I was looking around in the fridge today and found some expired cans of beer. They expired in 97. Do you think they would be safe to drink? They would probably be flat, but would they still have any alcohol left in them? Would they still get me drunk? Because I’m broke and have no money right now. thanks
They may be flat, but they’ll still have the same kick, probably. Depends on how desperate you are to get a buzz, I suppose. I wouldn’t drink 'em…I’d save 'em for cooking, but as a last resort, they’ll do in a pinch.
I mean absolutely no offense to the OP but I think that is one of the saddest things I have ever read! I just want to give him/her a hug or something!
How can you lose cans of beer for three years in a refrigerator?
Depending on whether or not they were pasturized, they could get you drunkER. It’s possible for the fermentation process to continue and produce more alcohol, so you might have malt liquor by now.
I have no real help in response to the OP, but I’m with Starfish on this one. I’m real bad about cleaning my fridge, but I’d never lose beer in there for 3 years. And I have to assume that since they expired in '97, they are possibly much older. I guess in some ways, I’m kinda proud of somebody who can do worse than me, cleaning wise (insert smiley face with small tear). I don’t guess it would kill you, but I wouldn’t drink a whole lot in any case. Might mess with your stomach some.
Sorry ricepad, but just about every chef I see on Tv says that if you can’t bear to drink a particular wine or beer, definitely don’t cook with it. Otherwise you end up ruining your food.
Besides, if it’s unsafe to drink because of the old use-by date, why would it be any safer when mixed up in food?
Don’t drink it.
It will be skunky.
Not only that but from your question" Would they still get me drunk? Because I’m broke and have no money right now. thanks " you probably aren’t old enough.Or if you are you have a drinking problem.Get Help Now !!!
Being a parent,It is a trap to see if you are drinking.
I agree with the skunky evaluation. Several years ago my hubbie and I were visiting my grandparents and my grandfather offered us beer. We accepted and were surprised to see that it was Wiedemann’s, which I hadn’t seen sold and had probably been defunct for several years. (I think it was a local Cincinnati brewery.) Anyway, we were further shocked to find pull-tabs that came all the way off. We pulled 'em.
Yeecccccccccch! My poor grandfather is practically blind, and he assured me they’d just bought this stuff last week. Possibly there was some recently purchased beer in his basement, but this obviously wasn’t it. We drank it to be polite and it certainly didn’t kill us. All this happened probably about 8 years ago.
And: Don’t drink just to get drunk.
Dustin, I think you know what you have to do. Open one, pour it in a glass, take a sip, and report back here your findings. We’ll be waiting for your message. 
It takes me about one year to consume a six pack. So I do drink old beer. I can tell the difference in taste, but it’s not flat. (You didn’t open that stuff in '97 and let it sit for years, I hope!) I have never consumed beer several years old, but I wouldn’t be afraid to try it. Just take a sip, and if you don’t like it, throw it out. Hell, being years old is supposed to be good for wine and liquor.
The beer should be fine. The skunkiness is usually caused by exposure to light (in clear glass bottles) or heat, thus the basement beer that Ellen drank was skunky. If this beer has been consistently kept in the fridge, ESPECIALLY if it was pasturized, it should still be okay, although not at its best. If the cans aren’t breached, they shouldn’t even be flat.
I worked in the beer industry for 3 years, I’ve brewed my own, judged competitions, toured breweries and chemically analyzed beer.
Here’s a safety net: Nothing that can live in beer can kill you.
And, for justwannano - people that have a drinking problem don’t usually lose beer in their fridge for 3 years. If its a parental trap, dustin’s parents are very patient…
I guess this is proof enough that I’m not a lush, beer can actually go stale in my apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I really like beer but I don’t need it. If you’re too broke to get beer you have bigger problems that can’t be helped by getting a buzz. I won’t drink beer that’s been sitting out of refreigeration for 3-4 months. Forget that '97 vintage stuff.
I also wouldn’t drink it because of an old Stephen King Story, possibly from Night Shift where a guy drinks a can of beer even though it has a pinhole and a little green fuzz on it. The story ends very similar to “the lonesome death of Jordy Verill” in Creepshow.
Why not? 
I’m with you, starfish… although, as a person with some interest in science, I wouldn’t mind putting some of the rest of the stuff in his fridge under a microsope…
He’d rather you sent him 10 bucks, I’ll bet…
I know you can drink it because I’ve actually done it. Years ago, my family used to visit Pittsburgh occasionally to see my mother’s relatives. When there, my father would buy a case or two of Iron City Beer (this being the equivalent to an import to my dad). My dad had a workshop in the backyard, complete with refrigerator, and that fridge is where he kept his beer.
Okay, times passes. Wavy lines across the screen. It’s now the late 80’s, and we haven’t been back to Pittsburgh in at least 5 years. Me and some college buddies are hanging out in my dad’s w’shop, when we come across a six of ICB. Thirsty and in a scientific mood, we opened the aged bottles and had a sip. This is where I got the idea that beer continues to age in the bottle, though very slowly. The Iron City had a distinctly different taste than I remembered (for those who know, ICB is a very cheap) beer. Some of us actually thought the taste had improved, rather that worsened. The good news is, it’s been 10 years since the experiment, and none of the old gang has died or turned into a gelatinous pile of goo. So I would have to say that 3 year beer is still drinkable.
heh i’m gonna drink them saturday night. (My parents won’t be home.) I’m 17 years old. I will tell you how it tastes. If my parents ask where did they go, I will tell them I shot them.
Oh, I guess because that’s what alcoholics do, ya know. The operative word is my statement is just. Nothing wrong with getting a buzz, getting happy with friends, enjoying life. But seeking out alcohol simply to achieve oblivion. Not a good motive.
I told you he wasn’t old enough. You can’t fool an old bartender.
Just remember, dustin, that if you get busted by your parents or get sick, don’t go blaming US!