How Long Unopened Nonalcoholic Beer Lasts For Optimal Freshness

Just when you get a handle on how long different styles of beer are at their best, a whole new category explodes with its own rules. The growth of nonalcoholic beer is one of the most exciting recent developments in the beverage world. We now have so many excellent booze-free beer options from major brands and craft breweries alike, and that expands the inclusivity of beer so that anyone can enjoy the flavor and experience even when they aren't imbibing. But if you're going to stock your fridge with some of the best nonalcoholic beers, you want to know how to enjoy them at their prime as the shelf life of nonalcoholic beer can differ from alcoholic beer.

Nonalcoholic beer lasts about three to six months from when it's packaged if it's refrigerated. However, the optimal freshness window for nonalcoholic beer can vary based on whether it's pasteurized. Nonalcoholic beer is unique from even low-alcohol beer because even a little bit of alcohol goes a long way in terms of preservation. Nonalcoholic beer is made with controlled fermentation or dealcoholization. This means that brewers use modified yeast that doesn't produce alcohol, or they brew beer with alcohol then remove it.

Without alcohol, the finished beer is more susceptible to bacteria and even pathogens. Most producers, therefore, pasteurize it, employing heat to kill any microbes in the beer. If it's unpasteurized, it'll likely only last around three months; if pasteurized, that number goes up to six.

Nonalcoholic beer tends to be stamped with the date it's canned or bottled ("born on") rather than an expiration date. That's why it's important to know these windows — nonalcoholic beer packaging that dates too far back are a red flag. Most major nonalcoholic beer brands pasteurize, meaning you can get that six months as long as you always keep it cool in the fridge. If you buy alcohol-free beer from your local craft brewery and you learn it's unpasteurized, stick closer to that three-month mark.

As long as it's pasteurized, nonalcoholic beer isn't unsafe to drink if it's expired, or a little over six months out from its packaging. But the sensory experience of consuming it starts to degrade fast. Hop aromas are volatile and will be among the first characteristics to go, so if you're looking forward to that booze-free IPA, make sure it's relatively fresh or it will taste bland. Carbonation starts to go, too — blah, flat beer, anyone?

Like alcoholic beer, nonalcoholic beer suffers from oxidation over time. This leads to stale flavors, which can be as unpleasant as "wet cardboard" after a certain point. To ensure a fresh, delicious experience with nonalcoholic beer, keep it cold and enjoy it within a few months.