Old beer in bottle shops...

You should care. If you're in a shop and you find a beer past it's best-by date take it to the counter and ask for a discount because it's old. They might make you a good offer, or they might not, but at least they'll know that they've got old beer and that at least some of their customers won't buy it anymore. And then find a store that turns its beer over more quickly.

As for beers that are 3 to 6 months old, that depends on the beer. Many beers in that range are perfectly fine, even some IPAs. Some beers could be fine for even longer than that; and a lot of it depends on how the beer is stored. For example, my local beer distributor just started selling singles and larger format bottles. That's great... except that it's in a warehouse without any air conditioning. I had to laugh when I walked in last week and we'd been having temperatures in the 90's all week - I won't be buying anything from them unless it's in a cooler, or it's January/February/March.

 

I do, I care a great deal and read dates carefully so I can make the right choices.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...f-date-beer-youve-seen-on-the-shelves.523290/

 

I care, I see this all the time. So many "shelf turds" laying around, I always check the dates. I honestly just go to my local breweries now to by fresh beer, but I'll stop by the bottle shops for either stouts (date not important), or new beers they just received fresh.

 

Agreed 100%, my local shops don't have any AC on in the summer and hoppy beers spoil rapidly. I don't know who buys the stuff that sits there in super hot temps and actually enjoys it.

 

The powers that be need to create a "Top Offender" list and publish it. I bet money breweries would wake up and pay attention more if their name was on that list. Just my two cents.
Buyer beware is the best advice, read and educate yourself and you will be just fine.
Cheers,

 

I think the problem we're talking about here is the retailer, not the brewer. If the retailer isn't ordering properly, or rotating their stock, they'll end up with old beer - and then we end up with old beer! Sometimes it's not their fault, certain items that they thought would sell just don't, but in general they need to pay more attention to what's going on. Other times it's their distributor shipping them beer that's already old (been there and done that myself). It's complicated, especially with all of the new beers coming to market now, and the constant change of seasonals and special releases.

 

In my neck of the woods the blame rests squarely on the distributor. There is only one liquor store in town and half a dozen grocery/beer wine outlets. None of the Grocery stores have a dedicated beer person so stuff gets stocked by the distributor. One place has a case of Hoptimum on the shelf that is nearly 10 months old. I brought it up to the manager and she couldn't have cared less. I've seen Dirtwolf stocked in another that was already past it's sell by date. I've contacted breweries and got sad responses but the problem never goes away. Buyer Beware

 

I guess I feel that if you are in the business of selling beer you need to make sure everyone down the line is adhering to your policy or rules. If I sold beer and my motto was fresh and sell by dates are to be adhered to then I would make sure my team was on top of this. It is totally doable but I feel they take the easy road of its no longer our issue its distribution or someone else. At the end of the day the product belongs to the person who made it, so I sort of leave all my issues at their door, they should control the process from production to consumption. I want to add that I get it, nothing is perfect in the real world, I totally get that just saying the process can improve it they wanted it to.

 

There's a new thread about this practically weekly...

 

Yes - check dates and buy fresh!

For me, optimally, IPAs should be consumed within a month or two of packaging (3 at the most, though canned products seem to stretch those time frames).

I'd say the same for DIPAs (IPAs with an 8-9% or higher abv), but that's just my preference. I think that most people would agree that they're good for longer - like 4-6 months (and still drinkable after, but their profile will change - hop-forward DIPAs will probably not hold up as well as maltier and higher abv types (in terms of retaining their original/intended flavor and aroma profile)).

Stouts have the best shelf life (as do barleywines and the like), but unless I'm familiar with the beer already, I'd still like to have it with less than 6 months on it, though it's not uncommon to buy stouts with 8-12 months (or more) on them as their flavors mellow and meld, and you're not usually worried about losing that hop edge.

 

LOL I told myself not to comment but I got sucked in LOL Thanks OP

 

Absolutely!!

And as has already been mentioned this situation is more acute in the summertime if your retailers are like my local Retail Beer Distributor where the temperature inside the store is hot! Heat kills beer!!

Cheers!

 

Sadly this problem seems like it never goes away, but I always check. Buying old IPA's is a waste of time and money.

 

Drink stouts, buy "pre-cellared". I recently bought some 2015 Abyss and thanked them for aging it for me.

 

I believe Carton brewing will only distribute to stores who promise to put their beer in the fridge section. Higher end brands I'm sure will follow.