Bottled date should be mandatory

The comment above about 8%abv and above is insightful, beers above that are preserved by that alcohol level. The flavor most likely will change over time, and often becoming more interesting rather than stale. I add my voice to bottling dates on craft beers, hopefully without a law being passed, but I would like to know that number on each bottle. I need to know that date on my IPA's below 8%, so whatever the brewery can do for any beer style would be appreciated. I do record those dates in my personal taste notes when known, although I am not as willing to use that data as some on this forum to make any observation about its significance. Thanks to those that date the bottles already, your efforts are appreciated.

 

I never used to care about bottling dates, until I started getting 1-2 year old bottles of IPA that tasted nothing like the brewery description or tasting reviews I read. Now if there's no date, I don't buy it. Simple as that.

 

To be clear, in no way did I suggest only IPA's are best fresh.

Jim Koch's solution is a great one, if you only care about what month something was bottled (pretty big window if you ask me) and if you're using the same type of packaging as them. If you're running cold glue labels and they come in stacks, yup, easy to saw a notch in them. If you're running pressure sensitive labels, silk-screening bottles, or running a canning line, his plan doesn't work.

 

Lol how am I in the wrong? I wasn't attacking you or anyone.....I was just explaining why I think the idea has merit. I'm also saying tons of threads have been posted in the past about this subject. I didnt say YOU were bitching....I just said that I understand why he said that BA's can complain all they want but nothing will change unless they take action.....

Anyway I agree with the idea. I'd love for "bottled on dates". I also hate those weird dates that I gotta use websites to try to configure or best by dates that make me gotta guess when it was bottled. But I guess thats better than no dates at all.

 

So is it time to get rid of those laws and regulations regarding clean air and clean water, speed limits in cities, those crazy laws forbidding armed robbery. I'm not sure how I feel about a regulation on something this minor but your statement seems to be over the top, what I like to call the Somali solution - the free for all state.

 

He does brew craft beer...... Just because they are the biggest does not mean they are part of the problem, they are the solution! But anyway if it were not for breweries like Boston Beer Company, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada that are so avaliable everywhere people would not venture out to better beer and discover this whole little world we have made for ourselves!

 

Not to mention that pretty much every other food product must carry an expiration date. I think consumers have a right to know when their food/drinks were made and the ingredients in them.

 

Mandatory no but recommended yes. I never buy a beer without determining a date, unless i take a chance on a high ABV brew. Can't tell, don't buy says the Fresh Beer guy

 

My statement is not over the top, you neglected to read the word additional which was placed before government intervention. I said nothing about removing all laws and regulations, I was speaking about one topic and saying additional regulations are not going to benefit anyone.

Beer is not a food product however and doesn't expire. The only harm an old beer can cause is an unenjoyable experience, it is not going to make you sick like spoiled food would. I'm all for additional information but when we're talking about beer it is nice to have it but its really not necessary.

 

And alcohol content.

 

Selling beers past the sell by date is illegal, so your argument is invalid.

 

I think that you should prioritize getting what you pay for. If you want a Pint you should get a Pint, not 2 or 3 oz short.

 

Is it?

In any case, put me down with those who think it would be nice if all breweries bottled dated, but it certainly shouldn't be required. It's impossible to get burned by buying old product if you only buy dated bottles. So let's assume, being a champion of fresh beer, you only buy dated products. Every beer you buy is fresh. What are you missing out on? Trying new beer that your own choices prevent you from buying in the first place, when the only risk of doing otherwise is that it might not taste great. That's hardly a case for consumer protection. If anything, I would suggest something like membership to the Brewers Association being contingent on bottle-dating.

 

No it isn't. It may be a bad practice but there is nothing illegal about it.

 

I dont know. I read a thread about it on this site the other day. Punishable by law. They waterboard you with the old beer, which usually ends up being Rogue products.

 

I have a proposal for bottle dating that could take away one objection brewers have to the practice.

I would accept a less than readily apparent dating code like some brewers currently use. Brewers and liquor store owners sometimes object to a clear date code because the great masses would see it and not purchase a beer that's too old that they would have been able to sell otherwise.

Serious beer drinkers would undertake the effort to decode the date while the great majority of consumers would not. Beer advocates happy, brewers and store owners happy.

 

Like any good food product I want all the information available to decide for myself. Surely if I ever buy a beer out of date and it tastes bad I'll think twice about buying from that store again. Considering the high cost for a quality beer I think it's only right for customers to demand a freshness date.

 

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the beer inside the bottle had something to do with the process of taking a saw to a box of labels.

 

Just don't spend your money on hoppy beers or other styles that are meant to be drank fresh if there is no bottle date. It has been years since I have bought an IPA or any other such style without a bottling date. If a brewer can't be bothered to bottle date, they aren't worth giving my money to.

 

That's crap. This is something that is needed to protect the consumer and keep the industry thriving...what if someone tried craft beer for the first time, got an outdated bottle that did not drink well, and concluded that all craft beers were bad.

This is a food product that affects millions of jobs...we need more regulation, not less.