Upset with Lagunitas...

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

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  1. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Larry, I agree with you 100%.

    Using cost to 'defend' Lagunitas' decision to not upgrade their ink jet coders to provide readable/understandable packaged on dates is nonsense IMO.

    Cheers!
     
    #61 JackHorzempa, Sep 14, 2017
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  2. FBarber

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

    20Gs ain't cheap - it may be a worthwhile investment for breweries that can afford it, but I wouldn't call it cheap. But yes, to your bigger point, I agree that for any nationally distributed brewery or even one that is distributed over several states, its probably a good investment.
     
    #62 FBarber, Sep 14, 2017
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  3. FBarber

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

    Although Im not the only one to mention cost in this thread, I think I may have been the one to originally raise it.

    I was not defending Lagunitas using cost - I'm sure Lagunitas can well afford dating machines. My original comment on cost was in response to the suggestion that we pass a federal regulation or state law requiring every brewery to clearly print a canning/bottling date on their product. I pointed out that for many small/smaller breweries this would be a huge cost for them.

    I've got a six pack of Lagunitas under my desk - I didn't have an issue reading any one of the dates on the bottles. That being said, I have had issues in the past with the date being smudged off bottles - but this is only really an issue when buying singles of one of their beers - in a 6-pack at least one or two of the bottles always has a clearly printed date. The only complaint I could see would be printing it in white or yellow ink rather than black ink.
     
    #63 FBarber, Sep 14, 2017
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  4. LeRose

    LeRose Grand Pooh-Bah (4,423) Nov 24, 2011 Massachusetts
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Wasn't singling you (or anyone) out - it always comes up in the bottle code debate threads. I should just keep that reply handy and copy/paste :wink: Agree that cost prohibitive is a relative term. It would be nice if date codes could remain optional, but the format universal or at least narrowed down to a couple. Date of manufacture whether Julian or calendar date format perhaps. I know my industry is different and we've been through the wringer on "best by" vs. made on dates more than once as regulations changed. It was a procedural problem more than anything given that we have to have codes - we "get used" to one way, then it changes and it is almost a guarantee that somebody in our manufacturing network fails to get the memo...
     
    #64 LeRose, Sep 14, 2017
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  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    If a small brewery is so under-capitalized that an ink jet printer is cost prohibitive maybe they should not be in business (or minimally not packaging beer)?

    It seems to me that consumers should be able to know when the packaged beers they are buying were packaged. I take it you feel differently?

    Cheers!
     
    #65 JackHorzempa, Sep 14, 2017
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  6. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    When you're at the scale Lagunitas is at. No. But, for a good many of the smaller breweries who do not date stamp and can get their beer on market the day of its packaging due to being able to distribute it themselves. They invest in an ink pad, or just rely on people following social media, and shops being proactive about their deliveries.
     
    #66 MostlyNorwegian, Sep 14, 2017
  7. drtth

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

    One little extra twist that I usually give the mail I send to let some brewery know I didn't buy their beer because of the dating (or lack of dating) is to also tell them whose beer I bought instead.
     
    #67 drtth, Sep 14, 2017
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  8. FBarber

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

    I wouldn't say I feel differently given the way you framed your question. I do want to know how old the beers I'm buying are (I am more or less concerned about this based on the style). I am just also saying that I am willing to be understanding of the constraints that smaller breweries face. There are other ways to handle freshness without buying a machine to stamp every bottle - and if a brewery is being proactive about it, then I am okay with it. Also, its not like a bottle dater its some infallible panacea that some people may expect - dates get smudged off (accidentally or intentionally), they don't print readably, people can't read the small print, etc. It, generally speaking, is preferred but not the sole answer.
     
    #68 FBarber, Sep 14, 2017
  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Sure, there are a number of other methods.

    In the past Sam Adams used labels and an inexpensive band saw to cut notches in the side of the label which represented a date.

    A small brewery near me uses a cheap dater that creates a small paper stamp they place on the six-pack can holder which indicates the canning date.

    I am personally not hard-over on the specific dating machine, just put some damn dates on the packaged beer. And make those dates readable. This whole black ink on brown bottles is crap!!

    There are just too many breweries out there that refuse to date and hiding behind cost is nonsense IMO.

    Cheers!
     
    #69 JackHorzempa, Sep 14, 2017
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  10. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    ^^^ This
     
    #70 EvenMoreJesus, Sep 14, 2017
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  11. zid

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

    Those darn Belgians!!! :angry:
     
    #71 zid, Sep 14, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2017
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  12. zid

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

    No, more like an exaggeration problem. :wink:
     
    #72 zid, Sep 14, 2017
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  13. peteboiler

    peteboiler Zealot (690) Dec 16, 2010 Florida

    Right!? Lagunitas just made millions from Heineken, yes? What bothers me is that Lagunitas obviously knows about this issue because we have all been bitching about it for years, and they don't even acknowledge it to us.
     
    #73 peteboiler, Sep 14, 2017
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  14. peteboiler

    peteboiler Zealot (690) Dec 16, 2010 Florida

    I did. I always do. Got nothin'.
     
    #74 peteboiler, Sep 14, 2017
  15. Mugaipa

    Mugaipa Initiate (0) Aug 28, 2017 New York

    You can find it in PA? Regularly? And is it no more than a month old?
     
    #75 Mugaipa, Sep 14, 2017
  16. jesskidden

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

    Well, no - Tony Magee made millions by selling Lagunitas to Heineken - he's got that money, not the brewery. Are you suggesting Magee - now essentially just an employee of Heineken-owned Lagunitas - buy a new date coder and donate it to his employer? :rolling_eyes:
     
    #76 jesskidden, Sep 15, 2017
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  17. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Yes.
    I already posted in this thread about my last purchase of Jai Alai:

    "My last purchase was a case of cans that were less than two weeks old."

    Cheers!
     
    #77 JackHorzempa, Sep 15, 2017
  18. Giantspace

    Giantspace Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Dec 22, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Pretty regular and its never old.

    Enjoy
     
    #78 Giantspace, Sep 15, 2017
  19. SFACRKnight

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

    Just goes to show how little I care about Heineken. Lol.
     
    #79 SFACRKnight, Sep 15, 2017
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  20. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yes, it would be that difficult for them for their customers to find out easily how old their products are.
     
    #80 cavedave, Sep 15, 2017
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