Are My Standards Too High For Fresh Beer?

[BigMack]

I was at a bottle shop earlier today and probably grabbed 5 or 6 beers that I really wanted to try before putting them right back on the shelf because of the date they were packaged on was more than a few months. That got me thinking about whether or not I am way too picky about making sure the beer I buy is fresh. Before I got into brewing I never even thought to check that and I don't think I got many bad sixers (due to age at least).

What do y'all think is a reasonable amount of time between when a beer is packaged and when you'll still buy it? I can't be the only one who puts beer back because it is more than a couple months old.... right?

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I agree with you 100%
My experience is this.

At EVERY one of the local home town craft bottle shops, much of the beer is older and possibly out of date. It's unfortunate but true because they are typically family owned and cannot afford to throw out old beer. They just have to hope someone buys it.
And even worse is that their prices are typically much higher then a chain beer and wine store like Total Wine or Greens.

After being burned more than once by the mom and pops, I've begun only shopping at Total Wine. It's the lowest prices in town by far and the beer is nearly always fresh. If it's not, they will pull it off the shelf.

All that said, I've learned that A LOT of of the blame goes to the distributor. Around me is K&W and Greenco.
K&W distributes Stone beer. On a regular basis they are not delivering the stone beer to Total Wine until it is past the best by date I've had conversations with the rep many times when they are in the store dropping off.

Then lastly, I used to work for a local craft brewer. Some are better than others. The one I worked for really couldn't have cared less whether their beer was fresh or not. Sometimes it would sit in the hot warehouse until right before the expiration date before the distributor would pick up a shipment.
The owner said if he could get away with it, he wouldn't even put a date on the bottle because the consumer is a bunch of whiners. "Just drink the beer and like it or shut up. " was his slogan.

 

[RM-MN]

I think both of you are beer snobs. Often my home brewed beer is much better with some age on it. This depends an awful lot on what kind of beer it is though. I would try to drink up any highly hopped beer quickly because the hop aroma that I like fades within a couple months but the rich dark stout gets better and better with age.

Every packaged food must have a "best by" date on it. Whether these best by dates make sense or not they are required by law. Now go back to the bottle shop and look at what kind of beer is out of date. Many times you will find that that date has little to do with how good the beer will taste.

 

[Ravio11i]

100% depends on style. IPAs I want as fresh as can be, stouts and porters Im looking on the old beer clearance shelf.

 

[Redlantern]

100% depends on style. IPAs I want as fresh as can be, stouts and porters Im looking on the old beer clearance shelf.

Agreed.

A good Baltic porter if packaged properly and stored in even OK conditions can hold out for over a year in the store and get better that it was when the store got it. Not the case with a Stone Enjoy By IPA

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

I think both of you are beer snobs. Often my home brewed beer is much better with some age on it. This depends an awful lot on what kind of beer it is though. I would try to drink up any highly hopped beer quickly because the hop aroma that I like fades within a couple months but the rich dark stout gets better and better with age.

Every packaged food must have a "best by" date on it. Whether these best by dates make sense or not they are required by law. Now go back to the bottle shop and look at what kind of beer is out of date. Many times you will find that that date has little to do with how good the beer will taste.

You're a beer snob for wanting fresh beer? News to me. I'm a snob then.

 

[madscientist451]

I only drink 1-2 beers a day, a 4-5 beer weekend is a big thing for me, so my homebrew "pipeline" gets pretty full. I often have 12-15 different bottled beers on hand some of them up to a year old. So here's how my beers seem to stack up on aging, your results will probably be different:
--Porters and Stouts, seem to get better after 60 days, I don't really notice a difference after that.
--Bavarian Lagers seem to get much better with age, I notice an improvement after 3 months up to 6 months.
--Hoppy Belgians are improved after 90 days, the hop and yeast characters seem to even out.
--My hop forward beers are better fresh, but some I've laid back aren't necessarily bad, just different.
--My Sour beer program has some that are 2 years+ old, pretty much all improve with age, but I do brew a "young version" and blend.
The point I'm trying to make is that as homebrewers, we should be the one part of the market that doesn't automatically reject all beers because of some "born on" date alone.
The homebrewer experience isn't the same as buying commercial beer of course, my beer is stored in a pretty stable environment.
I have had some hoppy commercial beers that have been disappointing because of age, but there are shipping and storage conditions that can spoil a beer quickly, so the expiration date isn't always accurate.
So If you see an out of date pumpkin stout on sale, don't worry, but I'd be reluctant to buy an old six pack of something like Mirror Pond.
So have a Merry Old (beer) Chistmas!!

 

[Ogri]

You're a beer snob for wanting fresh beer? News to me. I'm a snob then.

Not trying to speak for RM-MN, but I think the point you are, posssibly, missing is that a "one rule applies across the board to any and all types of beers" can sometimes mean you might, through prejudice, miss some absolute gems, due to your inflexibility, or lack of adventure, should you evaluate the possible purchase of all beers on their sell by date being exceeded.

 

[imasickboy]

The point I'm trying to make is that as homebrewers, we should be the one part of the market that doesn't automatically reject all beers because of some "born on" date alone.

This. 100% this.

 

[Ogri]

I agree with you 100%
My experience is this.

At EVERY one of the local home town craft bottle shops, much of the beer is older and possibly out of date. It's unfortunate but true because they are typically family owned and cannot afford to throw out old beer. They just have to hope someone buys it.
And even worse is that their prices are typically much higher then a chain beer and wine store like Total Wine or Greens.

After being burned more than once by the mom and pops, I've begun only shopping at Total Wine. It's the lowest prices in town by far and the beer is nearly always fresh. If it's not, they will pull it off the shelf.

All that said, I've learned that A LOT of of the blame goes to the distributor. Around me is K&W and Greenco.
K&W distributes Stone beer. On a regular basis they are not delivering the stone beer to Total Wine until it is past the best by date I've had conversations with the rep many times when they are in the store dropping off.

Then lastly, I used to work for a local craft brewer. Some are better than others. The one I worked for really couldn't have cared less whether their beer was fresh or not. Sometimes it would sit in the hot warehouse until right before the expiration date before the distributor would pick up a shipment.
The owner said if he could get away with it, he wouldn't even put a date on the bottle because the consumer is a bunch of whiners. "Just drink the beer and like it or shut up. " was his slogan.

After watching your review, here


I'm kind of inclined to think there’s a certain element of accuracy in your ex bosses statement

 

[PADave]

Also depends on if the beer is bottle conditioned or pasteurized and highly dependent on the style. I was just at the local beer disturber and he was trying to get rid of the last of three different 12 packs at 15% off, one of them an IPA. I didn't even want to know how old they were.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I understand what most of you are saying. But... I for one know that the fresher the beer on the shelf, the lower the chance that the brewery, distributor, and retailer have mishandled the beer (which many do).
I and everyone know that many different styles benefit from aging in the bottle for different extended periods of time. But it's not the aging we are talking about. It's how the beer is taken care of before it reaches my hands (as a consumer).

Even in mom and pop stores, the beer sits on a shelf with the light beaming down on it day in and day out.
If it is very fresh, then I as the consumer, decide how it is handled and taken care of.

Grocery stores, distributor warehouses and brewery warehouses are very unforgiving. And the sooner it gets into my hands, the less likely it will be abused by the system.

I do not consider myself a snob. I consider myself educated enough to understand what happens to the beer BEFORE it reaches my hands; and how and when is the best time to purchase said beer with some degree of certainty that it will not have been abused by time or distribution chains.

My homebrew is always going to be better than most retail brands. But, if I'm going to spend MY money on a product, it will be the best and freshest it can be. Otherwise my money stays in my pockets.

That does not make me a snob, that makes me an informed consumer.

 

[BigMack]

The point I'm trying to make is that as homebrewers, we should be the one part of the market that doesn't automatically reject all beers because of some "born on" date alone.
The homebrewer experience isn't the same as buying commercial beer of course, my beer is stored in a pretty stable environment.
I have had some hoppy commercial beers that have been disappointing because of age, but there are shipping and storage conditions that can spoil a beer quickly, so the expiration date isn't always accurate.
So If you see an out of date pumpkin stout on sale, don't worry, but I'd be reluctant to buy an old six pack of something like Mirror Pond.
So have a Merry Old (beer) Chistmas!!

Not trying to speak for RM-MN, but I think the point you are, posssibly, missing is that a "one rule applies across the board to any and all types of beers" can sometimes mean you might, through prejudice, miss some absolute gems, due to your inflexibility, or lack of adventure, should you evaluate the possible purchase of all beers on their sell by date being exceeded.

I definitely didn't mean that any beer regardless of style or anything like that goes back on the shelf. Probably should've specified a little more on that front, but when I see a relatively local brew that is hoppy or a style that isn't meant to be aged then it goes right back on the shelf if it is over a certain age. There were a few Wicked Weed beers that I wanted to try and they were bottled over 6 months ago. Being that the brewery is only a couple hours away that seems way too long to me for a hoppy style.

Some of the best beers I've had were year old Imperial beers that places like Total Wine mark way down because they've been sitting on the shelf, but if it is a style that clearly isn't meant to be aged (which is a lot of what I drink) then I don't want to risk oxidized beer. That is especially true with some of the local breweries around here that are notorious for having their beer not last long on the shelf.

Didn't expect to be called a beer snob on this one, but to each their own. I asked the question because I really wanted feedback. I know that homebrewing has drastically changed how I buy beer, and I wanted some other opinions from people who are in the same boat. Now that I can brew a batch of an APA or IPA for the cost of a 6 pack or two it has just become even more of a bummer when I pick up a new beer to try and it is stale and oxidized.

Also, but we homebrewers gotta stick together on the beer snob thing. We can't let the floccing wine snobs win

 

[rangerdug]

Informed doesn't equal snob. I have had "looks" from store clerks and other customers as I look for dates on the merchandise. Oh well.

As stated above, some styles are better fresh so I take that into consideration when looking at the date and making my buy decision. I've been know to ignore the date if it's something I have wanting to try.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

edit double post

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Not trying to speak for RM-MN, but I think the point you are, posssibly, missing is that a "one rule applies across the board to any and all types of beers" can sometimes mean you might, through prejudice, miss some absolute gems, due to your inflexibility, or lack of adventure, should you evaluate the possible purchase of all beers on their sell by date being exceeded.

I wasn't talking about all beers. I'm not paying $10 for a 6 pack of IPA that is 3-4 months old, period. That's all I was referring to.

 

[RM-MN]

My most recent experience was the opposite although I didn't look for a best buy date when I purchased the beer. It was a porter and I bought it when on vacation for immediate drinking. From drinking my own porters I have an idea of what to expect but this one was watery and relatively tasteless. Another 3 or 4 months and that beer might have been pretty good but from that bad experience I will likely avoid that brand's entire line of beers.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

2012 review. So completely irrelevant.
Wanting fresh beer and not wanting BMC are completely different things.
Am I a snob when it comes to what brands I buy? Yes. And I will own that.
Am I a snob because I don't want to buy old or abused beer?
Nope, the consumer has every right to know what they are buying and choose what they think is fresh.