How Long You Can Store An Opened Beer In The Fridge

Beer is one of those beverages that feels ultra-modern, but has actually been around for millennia, with ancient Babylonians, Mesopotamians, and Syrians all leaving behind ample evidence of their brewing. So you would think with thousands of years of history, someone would come up with a fool-proof way to store an opened beer can or bottle in the fridge.

While there are no superlative methods for preserving an opened beer so that it tastes just like it did when the seal was first broken (though there is a best way to pour beer), you can get close, and with some methods, stretch your beer to about three days in the fridge. One of the easiest and cheapest methods is to take two pieces of plastic wrap and secure them around the mouth of the bottle or the top of the can with rubber bands. Then place the bottle in the fridge near the back and bottom (where it's coldest) to help reduce oxidation and loss of carbonation and to keep its exposure to sunlight to a minimum. This technique actually keeps beer fairly well for a few days.

There are other methods, of course, for keeping your beer fizzy and flavorful in the fridge for a few days, but they do require the use of some tools you might not have readily available (but can certainly order ahead of the next time you crack open a cold one). If you save your wine corks or have them on hand for decorating purposes, try pushing one into the mouth of your opened beer bottle to preserve the liquid inside for a few days.

Even better, a wine bottle resealer kit, with a rubber cork and pump that removes oxygen and makes the seal airtight can do wonders for saving your bottled beer for the next one to three days. However, if you opt to go this route, you should be careful when using the pump, as the fuller the bottle of beer, the more likely that froth will form.

Growlers have grown in popularity since craft breweries — actual local craft breweries, not the big beer brands masquerading as such — have started cropping up everywhere and offering to fill these huge bottles with their delicious local brews (though they are slowly being replaced by crowlers). But unless you time your buy for when you have company, you'd be hard-pressed to drink the entire 64 ounces by yourself before it goes flat.

While most growlers do come with a screw-on cap that keeps the beer reasonably fresh for about a week, some people find that there is just too much beer to drink before even the cap can save the beer within. While the plastic wrap and rubber band method can work for growlers, there is a much better — though pricier — option that will save your ale: Growler taps.

These nifty inventions typically feature a 64-oz. mini-keg with a screw-on lid that includes an actual tap, plus a chamber for CO2 cylinders to keep your beer carbonated — for up to three months, in some instances. It not only keeps the beer (and in some cases, cocktails) in peak drinking condition, it gives you plenty of time to finish everything — no binging required. The only drawback is the price; the least expensive models on Amazon start at $80 and can range in the hundreds of dollars.