Trust the Best By date

I'm not sure a blanket policy is appropriate based on one bad experience. For example I recently (6/8) bought some New Belgium Abbey for the Belgian dubbel online tasting here a couple Saturdays ago (6/15). I really wanted to have at least one example that was domestic and that I'd never had before, and the NB was the only one I could find. The shop that carried it was not in my usual rotation and a bit out of my way, so I was disappointed to find that what they had in stock was almost 5 months past it's best by date. But since it was refrigerated, and a style that I thought might hold up better than others, I took a chance and bought it. I'm sure it wasn't the same beer that went into the bottle, but it was certainly drinkable, enjoyable actually, with no unpleasant qualities. That said, I'll still continue to check date codes (when present) and generally pass on beer with no code or close to/past its expiration.

 

Yeah, definitely trust the best by date especially for imported beers, which typically claim their "best by" date is up to a year after packaging.

 

Indeed you are correct Jack. We code date Jammer at one year because we have tested it extensively and it is stable for well beyond that time. Despite its low ABV, the preservative effects of lactic acid help aid in that stability. Beyond that, it has less volatile flavors than many of our other offerings (especially beers reliant on hop character).

 

I was by a Harris Teeter the other weekend, and ran in to grab a few things. They has $12.99 SNPA canned 12pks,I was thinking they'd be fine since a busy grocery store. Got home and they were 4 months old.

I think SNPA is pretty hardy so far as pale ales go, but yeah, if I could go back in time, I'd have picked something else. It's very malty and almost no fresh hops, I like Bigfoot but that wasn't what I was trying to buy. Trust no one.

 

Same with Sixpoint's Alpenflo, drinking some right now that say Canned 14FEB19 BB14FEB20. I've had fresh ones as well as 10+ month old ones before and it's all good, still like them all the same and more than anything else around in the style.

 

I really dislike best by dates, they are very ambiguous and don't account for the environmental conditions the beer goes through during the distribution process which in many cases effects the best by date.

And best by relative to what? 4 months ago, a year ago? Who knows? Unless you know the duration of time a specific brewer says their beer is fresh then just avoid best by dates!

Give me a canned on/bottle on date and let me make that executive decision!

 

I would have taken the other 5 back and asked for a refund, showing that they were clearly past the best by date. Or at the very least, a store credit to purchase a different beer.

I've had success with this in the past, it was worth a shot.

 

I use imjur and I had help from a very kind BA, and if I can anyone can.

 

Whoops, should have read the entire thread first...

I still would have taken them back and asked if I could get a store credit for a different six pack in the store (not the Kostrizer obviously). Worth a shot, worst thing they can say is "no".

 

How come Alpenflo (see below) is also a year?

 

The best case is for a brewery to use both dates--Bottled on and Best By--since both are flawed.

Neither dating method takes account of the conditions during distribution so those conditions affect the meaning of the bottled on date just as much as they affect the meaning of a best by date.

Similarly neither date tells us about the nature of the canning/bottling line. Not all lines are created equal and some package with a longer shelf life than others. (E.g., some bottling lines package with an expected shelf life of approximately 3 months while for others the expected shelf life is 5-6 months.) Also some lines are more subject to human error in their operation. (E.g., poorly maintained mobile canning lines.)

At least with both dates we have a better shot at buying fresh beer, especially if the brewer uses their experience with canning/bottling conditions and their information about how beers are actually handled during distribution in developing their estimated Best By date.

 

I don't like the enclosed 6packs I'm starting to see a lot of. No dating on them and I know that the cans are. Frustrating.

 

Yes I have noticed that too and it somewhat pisses me off. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to break open a cardboard box, or at least cut a hole in the bottom to look at the base of the can.

 

I guess you won't drink a nicely aged rochefort 10 or westvleteren 12 or a Cantillon. Or see the merits of a 10 year old fullers vintage or 20 year old Thomas hardy ale.

Some beers need aging to temper down some flavours or develop new ones. Granted full hop beers won't age but there are a lot that will hold up for a year. Maybe buy a beer every couple of months and do a blind tasting to see if you can put them in order.

I have also seen a 10 year best before on a beer.

 

I have later 2 of these in the cellar right now. I think the general gist of this thread is in regards to lagers and hoppy beers. One of the best beers I have had this year was a a Belgian Dark that had Brett added to it (no idea what the BB date was). It was almost 3 years old (had to hide it in the back of my beer fridge so I wouldn't drink it) and had some wonderful things going on in it. Unfortunately during those 3 years, they quit making this beer so will never be able to get it again.

 

I usually just don't buy it if that's the case. Luckily SOME breweries stamp a date on the box.

If I recall correctly, I think sometimes I've just ripped open the box to see the date.

Oh well. Gotta break some eggs if you want to make an omelette and all that....

I think the 3F beer I bought a couple of weeks ago had a best by date in 2037.

You age your beers in your fridge, not at cellar temp?

 

My local guy will open the box so I can check the date. Don't know if he does that for others but he knows if it isn't out of date I will buy it.

 

I guess here in the UK we are less stressed by the freshness of a beer. If you have never had it before, how do you know it is bad?

 

After more than 50 years of drinking beer I'm pretty sure I can spot a bad one irrespective of any lack of familiarity with the brand.