Spoiler: Yes, you can consume energy drinks beyond their expiration date, at least for a couple of months after it is expired. That’s just my theory.
By law, all companies that produce food and drink are required to put a date that states when something can no longer be used on the packaging.
You might notice that even bottled water has an expiration date on it – that’s because even though water does not technically go ‘bad’, the companies are still required to print one, to protect themselves from lawsuits and also as a helpful guideline to customers to know when things are likely to have gone bad.
On energy drinks, they are usually stamped somewhere on the can, distinguished by an “EXP” abbreviation that stands for “expiry date”, and through this, you’ll be able to see when the anticipated date is.
Do energy drinks need to be refrigerated?
No, they do not need to be refrigerated, but for the best taste and quality, many energy drink companies do suggest that you refrigerate the can before drinking.
If you walk into any store, you’ll usually see energy drinks sitting in refrigeration areas.
However, not refrigerating these drinks does not mean that anything bad will happen – they’ll just be warm and probably won’t taste all that great.
How long do Monster Energy Drinks last unopened?
Like most ready-to-drink energy drinks, Monster cans have expiration dates of around 18-24 months from their date of manufacture.
If you have stored your drinks properly (in a cool, dark place unexposed to extreme temperature), then the drink will probably last you about 6-9 months longer than the expiry date.
However, even that is a conservative guess, as some people have consumed cans of energy drinks 8 years (!) after the expiry date, and they seem to be fine.
Please note:
If you do decide to drink that energy drink you’ve been hoarding for the last 10 years, I am in no way responsible for whatever happens to you – I would not advise it personally.
How long do Monster Energy Drinks last when opened?
Around 2-4 days.
The longer that you leave the can open, the less carbonated it’ll be over time – just like a can of soda. That means the pleasant tingle you get from the drink will decrease with time until it just tastes completely flat and without any fizz at all.
Don’t leave it open for too long either, because it’s possible that other bacteria or microorganisms may have entered it without you knowing!
How much water does it take to flush out a Monster?
It’s not exact, but it takes about 0.7 gallons of water (for women) and a full gallon of water (for men) to flush out any toxins in your body completely.
This is just a guideline, not a hard and fast rule, so it goes to show that it’ll take about that much water to completely flush a Monster drink out of your body.
However, drinking a lot of water won’t flush out the caffeine any faster than would happen normally. Caffeine, similar to alcohol, has a half-life and drinking lots of water won’t accelerate the rate at which it leaves your body.
How to tell if a can of Monster energy drink is expired?
Firstly, check the expiration date, printed on the bottom of the can. This will tell you the official expiry date.
Next, you can tell if a single can of energy drink is expired or has gone bad if the can look ‘bloated’ or it looks like it’s expanded.
A canned drink can swell and expand because of two reasons:
- hydrogen swelling – this occurs because the acidic properties of the drinks begin to corrode the sides of the metal can, which means that hydrogen gas is produced as a byproduct, and the can swells.
- poorly processed foods – mean that bacteria have gotten into the cans, and they feed off the substances in the cans, so the carbon dioxide they produce expands the can.
This rule pretty much applies to any canned food or drink – if it’s swollen, then there’s a good chance that it’s contaminated, and you absolutely should not drink it.
Also, if you see any discolouration around the cap that looks like a small amount of fluid has been secreted out of the can, that’s another good indication that the can probably isn’t OK to drink.
If you want to know what an expired Monster Energy tastes like, watch the video below!
How long do Red Bull energy drinks last unopened?
Most ready-to-drink energy drinks, including Red Bull, have expiry dates of around 18-24 months from their date of manufacture.
However, like Monster and other energy drinks, Red Bull probably lasts around 6-9 months after their expiry date.
If you’re still considering drinking a can that seems perfectly fine even though it’s a couple of years after its expiry date, I would strongly advise you to reconsider.
A few years means that the ingredients inside will very likely have lost their efficacy, so there wouldn’t be much point in drinking it anyway. Although things such as preservatives may keep the drink fresh, it’s still probably better to err on the side of caution.
How long do Red Bull energy drinks last when opened?
Around 2-4 days.
Like Monster Energy, they aren’t super nice when left out for a very long time, so try to drink them as soon as possible after they are opened.
The typical length of Red Bull shelf life is also around 18-24 months from the date of manufacture, but could potentially be longer if stored correctly.
Do Red Bulls expire?
Yes, Red Bull cans do expire.
The expiry date printed on the can will be around 18-24 months after the date of manufacture.
After this date, the ingredients within the can start to break down, so it might lose some of its taste or carbonation.
Try to drink all energy drinks within their printed best-before dates so that you don’t get any nasty surprises.
How long do energy drinks take to kick in?
This depends on your own system and how you react to energy drinks.
This infographic gives a good idea of how energy drinks affect you within 24 hours of consuming them, but results may vary from person to person.
Personally, as a 6’0″ individual that weighs around 180 lbs, it takes an energy drink about half an hour to really kick in for me.
Height and body weight certainly factor into the equation, and individual results may vary.
How long do energy drinks last in your system?
Again, depending on a myriad of factors such as gender, metabolism, weight and other things, an energy drink can last around 4-6 hours for those not used to caffeine, and 2-3 hours if you’re a habitual caffeine drinker.
The difference is that for those who drink caffeine regularly, your body may be already used to it and thus, will react slightly less to the stimulant.
Energy Drinks to Try
If you’re looking for some liquid energy drinks, I have listed a few below:
- Monster
- Celsius
- XS Drinks
- Rip It
- Bing
- Bang
- Xyience
- Guru
- Monster Khaos
- Monster Assault
- Monster Import
To see how Red Bull compares with Monster, check out my other article which goes into a lot of detail on all of the differences between the two beverages.
If you prefer a cola flavour, you could try Red Bull’s own Cola drink – contains less caffeine than regular Red Bull, but may be worth considering.
Powdered energy drinks are also a great option, and they tend to be more convenient and affordable than a lot of the top energy drinks, but have the same great flavour and effectiveness:
- Gfuel
- Zipfizz
- Advocare Spark
- REIZE (my personal favourite)
You could also take a look at Vivarin caffeine pills if you are looking for something that’s simple and easy to swallow.
Of course, there are also tons of other caffeinated products out there that you could turn to for your energy needs. Something like Make It Mio is just one of them.
REIZE (My Personal Favourite)
If you just started exploring the energy drink arena, I suggest you try REIZE!
REIZE contains less caffeine than most energy drinks, but it does contain plenty of other great energy-boosting ingredients that are healthy for you, such as 1000mg of taurine and 50mg of ginseng, plus plenty of B group vitamins.
REIZE is a lot more convenient and versatile since you can add all types of liquids to it – soda, hot water, cold water, flavoured juice, it’s up to you.
REIZE ships right to your door for around $1 per drink!
Give REIZE a try today and you might just find that you prefer it to other energy drinks.