Do you trust brewer "Best By" dates?

IPAs I prefer a "bottled/canned date"

 

Sure why not but sometimes I feel like a idiot looking for dates on beer but then if I don't look for them I feel like an idiot, so I guess it comes down to looking or feeling like one I think I rather look like one. Ha-ha.

 

I just purchased two six packs of Jai Alai a few days ago with a canned on date of a little over a week ago, they all tasted like @#$%, the aroma - gone, hop flavor - gone ... it tasted like an old can but it wasn't. I contacted Cigar City about the issue and they jumped on it right away to track the batch #'s because they care about their beer and they have a quality product, I also plan to send them a can or two to evaluate. I don't blame Cigar City at all but I do point my finger at how it was possibly transported, especially in the hot summer temperatures. I guess my point being, depending on the time of year, sometimes even the "Bottled On" dates don't mean anything either - very rare, but it unfortunately happens.

 

I try and give the brewer the benefit of the doubt. But anything over 90days I am a little hesitant.

 

BODs by a mile. BBDs are based upon the beer being handled properly, that means kept cold and out of light. We all know that very little beer is treated that way, so the BBDs are more myth or wishful thinking than fact.

 

I like bottled on dates myself, let me decide. I've seen IPA's with 2 year BB dates.....cough......Mikkeller.....cough

 

I don't like best by dates, I prefer bottled on dates, and I will usually visit the brewer's website to get a calculation on their beers.

 

I trust the brewer. I don't trust the distributor or the retailer to keep the beer cold.

Therefore, I can't listen to best by dates on many beers. Especially beers that are made to showcase hops.

 

Mikkeller just made a beer called green gold that had a best by date in the year 2017.

That's a damn joke. An IPA made in 2015 haha

 

I vote for bottled on dates if both dates systems are not possible. When just out to buy a whatever beer I always seem to buy a beer with bottled on date. By the way, what does best mean anyway? For hoppy beers there is such a sliding scale of quality that best by doesn't cover very well.

 

Pretty my thought as well.

 

I don't have any reason to not trust the brewer, I'm sure they would rather give a reasonable "best by" date versus dealing with backlash if they are intentionally misleading their consumers.

In the end, I would much rather prefer a "bottled on" date so I can make my own determination as to whether or not I make the purchase. Also, it would be ideal if it were Gregorian dating...if it has to be Julian, please at least make it easy to read (Lagunitas).

 

yeah sure I trust them. ive never had any bad experiences

 

I do. Why bother if the information you give to your customer is wrong. You would want your customers to enjoy that beer at it's best.

 

I don't care much one way or the other. I do feel that if a brewery puts a best buy date on it's beer it should buy back any beer that goes unsold by that date.

 

If I don't trust the brewery with something like a bottle date I don't trust them with my purchase. So yes I trust brewers by their best by dates. That being said, I do not always abide by them.

 

Second that.

 

Wanted to update my post above - 'have tried a few other recent batches of Jai Alai and it was a totally different beer (in a good way). The original batch I had must have been an "off batch".

 

Yes. But then again I don't really like IPA's and only have them on a rare occasion, usually on tap at the brewery. The styles I drink for the most part either improve with age or are indifferent to age up to the best by date.

 

I have a preference for both the "bottled" date and "best by" date. Weyerbacher Brewing Co. is setting the industry standard that I hope everyone else will adopt. Maybe some others are doing this too? Let me know fellow BA's!