Best by date vs born on date

i prefer born on date.

 

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.

 

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

 

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...

 

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.

 

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.

 

yes it's been discussed before.

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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)

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Why stop there?

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