So, I purchased a bomber of Stone "Enjoy By 4/20/16" yesterday on my way to the ballgame. I noticed in was bottled March 22 and it got me thinking. 1) can a bomber of Enjoy By bottled mid-March last longer than one in mid-February if they are both to be enjoyed by the same date? I realize its a clever marketing gimmick, but it begs the question. If you answer no, please see question #2. 2) If multiple batches of Enjoy By are meant to be enjoyed by a given date, are subsequent batches or brewed/bottled any differently to account for the "Enjoy By" time frame? I can't believe Stone would do that, but it is an interesting thought.
They brew lots of batches within a few days of each other. They are all scheduled for the same Enjoy By date. So for the 4/20 batch, you'll see batches that are bottled 3/14, 3/15, 3/16, et cetera/
The date on the label of Stone Enjoy By is a 35 best by duration; the beer was packaged 35 days prior. Maybe not exactly 35 days given the variation of bottling dates but you get the idea. Cheers!
I get that...but are the batches from 2/22 different in any way (recipe, O2, etc) from a batch bottled on 3/22? Because if all things are equal, then the batch which is a month older will always be a month older, so they newer batch should be fresh past 4/20 right?
According to Stone Brewing every batch of Stone Enjoy By is brewed as per the same recipe. With that out of the way I have noticed a difference in the flavor profile from some batches to others. My guess is that this is due to crop variation (the hops from differing sources). The 2/22 batch is best enjoyed within 35 days later. The 3/22 batch is best enjoyed within 35 days later. Cheers!
I enjoy Stone when I pass it by on the shelves...The reality is these beers will keep much longer, it's just a suggested date like all packaged products. You can enjoy the beer past the warranty. So long as the beer was kept in good cool storage I wouldn't really worry.
