[hoodie]

IMO. The more caramel malt, the worse it ages. I can't stand that syrupy sweet flavor that develops after the hop flavor fades. West Coast IPA has alot of malt flavor, but also alot of hops. I personally wouldn't but it that old, only because I know how good it is FRESH.

[bucknut]

I agree with the three month for an ipa, after that I'm not going to spend my money on it. Will it still be good? Sure, probably, but it won't be as the brewer intended it to taste/smell. Ask yourself, I'm I going to buy a beer called "Torpedo" that's 4-6 mos old and expect it to taste like it did when it was fresh, no. If you do it's your own choice and your willing to forgo what the brewery wanted this beer to taste/smell like, then it's all on you. If your amused by this then I guess I'm glad to have been of some amusement for ya.

[denny]

Professor, you have been brewing almost longer than i have been alive, so i yield to your knowledge.  do you care to share your secret to having a quality ipa that can run out longer than six months?

genuine interest here.

It all comes down to your personal tastes and preferences.  I've had a lot of IPAs that were older than 6 months and still tasted great.  But my own preference is for IPA "styles" that are ready to drink when they're younger.

[bierkieser]

Professor, you have been brewing almost longer than i have been alive, so i yield to your knowledge.  do you care to share your secret to having a quality ipa that can run out longer than six months?

genuine interest here.

It all comes down to your personal tastes and preferences.  I've had a lot of IPAs that were older than 6 months and still tasted great.  But my own preference is for IPA "styles" that are ready to drink when they're younger.

This is a crazy question... The IPA was created to keep beer "fresh" on the long trip from the UK to India for the troops there.  So the whole reason for the style was for it to
survive long periods of time.  However, the style in America has become a completely different animal.  We are obsessed with the hop aroma and flavor (And I am firmly intrenched
in the 'WE' in this sentence) which dissipates with time.  So is the beer OK... without a doubt it is!  Is it as flavorful and aromatic as the brewer intended... probably not.

I say ask for a taste.  You are the one serving it.  If it tastes OK to you, then by all means let it fly.  If you are not satisfied with the taste, then pass. 

[deepsouth]

Professor, you have been brewing almost longer than i have been alive, so i yield to your knowledge.  do you care to share your secret to having a quality ipa that can run out longer than six months?

genuine interest here.

It all comes down to your personal tastes and preferences.  I've had a lot of IPAs that were older than 6 months and still tasted great.  But my own preference is for IPA "styles" that are ready to drink when they're younger.

This is a crazy question... The IPA was created to keep beer "fresh" on the long trip from the UK to India for the troops there.  So the whole reason for the style was for it to
survive long periods of time.  However, the style in America has become a completely different animal.  We are obsessed with the hop aroma and flavor (And I am firmly intrenched
in the 'WE' in this sentence) which dissipates with time.  So is the beer OK... without a doubt it is!  Is it as flavorful and aromatic as the brewer intended... probably not.

I say ask for a taste.  You are the one serving it.  If it tastes OK to you, then by all means let it fly.  If you are not satisfied with the taste, then pass. 

i just didn't know if i was missing some sort of technique that would make a beer more hoppy than a commercial counterpart six months after bottling.

[deepsouth]

Professor, you have been brewing almost longer than i have been alive, so i yield to your knowledge.  do you care to share your secret to having a quality ipa that can run out longer than six months?

genuine interest here.

It all comes down to your personal tastes and preferences.  I've had a lot of IPAs that were older than 6 months and still tasted great.  But my own preference is for IPA "styles" that are ready to drink when they're younger.

surely.  i had a pal send me a six month old pliny the elder because he wasn't going to drink it and it was before you could get an ipa in the state of mississippi.  it was good, but it wasn't PtE.

[a10t2]

This is a crazy question... The IPA was created to keep beer "fresh" on the long trip from the UK to India for the troops there.  So the whole reason for the style was for it to survive long periods of time.

That story has been thoroughly debunked, but you're right to say that the early IPAs would have been aged for long periods of time relative to what we consider normal now.

In this case, though, the consumer will undoubtedly have a fresher example in mind when they purchase the beer. JM, unless you're able to open one and taste it next to a fresher can (and it passes the test), I would return it.