It is an old and largely true aphorism that “the best beer is consumed at the brewery gate,” an acknowledgement that freshness is paramount to the enjoyment of beer. While this is certainly true for the vast majority of the world’s beer volumes—easily 99 percent or more—it does raise questions about what happens when the beer is not in peak condition.
How should a brewery respond, for instance, when a customer complains about a badly oxidized lager that was purchased within the beer’s date-coding period? Or, what if a brand loyalist notes a distinct difference in the character of a particular batch of pale ale? Conversely, what if a beer is found to be aging most graciously, growing even better as it spends months or even years in the cellar?
The answer to all those questions may be found in the same place: the brewery’s beer library.