Sixpoint Hi-Res

I've been wanting to try Bengali Tiger but my local bottle shop has a full load of 4 packs all dated best by early March. I'm worried they won't order fresh ones in since these are sitting...however, I wouldn't be surprised if others like me saw the date and left it to sit. I want FRESH IPA.
I already drank all the High-Res I could find in town...great brew. Holds up great too.

 

Those enjoy by dates are pretty long for sixpoint. I think they are five months. The empty resin box I have says july 13, and it was fresh and tasty a few days ago. You definitely want to wait on that one. Bengali is delicious. Best to try it when it tastes right.

 

One thing that is an issue is retail store owners are often approached by wholesalers with an "offer" of receiving a $1 to $4 "discount" off the price for a case of beer if they purchase multiple cases. So for instance, if a bottle shop owner agrees to take in 10 cases of a particular beer, he/she might get $3 off per case. In their mind, they just saved $30. That's $30 in their pocket.

But there is another way of looking at it. All you did is take that $$ out of your pocket and converted it into perishable inventory. What's worse, if this inventory sits out on the store floor in a case stack it certainly is not improving in flavor over time. This phenomenon is rampant across the beer industry.

What would be preferred, of course, is for everyone in the entire supply chain have the appropriate amount of inventory, and the beer is always kept refrigerated before sale. A boy can dream, right? :-)

 

Yeah, wouldn't that be the perfect scenario. Any industry where you deal with perishable goods is always going to have challenges to keep the goods fresh. It doesn't help either that we as consumers change what we buy all the time. I don't think there are too many guys that go into a beer store and buy the same beer over and over on a regular basis. There are some that do that, but not the majority.

 

“I don't think there are too many guys that go into a beer store and buy the same beer over and over on a regular basis. There are some that do that, but not the majority.”

Keith, the majority of US beer drinkers do indeed buy the same beer over and over: they buy their favorites like Miller Lite, Bud Light, Yuengling Lager, …

Your observation is indeed correct for the minority of US beer drinkers; we craft beer drinkers.

Cheers!

 

Never had the Hi - Res....but the resin was SICK. Such an awesome double IPA...drank like a regular ipa...with tons of flavor. not overwhelmed by alcohol which i find that a lot of doubles and triples have a problem with.

 

I just set up a trade to get some with resin. Haven't had either yet. Next time I'll try to get as fresh as possible to compare. Sounds like it should still be pretty good.

 

NJ did get their shipments of Hi-Res so you should be able to find it...

I recommend you wait until January 2015 to do the tasting with the Hi-Res. It just won't be representative to taste the beers now, which is more than 2 months since the canning date.

 

Pro-active customer service, love it!

 

NJ and MA roughly received the same...perhaps the best bet is to call the wholesaler to see if there is any product left.

 

This Is One Of My Favorite Beers! I gave It a Solid 5! Some Might Agree Some May Not! But I Love It!!

 

geez, you have such amazing customer service. a lot of breweries just want to move quality regardless of freshness. Sixpoint, you continue to impress me in many areas.

 

I think the "aging" thing is way over rated. The only things I age are beers that are NOT showcasing hos and are above 10% abv, such as Olde School, WWS, KBS and so on. The only exception being 120min. Hops, Drink em' Fresh!

 

@Sixpoint just keep doing what you guys are doing. I think Hi-Res is already in the conversation with Heady and Pliny, and I think it's a different take on the style that brings something to the table the others do not. Heady is about the grapefruit, citrus qualities, PtY is malt hop balance, and Hi-Res is resin and sweetness. All are equally amazing.

You guys are seriously my favorite brewery right now, and I'm happy to see Hi-Res as a seasonal, because that means I know it's fresh. For those of you just getting to it now, trust me- it was even better when it released.

I know i wouldn't complain if you guys went biannual with this one, but I'm also sure you have something else awesome up your sleeves like 3Beans. I seriously can't wait.

 

Doesn't Sixpoint's contract with their distributors require them to remove, credit and/or replace beer past your own "Best Before" dates? In many states, when wholesalers offer such a case discount, don't they have to offer the same deal to all their retailers - in theory, some retailers will use the lower wholesale price to price a 4pk lower, and thus help sell more beer, making 10 cases easier to sell.

If Sixpoint prefers that their canned beers be refrigerated why is "PLEASE KEEP REFRIGERATED" printed in tiny 1/16" font on the bottom of the package (below, left) - making it even less likely any retailer will read it (we all know they routinely ignore it even when it is more prominently stated). Why aren't Sixpoint reps going out with your distributors' salespeople making sure the beers are refrigerated and within the stated "Best Before" period? (I don't think I've EVER seen Sixpoint beers in the refrigerated section, even in retailers like NJ's Joe Canal's that tend to refrigerate all their cases and back stock).

If you...

...why do the 4 packs say:


(This is starting to sound awfully prosecutorial, so I guess I'll leave it to others to ask why Sixpoint continues, despite the confusion and controversy, continue to only list "Brooklyn" on your labels, rather than note that the canned beers are done at your Alternating Propreitorship partner breweries in Wilkes-Barre, PA and Memphis, TN. ).

 

I can offer a guess, assuming I am understanding your question correctly, regarding the best by date and sixpoints quoted of waiting until january of 2015...

As stated previously (in this thread perhaps), under refrigerated conditions, the sixpoint beer will still be very good 6 months past canning. However, to really get the biggest impact of hops, it is best to drink it as close to canning date one can find. That is why he suggested waiting until next years cans are released (january 2015) to really get the best "first impression" of the beer.

 

Do other breweries list the actual location of where the beer is brewed and bottled? (thinking sam adams, budweiser, etc?) Perhaps so, but I rarely buy those beers, so I never have noticed.

 

We carry The Crisp, Global Warmer, Sweet Action and Resin, but our rep tells us no can do on the Hi-Res. I am not going to use these forums to name ourselves and promote our business, but I will tell you we are in San Antonio, TX and one of the larger operations. I am not throwing our rep under the bus, either. I am assuming the reasoning is legit, we are just disappointed and wondering what happened in our area.

 

But the packaging doesn't say "Very Good Before" it says "Best Before" - nor does "Best Before" have an asterisk mentioning that that date is dependent on the often ignored "Please Keep Refrigerate" request.

Look, I like that "Sixpoint" (apparently Shane Welch himself) comes on the forums and is very open with info, and generally very helpful, and I don't want to drive him away by asking questions he doesn't care to answer - but it seems to me that without that, he's simply (the site's term, not mine) "pimping". Especially when his statements are counter to his own packaging. I also like many of his canned beers.