Upset with Lagunitas...

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by peteboiler, Sep 13, 2017.

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  1. peteboiler

    peteboiler Zealot (690) Dec 16, 2010 Florida

    It has been said before, and I will say it again. Lagunitas, PLEASE find a way to put a date on your products. Just went through Hurricane Irma (I am lucky and fortunate and alive, and am in no way whining about my situation), and craved a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. Only one store has it available regularly, and they are more or less on point with freshness, so I drove over there and picked up a sixer hoping it was fresh. Date was not visibly shown anywhere (Hate the Julian date, but am intelligent enough to calculate in my head when it was brewed.) Problem was, the date wasn't visible. I took a chance. FLAT AS HELL. No aroma. No taste. Awful. So I just wanted to vent because this is the place where I can do that. Is it my fault for making the purchase? Yes. Is it my fault for not making it easier for consumers to know if their beer is fresh. Hell no.
     
    #1 peteboiler, Sep 13, 2017
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  2. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Let the store know. First step.
     
    #2 Bitterbill, Sep 13, 2017
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  3. readyski

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

    That date is notoriously difficult to read
    You need either backlighting or white background with good front lighting
    Plus it's printed right below the fill line
     
    #3 readyski, Sep 14, 2017
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  4. Mugaipa

    Mugaipa Initiate (0) Aug 28, 2017 New York

    Gave up on them a long time ago. Any brewer that goes to this length to hide their dates--and they are always old here--doesn't deserve my business.
     
    #4 Mugaipa, Sep 14, 2017
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  5. Bryan12345

    Bryan12345 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Texas

    Lagunitas? Chant with me:

    O - VER - RATE - ED (clap clap clap-clap-clap)!
     
    #5 Bryan12345, Sep 14, 2017
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  6. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    High Westified and Born Yesterday and the other "one hitters" will keep me coming back as I know when they're new and most all are great.

    And I said it before...make Hop Stupid and Sucks 1x per year seasonal releases please. Then I'll know when they are fresh and will actually by a sixer or more per year. Right now they are lucky to get a single 12oz bottle risk-buy every year or 2 from me for anythign that is annually distributed..
     
    #6 bubseymour, Sep 14, 2017
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  7. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Only on BeerAdvocate can you have a person who just went through a hurricane vent about IPA freshness. :slight_smile:
     
    #7 zid, Sep 14, 2017
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  8. jrnyc

    jrnyc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,012) Mar 21, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    The ironic thing about that is when the bottle is empty and it is too late it is easy to see! I gave up on Lagunitas because of this issue. I will buy Born Yesterday because it is awesome and I don't have to worry about the date, but can't tell you last time I bought anything else Lagunitas.
     
    #8 jrnyc, Sep 14, 2017
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  9. jrnyc

    jrnyc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,012) Mar 21, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Exactly, they don't care about me as a consumer, no reason for me to care about them.
     
    #9 jrnyc, Sep 14, 2017
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  10. AandNBrewing

    AandNBrewing Initiate (163) Jun 14, 2016 Virginia

    I don't have a problem finding the date on their bottles. If I didn't know the bottling date I wouldn't have bought it.
     
    #10 AandNBrewing, Sep 14, 2017
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  11. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,325) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    OP As someone else said, contact your store and let them know the beer was flat. Also, you can contact Lagunitas. "Flat as hell" doesn't sound like its just a freshness issue ...
     
    #11 FBarber, Sep 14, 2017
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  12. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    Contact Neil Patrick Harris.
    Didn't he promise to refund anyone who wasn't happy with their Heineken?
     
    #12 SammyJaxxxx, Sep 14, 2017
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  13. WesMantooth

    WesMantooth Grand Pooh-Bah (4,844) Jan 8, 2014 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I won't defend their method of bottle dating since it is Julian and makes me look like I have a disorder (quiet peanut gallery) when I am in a store twisting and bending with my arm stretched out towards the ceiling lights, but if it didn't actually have any, I wouldn't have bought it.

    Too many great beers to piss around with non dated bottles/cans. There is only one beer I buy anymore without dates and that is only if I see the stamped case it came in or get it from my friends store where he can tell me when it was delivered.
     
    #13 WesMantooth, Sep 14, 2017
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  14. Wiffler27

    Wiffler27 Pooh-Bah (2,092) Aug 16, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    gimme Sucks and a few of their seasonal/rotating good beers and i'm good

    their whole dating system annoys me plus the fact that their beer sits on the shelf forever. i rarely see fresh Sucks anymore, when i do i'll grab a case
     
    #14 Wiffler27, Sep 14, 2017
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  15. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    What I don't get and what drives me crazy is they are putting the date on already just change up ink color or location. They already have machinery. Would it be that difficult, this is coming from someone who has never worked on a bottling line so I have no idea, but really how difficult can it be?
     
    #15 GetMeAnIPA, Sep 14, 2017
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  16. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    German corporate overlords only care about $$$. I reached out regarding new dogtown and got no reply, my guess is you're going to have the same luck.
     
    #16 SFACRKnight, Sep 14, 2017
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  17. scream

    scream Initiate (0) Dec 6, 2014 Wisconsin
    In Memoriam

    I know people here have issues w their bottle dating system because they cannot figure out when it was bottled.

    My perspective is that they make good and sometimes exceptional beers. I think the freshness thing is way out of proportion to whether a beer is good or not. That beer was bottled 6 wks. ago, hmm maybe I better pass. Probably the real issue is to know who you are buying from and how they handle their stock.

    Keep on putting out good beers Lagunitas !
     
    #17 scream, Sep 14, 2017
  18. Amateurbrewmaster

    Amateurbrewmaster Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2016 New York

    I had the same issue. Their 12 pack of 12th of Never doesn't have a date on the package that I could see. I bought a 12er from them and it was about a year old and it tasted like garbage. I almost flipped out. That shouldn't happen! I told them about it and they said they were sending a rep to the store to educate them on rotating their beers, but it was still so off putting. They need stricter quality control and better dating systems.
     
    #18 Amateurbrewmaster, Sep 14, 2017
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  19. babaracas

    babaracas Initiate (0) Jan 30, 2008 Florida

    Hold it up to the light in the store. You look dumb, sure, but WE know you are being smart! Don't buy if you can't see the code. Yeah it's lame they haven't improved this system with their Heinebux.

    btw, pretty sure the 12th of never stovepipe 6 pack (laughably cheaper per oz than the 12 pack of 12s) has the date stamped right on the box in a normcore date format
     
    #19 babaracas, Sep 14, 2017
  20. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader


    ^ This.

    While I sympathize with your experience, this doesn't sound like a freshness issue to me. I once purchased some sculpin that was almost a year old (and my bad totally for not doing a better job checking the "best by" date), and the carbonation was still fine.

    "Flat as hell and no aroma" makes me think the beer was stored improperly or underwent some other storage or transportation problem. I would contact the store and tell them about your experience (and maybe bring by any remaining beer from your 6 pack). I would think a reputable store would either give you a refund or give you a fresh sixer. I realize that's probably not making you feel any better about your experience at this point, but it's better than nothing.

    Glad to hear you made it through Irma OK. Best of luck, and hopefully your next bottle of HS will taste a whole hell of a lot better than your last one.
     
    #20 John_M, Sep 14, 2017
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