Are bottling dates required by law?

No, they are not required by law. I don't think most do, I think it's pretty 50/50, though it's getting better.

 

Some sort of dating is mandatory on bottles/cans in the EU. Mostly it's a "drink before" date which is pure guesswork an once it leaves the brewery who knows how it will be treated?

 

It would be a good idea the Craft Brewers' Association created a system of strict rules for stamping brewdates, like Appellation Controllee for French wine. US craft beer is a great US creation, like Jazz, and it should be up on a pedestal like other world-class spirits.

 

I wish all bottles had a CLEAR bottled on date. It should be left up to the consumer to decide what the "drink by" date is.

 

Absolutely, I hate having to guess how old a beer is. Also it needs to be a clear dating system printed in a light area on the label so it's easy to see.

 

As said before, there is no law requiring bottling info. Support breweries that provide it and contact those that don't requesting it. Market pressure does have an effect.

 

I wish all beers at at minimum a best buy date printed clearly on them. A bottling date does nothing to motivate the store to move or dispose of expiring/expired product. Both would be great, but a BB on everything would be fine.

 

To those saying there is no law requiring bottling dates - are you referring specifically to something printed on the bottle itself? I was quite sure it was required by law to have some sort of date (be it 'bottled on' or 'best by') somewhere on the packaging - including the case box if not the 6 pack holder or bottle - the case box being something that would be easier for brewers to do, as well as something most consumers would never see.

 

No, you can't get sick from old beer, so why would it matter?

 

Doesn't much matter. There is no Federal Law requiring dating on any of the packaging.

 

Last time I looked at this stuff, in the US most laws governing freshness dating of perishables (e.g., milk, etc.) exist at the State level rather than the Federal level. In addition not all States have such laws in place.

 

Generally I agree but sometimes push it one step fruther. Most beer in PA is sold in the 12pack or case format. If I'm shopping for a case of beer and don't find a date that allows me to establish the age of the beer, I buy something else where their is information about age. Then I'll contact the brewery and explain that I was just looking at buying a case of their beer but bought someone else's beer since it was freshness dated and theirs was not.

 

They do have freshness dating recommendations in place for among their "best practices" for brewers, but have no power to impose it on all brewers or even on their members.

Nor would you get them to agree to consistently using brew dates since bottled on or best by are better dates to use for indicating freshness.

 

Maybe it's just a state law, but I believe I've been told there is a law in place.

It's worth pointing out that beer IS a food item.

It's been my experience that the not-craft-savvy are the people who think beer MUST be consumed fresh (and ice cold) or you'll get AIDS.

 

I am on the side of those who would like to see bottling dates (clearly distinguishable on each bottle). I usually refrain, but not always, from buying beer without this date. The exception would be if I wanted to try a beer I have not had before. In these instances, I would buy it without a bottling date but buy just one bottle. However, if the bottle was dusty, I would not buy it.

Then there are the brews I buy consistently that are local. If I have not had a bad experience with them, then I would probably buy them despite lacking a bottling date.

 

Well then it should be possible to actually find a link to such a law. (There isn't one in PA.)

Also for purposes of Federal regulation, beer is not a food item. It is an alcoholic beverage, which is why it is the TTB rather than the FDA that has authority over it at the Federal level.