Brewed by date vs. Best by date

I'm not sure I'm come across a beer that didn't have "Best By" or "BB" on it that wasn't the canned on date.

Personally, I think BB date should never be used. It should always be canned on date and then I could make my own decision what the best by date is.

 

What he said to the letter, a BB is ridiculously useless.

 

A brewed on date doesn't matter though. I think maybe you meant to say packaged on date. It should be an industry standard that the "bottled/canned on" date is required, just as the ABV is required to be listed.

 

Great ideas, and great sentiment, but good luck getting any brewery to conform. Some brewers don't want you knowing when a beer expires, and some distributors and retailers REALLY don't want you knowing. Some retailers count on you not checking or understanding dates, and some even remove date codes on expired beer. Even if brewers all wanted to do it, they would have difficulty agreeing - and many would need to spend a bunch of money replacing their dating machines. I'd like to see it too, but I'm not holding my breath. If you want consistently fresh beer, drink AB/InBev beers.

 

Ever hear the phrase, "It's like herding cats."

 

A "Brewed by" date? Never saw one and it would make no sense if used. I mean, while some claim there are some beers being packaged "green" - before they are ready, canning a beer before it's been brewed? Well... (I supposed cans of malt syrup or hop extract have "best by" dates on them).

If you see BB as part of a code, it's a "best by/before" date. The consumer knowing when a beer was brewed would be no help in determining freshness anyway, since the length of time of fermentation and aging/largering would be unknown. Those sorts of date codes are based on when the beer was packaged - canned, bottled or racked into kegs.

Alcohol content listed on the beer labels is not a Federal TTB requirement, although some states require it while others still (apparently) prohibit it which was also the case at the Federal level until the early 1990s.

Today, the TTB only allows it - it is not mandatory.

 

I am a big fan of Best By dates. How self-important is it to believe that the consumer knows more than the manufacturer?

 

Sorry, but I've had beer that had a BB date, had it close to that date, and it was terrible. That same beer under a month old is terrific. I prefer fresh beer and a BB date doesn't tell me when it was canned.

Also, the longer it has been sitting the more chances for problems.

I know my tastes better than the manufacturer, that's for sure.

 

We know some breweries (Bell's for one) make a good conscientious decision about a 'Best-By" date, but we don't know whether all breweries are like that. If we could trust it, fine. Otherwise, we as a group, could pledge collectively to discontinue purchasing beer from any brewery after the first incident of discovering an 'old' beer that is still within its Best-By date. Let them learn the hard way. We want to consume their beer when it's at its 'best' not at its 'second best' (or worse), and I'd think the brewer wants us to have that experience too.

 

All I need is brewed on date. At that point I can decide to purchase. It is really simple and I am not sure why it’s not standard across the industry. Anyway, if a can has no date I put it back.

 

I hate to say it but this in not likely to occur industry wide. I would love for the Brewers Association to define and implement a standard for their member breweries but realistically this is really not going to happen (for money reasons).

If an industry wide standard were to be implemented I would 'vote' for how Sixpoint Brewing dates their beers: both canned on and best by dates on their canned beers. In an easy to understand format.

Cheers!

 

What exactly do you mean by "we"?
"We" really can't do anything in this matter.

 

I have to agree, I’d guess many would prefer to have no date. Some make a half hearted attempt, strange codes, the few that do can stamp have my respect, funny they also tend to make the better beers. It’s not always so, because always is a powerful world, but I’d bet it’s pretty close to the truth. It would only become a staple if people refused in its entirety to purchase undated beer. So back to the start when I thought it was dumb when AB started with the born on date. Not so dumb at all as it turns out.

 

I think its really simple, if your proud of your beer you should be as proud to put a date on it. If its as good as you think it will sell period. I think it says a lot when a brewery won't date their beers, tells me maybe just maybe they are not confident in their product?

 

There are no "brewed on" dates to speak of. Beer is not packaged until after weeks or sometimes months of fermentation, krausening/bottle condtioning, lagering/aging, etc.

Except that is contrary to most every other food or beverage date coding. Go check your pantry and your refrigerator. Can you determine when that bread or the crackers or cookies were baked or when those eggs were laid or when the milk came out of the cow, or pasteurized and packaged? Ditto for the frozen foods, the soda pop, the canned beans, even the bottled water, etc. They all use "Best by" or "Sell by" (not "buy") dating.

 

I think most are meaning Canned on Date. I probably said it wrong also but my push is to see Canned on Date. Agree we won't see when it was brewed on anytime soon.