Schneider Weisse changes freshness code on US bottles

Not to track too far from the subject of Schneider, but the majority of American craft brew I buy is clearly dated -- so Schneider isn't learning from them.

In fact, many of my favorite German imports are dated pretty clearly, so I have to wonder what Schneider's motives are for the change?

Most of the Schneider beers I've seen over the last couple of years were well-past date, so maybe Schneider is trying to mask dates to "fool" consumers? Be a shame.

 

Could it be that their importer/distributor wanted the packaging dates removed? When ABInbev tells their distributors what to do, they are obeyed. But most brewers have little control over their distributors. This power imbalance has gotten worse with the fragmentation of the brewing business at the same time that mega-distributors are taking over. In the mid-70s, I lived in Chicago near the Walters (of Eau Claire) distributor. They were small -- their trucks were called "Big Wally #1 and #2". In about 1980 my local beer store went to a little distributor in Queens, NY, to get Kulmbacher Monchshof and Yuengling brands. Those small distributors are long gone.

 

Looks like Global Beer Network is the importer (I doubt regional distros have any say in labeling as they're not linked like AB's distros) -- and their website doesn't have pictures of the new labeling. It will be a mystery for a while.

 

That's annoying. Luckily I'm mostly buying Aventinus and it's still fantastic for years. If I was a big fan of one of the others, I'd probably toss a complaint their way.

 

Shoot -- I forgot to check stock at the local, bigger retailer last week -- too many beers on shelves -- sensory overload.