The shelf life of opened apple juice may differ depending on its brand, but most last about 7-10 days after being opened when refrigerated. While unopened bottles can last a long time — sometimes up to two years — apple juice can usually be consumed past the best by date depending on where it is stored. Unopened juice stored on a shelf (such as in a dark pantry) will last much longer than unopened apple juice that is sold refrigerated.
“Expiration” dates differ by brand. Snapple Apple (which Chowhound ranked the worst brand of apple juice) does not provide an expiration date on its bottles. Instead, the bottle shows a manufactured date. This is because Snapple beverages are one of many foods that don’t actually expire and are often safe to drink far past their expiration dates.
Open vs. closed dates
In fact, Snapple is not alone in this practice. Products found in grocery stores use different dating methods, which can provide “open” or “closed” expiration dates. Open dating communicates to potential customers a date where the product is at its best quality, and how long the product should be on the shelf. Closed dating is actually not for consumer use at all, and is only there for the product’s manufacturer to confirm when the product was made and/or packaged.
While many apple juice brands will provide a “best by” date, this is usually unnecessary for unopened bottles in terms of food safety. Instead, this date is only showing when the juice will be at its best quality. Apple juice usually supplies a closed date, but a general rule of thumb is that it can be consumed for around a week after opening the bottle before tossing out the remaining drink.