Is Bottle Dating Really THAT Difficult?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by HopsAreDaMan, Dec 17, 2015.

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  1. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I would wonder the same.:slight_frown:

    Cheers!
     
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    That brings up another method for dating beers that are packaged as a 6/12 pack or even a case. Use a price sticker with a date code on it. A low capital cost solution and if a volunteer does the work there is minimal labor cost as well.

    Cheers!
     
    #162 JackHorzempa, Dec 20, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
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  3. bluehende

    bluehende Initiate (0) Dec 10, 2010 Delaware

    I actually like this method. I can easily see without even picking up the can what the date is. Problem could come in if after the date they just take the sticker off. Would not matter to me as then it would be undated and thus unbuyable (if that is a word).
     
  4. Oktoberfiesta

    Oktoberfiesta Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2013 New Mexico

    Small brewers are also on a smaller budget. Many don't even want to invest in an extra bar tender (the training involved etc) or a packaging person making minimum wage using a pricing gun for 8 hours. We have to remember, a lot of these places are human and businesses looking to at least turn a slight profit. Craft is not all unicorns, butterflies, and rainbows.

    @bluehende I've seen places do just that. Stickers totally gone off the top of 4 packs of beer. Then we hear of "smudged" dates. But how they got smudged, who knows really.

    We hope freshness and quality wins out overall. It's getting blurred with how competitive 'craft' has become
     
    hopfenunmaltz likes this.
  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Yup, that is indeed a problem. For the example of Neshaminy Creek the price sticker is a packaged on date in Julian code.
    That would be me as well. To further the discussion on Neshaminy Creek, until recently I would only buy this beer on draft since there were no dates on the canned product. Now that they are dated, the canned beers are purchase worthy.

    Cheers!
     
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    The other option here is to utilize volunteers which is not uncommon at small breweries.

    Cheers!
     
  7. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Common? Yes. Also illegal:
    Wineries in California have already been fined for using unpaid labor - Volunteers and the Law: Winery Shuts Down After Labor Violation. It's a pretty disgusting, un-American practice in a profit-making industry. When breweries go to their bottle manfacturers, equipment makers, label printers, malt and hop suppliers - do they also expect charity donations?

    If "craft" brewers are going to boast of job creation, they should be paid positions.

     
    #167 jesskidden, Dec 20, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
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  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    You also posted your 'position' in this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/volunteering-advice-at-a-local-brewery.116672/

    A number of BAs posted in that linked thread that volunteering at small craft breweries is legal.

    I am not getting involved in this debate on legality but I will stick to the statement that: people do indeed volunteer at craft breweries and it seems like packaging day is a common time to volunteer and help. Put a sharpie pen or a price sticker in the hands of one of those volunteers and in the parlance of Capt. Picard: "Make it so".

    Cheers!
     
    cavedave likes this.
  9. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    We don't. My last Trauger was at the brewery with my Pop blowing the froth off a few. Great beer. I'll ask my Dad to bring a six with him, I'd love yo have it side by side with OMB. I've never ever seen sly Fox Pils when visiting my dad, I bet it's around though. All these beers would be killer with Philly Soft Pretzels and their super hot mustard.
     
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    My prediction is that you will be having an enjoyable Holiday season!!:slight_smile:

    Cheers to that!
     
  11. jarbraj

    jarbraj Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2014 Georgia

    if you are producing 1000's of barrels worth of bottle fills, this would take an incredible amount of time.
     
  12. PA-Michigander

    PA-Michigander Grand Pooh-Bah (3,372) Nov 10, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    More annoying than no date at all?
     
  13. rightcoast7

    rightcoast7 Maven (1,330) Apr 2, 2011 Maine
    Trader

    Every BA that posted in that thread saying volunteering at a brewery was legal is wrong. There's a small chance of it being legal at a very, very small brewery and doing only very specific and limited work, but it's illegal in 99.9% of cases. So yes, I'm sure it is common, but breweries that would use volunteers to date stamp as part of their business model are taking a risk that, in my opinion, is not worth the expense saved on wages or investing in dating machinery.
     
  14. lester619

    lester619 Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2009 Wisconsin

    :slight_smile:
    I will never for the life of me figure out why they put the day first. It's confusing as hell. This is one instance where we are 100% right.
     
  15. CavemanRamblin

    CavemanRamblin Initiate (0) Jun 19, 2014 North Carolina

    Not sure if it's been mentioned here, but the worst is when a brewery puts a "best by" date on the bottle. Like Alpine for instance, it doesn't really do me any good to know that this IPA is best by 8 months from now, like wtf. You went through the trouble to a date on there and it doesn't even offer any added benefit or information.
     
  16. bluehende

    bluehende Initiate (0) Dec 10, 2010 Delaware

    That is why they make machines to do it automatically.:slight_smile:
     
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  17. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I personally agree with you that the 'best' solution for a brewery is to implement a bottle dating solution that does not involve the utilization of volunteer effort. Having stated that there is no doubt in my mind that some small breweries utilize volunteers in their brewery. If that is occurring, whether it is legal or not, those people are providing 'free' effort at those breweries. How they are 'used' at those breweries is up to the discretion of those brewery's owners. Using them to bottle date is as good as a reason as other efforts at those breweries.

    Cheers!
     
  18. SteelersX

    SteelersX Savant (1,130) Jan 30, 2011 New York
    Trader

    No, but close. A lot of breweries put a six month shelf life on their IPAS. If they put a "best by" date on it, - then it's almost at bad.
    I bought an IPA recently that had a "best By" date of March 25th. it was December 4th.. If I picked up that beer in Mid February, How would I no it was not even close to at its best? Or worse yet, Mid March.
    Why take the time to calculate a date when the bottled date is firm and simple. In Stone's case, it's pure marketing.
     
  19. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

    Funny to think that if folks volunteered at Corporate breweries there would be posts on this site that ABI is using slave labor to make their beer.
     
  20. rightcoast7

    rightcoast7 Maven (1,330) Apr 2, 2011 Maine
    Trader

    Ha ha exactly. If using volunteers is part of your business model, you need a new model.
     
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