ErinEph's Profile

I've worked in the brewing industry for 8 years, and this is a really common question (certainly not a bad one). The basic answer is yes, this beer is fine to drink. However, depending on it's style and package, the taste could be affected.

Is this a macro-style, pale, fizzy beer (like Budweiser, Coors, etc.)? If so, it's likely bee pasteurized before packaging, which means there's nothing in it to actually harm you. You could let it sit in your basement for YEARS, and as long as it's sealed, you're fine. Might be a little stale-tasting, though, depending on its age.

If this is a craft-style beer that's unfiltered or bottle fermented, then the taste could be more affected, and depending on how warm it's allowed to get, that could be a significant difference. While most beer is pasteurized in some way, draught beer and a few craft brands aren't, and these are generally considered iffy after a couple of months or at a temp above 65 or so. Still, it's not likely to make you sick. Unless you're super sensitive to tastes you don't like.

Lastly, "skunked" only applies to beer in glass bottles that has been exposed to light for a prolonged period of time. It's due to a chemical reaction in hop compounds (even in beers brewed with hop extract or pellets, which is just about every macro brand). If your beer hasn't been stored in your windowsill or backyard, then you don't have to worry about this aroma (and it's just an aroma; you could pinch your nose and drink a "skunked" beer with little affect).

Aside from the Vitrolite (which is turning me on like you wouldn't BELIEVE), the architecture is VERY South City. I'm sure I could live in safer, cooler places, but this is what I grew up with and why I stay.

Which neighborhood (I promise I won't stalk you)?

This goes way back to the first comment (twnt1andcounting), but although their income isn't modest compared to, say, mine, their cost of living is quite cheap. Snowflake/Citystock is in one of the worst neighborhoods in South St. Louis, which is saying a lot. I'm a South City native and would NEVER consider living there.

Voluspa's French Cade and Lavender is my favorite, but pretty much everything they make is good and their tins are gorgeous.

Paddywax's Eco collection is slightly more expensive than Voluspa, but still awesome. The Thyme and Olive Leaf is an automatic gift for everyone, and the Bordeaux Fig and Vetiver is good for men.

Pacifica has some terrific blends, too, but I'm partial to their Mediterranean Fig everything. I'm wearing the perfume now, actually.