Distributors That Pawn Off Old Beers.....

I have gotten a couple of kegs lately that were a year old, but as they were a fruit type beer over 10% (yeah, I know, a little odd right there) for basically the keg cost - $39.00 for a 1/6th bbl. Now, not my favorite style of ale but 10%! I think it was due to a couple of factors, odd beer style from a poorly known brewery and frankly - the distributor just lost track of it and did not succeed in getting sales to push it out to local taprooms. Now that is a lot of 10% beer that was not awful at all, and it tasted better knowing the price. From that same brewery I also got the same bbl/price for the DIPA, another 10% monster that was a year old and just fantastic. Those barrels sold for over $130 when fresh, I know because I bought the DIPA and at the time a year ago they told me they didn't have any more that was not allocated to bars,...

 

I worked for a distributor that would routinely toss beer that went beyond what craft department deemed acceptable for the style. No holds barred either, cost didn't dictate what was thrown. What took place behind the scenes is an effort to presell or at least gauge interest in a particular beer before ordering from the brewery. Saves not only on the obvious throw it away angle but also kept the warehouse a bit more tidy. Only thing worse than seeing a spreadsheet with 2,000 sku's and half of them only having one or two cases is seeing the wasted space in the warehouse from housing so many slow moving sku's. So basically, if craft department (or just sales in general for craft only distro) is doing their job correctly, all the product should be flowing out of the distro in good order. Once it hits the store, all bets are off unless either the brewery or distro expressly addresses rotation and freshness.

This is the best solution to the problem (IMO). We even have a Kroger that will do this, to a degree, by selling mix six packs. The mixer area has still fresh enough, but getting older bottles. I'm assuming that the sales reps or merchandisers (both distro employees, not store) are the ones deciding which sixers are getting broken down and singled out. You can often mix yourself a six pack ($9) made up of beer that if bought as a six pack would certainly exceed that price.

 

excuse me for my ignorance, what happens to beer that a store has when goes past its Best by date or some other time frame before sale. I mean a good store that pulls it from the shelves. Is that cost borne by the store, the distributer, or the brewery? And how directly?

 

Well drink beer that can age WELL is my motto. I am SO glad I am NOT a IPA fan. lol

Just do NOT buy the stuff if you need it by a certain date. Leave it for the next consumer.


I found TW lets the distro stock the shelves and they could care less.

 

Well, this used to be the industry standard (from an AB - Wholesaler contract).

Sadly, it does seem that many wholesalers tend to ignore it, especially in the case of the smaller (and, so, less influential) breweries in their portfolio.

 

There's more information on that here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...s-not-get-freshness-dating.46686/#post-594583

by someone who is known to have done his homework.

 

I see old beer all the time. I am guessing that there are not as many craft drinkers as we think. I was burned many times when I really started to get into craft. I had WCIPA on tap and was blown away. Bought a case the next day and it was a malty mess. Bells Two Hearted......same thing....I still see many old old cases of IPA at beer distributors and I laugh. I am sure many buy these expensive cases and dont know better what they should be or like me do know and feel cheated. I have been looking at dates for years now and wont buy undated IPA/Pales. Last time I did I sunk over $60 into a cardboard tasting case of sculpin after having it on tap the night before. That was the last time. Some IPA I like with age( 90 minute, Burton Baton) but I still want them fresh when I buy them. I will age them if I want them aged.

Enjoy and check those dates