Is it possible to drink expired beer, the consequences of drinking it and first aid for poisoning

Supermarkets often organize promotions, selling several beer cans or bottles at once for the price of one. Consumers are only too happy about this, buying up products in “packs”, but not everyone thinks about what to do in a situation when a drink has expired, and what will happen if you drink expired beer. Drinking such a drink can lead to negative consequences.

What can be considered expired beer?

On each package, the manufacturer indicates the expiration date of the product; this is required by GOST standards, and beer is no exception. This period is necessary so that the buyer knows the period during which the drink does not lose its qualities, that is, it completely retains its taste, color and smell.

In addition, information about the storage method must be written on the container, since if it is violated, intoxication occurs.

For example, the manufacturer indicates that the product is stored at a temperature no higher than 15-20 degrees, and a person leaves the can in direct sunlight, in which case the shelf life is sharply reduced, and in some situations beer poisoning occurs.

For this reason, you cannot expire it and not comply with the standards prescribed by the manufacturer.

Plums

Bartenders and merchants can shamelessly pour beer that has stagnated in the hose located between the tap and the drink itself. Permissible stagnation is up to three hours, after which the foam sours. To prevent sour beer from getting into the container, the drink from the keg must be spilled before filling the glass/bottle. But few people bother with the waste, and usually they go straight to the buyer. Moreover, it is impossible to notice this by taste: if you ordered 2 liters of beer and 500 grams of them turned out to be “plums”, you are unlikely to be able to detect deception.

Sour “drain” may get into the bottle

What happens to the drink after the expiration date?

It is quite possible to find a stale product at home, because often there may be a jar left somewhere that the owners simply forgot about. At the same time, few people pay attention to the expiration date, and this will have an extremely negative impact on their well-being.

In addition, many supermarkets have sales on beer products. Most often, such a product has a date that is already coming to an end. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the label before purchasing.

Beer is a drink that spoils very quickly and can be stored for no more than two months in total.

After the date on the container has expired, irreversible processes begin inside, and toxic microorganisms multiply, which are simply dangerous for the systems. For this reason, such a product not only provokes poisoning, but also contributes to the development of serious pathologies.

In severe cases of intoxication, treatment cannot be carried out at home.

Poisoning from an expired beer drink

The drink contains ethanol, so it affects all organs of the internal system. For this reason, the symptoms and signs of beer poisoning are extremely severe and painful. After intoxication, your health worsens almost immediately, as alcohol enhances the negative effects.

Other ingredients do not have much effect on the body. The symptoms are similar to alcohol intoxication; after drinking, a headache begins, and intoxication occurs in a short time. In addition, other symptoms appear - vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and in some patients the body temperature rises sharply.

Against the background of intoxication, the patient feels severe thirst, as dehydration occurs. At this point, the patient should drink plenty of fluids.

Poisoning leads to severe dizziness, and this causes fainting. Internal systems begin to work at full strength, the heartbeat quickens as a malfunction occurs in the blood vessels.

A person also experiences disturbances in concentration and movement. At the first symptoms, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Intoxication

This is a low-alcohol drink, but poisoning occurs quite often. The possible list of reasons is headed by beer abuse, alcohol intolerance and allergies, as well as expired beer. Is it possible to drink a mixture of intoxicating drink with a surrogate? This can lead to serious poisoning. It is important to note that even draft beer can cause intoxication, since there are no hygienic conditions and no cleanliness.

If suspicious symptoms are detected, the victim should be assisted. To do this, it is important to know that the symptoms of beer poisoning are as follows:

nausea and vomiting;
diarrhea;
dizziness;
headache;
low pressure;
balance and coordination are impaired;
tachycardia develops;
there is a change in diction;
drowsiness;
pre-domatous state.

Sometimes a coma develops when the victim loses consciousness; he does not even respond to ammonia and slaps in the face. There is no reaction of the pupils to light. If you do not help the patient to get out of such an alcoholic trance, the condition will worsen.

It is important to note that the person completely lacks any reflexes.

Possible consequences

If a person drinks alcohol, this leads to extremely negative consequences. Since the kidneys and liver are the first to suffer from uncontrolled drinking.

Systematic drinking causes physical and psychological dependence. This is explained by the fact that when toxic substances accumulate in the body, the functions of the brain and central nervous system are disrupted.

Long-term intoxication leads to personality degradation, he cannot normally perceive the world around him, new knowledge and information are not assimilated, and many memories are often erased under the influence of ethyl.

Can beer go bad before its expiration date?

Any grocery product can go bad before the expiration date. After all, the manufacturer clearly prescribes the conditions under which it will retain all its qualities. Sometimes the seller comes across as dishonest. Therefore, the buyer needs to independently evaluate what he is purchasing.

When choosing, be sure to first look at the production and expiration date.

For example, a live drink can be stored for no more than a few days, and it is not recommended to consume it after the expiration date, since poisoning will occur instantly.

When purchasing, carefully inspect the container; if there are dents or chips on it, then it is best to refrain and not buy such products.

Spoiled beer has an altered taste; when drinking it, a bitter and sour feeling is felt in the mouth; you cannot continue to drink it.

It is necessary to rinse the stomach immediately. The same rules apply to soft drinks. When you take it, you feel as if there is something metal in your mouth.

Drinking expired beer is strictly prohibited, as this leads to serious health consequences.

The harm from consuming expired products is well known to humans, but what happens if you drink expired beer? The question is acute, especially since the manufacturer often underestimates the shelf life of the drink. How to determine whether beer has gone bad or not, what does the process depend on, and what consequences will there be for the body if you drink an expired drink? Let's look into everything in detail.

Unsanitary conditions

There is usually terrible unsanitary conditions at the points of sale of draft intoxicating drinks. Even if at first glance everything is “decent and noble,” this does not mean that sanitary standards are observed here. You cannot estimate how often the hoses are washed. According to former beer store workers, the hoses are sometimes not washed for six months. Naturally, the beer inside the hose turns sour, microbes multiply...

The second problem is bottle storage. Usually they are lying around in a warehouse. No one rinses the container before pouring beer. Along with the foamy drink, the buyer also receives dust.

What can be considered expired beer?

Like any other product, the drink requires indication of the date of manufacture and expiration date on the packaging (GOST R51074-97). In addition to the shelf life, there is a shelf life of the drink - a period of time during which the composition does not lose its quality characteristics. There is also the concept of storage conditions; the manufacturer also indicates them on the product packaging. The shelf life directly depends on the conditions; if you leave a container of beer under the sun, the period of possible consumption will be significantly reduced.

Important! The designation of the expiration date on the container guarantees compliance with the regulations in accordance with which the drink was produced. These include organoleptic indicators: taste, color, smell.

The expiration of the shelf life does not always mean that the beer has expired; this indicator is determined by the expiration date. Legally, a consumer has the right to sue the manufacturer if he is poisoned by beer whose expiration date specified by the manufacturer has not expired. But if you drink expired beer, all claims should be made solely against yourself.

Interesting Facts

You need to pay attention to this when buying alcohol:

Expired intoxicants, be it vodka, wine or beer, are a kind of springboard for the breeding of bacteria. This is especially true for live beer; the “life” of the drink is two months. Therefore, if you drink an expired product, you can simply get poisoned.
Alcohol, which has a shelf life of about seven and a half months, contains preservatives that, after a certain period of time, completely change their qualities and can lead to poisoning.
However, the expiration date is not always that important; if the alcohol is two weeks expired, then nothing dangerous will happen. But the longer the delay, the greater the likelihood of suffering from it.
You can distinguish a spoiled drink from a good one not only by the date of manufacture, but also by the smell, color and even taste. All these qualities deteriorate at the end of the shelf life, and it is recommended to pour out the drink.
Remember that the best doctor for all ailments is yourself, if you don’t take care of your health, no one will take care of it.

In ancient times, it was very common to see grocery carts filled with cans of beer in stores. Discount announcements were pasted on them; according to them, on this day it was possible to purchase alcohol much more profitably and cheaper.

Sometimes beer cans were passed through the promotion because they didn’t look very good - they were wrinkled or with torn labels. But most often, stores tried to get rid of expired goods with such an offer. This fact did not bother many lovers of “hot food” and the delay sold like “hot cakes”, which is naturally beneficial for the store.

What happens to the drink after the expiration date?

You can also find expired food in your own home: you have a can of beer lying around and you forgot about it. Supermarkets often hold promotions and sales of intoxicating drinks that are nearing their expiration date. Is it possible to buy such a drink and what happens after the expiration date in beer?

Natural beer is a perishable drink; it can be stored for no more than 60 days, and then only under certain conditions. After this limit is reached, opportunistic bacteria that are dangerous to human health actively multiply in the liquid. Microorganisms can cause not only food poisoning, but also cause many more serious pathologies. By the way, food poisoning cannot be called “mild” either; the process drags on for a long time and often requires immediate medical attention.

Important! Harmful bacteria have the ability to accumulate in beer. This means that if the drink’s expiration date has recently expired (3-5 days), then the likelihood of severe poisoning is minimal. This fact does not apply to the “live” variety - it is strictly forbidden to consume it after the specified expiration date.

In our stores we rarely come across live varieties of the drink, mainly beer produced with natural and artificial chemicals. Drinking expired beer of this kind is likely to result in serious poisoning: chemical reagents can cause serious poisoning of the body and provoke cellular changes in the structure of organs.

First aid

If there is a case of beer poisoning, characterized by moderate or severe indicators, then you definitely need to call an ambulance. Before the doctors arrive, the patient should rinse his stomach and first allow him to drink a large amount of liquid in several doses. Then you need to take any sorbents, if spasms bother you, drink No-shpa. While waiting for an ambulance, the person can be given lightly salted water to drink and provided with fresh air. Do not under any circumstances add potassium permanganate to your drink. This will only worsen pain in the gastrointestinal tract. You should not try to alleviate the condition of poisoning using the so-called hangover method, since an additional dose of alcohol will only provoke worsening. If a person is unconscious, then he must be laid on his back and his head turned to the side, so that in case of a gag reflex, he should clear the airways and prevent the tongue from retracting. Food poisoning from beer is treated on an inpatient basis in the infectious diseases department, where, along with medicinal procedures, a special therapeutic diet is used, including weak chicken broths, pureed soups and cereals, various jelly, strong, not very sweet tea and crackers. In the future, after the main treatment, you should refrain from smoking and drinking carbonated drinks, as well as strong coffee and tea in the morning.

In case of severe poisoning, patients are prescribed antibacterial therapy to prevent aspiration pneumonia. If a person is unconscious, artificial respiration and gastric lavage through a tube are provided.

Signs and consequences of beer poisoning

Toxic substances must be dealt with. Beer itself does not have these; the only source of toxins is the container:

Plastic bottle. Releases toxic substances when interacting with alcohol. Dibutyphthalate is a lethal poison, which is why PET bottles are prohibited for bottling strong alcohol almost everywhere. But beer also contains alcohol, so drinking a drink from a plastic bottle is strictly not recommended, especially if the product is expired.
Glass jar, bottle. Glass is an inert material that does not interact with alcohols, but each bottle has a stopper. Prolonged contact with the cork causes the accumulation of toxins in the drink, but this happens if the bottle has been lying or standing upside down for a long time. It’s even worse when the cork is not tightly fitted to the neck and air gets into the beer - you can’t drink the drink, you’ll definitely get poisoned. Even with a normal shelf life, air entering the bottle guarantees the presence of pathogenic bacteria. But if the lid fits tightly, the sell-by date and expiration date have recently expired, it will be difficult to get poisoned by beer.
Aluminum cans. The container protects the drink as much as possible from any environmental influences. If its integrity is preserved, stored correctly and the inner layer of the can is intact, you can drink expired beer (for a short time). But who will guarantee that the inner coating remained intact? If the outer surface is intact, the fact of defects in the internal space is minimal, but still exists.

Important! Expired beer that has lost its quality is characterized by a loss of quality organoleptic properties. It is characterized by sourness, an unpleasant odor, the color and level of foam of the drink may change.

The consequences of drinking an expired drink are poisoning. A food-borne illness has a number of distinct symptoms:

Nausea, vomiting;
Sharp pain in the abdominal area;
Diarrhea;
Intestinal colic;
Increase in body temperature sometimes to borderline levels;
Flatulence;
General weakness, sweating;
Cooling of the skin;
Blueness, swelling;
Headache.

The level of intoxication depends on the degree of accumulation of bacteria, the rate of their development and reproduction in the body. Sometimes it is enough to rinse the stomach with plenty of drink and induce vomiting to get rid of the causes. Taking medications and sorbents (activated carbon) will not hurt. But there are symptoms of poisoning in which you should immediately call an ambulance:

Sudden and frequent attacks of vomiting, after which the patient cannot drink water;
Extreme weakness, bright paleness of the skin;
Increase in body temperature over 37.5 degrees for a long time;
Failure of heart rhythms, decreased blood pressure.

Important! If a person is poisoned by beer, this cannot be ignored. Alcohol toxins in combination with pathogenic bacteria trigger the processes of regeneration of cells of important organs: kidneys, liver. The process can become irreversible and lead to consequences such as kidney and liver failure, problems with the cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract.

Beer packaging as a source of poison

The modern marketing industry offers drinks in different dosages and containers. The price of the product is influenced by the quality of packaging. Safe natural materials are always more expensive.

Plastic beer bottle

According to the latest information, plastic, when in contact with alcohol, releases a toxic substance - dibutyl phthalate. This component leads to disruption of the endocrine system. Regularly receiving a dose of dibutyl phthalate can provoke cancer or hormonal imbalance in the body.

To drink or not to drink?

What happens if you drink expired beer is clear. You can determine that it is expired only by opening the container. When stored properly, many beers remain good for 30 to 40 days after the date on the package has passed. But it’s better not to take risks and refuse a drink that is more than 10 days old. In this case, you will definitely do without consequences.

Proponents of an alternative point of view argue that if you drink beer that has expired, you can be seriously poisoned by expired beer, even if storage standards are observed. The basis for this statement is the fear of knowing all the intricacies of the drink’s interaction with our health. Few people are completely healthy patients, so expired beer may well trigger negative processes in the body, worsen chronic diseases or reveal new pathologies. And this opinion should also be taken into account when considering whether it is possible to drink a drink that has expired.