Alpine bottling/best by date question.

In the last 3 years or so Green Flash has done the following in regard to labels and bottles:

Changed labels multiple times
Changed bottles
Gone from 6 packs to 4 packs
Had no dates
Had best by dates
Had different best by dates
Had bottled on dates
Had different types of dates in different colors
Had dates in different locations on bottles
Had dates that rubbed off easily
Had bottles with placeholders for dates but no dates.

When do you want me to stop? This is aptitude? I am a fan of the brewery but stopped drinking their beer because I can never tell if it is fresh or not.

 

You can never tell if a quite a few beers are fresh, and in this very thread and what the topic is about. Since you really can't tell how fresh something is without a date would you turn down an Alpine? They are top notch beers and I would definitely not turn it down based on a lack of a date.

 

Was responding to post here referring to GF.

Alpine is almost impossible to get in bottles outside the brewery, it goes so fast you will not get an old one. If they start distributing to New York, when they first get here lack of a date would not bother me. If they started to sit on the shelf and there was no date I might have my doubts. I love Alpine, but the GF versions are not as good as the Alpine versions, so there are people here in NY asking what all the fuss is because they are getting sub standard GF versions of Alpine.

 

I've never once been unable to find a date on an FW bottle.

 

Thanks for the list. I say shit about companies that is sometimes harsh but how could someone say that not being able to have a date on the bottle in a legible manner doesn't mean they are inept. If green flash said "fuck it, we're not going to label are bottles" that would not inept. Even if I wouldn't agree with the decision I would respect their right to make it. It's that they seem to try so hard but just can't seem to master what a brand new start up brewery can do sometimes immediately. Anyway thanks for the list. It made me laugh.

 

Second that point, FW bottle on date is right in the front of the label, below the logo. Sadly Firestone is becoming a shelf turd, every time I check the bottled on date, always a couple months old. They need to start releasing some more unique seasonal IPAs to stay relevant.

 

I can confirm, I have bought green flash soul style, had the bottled on spot with no date listed...I was like, what the heck, is this for real from a pretty big craft brewery.

 

That's very fortunate for you. But when they switched to their most recent label dating system, I regularly found that area on the label blank. It's been a while though and hopefully Green Flash masters their system as well. As to your personal experience, I've never had a bad bottle of Lost Abbey beer either, but I don't doubt others who claim they have.

 

I have a Mosaic, and a Palette Wrecker in the fridge both with June Best By dates, clearly listed. I drank a Soul Style and a West Coast in the last week or 2 both with the same June best by date. I have yet to see one without.

Maybe they exist, I have never seen one in person.

 

LA is a poor example, because the stories of issues with them are rife. Stories of undated FW bottles? Almost nonexistent. As someone who has drank them religiously for years, I do indeed find it skeptical that someone regularly finds undated bottles when I've never seen one amid probably hundreds of bottles bought. Whatever though - bummer for you.

 

Bwahahahaha -Pat

 

I have no reason to make that up. I'm a big fan and have been drinking FW since the 90s. My experience with missing dates was within the past few years when they revised their labels and changed their dating system. And now it appears they have mastered this. I hope Green Flash does the same.

 

They exist.

 

I read somewhere GF only brews Keg'd beer for Alpine (Nelson, Duet & Hoppy Bday)
not Bottles

 

I love Green Flash and yeah, it's funny, their bottle say best by and then the box is blank.

 

Alpine is amazing no matter the age IMO

 

This list doesn't make them inept. They know what they are doing, and it shows.

 

Yep, I am a big fan of Palate Wrecker, but passed on it at a Bevmo last week because the best by was left blank on every bottle. It was next to some other GF beers that actually did have dates in the section.

 

Bought some Palate Wrecker yesterday, no date in the box. There was an ink stamp near the bottom of the bottle but was not Julian as far as I could tell.

 

Finally seeing the Alpine bottles in NorCal. The bottles have embossed Green Flash logos. Anyways, I got Duet and Hoppy Birthday with best by date of 17 MAR 16F15280 and 18 MAR 16F15282 print on the bottle sticker label. I was thinking that F15280 and F15282 are the bottle dates but day 280 and 282 are October 7th and 9th of 2015. Did Green Flash screwed up the bottle dates? Any thoughts?