Thoughts on returning beer

You can try. The worst that can happen is they say no to you.

 

@Dexterski I know in Delaware once you walk out of a store with any beer/liquor purchase there is nothing they can do. I'm not sure how laws are in other states, if any one knows any other laws like this please let me know. Cheers!

 

Gotta check those dates before you buy. I say lesson learned here.

 

Add a couple drops of bourbon

 

My girlfriend buys me beer sometimes, and she's usually really good at it (checks BA ratings, etc), but she once got me a Rogue XS IPA off the shelf of a Total Wine, and it was > 2 years old! A 2 year old DIPA, just sitting on the shelves! Gotta be careful. Most stores care about selling product a lot more than they care about getting consumers the freshest product possible.

Also, to answer your question, I don't think you have grounds to return this since the date is on the bottle. I also doubt it is legal, and even if it is legal I bet its against store policy.

I'm sure you can find something to do with those 3 stale bottles though, bratwurst in a crockpot with a Double Jack sounds pretty solid.

 

I didn't even know you could return stuff. The other day though we we're looking for some Vodka, and the guy showed up one for $25 and said if we don't like it we can return it. The employees must get the stuff returned or something lol

Anyway, I have been where you are. Now I always, always, check dates. When it comes to stuff not clearly dated I ask the guy working when they got the beer in.

 

ive had the same problem before, bottles of double jack say that they are best consumed within 120 days, you should be able to show this to the store and they should have no problem with you returning it

 

bottles of double jack say best consumed within 120 days, based on that, i would say he has the grounds, i have done the same with double jack, and had no problem...

 

Unfortunately, plenty of stores don't feel obligated to pull old beer. The IPA mantra: check bottle dates, and pass on breweries who do not bottle date in favor of those who do. You can decide if the exceptions for new beer releases or seasonals are worth it, but if bottle dating is important to you, vote with your dollars.

Also, your user name...

 

@scifan nailed it IMO. FW dates their bottles and when it comes to IPA's, that's one style I always check for dates stamps.

 

this is basically all you can do

 

Not only do they date their bottles, but something that old is before the label change.
It should have been obvious that it was old beer.
No you know how important it is to check dates.

 

They also apparently say the bottling date on them. If that wasn't noticed before the purchase that sucks, but you can't just drink a bottle, decide its not fresh and then return the rest of the 4 pack. I'm not advocating for stores to have old IPAs on the shelf, but I don't think you can consume 25% of a product and return the other 75% after you realize it is past its prime.

 

You should definitely try to at the very least make it a point to let them know that they have old beer on the shelf.

 

i think it probably depends where it was bought on that, a larger chain store or grocery would probably take it back whereas a mom and pop shop probably wouldnt, but 3/4 of it IS still unopened, so its valid to take it back, most places do wanna satisfy their customers, and the bottle does say consume within 120 days, so its not really your just deciding its not fresh, you realized its technically expired, but i do see your point though

 

I made the mistake of buying old double jack too. Must be a jersey thing. I've long since learned my lesson. I still see old double jack all the time. It just sits around here. I would guess because its a bit on the pricier side and also because it seems like jersey is a little behind the times when it comes to craft beer.

 

This is why on the East Coast I don't buy West Coast beers, unless I know we just got fresh cases in or easy to read bottle dates. Like others have mentioned, most shops are in it for the Money, might not have a "Return" policy. I would, however, return and let them be aware that beer does have a shelf life and they're selling beer that is way passed its prime. Once that is done, come back and see if there's other beers passed its prime. If so, don't buy products there anymore.

 

While there are definitely laws against "returning" alcohol for cash refund in some states, I think what you are actually looking for is an "exchange" for a fresher double jack, or in lieu of that, an in code DIPA replacement.

You've got numerical evidence, not just drinking half a 6pk then deciding "it jus don't taste right."