Weihenstephan Cans!!!

They have use by dates now? That would mean I won't need my secret decoder ring to figure out the dates.....err the information stored on my phone detailing how their date coding works. That would be so much easier..please say it is true..Not as good as brewed on dates but now that I know it's at least 9 months past brewed on that will help...

 

Yes, there is a sell by date clearly printed on the bottom of the cans. It's unclear whether that date is 9 or 12 months from canning.

 

I am guessing it is 12 months out because the 4 pack I just purchased is 9 months from now. A full year on the shelf is a long time.

 

I would strongly prefer to have the canning date on the cans much like the bottles have a bottling date. This stuff should be consumed 2 to 3 months after that date.

 

And still no sighting in Pittsburgh.

 

I would too but any decipherable date is better than the mumbojumbo they used to have. I can at least get a rough idea without bringing my deciphering tools out.

 

A packaged on date in understandable format is the ideal: Canned on April 15, 2021 (or 15 April 2021).

Cheers!

 

I feel like the same could be said for most if not all the imports as well @dungledauf IMO, I know others disagree.

It could just be my experience but there have been many times I’ve done blind tastings and the “old” German beer still sticks out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. We all have different palettes and preferences though but even if it’s over 3 months I’d still say it’s worth trying.

 

I personally draw the line for imports at 6 months. Not exactly because I think these imported beers have an 'advantage' and thereby can last longer but because if I drew the line at 3 months I would never be able to purchase imported beers.

The other aspect which is extremely important is how were the beers handled throughout the long supply chain: German Brewery -> European Port City -> Ship -> US port city (customs warehouse) -> Wholesale Distributor -> Beer Retailer. It is easy to see there is more going on here as regards the distribution of imported beers. The one factor which I think is of most importance is storage temperature - have the imported beers been exposed to high temperatures anywhere in the long supply chain which can cause accelerated staling of the beer?

Cheers!

 

Of course they have been, unless they travel during winter or fall I guess, but we're talking about drawing a line based on time. If the line were drawn on temp control I don't think anyone would purchase them.

Lately I've just been drawing the line on how the beer tastes and how much I enjoy it, if I enjoy it and it still tastes great then I'm in

 

If the brewery/importer is willing to pay the expense the beers can be shipped in refrigerated containers. This is allegedly how Pilsner Urquell is imported to the US and they claim they use expedited shipment across the Atlantic (pay the extra expense for fast ships?).

As an end customer I have no way of knowing how my Jever was handled throughout the entire supply chain. I suppose I could send an e-mail to Ed Raven (Raven Imports) and ask but frankly I would not fully trust whatever a sales person would claim here.

Cheers!

 

That would be perfect!

 

yes that's the issue. Tough to find them only three months old. Six months while not ideal is workable. That's why I get excited when I find a local place that does a good job with lagers and hefeweizen because you can get it fresh. With that said I'd love to find Ayinger hefe fresh. I wonder how old the kegs of Ayinger for instance would be if you bought one in the states and how long they would remain good for if they were untapped.

 

Firstly, I do not have any answer here but related two thoughts:

Kegged beer is generally treated as a 'perishable' product and kept cold throughout the supply chain (at least that is how domestic beer is managed). Continuous cold storage is helpful in mitigating staling (oxidative reactions).

Also, within the beer industry the concept is to not let kegged beer sit too long and try to get them tapped and emptied as quickly as possible.

Both of these aspects discussed above should in theory improve the chances of drinking fresh (non-stale) product.

In contrast I can walk into any of my local beer retailers and find a metric shit-ton of old beers on the shelves and unfortunately the probability of the imported beers being old is greater than for domestically brewed beers. I suspect a combination effect of the long supply chain and that craft beer consumers are not all that excited about imports.

When it comes to drinking bottled/canned German beer styles (Helles, German Pilsners,..) I basically purchase those brewed by local craft breweries. Those beers are not many, many months old and they are fortunately brewed to be high quality in my area.

Cheers!

 

I read this quite often on these forums and, other than Samichlaus (which famously is brewed on Dec. 6, "Santa Claus Day" in Switzerland - or, at least, once was) I've never seen a beer with a "Brewed on" date nor do I know why anyone would want to know it, seeing as how the buyer typically has no idea of the length of fermentation or subsequent lagering/aging, etc.

Lots of imported kegs are flash pasteurized - that was one of the primary selling points of the sankey keg.

 

Not sure where you’re looking, but both hefe and helles canned four-packs are stacked high at the Giant Eagle Market District in Upper St. Clair.

 

Finally found some!



Having a Helles right now and my initial impression is... not great. Very light bodied with a thin/watery feel to it. Not much going on with the malt. I'll reserve judgement until I have the rest of the cans, but I feel like I'll be sticking to the Original Helles in bottles from now on.

 

Thanks. I will check it out.

 

What were the dates on those two products?

Cheers!