Victory Dirtwolf Bottle Dating Confusion

Sounds like Wegman's put those sticker dates on it. Victory always stamps their best by dates on the cases.

I'd contact Victory. That's not cool.

 

Why would Wegman's put a fake sticker dates on the cases? They only sell 4 packs and singles

 

Not the case in the NJ Wegmans I've been to. I've seen stacks of cases of Flower Power that were more than 6 months old the same day I bought 2 week old Flower Power in a Joe Canal's across the street.

Yeah, a photo of the "sticker" in question would have been helpful*, but it does sound more likely to have been a distributor's doing (Victory's mostly carried by AB houses), or some internal Wegman's inventory coding, etc.

Of course, in NJ, Wegmans can and does sell cases of beer - they just don't discount them as is the norm for many larger liquor stores, and the way Wegmans themselves do for wine and liquor. I remember about 8 years ago now wandering into the Manalapan store to see a "fresh off the handtruck" stack of Nugget Nectar. Grabbed a case, scanned it for price at the register, experience stickershock , told "no case discount on beer", jumped in my truck and drove down Highway 9 a couple of miles and bought a case at ShopRite Liquors and saved myself something like 8 bucks...

*(hey, I'm an "old dude" and even I have a 15 year old cell phone that takes (lousy) photos. Sure I'd have to run back to my truck to get it...put on my reading glasses, think about HOW to take pics...but...eventually...)

 

Victory prints their best by date on the case inside a white rectangle on one of the long lid flaps right near the opening edge of the flap where you'd pull to break the glue and open the case. Its printed directly on the cardboard in large dark letters that show at a distance. The date on the case for every case I've ever bought agrees with the date on all the bottles (except with the Variety case that has more than one style of beer). Been buying Victory by the case for several years now and have never seen anything else on the case. I've seen situations where some of the bottles were missing dates, but never seen a case (out of literally hundreds looked at) where there was not a best by date stamped on the case.

So until shown otherwise I'd go with the assumption that those stickers were put there by someone else. Might even be covering the best by date on the case, depending on where they are located.

Note: After watching the bottling and case packing at a brewery, with the level of automation involved, what typically happens is that the bottles are filled then capped and then date stamped at roughly the same time. They then proceed down the line to a machine that puts them into the case. Then the case is closed and date stamped. It is then put on a pallet by a human who also is watching to see if the case has 24 bottles, etc.

 

The bottle dates are what should give you the truth about the date. If a case or 4 pack holders has stickers on them, then someone other than the brewery put them there, sounds like someone is hiding old beer. Not cool.

 

Thanks for the update.

As already pointed out above. The bottle dates are what count in this situation. I can't say there is absolutely no way Victory put that sticker on there, but I can say I've never, ever seen a sticker like that in PA on any case of beer from Victory (or any other berewery, and I'm pretty sure I'd notice since I always check the dates on cases before buying them. )

So even if I'm wrong I'd still conclude that sticker was added by someone other than the brewery with the intent to conceal the date printed on the box and not buy. (But recognize that that sticker could have added at the Distributor or at the Store level and there's no sure way to tell from the label.)

Hedging your bets as you did was the right choice in my view.

 

Which Wegmans location was this at?

 

I recently saw that same sticker on a Victory 12-pack here in a PA Wegman's but I have never seen this sticker on their cases anywhere else, though.

Not in my area and the Wegman's around me constantly have older beer on the shelves (especially in the mix a six section) and I have even seen some of the dates on bottles smudged off. Not pointing fingers and anyone could have done that however, I have come across it far too many times so it does make one wonder.

 

yea i hate when dates are covered or smudged off

 

Outside of the confusion issue, has anyone seen any fresh Dirtwolf in Central or North Jersey? Drink by 11/10/14 is the freshest I have seen and that still leaves it at over 4 months old. I really thought with Victory being so close we would see this fresher but it has not been the case.