What the HELL is floating in my beer

What is Bottle Conditioning?

As I rule, I don't believe in storing beer indefinitely. Most beer, especially the mass-produced, filtered types, are meant to be consumed young. No doubt you've seen the "Born on" and "Best if served by" dating on so many bottles. Rather, I am referring to a process known as "bottle conditioning," in which the beer is bottled without any yeast removed. Beer packaged in this way tends to last longer, even years, continuing to age and mellow as it grows in complexity. Unfortunately, many packaged goods store owners negate the work of the brewer by refrigerating the beer upon receipt of the inventory. Chilling it ends the maturation process of the beer and ceases development. But that is a topic for a future article.

If we go back in time, most beers were nonfiltered and bottle conditioned. The movement back to this style, referred to as "cask conditioning," is alive in the United Kingdom and is making a resurgence here in the U.S.

Looking at, then drinking a bottle conditioned beer isn't for the faint of heart. You will notice a sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Don't fret, it is nothing more than yeast which has flocculated (clumped) and settled from the solution. There are two schools of thought on that.

Many people try to pour these beers gently so as not to disturb the layer of yeast. In actuality, there is yeast throughout the bottle, in amounts too small to be noticed by the naked eye. The fact that the beer in your glass may appear cloudy is not reason to toss it. The cloudiness is, in fact, that minute amount of yeast.

Other people allow the yeast to pour. Though this can darken the beer, it also adds significant amounts of B vitamins to the mix. Personally, I opt for the latter but it is a matter of personal preference.

So, just how long can that bottle of bottle conditioned beer last? Assuming proper storage, it could retain good quality for years. By good storage, I mean keeping the beer at optimum conditions: out of direct sunlight, maintaining a cool temperature, not manhandling and so on.