Best By Date

So, you "know" it is still good, yet the brewery itself feels the beer would have been "best" if it had been drunk over 2 months ago? In theory, by choosing that shelf life period, the brewery is costing itself and its distributors money.

If you don't care if your beer is fresh or don't care if you are spending your beer money on a product when it is at its best (rather than simply "still good"), then ignore date codes.

 

A beer past its best by date is a beer best left unpurchased.

 

Obviously, there is no answer to that question that could be given for all beers in general - it is dependent on the individual beer and the conditions under which it was stored until purchased and then consumed. Brewers pick their shelf life periods based (one hopes) on in-house tastings, storing beer for various periods at temperatures they know the beer will face in wholesalers' warehouses and retailers' floors (even though most brewers would prefer refrigeration through the entire distribution chain) rather than under "ideal" conditions.

But, here's my point, in reference to your general question of "When I am buying beer should I be looking for these dates when considering the purchase?" - brewers would prefer that their beer, once it reaches their "Best before" date or is past their specified shelf life period, be pulled from the shelves and destroyed (it's why the dates are called "Pull Dates" in the industry). Some brewers (like BBC) sometimes offer programs to their distributors to split the cost of destroying the old beer but all brewer-distributor contracts have clauses about dealing with old beer. So, by buying a beer past it's date you are paying full retail price for a beer that the brewer thinks should have been poured down the drain (or, if they're green, at least composted).

Specifically, I don't know Deschutes dating system (not distributed here) but it appears that the beer in question is a strong Quad, brewed only once and given a standard "1 year" date and, yeah, I'd drink it if I owned it already, and in this case would have purchased it, but I'd sure have checked the date before buying it, not after.

 

Since most of the beers you will ever encounter are meant to be consumed fresh, a beer can get very out of condition in 2 and 1/2 months. Given that the shelf life of lots of beers is basically 90 days, 75 days past that date is quite a while. Beers past their "pull" date can lose the sharp, clean, crispness of their flavors (they may already have lost some of that edge before the "pull" date) and become dull and lifeless. Go long enough beyond the "pull" date and beers can develop new flavors that are similar to wet cardboard.

 

My guess is that your read it wrong, and it actually says "Best After 8/04/12"

Deschute's usually puts a best after date on their Reserve series beers.

 

This is why I wish all breweries used a 'Bottled On' date - it tells me something specific.

 

I went to three beer distributors today to get a few cases of beer. I passed on most of them due to dates. 6+ month old IPA, local beers made less than an hour away that were 4 months old. I don't understand how this happens. The whole foods has beer that is really fresh. I can get bells that is a week or two old and kept cold not sitting In A hot warehouse. The guys running these distributors seem not to give a shit. One told me " I can't return it and have to take what they give me" is thus true in PA? If so that should get beer makers up in arms. Their beers are not being sold in a good way. Green flash west coast I have seen at over a year and been told " then don't buy it, someone will". I really try to not shop there anymore. I am frustrated having to pay more than other states for beer as well, sierra regular line up us now $35 a case all over, $32 in a few spots, $39 founders, $32 victory and its local, dales pale $37, and these are all before tax. The list goes on and on. I am getting frustrated and might just stop and go back to yuengling and unless I stop at the WF or go to a bar.

That's my rant

 

I have in my possession a beer called, "Not the Stoic" from deschutes brewing Co... It has a "best after date".. I was wondering if the original advocate has misread because he stated there was a "best before date"... Also, I was wondering the best way to store these "best after date" beers.

 

The rule of thumb is to store age worthy beers in cellar conditions; ideally temperatures in the 50's and dark.

Cheers!

 

If it's a style that can age, I'd go for it. I just recently opened my '13 Stoic and it was amazing. You get the same aged flavor with none of the wait!

 

They did a Stoic and a "Not the Stoic" as some people didn't like Stoic so they made "Not The" for fun, to seperate it from Stoic, etc...

 

Nothing to add except to say exemplary forum search skills by new member @oJACKSONo - people should take note

 

OP you must have misread the label, Both the Stoic and Not the Stoic have "Best After Dates" They were intended to be aged.

 

Was drinking a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed last night, with a best-by date of June (forget the day). Not sure how far in advance from brewing their bb date is for this beer (anyone know?), but it seemed lacking in the hops department (I've had it before on travels) so I examined the bottle a little more closely and found a black code printed on the bottom. It began with "358", which I take to mean that is was brewed back in December. This beer just got to the DC market, though (Deschutes is new to us)... is it really 3.5 months old?

 

Funny I received a fresh sqeezed as an extra a month back and I had the same frustration seeing the best by date, as we don't get Deschutes so I did not know what time frame it meant. I wish bottled on dates were universal, I ended up googling it since I was curious, I think it was 4 months unless I am misremembering.

 

Problem with a universal best by date (and it's also a problem for bottled on dates) is that the shelf life of a bottle of beer is partly a function of the bottling line in use, as well as the style of beer. Generally older lines do an oxygen purge that leaves enough residual oxygen that the shelf life for a particular style may be only about 3 mos., where as newer, and more expensive, bottling lines do a more effective oxygen purge that extends the shelf life to 5-6 mos. for the exact same beer style.

 

Makes sense, which is why I'd prefer the "bottled on" date personally.