Rubbed or scratched off Best By dates

Some of these dates come off very easily, Founders for example, not sure if it is still the case, but the dates could be wiped off with a finger very easily.

 

Absolutely this. Almost every 3 floyds I buy the dates come off instantly with condensation if you so much as touch them.

 

Sounds sketchy. I wouldn't shop there. Smeared ink in a cooler is one thing, but scratched glass in every bottle where the date is certainly isn't random

 

I've seen this at local and big chain stores. sometimes there are wear marks on each side of where the date was on the label, as if a cheap pencil eraser was used. That's not from condensation.

 

My policy is to not buy beer that does not have a date on it. This is the case for breweries that refuse to date their beers and for beers that do not have a readable date.

I have placed numerous beers back on the shelf simply because I could not make out the dates from the black ink on the brown bottles.

Cheers!

 

It's 2015, there HAS to be a better way to date a bottle, no? It's like a 4 year old scribbled the date on the bottle in chalk (black chalk) and the brewers were like "meh, good enough".

 

There is no doubt that there is technology that permits easily readable dates on package labels. The 'issue' is whether the breweries want to invest in this technology; in other words it is a business decision.

Cheers!

 

I have run into several that are either smeared during printing or look rubbed off. I have always blamed it on packaging or handling along the way but I wouldn't put it past some enterprising jerk somewhere to just rub them off. Wouldn't it be easier to just return the out of date beer to the distributor?

 

Just recently, we have began to see Alesmith offerings in our area. I came across an IPA a few weeks ago that had no dating at all - looked all over the bottle and found nothing. Additionally, there were no dates on the other two bottles on the shelf. Not being familiar enough with Alesmith (as I mentioned, new to the area) I assumed that even though odd for a pretty well known and popular brewery, the beer did not have dates at all. Well, I found that they ARE actually dated when I picked up a bottle from another store earlier this week. Found the dates right there on the collar for God and all to see. Where I bought them at were two different stores, and the store where the undated bottle was purchased has a VERY active and sensitive beer manager that knows all too well about beer folk habits and peculiarities (like, not big on "old" IPAs). I hadn't wondered if he had wiped them off, as I didn't give it a second thought - until now. Just wonder if he thought he needed to add an extra "umph" of enthusiasm to the beer as to start moving it. I doubt he'd want to miss out on limited releases simply because they couldn't generate much traction on those other beers.

FWIW, the questionable one was all kinds of just fine and wonderfully tasty, as I'm sure the dated one will be as well (7/10/15 - I'm seriously OK with nearly 2 month old beer)

 

Funny, I just came across this in a bottle shop near my office in Boston. The labels for their Newburyport Brewing offerings, cans of Greenhead and Melt Away, had the born-on date labels (they're small white stickers from a sticker gun) clearly scratched up and partially ripped to remove the month/day. Same type of obliteration on every six pack, and I checked several of both. Really left a bad taste in my mouth for the shop, so I generally cruise by there now instead of shopping.

 

I caught someone in the act of removing bottle dates from bombers that I knew for a fact were at least one year old and a guy behind the counter said "don't let them see you do that, stupid". I've shopped elsewhere since then.

 

the dogfish distributor here in Boston does it on the regular, not just on that brand but on many

 

Heady Topper Doesn't put dates on their cans. Probably because it only takes a few hours to sell out every day.

 

It's tough to drink hoppy beer. Look at what we go thru. I almost feel like an idiot every time I go shopping for Matilda, Nero or Sophie and I am looking for older bottles.

 

My local BevMo doesn't care about old bottles. They have year old IPAs and DIPAs on their shelves. At least they dont get rid of dates.

 

Sorry if someone else said this, I only read the OP. I've got two thoughts. A stock boy overly passionate about the company could have taken it upon himself to do that to potentially sell more bottles. Does he get a benefit? Probably not. But some people really take pride in the corporation they work for (which isn't a bad thing [scratching info off labels is]). I could see some ass doing this in the trade forums. If they're gonna drink a KBBS, refill it, rewax it, then trade it, I don't imagine (a few) people even batting an eye at scratching off a best by date.

EDIT: After reading a few comments, I swear you guys should out these shops. Even if I live across the country, I'd still want to know the shop. And if I live nearby, I'd really want to know the shop to avoid it. Anyways.

 

I was never a big fan of Sierra Nevada but I'm buying more and more of their offerings because of their ZERO bullshit product dating. Their beer often seems to be fresher than their competitors where I am also. Keep up the good performance SN.

 

I have seen this too. On the bottom of cans and on the necks and shoulders of bottles. IF I cannot find a readable date in the entire lot, how much will I look is another matter, then I won't buy the beer. That goes for whether the dates were rubbed out, illegible for any reason or even if they were not there in the first place.