Did Green Flash STOP bottle dating?

GF is a very drug-and-libations-tolerant environment. It's a choice they've made and I think it affects their business practices. Top to bottom they are very tolerant of drug and alcohol use. This isn't meant to be derogatory, a few breweries in SD have policies that allow workers to drink before, during, and after their shifts (depending on what they are doing, of course). GF just takes it a step further. I know they're not the only ones, but don't expect stoned dudes to worry much about labeling your beer with a best by date.

 

As far as I know (from earlier in this thread ) the consensus was that late 2013-early 2014 bottles started using a 6 month code. While I totally agree with you about freshness, it isn't unusual. For the most part, I just don't buy IPAs older than a month anymore. There are so many available, and the freshest almost always tastes best to me.

And while I disagree with the 6mo. system, I love that Green Flash ships their stuff 100% refrigerated. I've had the pleasure of being at the store when ~2wk old Green Flash shows up, and I really (think I can ) taste the difference. Tastes as fresh as a local IPA that went right from the line to the cooler.

 

Hey Bro not to be a dick but you are so fucking far off base that it is almost insulting. You pretty much are saying that everyone at Green Flash is high and drunk so thats why there are no label dates?!?! If that was the case how are they in 49 states? If that was the case how are they the 51st largest craft brewery in the U.S.? If that was the case how are they still in business after 12 years. The reason there are no bottling dates on some 4 packs is because it is put on by a machine. It is a new machine that is part of a major bottling line expansion that went in in the last few months. The new line is fucking awesome but it takes time to tweek it. When you run it for 4 hours @ 350 bottles a minute some bottles will slip by. It happens there,at Dogfish,at Stone, at Budweiser. But say the reason this happens is because everyone there is drunk and high is bordering on being slanderous. A disclaimer. I work for Green Flash. I work in Production. This is MY personal opinion and not the opinion of Green Flash. If you are ever in San Diego and would like to come by please do and ask for me, Pat Korn,right there on my avatar. Good day to you all.

 

???????????????? all my old Rayon is bottle dated in yellow on the bottom under the label......Rayon from 2011 is probably great right now. My July 2012 bottles are great.......Since its no longer made you should grab all you can. It will be good years from now.


Enjoy

 

I can see some bottles might "slip by" without a date stamped on them, but I have not heard of one person that has picked up a new label GF bottle that DID have a date... so I can only presume that ALL the bottles have "slipped by"...

 

Thanks for speaking up- it was out of line for me to throw something like that around, I can understand now that it could definitely be viewed as an insult. You guys work hard to put out great beer, I let some of the stories I've heard influence how I view the work environment @ GF. That was irresponsible of me and I apologize.

 

Bought some Uinta Dubhe yesterday and it also had a Best By date of next week. Do you (or any other BAs) know what the window is for Uinta beers. 5 months as well? Is this a new standard?

Thank god for Sierra and all the others that put a canned or bottled date.

 

I think some Breweries are claiming the "5 month freshness" because many of their markets are unable to move a high volume in 3 months time. Therefore, it is important to them that they don't get tons of pallets of beer back from their distributor and count it as a loss. This practice of course, is not a good one for the consumer, only for the retailers and the Brewery.

JUST YESTERDAY, I recieved 3 cases of Stone's Oaked Arrogant Bastard 4 Packs. The cases had not been opened, but what do I observe? NOT ANY BOTTLE INSIDE HAS A "BEST BY DATE." I assumed that this was just an honest mistake by Stone...maybe they accidentally didn't get stamped? But then, my mind goes into consipiracy mode and wonders "did the distributor rub them off and repackage them with glue?" I have opened many cases of all kinds of Stone, and I have never seen this! I contacted my distributor and got them out of my store. I traded them for more regular Stone IPA which had dates of 8/16/2014...I believe.

But lets think...what was my alternative as a retailer? What if I didn't know what saavy craft beer drinkers look for? If I had KEPT those 4 packs...it would look as if I had removed the dates off the top of the bottles!!! This is why it is paramount for a retailer to be as picky as a consumer!

 

They shouldn't have fucked with the WCIPA. It was perfect. Too much booze now. Off topic I know but fuck! Why fix something that ain't broken! ×

 

I'll agree the comment you replied to was ridiculous, but this is not a situation where a few bottles slipped by. I have yet to see a single bottle of the new packaging with dates on it, this is clearly not an isolated issue, and its not going to help your company much when people are drinking year old "new" WCIPA in 2015.

 

Just yesterday I dipped into Total Swine to see about finding some goodies. I was going to buy the Stone Self-Righteous (a beer I've never tried despite it's being readily available in ABQ) but neither the bombers nor the 12-ounce bottles had a Best By date. What gives?

 

I picked up a sixer of WCIPA yesterday with a Best By date of 11/28/14 that was printed in really hard to see reddish ink.

 

As long as it tastes good, nothing else matters.

 

Just picked up some of this batch. And by first glance you can't even see the date.

Did we confirm that WCIPA has a best by date of 5 months after bottling?

 

FWIW, response today from Green Flash

 

Just picked up some WCIPA with a best by of January 2015 thinking it was 3 months out and super fresh. Was very disappointed when I tasted it. My guess is the best by is put out 6 months. Lame!

 

6 months?! Jesus Christ!

 

Whether I can find a bottling date has a big effect on what IPA I buy. I appreciate what Firestone did with the last case I bought: the box and each individual bottle had a clear "bottled on" date printed.

 

Enjoy by dates are pointless without bottled on dates.

 

Actually that is a style that I don't have to worry about (as opposed to IPAs) I know opinions vary, which is a great thing, but I would feel kind of proud walking out of your store with some old AB. But yeah, I hear you when you don't even know when