Brewed / canned on dates?

Yeah, and if none of 52 different governments will require and enforce it....

 

Right, but I think I understand that "issue" a bit. Old beer is just old beer - there's no "claim" for it to be measured against or threat to public safety. Our products, for example, we make a 100% RDA Vitamin C claim and that has to be met at the end of shelf life, so we put a "best by" eight months out from production date, target blending at 100% plus to account for the decay rate, and that gives us a bit of a safety margin for being "legal" out to eight months. Or refrigerated products that can make people sick, etc. that create a health risk. Those types of "hard" facts make it easier to enforce. So somebody complains that the hop flavors have fallen off - sure, in my opinion the brewery should care, absolutely - but I can't imagine the government caring one bit. I think it would be tough for the FDA or USDA (or other agency) to step in here. I'm not even sure who's jurisdiction it would fall under. Basically the brewery has to want to do it and it has little benefit to the brewer, distributor, or retailers. The Brewers' Association can call it "best practice" and promote it all they want, but if it isn't adopted it goes in the "so what" pile.

 

When it comes to old beer on retailers shelves this where other breweries could learn a lesson from AB’s overall QC/QA program. AB requires that their partner Wholesale Distributors remove old product (e.g., Budweiser beer older than 110 days) from retailers shelves.

Cheers!

 

It only has benefit to the supply chain when customers do more than complain about it to each other. Personally as a general rule I don’t buy undated or out of code beer and have more than once explained to some retailer or brewery why I’m not buying their beer and what I bought instead.

 

Ha - I'll have to add that to NEw Year's resolutions...I know better and I am still part of the problem!

Cheers!

 

That strikes me as humorous in this age of beer aficionados clamoring for at least one friggin easy-to-read date on the bloody bottle/can. However, from where I sit the incidence of printed dates do seem to be spreading...

 

Jack - do you know who eats the cost when/if that happens? I know we basically "buy back" (at some discounted rate) out of code product, so it definitely impacts our bottom line.

 

Larry, I do not know the specific details. I would guess this is spelled out in the contract between AB and each individual Wholesale Distributor. Perhaps each contract is diffident in this regard?

Needless to say but for the case of the regions which are served by AB owned Wholesale Distributors it would be AB that "eats the cost".

Maybe @jesskidden has more information here?

Cheers!

 

Anheuser-Busch: Wholesaler's cost of destroying and replacing over-age Product shall be borne by wholesaler or by Anheuser-Busch, depending upon which party was responsible for the over-age condition.

(Boston Beer Co) informed 450 distributors that it would buy back all out-of-code Samuel Adams for the month of March -- that is beer beyond the "freshness date" on the label. Such cost is usually absorbed by the distributor. (IIRC, BBC has also run programs in which they split the cost with their wholesalers).

When the distributor purchases product from the brewery, they own it. If the product doesn’t sell by the end of the shelf life, the product must be destroyed and distributors bear the full brunt of the cost. --- Distributor blog

On behalf of our suppliers, we routinely check code dates to guarantee freshness. Out of code beer is trucked back to our warehouse and destroyed. --- Distributor newsletter

Old beer is a problem for beer distributors because they bear the full burden to deal with it. The stale dated product must be identified, removed from the retail account and destroyed. All the cost is on the distributor’s dime.
--- Distributor Financial Advice website

Thus answering the many questions of why wholesale distributors so frequently don't pull old stock from shelves or replace/refund old beer...

 

"Destroyed" eh?

How do I get a job at one of these warehouses?

 

I wonder if they are destroyed in the same manner that Newman ‘destroyed’ the muffin stumps in a Seinfeld episode!?!

Cheers!

 

What is the fun in doing that I mean why make life simple for all us beer folks

 

I've seen at a few places beer at or past its expiration date on sale for sometimes significant discout. I've gotten some stouts and sours at good prices that way. Not saying it's the answer, but it's an answer on what to do with some expired beers.

 

I'm betting that the store owners and distributors wouldn't like it since it would reduce the chances that folks will buy old beer. I'd still buy old beer, since I drink mostly BA dark beers that take age better than the lighter IPAs, Hefeweizens, etc. I almost never check dates, though IPA fans really should.

 

Same, the only time I care about dates are with my IPAs. A lot of beer I enjoy is not so temperamental. It would be nice though to have clear dating and info so the consumer can get the best product, would be nice to see. I have to admit most of my local guys if not all use dates so they are doing a great job.

 

In my opinion it certainly is better that the retailer sell the beer at promotion/discount price vs. just leaving it on the shelf for sale to a disinterested or poorly informed customer.

You seem to prudently select the beer types of dark beers and sour since these sorts of beer are more tolerant of beer age than other types of beers (e.g., hoppy beers, pale lagers,...).

Cheers!

P.S. FWIW my local retailers rarely/never sell out of date beer at a discounted price.

 

And on carton packages.

 

I can see it would be helpful with super hoppy beers, like juice bombs. Because there is that too fresh taste that occurs for about the first week or two after they get packaged and while everything is figuring out how the hang out with the addition of carbonation into solution.

 

I know a bunch of guys who would volunteer to be on the disposal squad,