The 3-30-300 Rule Breweries Swear By When Storing Beer

Have you ever accidentally left a case of beer in your car during the summer? You may have opened it later to discover the flavor was changed, and your beer was flat. You just tasted the 3-30-300 rule in action. The 3-30-300 rule is a guideline used by breweries and other beer producers for storing beer at an optimal temperature. The natural components of beer are impacted by temperature and oxygenation. The different ranges of these factors can degrade beer, which means that its smell, flavor, and texture have been changed. Choosing a good beer is complicated enough; you can take away some of the stress by knowing the best ways to store your beer.

The 3-30-300 rule states that beer will degrade at the same rate when stored at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for three days, 72 degrees Fahrenheit (room temperature) for 30 days, or 38 degrees Fahrenheit for 300 days. A common misconception about beer is that when it goes from hot to colder environments, it impacts the beer more. However, this isn't completely true. The day range associated with each temperature is how long your beer will fare. The sudden temperature changes aren't going to cause an immediate change. The same flavor loss will happen in any environment, it might just take longer.

For the most longevity on the shelf life of your beer, you should store it in a refrigerator. Store all cans and bottles of beer upright to preserve the foamy, bubbly texture of the beer. One scenario when keeping the beer at a regulated temperature is crucial is for kegs. To get the best resulting beer, they should remain in a cool, dark space with minimal temperature changes. 

When buying beer from a brewery or store, see if you can find when the beer was made. This gives you a better idea of if you need to get it into the fridge sooner or later. If the beer was recently made and is sitting on a shelf at room temperature, you still have some time before it has to go in the fridge. Any beer that's closer to that 30-day mark, you'll want to immediately get into the fridge once home. As per the rule, beer will degrade if it's stored at room temperature for too long. The guidelines are meant to ease your mind a bit when it comes to the quality of your beer.