Beer Freshness

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My first question: will the average person who likes all different types of beers really be able to tell if a beer is fresh?

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Depending on the style, yes. Does it mean they will care? No.

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have they tried, say an IPA, fresh before?

and then tried an old one of the same IPA

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The "they" would be me.

I think I'd have to try them side by side to tell the difference. I'm guessing I'm not a good one to become a beer taster.

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I mean if you have nothing to compare it to, then yeah, you're not going to know the difference

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I guess that is what I am wondering. Some people may be able to taste a beer and know it's fresh (or not). I just don't think I can unless I was drinking them at the same time.

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My understanding is that some beers don't need to be fresh, while for others it is important.

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For as long as you have been posting on this board and in beer threads, you should know this answer

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My first question: will the average person who likes all different types of beers really be able to tell if a beer is fresh?

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This depends on a number of things. Does this average person drink week old all day ipa consistently? If so, hand him an 8 month old all day ipa and im positive he will notice the difference.

If you have never had a particular beer, the age might not matter that much because you have no basis for comparison. That 8 month old all day ipa may just be considered a shitty beer.

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For as long as you have been posting on this board and in beer threads, you should know this answer

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That is indeed true.

Just trying to lay out some parameters and a basis for beginning.

Sadly, I think I am just a maven wannabe.

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Are they canning this yet?

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Yes they are. I bought a 4 pack at the brewery and we drank it at the lake. Wonderful stuff.

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cranberry Athena?

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No. Didn't even know there was such a thing.

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I think you would be able to notice a difference, but you might not be able to articulate what you're tasting. Once you are able to distinguish between the flavors imparted by hops versus that of malts, you're pretty much fricked. You'll slowly transform into a freshness sob.

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Good insights.

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IPAs with too deep of an amber hue.

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As a result of "going malty?"

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I sincerely hope Crowd Control legitimately changed since last year because I was just "meh" on it this year vs. loving it last year.

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Crowd control is a decent DIPA. It's better than most but it's not good as some. There are many others i prefer over crowd control.

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My understanding is that some beers don't need to be fresh, while for others it is important.

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Most beers are better fresh. However, some are better with age.

High ABV beers are typically better with age (excluding some DIPA's). High ABV stouts, barelywines, etc... typically mellow out and smooth over time. If a beer tastes "hot", then it will mellow over time under ideal conditions.

IPA's and highly hopped beers should always be enjoyed fresh. The oils in the hops are more prevelant. Also, a brewer's packaging is highly determinant of hop freshness. If a brewery lets in too much oxygen, then the hops in that beer will fade much quicker.

A personal example, i brewed a fantastic IPA a few months ago. Highly late hopped and dry hopped. However, i was still bottling, and i used a process called "secondarying" to dry hop my beer. This calls for transferring your beer from a primary fermenter to a secondary fermenter, introducing more oxygen into your beer. Anyway, i bottle the beer (again introducing more oxygen as opposed to kegging) and then had to let the beer bottle condition for 2-3 weeks. When i cracked my first beer, it was 5 weeks since i first brewed that beer. It went through multiple stages of picking up oxygen. The first beer, however, was incredible. Next day, drank another, still fantastic. All week that beer was great. Then, 5 days after cracking open that 1st bottle, the beer changed. The hop aroma and flavor was less prevalent. A week after that, it changed again. More malty, less hoppy. It was still a good beer, but nothing to what it was when i first opened the bottle.
Contrast that with my first IPA that i kegged. I did not secondary dry hop, i dry hopped in the primary fermenter. I then transferred to a CO2 purged keg. The beer was A) available to drink 2 weeks earlier. B) The hops in the beer maintained freshness for nearly the entire keg (about 6 weeks) with wonderful hop aromas.

So yes, type of beer is important, but brewery practices is more vital. A beer like Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter can stay fresh for 3-5 months or maybe longer. That isn't the case for many small breweries.