Old IPAs - What to do about this problem?

Try drinking another style of beer

 

Here is my review for Uinta West Coast Style IPA.
"
OK lets the fun begin.
Pours surprisingly hazy orange for a "West Coast Style IPA"..very lovely thick and frothy half inch head
Aroma is slightly off fruity, peaches/mango. But weirdly "eggy". More peaches. Some floral..no dank whatsoever.
Taste is barely hoppy at all. Weak...out of date. Like a flabby pale ale. very disappointed..malty..in no way or form ( in this state a West Coast IPA.
Mouth feel is OK is suppose..but whats the point.
Bad beer. Even though it has a week to go before the 'best buy" its dead.
Why do they distribute beers like Uinta which never sell well in Oregon..i see them fading away on the shelves..for months not moving in the big stored Freddys etc while great Oregon beers ..like Ex Novo etc are totally ignored.
Something far wrong here."
you get the picture out of state beers no one buys lay rotting on the shelves of Freddys, Safeway and the likes of Plaid Pantry..while great local Oregon beers never get a chance .
What's the f88ckin point for distributers?
It makes no sense..it was Golden Road and Goose island a year or two ago now those are mostly gone. When will distributers learn we don't drink out of date crap here!!!
Even us supermarket shoppers like good beer.

 

First world problem. My local Fred Meyer is crap also but so what? I pick up a beer there on rare occasions but Stogies and Hops and Whistle Stop are near by as is Central Market. I have plenty of places to spend my beer money.

 

This is the main reason why I only buy IPAs directly from breweries now. It is too sensitive of a style to age and with the number of quality breweries producing great IPA, I have no reason to buy it off the shelf anymore. Lots of breweries that sell cans and bottles to distributers have probably seen a downturn in sales recently as a result. Drink fresh!

 

It’s simple and it’s not, but the bottom line if you don’t like the canning date don’t buy it, your just perpetuating the problem. Now self distro might be as much a legal hurdle as anything depending on your state laws. I can always find super fresh ipas on the shelf but they’re from reasonably local brewers, so I tend to gravitate to those. Older ipas is a massive industry problem, that I really don’t see a solution to, once they’re sold to a distributor all bets are off. I’ve seen “fresh “ beer being stocked on the shelf that were already 6 months old, in some cases the distributor themselves stock the shelves in the stores. As long as it doesn’t exceed the best by date they can unload all kinds of crap on an unsuspecting store.

 

not sure why a 4 year old thread w 13 pages needs to be re-booted...especially this topic. unless you live in a very rural area -- this first world problem has numerous first world solutions in the shape of growlers, cans, crowlers and sixtels. Cheers

 

I think the beer market is changing right now, so it’s old but it’s relevant again, and there’s always newer BAs who come across a thread and bring it back to life. But in the last two years I’d guess the beer stores have done a 180, supply completely exceeded demand, beer retailers lost money. But the Crowlers and Growlers are nice but that doesn’t solve the distribution break from brewery to retailer to me.

 

My point was don’t go to the liquor/grocery/beer store for your beer. Avoid the distribution problem altogether and become your own distributor....as many have suggested above.

 

Funny enough the best beer store near me is a grocery store of all things, I can usually find it fresher than any beer store in Greensboro. They also have taps and growler fills go figure.

 

Those stores wouldn't exist if not for a need for them. Perhaps, because being one's own "distributor" isn't as simple or convenient as it sounds. Try hitting up a brewery after 10 on a Tuesday night looking for a nice afterwork take home beer. Good luck. Or watch how expensive driving from brewery to brewery (provided they aren't in your immediate area) just to pick up a few of whatever you went in for on whatever basis. Factor in the cost of your gas and time and that beer just got a lot more expensive for that avoiding stores concept altogether.

 

My favorite breweries are in Asheville, thats 4 hours one way. But the fact is the local grocery stores here really do compete with the most well known beer stores in Greensboro. Even down to the Bcbs and KBS stuff. Your right they fill a void, I DONT have to go to a beer store, but I do need to buy groceries. How perfect, and they have 6 rotating taps, with growler fills too.

 

You'd prefer a new thread every time someone finds old, out-of-code beer?

How 'bout a daily "What old beer did you see or "accidentally" buy today? #2477" thread?

 

As I said - unless you live in a rural area - you should have access at this point (5k US brewers ?) to fresh brewed beer straight from the source. Take advantage of it. Boycott old beer. Cheers

 

I was just kinda being an asshole. I wound Not prefer a daily thread on old beer that people are finding. I might be interested in one that flys into places w/ultra fresh beer...brewed and sold on premises.

 

This is what I was referring to and commenting on:

In this comment there's no addendum for rural anything just a sentiment of avoiding stores altogether. Which, even in larger metropolitan areas, serve a purpose for the average and even most discerning of craft beer consumers who may not (for a variety of reasons) be able to get beer straight from the source in a way. I mentioned this as well in my previous comment about getting off of work late and the brewery is closed, or any other reasons a consumer might have for not being able to go straight to the source. Your "call" for a boycott is baseless and lacks consideration for those who might prefer the variety and convenience of getting what they chose to purchase how they chose to purchase it.

 

Boycott comment was facetious. Dude all I’m saying is take advantage of all the new breweries out there. As Horace Greeley once said - go west young man !

 

Facetiousness aside I agree with you wholeheartedly. I try not to take the internet TOO seriously, sometimes I fail. Cheers

 

Dale, I too have seen this on multiple occasions. A deplorable situation IMO.

Cheers!

 

It’s what happens when stores are content to let distributors set their inventory. I see it all the time here, there’s no one there to accept the delivery and check the dates. Imo it’s a lic to abuse by the distributors, they can quite likely move in older stock, as long as its not out of date. I stopped buying beer at TW, as I said I use the local grocery stores they seem more vigilant on this.

 

TW has a nice mix of 2018 pumpkin beers out right now, they want to get that mix going so when the 2019 arrive they can blend them in so fools purchase the old swill.
I am almost at the point of local only or breweries I trust. Its become so annoying and honestly I am done allowing distro and stores to ruin my beer experience.
I hope more and more folks vote with their cash and just go local for the next two years so the shelf turds can sit and age. Its amazing how scummy stores are when they try and pretend items are new or scratch off dates and play that game. Time to hit them in the pockets, the only way they listen.
lol