Born On Date

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Brainsalad, Apr 30, 2020.

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  1. Brainsalad

    Brainsalad Initiate (0) Apr 30, 2020

    Just picked up a keg of Mich Ultra and noticed the BOD is February 20. It's usually not that old and I'm assuming with all the bars being closed, not much beer is moving and I'm getting an older than usual run.

    Haven't tapped it yet, but wondered how critical the BOD is in kegs, as opposed to bottles/cans. Am I in for flat beer??????
     
  2. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    I would see about getting something fresher. I imagine most places are sitting on old stock, so right now buyer beware. I would not leave the store with any keg until date checked especially right now and with the loads of old beer going down the drains.
    Cheers
     
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  3. Mister_Faucher

    Mister_Faucher Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2014 Washington

    You should probably be ok. If it were say a porter or stout I would be more confident in my assumption.
     
  4. Brainsalad

    Brainsalad Initiate (0) Apr 30, 2020

    Thanks. I special order from a liquor store from their beer distributor, so I didn't think about having him check the date. I'm sure there's a lot of beer sitting around and this was probably unavoidable.

    Will find out tomorrow when I tap it.

    Will also be more careful next time.
     
  5. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

    Absolutely not. A keg is probably one of the best ways to preserve and pressurize beer. It will stay carbonated for years. It probably just won’t taste as fresh. Maybe even just a marginal difference.
     
  6. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,282) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You'll be fine with that. IIRC, Inbev runs a 90 day (basically 3 months)BB date, and we're just 60ish in.

    Enjoy buddy, Cheers!
     
  7. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Beer is not born, it is brewed. In any case exactly when does this happen? At the mashing, the start or the end of fermentation or when it is put in containers?
     
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  8. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,282) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    There's an old saying: brewers make wort, yeast makes beer.

    Well, since yeast eats sugars to produce alcohol, it may well be fair to say that beer is born.

    Born as the lovechild of sugar and yeast.

    Just let OP enjoy his keg, OK?
     
  9. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Didn't Anheuser Busch drop the "Born On" packaging dating and go to a "Freshest Before" best by date code several years ago? They still use the packaging date on kegs?
    Budweiser ditching 'born on date' on beer labels (May 2015)

    I thought it was 60 days (?) for draught, but a recent Wall Street Journal story A New Problem Is Brewing in the Beer Industry: One Million Kegs Are Going Stale said they were "extending" the keg shelf life.
     
  10. Brainsalad

    Brainsalad Initiate (0) Apr 30, 2020

    Thanks for all the input! Mich Ultra isn't my brew of choice, but you can't please everybody in the house (women watching their calories), so we keep that on tap and supplement with other local craft beers.

    Launch time is in around 10 hours, so will have everyone take a taste test and report back. Again, will remember to mention this to my beer guy next time I put in an order.

    Happy Friday!:sunglasses::beers:
     
  11. InVinoVeritas

    InVinoVeritas Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2012 Wisconsin

    The big manufacturers are worldclass at producing low dissolved oxygen. Additionally, Mich Ultra is low in hops. To put to perspective, I'm still enjoying my homebrew helles and Marzen from last year without issue. Big guys have far tighter controls, full QC lab and so on, than I do. It's fine, enjoy!
     
  12. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    I cant imagine it still wouldn’t be right, curious about the keg, full barrel, 1/2 barrel? We’d have keg parties in my basement in HS 1973 give or take, I’d get a keg of Michelob for like $12 and it would be sideways in 3-4 hours. We’d play poker, meatball sandwiches, and we’d get drunk as hell, my parents were obviously home we didn’t sneak, my dad was an ex cop too, he’d come down and have a beer. Great times.
     
  13. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (1,912) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    If this is trolling for kicks.
    Good one.
    The people at big honking corporate brewery will have tested it for flavor shift at this far of a date out from the fill date, and that is probably why you are still able to find it on market in the midst of this brouhaha. It will have sat at tap temp for it's entire life as well, because big honking corporate brewery demands it, so. Unless you are a beer judge. I'm not gonna suppose you're the type of drinker that will notice what the differences there may be in flavor.
     
  14. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    So consumers should ignore the brewers own dating systems and recommended shelf life periods?

    Full barrel of Michelob Ultra? As far as I know, no US brewer has used full barrels since the mid-1980s - and they were pretty rare before that.
    [​IMG]
     
  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Please do.

    And enjoy your party!!

    Cheers!
     
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  16. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    I thought that kegs had a 45-60 day freshness maybe up to 90?
     
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  17. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

    Depends on style, and more subjectively what one’s personal definition of “fresh” is. It takes longer than you think for a keg to actively develop legitimate off-flavors directly related to age.
     
  18. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    [​IMG]

    ANHEUSER-BUSCH RESPONDS TO COVID-19
    ...because it just stands to reason that beer stays fresh longer during a pandemic :thinking_face:
     
  19. Brainsalad

    Brainsalad Initiate (0) Apr 30, 2020

    It's a half-barrel. Was just talking to a friend and forgot that he was in the beverage industry before he retired. He said it should be fine.

    And no, we're not overly discriminating drinkers.

    4 hours to launch:stuck_out_tongue:
     
  20. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    SCIENCE!

    [​IMG]
     
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