Do you ding brewers for not including info on labels?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by fscottkey, Sep 18, 2015.

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  1. riverlen

    riverlen Pundit (852) Sep 16, 2009 Illinois

    In a word, No.
     
  2. ecpho

    ecpho Savant (1,183) Mar 28, 2011 New York

    I don't buy beer that doesn't say where exactly it was brewed. If it's a contract brewer situation - they should have to say where the beer was brewed, packaged and by whom.
     
  3. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    How do you know it's not brewed in the city listed? The Feds allow brewers to list either the city where the brewery is located, multiple cities or "The bottler's or packer's principal place of business may be shown in lieu of the actual place where bottled or packed if the address shown is a location where bottling or packing operation takes place." So, if you buy a Rolling Rock that says "St. Louis", a Pabst Blue Ribbon that says "Milwaukee", a Yuengling Lager that says "Pottsville, PA" or a Sixpoint that says "Brooklyn, NY" you do not know that those beers might have been brewed in Newark, NJ, Eden, NC, Tampa, FL or Memphis, TN (respectively).
     
  4. tillmac62

    tillmac62 Pooh-Bah (2,859) Oct 2, 2013 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    No, I review the beer itself. I don't like the fact that a beer has no bottling date, but I don't penalize what's in the glass for that fact.
     
  5. bleakies

    bleakies Maven (1,355) Apr 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    If you want a bottling date to ensure freshness, and you want freshness to ensure optimal taste, presumably the out-of-date beer will get a lower score than a fresher bottle would, which would make dinging it for the lack of a bottling date gratuitous.
     
  6. 1ale_man

    1ale_man Initiate (0) Apr 25, 2015 Texas

    No. Even the look of the beer in the glass doesn't affect my smell or taste review. As Mr. AlienSwineFlu stated, if it taste good.....
     
  7. VincentFrey

    VincentFrey Initiate (0) Jul 30, 2011 Maryland

    I don't dock them in a BJCP / Cicerone sense, but it's something I remember going forward with their brand. If I like the beer, that's great, but at this point in my spending if it's an unknown beer with no identifying information about the contents other than a name and brewery, I'd certainly be less likely to pick it up.
     
  8. Yargamo

    Yargamo Initiate (0) Jun 9, 2015 New York

  9. The_Snow_Bird

    The_Snow_Bird Grand Pooh-Bah (3,557) May 7, 2015 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If it's IPA's I'll pass on it, unless if its a new release. But not having a bottling date or best buy won't hurt the score. It just hurts the brewery with a bad rating if it was old.
     
  10. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Isn't that rather like deciding to not like a person because you don't like their clothes? Lowering your score because of the packaging is poor form, at a minimum.
     
  11. Treyliff

    Treyliff Grand Pooh-Bah (5,025) Aug 10, 2010 West Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Appearance rating is for the appearance of the beer, not the label.
     
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  12. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    I always thought ABV was required to be put on the label although I have searched a few and not found it. However, it does not concern me since I can always look it up and at least get an idea, even if it isn't accurate. As far as dates, I don't ding anybody, I only buy an undated beer if I've been told by a reliable source that it's new or if it's from a small startup brewery. The best way to express your opinion is with your wallet. Money talks bullshit walks.
     
  13. Anker13

    Anker13 Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2011 New Jersey

    Another vote for born on / best by dates

    I typically don't buy beers that only have marketing fluff on the labels... By that I mean a long winded paragraph describing nothing about what i should actually expect the beer to be like. I know a lot of beers don't fit into a specific style or category, but as long as it includes something related to style (even loosely... Could be "west coast / east german style rye bock IPA") I'll buy it. But if I read something and have no idea what I'm about to buy, I'll pass.

    Notable exception: Lagunitas little sumpin' sumpin'
     
  14. TonyLema1

    TonyLema1 Pooh-Bah (2,890) Nov 19, 2008 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    I bitch about it, but when it comes right down to it....what inside the bottle/can is a hell of a lot more important than what is on the outside
     
  15. CellarGimp

    CellarGimp Initiate (0) Sep 14, 2011 Missouri

    If by "ding" you mean not purchasing, then yes. No date, no sale.
     
  16. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,252) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    I don't know about giving them a ding but "Ale brewed with spices" is a pretty worthless description.
     
  17. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    You should review the rules for reviewing a beer on this site
     
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  18. honkey

    honkey Maven (1,350) Aug 28, 2010 Arizona
    Trader

    I think it is a little unfair to ding a brewery for ABV not being on the bottle. Some breweries brew two different versions of he same beer for different states where alcohol laws are different. I know a few Alabama breweries brew their IPA at one ABV for Alabama, and then the beer they ship to Tennessee is brewed to a lower ABV to account for weird high gravity beer laws. They use the same labels and/or cans for both. That is very common amongst craft breweries.
     
  19. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    Absolutely not. You should review the beer for the beer, not the label info.
     
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  20. MisSigsFan

    MisSigsFan Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2013 California

    Date should be included. I also like when they tell you the kind of hops that are used.
     
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