Have you ever returned beer?

I have not returned beer, in many cases it would not even be a legal option. There is some consumer responsibility when it comes to purchasing beer. I believe consumers should check bottle dates, if freshness is important to you, checking bottle dates should also be important. Failing to do so is a learning experience not a reason to return beer, in my mind. If there is an issue with a beer, I would still avoid returning it and contact the brewery instead.

 

When I lived in Alabama, I tried but could not return beer to my local Publix after some plans fell through. Apparently it violates state law.

 

Stouts generally age well, so the date isn't that important. Unless there is something wrong with the beer, it's not ethical to return it. Just being older than your preference isn't a problem the store should be required to deal with. I would be more likely to agree with the return if the date was june 2013, but december 2013 isn't really old enough to justify asking for a refund. Only IPAs would suffer from being that old, only us beer geeks are that picky. I suggest you suck it up on this one. Give them to your less picky friends. Not the stores fault is my opinion.

 

100% agree with everything except your last caveat. If there is an issue, it's the store's responsibility to deal with the distributor and the distributor's responsibility to deal with the brewery. You don't know where in the supply chain the problem occurred, and it might have nothing to do with the brewery. All you know is where you bought the beer. Give your store the respect of notifying them of the problem so the can deal with it and keep their other customers happy.

 

I would add to this, if the beer is obviously skunked from improper storage. I would also say, if you have to ask if it's ok to return it, it's not ok. For beer to be returnable you would know with certainty on the first sip that you have every right to bring it back

 

How about this: I returned 4 of 6 Hopslams. Not my fave and I felt guilty hoarding a beer others really like. Got 2 WWS instead.

 

Weak ass 'sports bars' and ignorant restaurants that don't clean the tap lines....Make me want to kill myself. I won't subject myself to that. Take it away.

 

In short, no. Suck it up and drink it, or last resort - drain pour...
Review accordingly!

Only applies to fresh beers.

 

Notifying the store is a great solution in theory, however in reality I am not convinced it would accomplish much of anything in many instances. The first issue is finding a responsive store, many stores are more interested in moving product and making money. The second issue would be finding someone at the store who can effectively address the issue you present. At many of the store that I frequent, and at the time that I shop, the staff consists of younger adults in non-manager/supervisor roles. They are there to get paid, they often don't have the desire or ability to address these types of situations. You can either view this as bad service or simply the reality of the situation. Lines are often blurred between what is acceptable and responsibilities of the store vs the distributor. I personally do not rely on much assistance at these stores so this reality does not bother me.

The reason I advocate contacting the brewery is that they are likely to be more responsive and have the ability to initiate change. I have never been ignored when I have contacted a brewery with a legitimate concern, in most cases they have gone above and beyond to address the situation.

If I were to have a receptive store or the issue was obviously retail side related, I would certainly go to the store with my concern. In most cases I have encountered, the most appropriate action has been to contact the brewery directly. This is by no mean do to my lack of respect for the store, I simply am contacting those who can best address my concern.

 

In my view, by contacting the brewery before the store, you are stepping on toes and denying someone the right to fix the problem. My experiences with brewers have almost exclusively been positive as well, and I agree that the brewer is more likely to want to ensure his product is properly represented. But I also think you did business with the store and not the brewery. If the business went wrong, your beef is with the store. If in turn the store acted properly, their beef is with the distributer. If in turn the distributer hasn't misbehaved, they have beef with the brewery. Realistically a brewery is not going to initiate change over one customer who was disappointed with a six pack. They might send you some free beer and gear so you'll talk them up because it's good pr. You really are more likely to solve a problem if you deal with the person you do business with. If you're looking for free swag and to have your ego stroked a bit, contacting the brewery will likely accomplish that. Unless you happen to be the guy who discovers an unknown problem affecting a large portion of the beer a brewery produces, the brewery is very unlikely to be "those who can best address my concern".

 

If I ran a business and you went to my supplier with a problem, and then my supplier came to me upset about it, I would think you're a jerk for getting me in hot water with my supplier without first giving me a chance to rectify the situation. I understand you impulse to right to the top of the food chain, but I think you should think about everyone involved and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Keep your business with the folks you do business with. That is how respect works. Saying you respect a shop is meaningless. Respect is behavior, not words

 

Noticed your avatar and thought, "hey, I don't recall replying to this thread!!" Awesome avatar choice, needless to say.

On topic, I've returned beer once. I noticed a six-pack of Stone IPA towards the back of a cooler in a local pizza shop and I grabbed it and bought it, not even thinking. I got home and noticed it was nearly 5 months past its enjoy-by date. With any other beer, I might have kept it, but I know freshness is key with IPAs and Stone is pretty adamant about it. I took it back later that night, the owner (at least I think it was the owner) apologized and grabbed a fresh six-pack from the back room for me. I wasn't compensated, per se, but his genuine kindness and willingness to own up to the mistake of leaving old beer in the fridge was more than enough. That's the kind of gesture that ensures my repeated business.

 

Yes, but only once. Back in '08 I bought several bottles of Triple Karmeliet at a package store in Quincy, Mass. They were...uh...vinegarish...er...chunks of off bad yeast...just awful...

I returned them and explained that the bottles had gone terribly wrong. To the store's credit they accepted the return and gave me my money back.

 

Sure have. One of the Bruery's Three Calling Birds after the cork nearly went thru the kitchen ceiling and half of the contents foamed out onto the counter. It had a bad yeasty smell. Went straight back.

Didn't get another, either.

 

The only beer that I ever considered returning was Friendship Brew by Green Flash. It was over carbonated, tasted like what I imagine a compost smoothie must taste like, and it had dark chunks of UFO's (unidentified floating objects). Instead of going through the hassle of driving back to Total Wine, I just dumped it.

 

I save it , like infected beers,,, I will serve it to People at parties or social functions that I don't like.

 

Nope. Returned a few wines that had turned and tasted like straight vinegar though

 

Back a few years ago, when Bell's had a tire batch of Two Hearted Ale get infected. I bought a mini keg of it, and it tasted like green apples and pile. I returned it, and got Best Brown Ale to replace it for free.

 

I just take the loss. But there's other things I do with it. Don't cook with it since I didn't like the taste of that beer in the first place but it will work great in mouse and snail traps. I pour some into my plants a few don't mind it and a little helps lawns too. My girlfriend does a beer hair rinse every once in a while, supposed to make it shiny or something.