Founders Red Rye PA at 16 Months

[John Sand]

My local beer distributor often sells beer at or past it's best date at steep discounts. I like this, it gives me a chance to try craft brews and different styles at cheap prices. The other day I picked up a six of Founder's RRPA for five bucks. I knew it wasn't fresh. At home I checked the bottle date: July 2012. What do you expect for $5? I can't get Bud for that price, and this has to be better. (It is). The first bottle was decent, but the caramel shone through much more than the hops (bottled at 70 IBU). My wife's refined palate judged it "sweet". The second bottle was quite different. Decidedly hoppy. I don't have a fresh bottle to compare, but this tastes like an IPA, matching the reviews on Beer Advocate. I'm not saying it isn't better fresh, I'm sure it is. But I'm interested in the difference between bottles in one sixpack. My theory is that the bottles facing the edge of the shelf suffered more from light exposure.