Why I hate BA.

I never knew to even check bottled dates before. I saw the best before dates on Great Lakes bottles, but never understood them.

The only downside is that beers get hyped up, and people focus on those. Id love to see a big focus be on all beers, not big BA stous and expensive and rare Belgian sours.

 

Welcome to the obsession !

 

A thread that mentions Pliny and is over a few seconds old? This discussion has already dropped off and needs to be deleted

 

For a second, I thought this was RateBeer.

 

Think for yourself. Some things taste fine or better even past what some of the hardcore on this site will tell you. I prefer some IPAs a couple months out from bottling better than super fresh. The freshness thing on this site is waaaaay overblown to a point.

 

Well, if it's any consolation, I focus on all beers of all styles. I got some 3.8%abv Pale Ale headed my way and I'm very excited to try it.

 

I just drank a 4.3% Saison. Now it was sour and BA, so im the problem not the solution.

 

I agree freshness is imparitive but passing or obsessing will get you no where. A beer a couple days past what is fresh is still fresh.

Cheers!

 

But 4.3%....that's the way, the way, the way, I like it...

 

This is not true.

 

I try to go that way, but damn that other stuff tastes so damn good.

 

For sure but when you find a lower in alcohol brew that tastes great, it *always* puts a smile on my face. It makes me darn giddy, if you will.

 

if freshness is what you seek, maybe you should look into home brew? Cheers

 

If we're talking freshness...

I would of never known what "real" Two Hearted tasted like until I had a from a fresh keg. Bought a sixer a week later and it was missing the abundance of grapefruit that the keg pour had. (come to find out, it was just over a month old)

To each their own I suppose. Would I drink "old" IPA/DIPA's again? Sure, I just wouldn't expect it to taste like a fresh one.

 

If only people demanded the same freshness out of their food... I am regularly picking through to the back of the cooler for my gallon of milk or even the back of the shelf for the freshest stock. I can't believe when people buy stuff without looking, to include old/sad looking produce or milk/meat within a day of the best-by date to save a buck since the store put it on sale... Ohh well.

Enjoy, but still try to just pick some stuff up on the fly sometimes, you might be pleasantly surprised. Not to mention that if you drink non-hoppy stuff freshness if much less of a concern.

 

I think this is a somewhat (and possibly the only) valid reason for breweries to not put dates on their bottles, because when beer geeks simply cannot imagine buying an IPA a month out from bottiling (gasp, the horror!), they aren't selling as much beer.

Don't get me wrong, I think bottle dating should be standard and I will no longer buy IPA's that aren't dated or at least have a best by date (I will buy a 2 month old IPA, but if it might be 8 months old, forget it), but the idea that IPA's must should be bottled yesterday or they aren't good is quite frankly wrong. In fact, I have had numerous IPA's, especially DIPA's, that are (to my tastes at least) much better around the 3 week date than if consumed during the first week. Sometimes all the flavors need a little bit of time before everything comes together for peak enjoyment IMO.

Nothing wrong about picking the freshest of what's on the shelves, but when BA's start shunning beers that are a month old, it's getting out of hand...

 

I am the same way now with IPAs, but I am more lenient than most. I usually dont buy a widely available brew if it is past 3 months(if it is Imperial I will let it slide even more, unless its Hopslam or Double Trouble >_>). One brew that I did notice drastically change is All Day IPA bottles. I had it about 2 weeks old and it was excellent, I cracked one at about the 6-7 week mark and it was completely different.

Also I can read Weihenstephaner, Anchor, and New Holland bottle codes like second nature. Luckily most breweries use Julian or the obvious MMDDYY. But those three are the ones I encounter most often that are out of the norm.

In other news, why does Rogue still not date bottles? Blows my mind

 

I have to admit on Friday I almost walked out of a package store with no purchases (including the cheap Champagne for the wifey's mimosas) because I wanted Hop Stoopid and I couldn't tell if the 1 bottle they had was old or not. When I was leaving they asked if they could help me find something... It was the first time I was made felt dirty for asking if a beer was old. The sense to feel clean prompting the Hop Stoopid... and Champagne purchases...

 

So let me get this straight. If a beer has an "enjoy by May 30" dating code, does that mean that on May 31, it has spoiled? Obsession is fine as long as there is some common sense included. I generally buy beer close to home from a cooler where there is some light shining on it but it's cold and when I get it home it goes into the refrigerator where it's dark and cold. My point and my opinion is that as long as it's stored properly, the dates are more of a guideline than anything else. I wouldn't, for example, buy any IPA that was enjoy by dated more than a month or so ago and I wouldn't buy any IPA that was bottled more than 4 or so months ago. Otherwise, it's all good.