[Jimmy K]

And really, no brewery is going to print a best buy date that is within a month or 2, or even 4, of production, which is what's needed. It would kill them.

Well that is just not true, Stone has it at 90  days on some beers and 120 days on some other beers. They are in the process of opening the largest restaurant in San Diego. Here is a link, I'm sure you will find more breweries that do it also.  https://sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/u-s-breweries

Wow! Good for them!

[erockrph]

The trouble with "best by" is it doesn't tell you when it was bottled. Fuller's beers have a "best before" date, but it must be a year or more after bottling. The last time I bought their ESB, it was oxidized and nothing like the beer I've had in England.

And really, no brewery is going to print a best buy date that is within a month or 2, or even 4, of production, which is what's needed. It would kill them.

Well that is just not true, Stone has it at 90  days on some beers and 120 days on some other beers. They are in the process of opening the largest restaurant in San Diego. Here is a link, I'm sure you will find more breweries that do it also.  https://sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/u-s-breweries

Good for them, but keep in mind that they move the kind of volume where you can get away with this. A much smaller brewery may not be able to pull this off.

[Jimmy K]

And really, no brewery is going to print a best buy date that is within a month or 2, or even 4, of production, which is what's needed. It would kill them.

Well that is just not true, Stone has it at 90  days on some beers and 120 days on some other beers. They are in the process of opening the largest restaurant in San Diego. Here is a link, I'm sure you will find more breweries that do it also.  https://sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/u-s-breweries

Good for them, but keep in mind that they move the kind of volume where you can get away with this. A much smaller brewery may not be able to pull this off.

Very true!

[repo]

And really, no brewery is going to print a best buy date that is within a month or 2, or even 4, of production, which is what's needed. It would kill them.

Well that is just not true, Stone has it at 90  days on some beers and 120 days on some other beers. They are in the process of opening the largest restaurant in San Diego. Here is a link, I'm sure you will find more breweries that do it also.  https://sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/u-s-breweries

Good for them, but keep in mind that they move the kind of volume where you can get away with this. A much smaller brewery may not be able to pull this off.

Very true!

 I suggest again, you guys check the list. A good number of breweries Do " pull this off"

[neemox]

Interesting to read through that list and find out that while before this thread I had never looked at a best by date on a beer, all the breweries that I love most do include brew date info. Perhaps there is a link between breweries that are willing to provide this information and their mentality about producing (and selling) good quality beer.

[DrewG]

Forgive my ignorance of the nuances of the 3 tier system, but does the distributor not purchase the beer from the brewery, then sell it to a retailer? So if the beer sits and goes out of date, one would assume that either the retailer or distributor would eat the cost (assuming they actually pull the product, which has not been my experience) instead of the brewer?

I'm not saying I know one way or the other, just making assumptions

[ncoleman]

yeah I would say most of my beer including IPAs are best 6-7 week after brewing. I personally like that the bitterness mellows out a bit in my IPAs. I say this knowing that I probably prefer IPAs that are more balanced and have less bitterness than most. Because of this, the whole "freshness" notion may not apply as much.

6 -7 week rule is about the same for me, probably with a little longer of a window. I find that IPAs in particular tend to get gradually better for 6-9 weeks, then start to degrade quickly thereafter.

[Jimmy K]

Forgive my ignorance of the nuances of the 3 tier system, but does the distributor not purchase the beer from the brewery, then sell it to a retailer? So if the beer sits and goes out of date, one would assume that either the retailer or distributor would eat the cost (assuming they actually pull the product, which has not been my experience) instead of the brewer?

I'm not saying I know one way or the other, just making assumptions

Not sure about alcohol, but many distribution contracts for perishable products include clauses that say that if the product doesn't sell and goes out of date then the distributor doesn't have to pay for it. If not perishable, the distributor can often return the product later.  That, and the brewery will often end up paying because they care the most about maintaining freshness.

[topher.bartos]

Speaking of. All I wanted for Christmas was Stone's Enjoy By series which is supposed to be the freshest IPA you can get. I heard it was the best IPA ever tasted. But, how would I know? I didn't get a chance to taste it.

There is something to be said about making a high gravity phenol concoction and aging it overtime to reduce the fire flavor.

That said, when I brew an IPA, I drink it ASAP.

[In The Sand]

If IPAs are better fresh, which I totally agree with, this Stoudts Double IPA should be great!

[liquidbrewing]

If IPAs are better fresh, which I totally agree with, this Stoudts Double IPA should be great!

Beer from the future!  Time travel is possible!

[erockrph]

Might want to give it some time. I don't think they picked the hops for this one yet.