Question of the Month for July 2006: Why is wine better aged, while beer is better fresh? - John THE ANSWER FROM THE BREWER:
Al Marzi, Harpoon VP of Brewing writes: "Disclaimer - I am not an expert on wine. My understanding is that, in fact, about 90% of wine should be consumer within a year or so of bottling. The other 10% are more expensive wines that may benefit from ageing. Imbalanced tannins or acidity in the wine will soften over the course of time. This will allow the fruit in the wine to come forward and bring the wine into balance.Oxygen entering the bottle, I believe, plays apart in this. However, if you age some wines too long they will get too oxidized or perhaps even turn into vinegar."
"Beer on the other hand (with a few potential exceptions - barley wine, imperial stout) is ready to be consumed as soon as it is kegged or bottled. Beer is like fresh bread and will stale over time. Oxygen is the enemy of beer and will rob the beer of its fresh flavor by dulling the hop nose and creating staling cardboard- like flavors. Over time, oxygen and temperature changes will cause the beer to break down which, in turn, can create a haze. Even though a beer bottle has a crown there will be oxygen ingress through the crown and eventually lead to a dulling of the flavor. Drink fresh beer!"
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