How old is your beer?

I really only worry about IPA, usually 90 days max but we all have our own preferences. I like to keep it at 8 weeks max but again that is just me. The balance of beers I don't get too worried about, the heavy ABV stuff ages well most of the time so no issue, some of the lighter stuff I still watch but I don't over worry about it. I always check dates so usually my stuff us very fresh, I don't buy anything I cannot read unless I know the beer very well. As a whole I only had a few turds, with a little work and common sense I usually have tasty beer.

 

Oh man it is too old at that point, you really have to get into the tank and consume as you float, otherwise by the time it departs the tap its oxidized and just a drain pour.

LOL
Just being funny.......

 

Fulton hopstar 8/23 bottled date and it's tasty

 

I prefer that my IPAs are less than 3 months old - unfortunately this excludes anything coming from the East Coast of the US as 3 months is how long it takes to get to Australia (including a month in customs)... I'll have to visit the East Coast one day.

 

I've always just trusted best by dates and have never had a problem. The way I see it is that if I drink it within that time I'm experiencing it as the brewer intended. I've yet to have a dud within the best by date.

 

Fully agree. I check dates but I'm not zealous about it. I stay within a 4-6 week period for bottled on dates.

 

There is enough competition out there and enough breweries that date their beers. If I am not buying a seasonal or brewery direct and the can/bottle is not dated, I am not going to buy it.

 

Some styles I'll even put back on the shelf because they're too young, even at 6 months .

 

Best by dates are arbitrary. 6 months, 9, 12 months? Who knows. No canning date without a clue I usually just pass. Theres too many honest brewers out there, the rest are hiding out. Subtle, but still hiding out. No can date don't buy, they brew to the 5.% of us not he 95% who drink AALs, so don't buy and they're stuck. There's more canning dates now than there was a few years ago. Hold them responsible.

 

Another data point - Alpine uses a 6 month best by duration

 

When it comes to IPAs, I subscribe to the Grimm doctrine....
Keep Cold! Drink Now!

 

Wish everyone would just but "bottled on", "canned on", "packaged on", or "born on" dates on their products. I know enough to decide for myself if the beer is still fresh enough to purchase.

 

Too old! I'm guessing best by dates are prolly 4-6 months after it was made. I would have been fine with "readily available" crafts, but they were either ruined by changes or never fresh, not even close. So they have forced me to travel to VT...and Tree House next week!

 

To be clear, when I say free reign, I look at a beer like Pilsner urquell which uses a 6-9 month best by. Currently I see best by February '18. Earlier this year, it was best by October '17. Never personally had issues here with beers I knew that were some 6-9 months old. I want to say Dos Equis has a long winded bbd as well.

90% of the time, its that hop swamp tea sort of flavor that I get out of old hoppy beers. I'm also sitting on garage cellared fbs, ba1050, high westy, parabola '17, and xocoveza. All are evolving. None falling off.

I will say, just stay in tune with releases. If you know a Odell brewery seasonal just came out but it expires in December, they are probably going with a 120 day best by.

Either that or just learn your lesson. I leaned mine with uinta hop Nosh, which I believe is anywhere from 4-6 months best by dated. Keep track of what you buy and drink and maybe don't buy it again if it tastes crappy at just two months old. If a beer expires in January '18 but already tastes bad, maybe that 6 month expiration is way too lenient.

Just recently I was visiting family who had a year old untapped keg of long trail summer ale. I remember buying it with then last summer. I tapped it early august '17 and it tasted just fine. They also had budlight kegs that ran fine for 6-9 months past their 'expiration'.


I only ever had bad experiences with those hoppy beers, even at a month old. It makes me wonder how they remain so popular. That freshness crowd element is causing havoc on other styles of beers imho.

Awhile back, this one shop decided that their Oktoberfest beers were 'expired' or past their prime around thanksgiving and had them at bargain bin prices. Freshness does matter and I'm sure unpasteurized pilsner urquell from the source is amazing, but unless it's supper aromatic and hoppy, freshness matters way less in my eyes.

 

It's nine months on bottles and cans, according to the Tenth & Blake P.U. brand manager:

 

Agreed, overall.

That last example probably had more to do with the adage that you can't sell an Oktoberfest past November 1st than freshness, though.

 

Was that beer continually stored cold?

Cheers!

 

Weyerbacher does it and prints bottled on date and [suggested] best by date right under it.