by Skye Devore
Summer is in full force and most (if not all) of you are taking craft with you, which is great! Picking up a six-pack of your favorite local brew is a great way to cool off and support local business but also comes with some responsibility. Craft beer must be kept cold from packaging to consumption, particularly because it is not pasteurized. Tidbits to keep in mind:
- The car is not a safe place. At 70 degrees on a sunny day, after a half hour, the inside temperature can reach 104 degrees. Just imagine that in Albuquerque in July on your way home from work! Make sure that you take that ice-cold six-pack or growler in the house with you.
- Once you go straight home with your awesome, crafty goodness, put it in the refrigerator. Garages and pantries are no substitute. Beer that is kept cool is kept fresh. Old beer can taste oxidized (papery/wet cardboard). Who wants that?
- When beer is heated it is possible for any remaining yeast to “wake up” and start searching out sugars to eat. This is particularly dangerous if a wild yeast strain came into contact with the beer during the packaging process. These strains can process sugars that brewing yeasts cannot which can lead to a build up of CO2 and exploding cans/bottles. DANGER! KEEP IT COLD.