beers: Darker beers might have more things in them that help fight oxidation compared to very light beers.

However, the biggest problems for any opened beer are losing the fizz (carbonation loss beer) and getting stale flavors from air (beer oxidation). These happen to almost all beers at a similar speed once opened, no matter the style. So, while a stout or a sour might taste less cardboardy than a pale lager after two days open, they will all be flat beer by then. The difference in shelf life opened beer has based on type is small compared to how it is stored and sealed.

So, the beer type doesn’t change the main rule much: drink it within a day or two for the best taste and beer freshness.

How to Tell If Opened Beer Is Not Good

You might wonder, “Is this opened beer still okay?” You can check for signs of spoiled beer. Remember, “not good” usually means bad taste, not something that will make you sick.

Here are the main signs:

• No Fizz: The easiest sign. Pour some into a glass. Are there any bubbles rising? Is there a foamy head (even a small one)? If it looks like flat soda water or juice, it is flat beer. This is the most common sign of carbonation loss beer.
• Bad Smell: Smell the beer. Does it smell different than it did when it was fresh? Does it smell stale, like wet paper or cardboard? These smells come from beer oxidation. Some opened beers can develop a slightly sour or vinegary smell, especially if they got warm or if certain types of wild yeast got in (rare in fridge, but possible). If it smells truly foul or rotten, it’s a strong sign something is very wrong, though again, this is rare for beer stored cold.
• Bad Taste: This is the final test. Take a small sip. Does it taste flat? Does it taste stale? Does it have that cardboard or papery flavor from beer oxidation? Does it taste strangely sweet or metallic? These are all signs that the beer has lost its beer freshness and has become what people call spoiled beer (meaning bad quality).

Sometimes, opened beer might look cloudy when it was clear before. This can happen as some things in the beer settle out or react with air. For some beer styles (like wheat beers or hazy IPAs), being cloudy is normal. For others, it might be a sign of changes, but it is not as clear a sign as flatness or bad taste.

The most reliable signs of spoiled beer are the lack of fizz and the stale, off flavors.

Is Bad-Tasting Opened Beer Safe?

This is a common question. If your opened beer is flat and tastes stale because it has been in the fridge for a few days, is it safe to drink?

In almost all cases, yes, it is safe to drink.

Here’s why:

• Alcohol: Beer contains alcohol, which is a natural defender against many types of harmful bacteria and microbes.
• Acidity: Beer is slightly acidic, which also makes it hard for most harmful things to grow.
• Hops: Hops, used to give beer bitterness and aroma, also have properties that discourage bacterial growth.

Because of these things, it is very, very rare for beer to become unsafe to drink in a way that would make you sick just from being open for a few days in the fridge. The worst thing that happens is it tastes really bad due to carbonation loss beer and beer oxidation.

Think of it like old bread getting stale or chips going soft. They don’t taste good anymore, but they usually won’t hurt you if you eat them (unless mold is present, which is extremely rare in beer).

So, if you find an opened beer in your fridge that is flat and tastes like cardboard, drinking it probably won’t harm you. You just won’t enjoy it at all. It is a matter of quality, not safety.

A very rare exception: If the beer has been open for a very long time (weeks or months) outside of the fridge, or if you see mold growing on it (again, super rare in beer), or it smells truly rotten (not just stale), then it’s best to throw it out. But for typical opened beer in the fridge for a few days, safety is not the concern.

Best Ways to Keep Opened Beer

If you know you won’t finish a beer, here are the best ways for storing opened beer to keep its beer freshness for as long as possible (which is still not very long):

1. Seal it Tight and Fast: This is the most important step. As soon as you’re done pouring what you want, seal the rest.
   • For bottles: A good bottle stopper is the best tool. Push it in firmly to create a tight seal. If you don’t have one, put the original cap back on as best as you can, or use cling film/foil and a rubber band, but know these are not great seals.
   • For cans: Sealing opened canned beer is harder. Plastic can lids don’t seal tightly. There aren’t really good stoppers for cans like there are for bottles. This is why finishing a can is usually the best plan. If you must save it, cover it tightly with cling film and a rubber band, knowing it will still get flat and stale fast.
2. Refrigerate Immediately: Put the sealed or covered beer back into the fridge right away. Don’t leave it sitting out. Cold slows down the processes that ruin the beer.
3. Keep it Upright: Store the bottle or can standing up in the fridge. This minimizes the surface area of the beer exposed to the air trapped in the container, helping to slow down beer oxidation.
4. Drink It Soon: Even with the best sealing and storage, opened beer loses its quality quickly. Plan to drink the rest within 24 hours for the best taste. Maybe up to 48 hours if sealed very well, but after that, it will be noticeably different.

These steps help protect against carbonation loss beer and beer oxidation as much as possible once the seal is broken.

Opened Bottled Beer vs. Opened Canned Beer: What’s Different After Opening?

Both opened bottled beer and opened canned beer face the same main problems: losing fizz and getting stale from air. But there are some small differences in how they behave once opened and stored.

Opened Bottled Beer

• Sealing: Bottles are easier to reseal somewhat effectively, especially if you have a dedicated bottle stopper. Putting the original cap back helps a little.
• Light: Bottles, especially clear or green ones, let light in. Light causes a “skunked” flavor quickly. Even brown bottles offer only limited protection. This is a big issue for unopened beer, but even opened bottled beer stored in the fridge can be affected by the fridge light if it’s exposed.
• Air Gap: There is typically a larger air gap (headspace) in a bottle compared to a can. This means more oxygen is inside the bottle when you reseal it, which can lead to more beer oxidation.

Opened Canned Beer

• Sealing: Cans are much harder to reseal effectively. There are no common tools like bottle stoppers for cans that create a tight seal. Covering the top helps only slightly with air and fizz loss.
• Light: Cans block light completely. This is a big advantage for keeping beer fresh before opening. Once opened, light is no longer a unique problem for the can itself, but it is still a factor for the beer if you pour it into a glass and expose it to light.
• Air Gap: Cans usually have less headspace than bottles, meaning less initial oxygen trapped when opened.

In Short:

• Opened bottled beer can be sealed better with a stopper but has light issues and more headspace.
• Opened canned beer is very hard to seal well but protects against light and has less initial air.

For storing opened beer for a short time, the ability to seal the container well is probably the most important factor. So, if you have a good bottle stopper, an opened bottle might keep its quality slightly longer than an opened can, if the bottle wasn’t already damaged by light before opening. Without a good seal, both go downhill fast.

Making Your Beer Stay Good (Beer Freshness)

Keeping beer tasting its best, or keeping its beer freshness, starts even before you open it.

Before Opening:

• Buy Fresh: Look for dates on the package (bottled on date, best by date). Fresher is usually better, especially for hoppy beers.
• Store Unopened Beer Cold: Keep unopened beer in the fridge if possible, or at least in a cool, dark place. Heat and light are enemies of beer.
• Avoid Light: Store beer away from sunlight and strong artificial light. Cans are best for light protection.

After Opening (Recap):

• Drink it Soon: The absolute best way to maintain beer freshness once opened is to finish it within a few hours.
• Seal it Well: If saving it, use the best seal you can (bottle stopper is best for bottles).
• Refrigerate: Put it back in the fridge right away.
• Store Upright: Keep the container standing up.

By following these steps, you give your opened beer the best chance to stay decent, though you should still expect changes after the first day.

Does Beer Type Change Things Much After Opening?

We touched on this already, but let’s look a bit more.

• Lagera and Pale Ales: These beers often rely heavily on crispness and hop aroma. Carbonation loss makes them taste flat quickly, and oxidation can make the hop flavors taste dull or like cardboard. They show signs of getting bad (flat beer, stale taste) perhaps more obviously than some other styles.
• Dark Ales (Stouts, Porters): The roasted and malty flavors in these can sometimes hide the effects of oxidation a little better than lighter beers. But they still lose their carbonation and will become flat beer.
• IPAs (India Pale Ales): Hop flavors are very sensitive to air. Oxidation can quickly ruin the bright, fresh hop taste, replacing it with stale, muddy flavors. Hop-forward beers lose their appeal very fast once opened.
• Sour Beers: The sourness provides some protection against certain bad changes. But they still lose their carbonation and can develop other off-flavors from oxidation.
• High ABV Beers (Barleywines, Imperial Stouts): The higher alcohol content offers some stability. They might resist some types of spoilage longer. But they still lose fizz and can suffer from oxidation, leading to sherry-like or cardboard flavors.

The main point: While the way a beer changes might differ slightly by style (a flat IPA tastes different from a flat stout), the speed at which it becomes generally “not good” because of lost fizz and stale taste is quite similar for most beers. The timeline of 1-2 days in the fridge for acceptable quality applies across most styles. Don’t count on your high-alcohol or dark beer lasting much longer than a lighter one once it’s open. The shelf life opened beer has is limited by exposure, not really the beer’s strength or color.

Quick Guide: Shelf Life Opened Beer in Fridge

Here’s a simple table showing how long you can expect opened beer to taste okay, depending on how you store it. This is just a general guide.

How Opened Beer Is Stored	How Long It Tastes Okay (Approx.)	Main Problems
Left Open (No Seal)	A few hours to less than 1 day	Very fast fizz loss, fast oxidation
Covered (Foil/Wrap) in Fridge	1 day	Fizz loss, air getting in
Original Cap Back (Bottle)	1 day	Fizz loss, air getting in (slowed slightly)
Good Bottle Stopper (Bottle)	1 to 2 days (maybe 3-4 if great)	Slower fizz loss, slower oxidation
Covered Can in Fridge	1 day	Fast fizz loss, air getting in (hard to seal)

Remember, these times are about taste and beer freshness, not safety. Spoiled beer in terms of quality happens fast.

Questions People Ask About Opened Beer

Here are answers to some common questions about opened beer.

Is flat beer okay to drink?

Yes, flat beer is almost always okay to drink. The carbon dioxide gas leaving does not make the beer unsafe. It just makes it less enjoyable to drink.

Will opened beer make me sick?

It is very unlikely that opened beer stored in the fridge for a few days will make you sick. Beer’s alcohol and acidity protect it from most harmful bacteria. The main issue is the bad taste from beer oxidation and carbonation loss beer.

Can I put the original cap back on a bottle of opened beer?

You can try, and it is better than nothing. It will sit loosely and does not make a tight seal. It will slow down fizz loss and air getting in a little bit compared to leaving it wide open, but it won’t keep it fresh for long. A bottle stopper is much better.

What is the best way to seal opened beer?

For opened bottled beer, the best way is to use a dedicated bottle stopper that creates a tight seal. For opened canned beer, it is very hard to seal well; covering with plastic wrap is about the only option, but it is not very effective.

Does putting opened beer in the freezer help?

No, do not put opened beer in the freezer. As the beer freezes, it expands. This can cause the bottle or can to break or even explode, making a dangerous mess. Freezing also ruins the taste and texture of beer. Keep it in the fridge section, not the freezer.

Can I use a vacuum sealer on an opened bottle?

Some special bottle stoppers have small pumps to pull air out, creating a partial vacuum and a tighter seal. These can help keep the beer better than a simple stopper. Regular kitchen vacuum sealers are not designed for beer bottles and likely won’t work or could be dangerous.

Does shaking or moving opened beer make it go bad faster?

Yes, moving or shaking opened beer will make the carbon dioxide gas escape much faster, leading to flatter beer quicker. It also mixes the beer with any air in the container, possibly speeding up beer oxidation. Store it gently and keep it still.

How long can opened beer sit out at room temperature?

Opened beer sitting out will go flat and get stale much faster than in the fridge. It might taste noticeably bad (flat, oxidized) in just a few hours, especially if it is warm. It’s also slightly more likely (though still unlikely) for unwanted microbes to grow at room temp compared to fridge temp. Always put opened beer back in the fridge if you want to save it.

Putting It All Together

Opened beer is best enjoyed right away. Once the top is off, the clock starts ticking on its freshness. The main things that happen are losing the bubbles (carbonation loss beer, leading to flat beer) and getting stale flavors from air (beer oxidation).

Keeping opened beer in the fridge helps slow these changes down. Using a good seal, like a bottle stopper for opened bottled beer, is the best way to protect it. Opened canned beer is harder to seal well.

Even with the best storage, the shelf life opened beer has is short. Expect it to taste good for only about 1 to 2 days. After that, it will likely become spoiled beer in terms of taste quality, showing clear signs of spoiled beer like flatness and stale flavors.

While the taste goes bad quickly, opened beer stored cold is almost always safe to drink due to the alcohol and acidity. It just won’t be pleasant.

To keep your beer freshness, always try to finish a beer after opening. If you must save some, seal it tightly, put it in the fridge upright, and plan to drink it very soon.