Packaging Date Or Expiration Date. Which Do You Prefer For your Beer?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by LesDewitt4beer, Mar 19, 2026.

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Packaging Date Or Expiration Date?

  1. Packaging Date

    99 vote(s)
    91.7%

  2. Expiration Date

    3 vote(s)
    2.8%

  3. Doesn't Matter

    6 vote(s)
    5.6%
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  1. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    More than likely. But it probably won't kill you. :wink:
     
    #81 steveh, Mar 21, 2026
    cttreehousefan, MrOH and AlcahueteJ like this.
  2. deleted_user_1379257

    deleted_user_1379257 Pundit (865) Feb 17, 2026
    Society

    But telling her it’s bad allows me to pour it out and justify filling all that empty space with other beers “we” (actually “I”) will drink. :grin::beers:
     
    #82 deleted_user_1379257, Mar 21, 2026
  3. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Depends on the style. I’ve had 2, 3, and 4 year old cans of bba stout that were drinking great.

    On the orher hand, I would expect the worst for a 2 year old pils or ipa.
     
    #83 John_M, Mar 21, 2026
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  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Please let me know what you think of this new beer.

    I recently started a thread on this topic:

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/a-new-lager-style-austrian-export-lager.682902/

    Cheers!
     
    #84 JackHorzempa, Mar 21, 2026
    StoutElk_92 likes this.
  5. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,790) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You can't trust ANY manufacturer to tell you an honest expiration date, which makes expiration dates totally useless. Some/most companies set expiration dates to encourage prompt use and prompt re-purchase. Beers should have a born-on date and an indication whether refrigeration is REQUIRED to prevent it from spoiling or bursting due to continued fermentation.
     
    #85 bbtkd, Mar 21, 2026
  6. beergoot

    beergoot Grand High Pooh-Bah (9,310) Oct 11, 2010 Colorado
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    ...I prefer the packaging date for reasons previously stated by others on this thread...

    ...what I don't understand are brewers who claim their beer ages well into the future...I mean, some, like many Hair of The Dog beers do seem to age quite well over the years...and I just had a beer from (the sadly closed) Burns Family Artisan Ales that said the beer "ages gracefully for 25+ years" (their Auld Lang Syne, maybe)...!?!...how is this statement determined...a high gravity, high ABV beer may very well do so, but the it seems pretty bold to make a claim like this...
     
    #86 beergoot, Mar 22, 2026
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  7. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anything is possible I suppose, but 25+ years? Really?

    What's that based on? Is it "still" to begin with? Because after 25 years I would certainly expect it to be.

    I actually had a glass of draft 2012 Stone RIS yesterday. It's a beer that in my experience ages very well, but 13/14 years was pushing it. It was starting to develop some tertiary flavors that were less than pleasing I thought.

    It's really hard for me to imagine a 25 year old beer aging gracefully or otherwise frankly. I'm kind of curious as to why a brewer would even say something like that.
     
    #87 John_M, Mar 22, 2026
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  8. moodenba

    moodenba Pooh-Bah (2,502) Feb 2, 2015 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I wouldn't trust canned beer more than a couple of years old. The interior coating of the metal deteriorates leaving a murky suspension in the brew. Bottled beer with with live yeast and a secure crown cap could survive indefinitely with a little care. Depending on the condition of the beer on bottling, there could be further evolution of the brew. Some of my homebrew, stored upright in bottles and protected from light and temperature extremes, has lasted 40 years, retaining the carbonation and hop bitterness. Bottled beers without yeast, but strong and well hopped, could last several years, but would be more susceptible to oxidation.
     
    #88 moodenba, Mar 22, 2026
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  9. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Just out of curiosity, how many bottles do you have left that are 40? Enough to stay supplied much farther into the future and shooting for 50?
     
    #89 PapaGoose03, Mar 22, 2026
  10. moodenba

    moodenba Pooh-Bah (2,502) Feb 2, 2015 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Most of those are malt extract based quarts (about 3 or 4). I think they are stable. The bigger question is whether or not I last to their 50th. We had one sample left of a very good dark beer that my wife and I liked (she without knowing it was homebrew). Another we tried was an amber that was carbonated and hoppy-bitter, but might have had a fermentation flaw that was probably there when fresh. Probably why they weren't drunk when fresh. Neither had the dull cardboard flavor of oxidized beer.
     
    #90 moodenba, Mar 22, 2026
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
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