Best by date vs born on date

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by slym, Aug 15, 2014.

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  1. slym

    slym Zealot (740) Jun 27, 2014 North Carolina

    I personally wish breweries would all put a 'made on' or "born on" date on their beers, instead of a 'best by' date. It gets confusing between different breweries, much less beer styles, trying to figure out when a beer was made.

    Pardons if this has been brought up before.

    Yes, all this because I just bought some Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzens with a "best by" date of April 2015 - still wayyy fresher than the ones I bought a couple months back, and they were still delicious.

    :grinning:
     
  2. trh70

    trh70 Initiate (0) Dec 31, 2011 Florida

    i prefer born on date.
     
  3. Hop-Droppen-Roll

    Hop-Droppen-Roll Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2013 Minnesota

    I guess for me it depends on style. Anything that ages well should have a born on date. The other 99% of beers, well, a 'best by' is simply more convenient. I don't mind consuming after the best by date - and it's a good guide for the less beer-educated. Regardless - as long as it's clear, and obvious which type of date it is, I'm happy. Indecipherable codes should be abolished.
     
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  4. halo3one

    halo3one Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2014 Georgia

    I'm good with either. Just as long as there's no date at all...ahem Alchemist...cough cough
     
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  5. BigStein88

    BigStein88 Savant (1,059) Nov 5, 2007 New Hampshire
    Trader

    Bottled on dates should be mandatory, and would be a big step forward for the industry. "Best By" is a mystery, "Best By" according to who? I have no idea how long a brewery thinks it's IPA can hold up, but I do know I may not agree with them...
     
  6. AdmiralOzone

    AdmiralOzone Grand Pooh-Bah (4,352) Jun 26, 2014 Minnesota
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    The beers I prefer all age well, therefore a bottled on date is the one I prefer. The Deschute's anniversary beer has a best after date on it.
     
  7. Hrodebert

    Hrodebert Savant (1,024) Sep 2, 2013 Michigan
    Trader

    I would fall into the less beer educated category.
    As I am not that well educated on what beers are capable of what age they will still be as the brewer intended, I prefer the best by date.
    I am getting better at what beers will age well, but still do not want to spend money on beer that may or may not be past it's prime. Therefore I rely on the best by date for many beers.
     
  8. Smakawhat

    Smakawhat Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,191) Mar 18, 2008 Maryland
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    yes it's been discussed before.

    Born on date... no question... power to the consumer.
     
  9. BostonHops

    BostonHops Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    definitely in the "bottled/born on" camp. Just think "best by" is far too vague. As noted above, due to personal preference you might differ with the brewer on how long a given beer is at its peak. I like to know exactly when a beer was bottled so I can decide for myself.
     
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  10. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anheuser Busch owns the US Trademark for the ridiculous "Born On" term...
    "Bottled" "Canned" "Filled" "Packaged" etc., are much more accurate.

     
  11. CassinoNorth

    CassinoNorth Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2013 New Jersey

    Sorry but the person making that decision has much more insight on how their beer holds up over time than some random guy on BA. Brewers don't just pick a random period of time for their date codes. They usually taste their beers after x amount of time to find out when it drops off and pick from there. @Sixpoint made a post about this a while back.

    Best by is good enough for me. Especially since that information is rather easily attained.
     
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  12. BostonHops

    BostonHops Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2011 Massachusetts

    Except that this disregards individual tastes/personal preferences. You might prefer your IPAs a week or two old, whereas I'm good with them under 6 weeks, meanwhile someone else doesn't mind a couple of months. What's the harm in offering more information? You could always print a "we recommend you enjoy within "x" weeks of the bottled date" on the label for those who aren't sure.
     
  13. brywhite

    brywhite Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2009 California

    I prefer born on as well and feel grateful for breweries that care enough to use this. But... dating is a double edged sword.
    I decided not to buy a 4 pack of Firestone Walker Double Jack today - with the brand new new packaging - because it was "born" in June. If it had an enjoy by date a few months from now, I might have bought it thinking it was fresh.
     
  14. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    I want both.

    Best by dates rely on the competence of the brewery and their knowledge of their own beer but I also have to know (or find out) what time periods they use in setting those dates.

    Bottled on dates don't really tell me how fresh the beer is unless I also know the type of bottling line that was used. The beers from some bottling lines may be as fresh or even fresher at two months than are the beers from other bottling lines at one month.
     
    #14 drtth, Aug 16, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2014
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  15. nc41

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

    Give me canning dates, I can figure out the rest with regard to style, and how well they take some age.
     
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  16. readyski

    readyski Pooh-Bah (1,557) Jun 4, 2005 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    It seems we need an industry standard for all beer, and the only one that covers it would be the bottling date. If the brewer had more info, that could be spelled out on their website.

    And I rarely buy an IPA or APA that has no date. I really like the response on a similar thread, something along the lines of "if it isn't dated, buy something that is, and tell the brewery which one you bought instead and why". Just haven't had the guts (yet) :flushed:
     
  17. Roxie_B

    Roxie_B Initiate (0) Jun 1, 2014 Alabama

    Born on works best if you know what you are doing (if it's a hoppy thing I want it fresher for example). Best buy date may work better for beer drinkers who are less informed about what age does to different styles.
     
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  18. kzoobrew

    kzoobrew Initiate (0) May 8, 2006 Michigan

    People who say this type of stuff should be mandatory make my head hurt, vote with your wallet if you want change.

    Now on to the question at hand. If you want a complete picture, I want to know when it was packaged as well as the breweries suggested shelf life. I think you have an incomplete picture without both.
     
  19. Rekrule

    Rekrule Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    Best by dates at least encourage bottle shops to move the beers. Born on dating doesn't give any indication to the seller if the beer should keep being sold, so it sits and sits. I'll mention beers that are past the best by date at my bottle shop and they don't stick around much longer.

    In surrounding states where it is permitted, beer shops will discount beers approaching best by dates. Things with bottled on dates, obscure codes, or no date sit longer.

    As long as the information is available as to how far out the best by date is from the bottling date I'm good. Counting backwards isn't hard.
     
  20. CassinoNorth

    CassinoNorth Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2013 New Jersey

    Why stop there?

    I only enjoy IPAs straight from the tank. Any older and it's a drain pour for me. Pure malts.
     
    BBThunderbolt likes this.
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