Date on beer - is that sell by or good til?

[lecach]

We have some Coors Light. Date on the beer is October 25 2010 - is that the sell by date or is it expired?

 

[kellyg403]

That is actually the 'born on' date..meaning packaging date or brewed date..not sure. But the guy who delivers to our store said it is actually considered a freshness date not expiration.

Hope that helps!

 

[okeydokey]

For Coors lite, not sure it really matters.

I think it is the BEST USED BY date, but it should be fine. Does it say use by....One sip and you'll know.

 

[lecach]

It doesnt say sell by or used by. It was given to us in early September though so I am pretty sure that the date isnt the packaged date.

 

[kellyg403]

Strange, the guy who delivers beer is the one who told me that. Wait till I see him next time.


Kelly

 

[Bell30012]

Beer expires?

 

[tzolkin]

All the beers I've seen it's the "born on" date, so it will always be after the date printed on the packaging.

I believe they usually suggest drinking it within 120 days for optimal freshness, but it's fine longer than that.

 

[TDS'93]

Try this website: http://www.stilltasty.com/, very informative. I've used it several times when I'm not sure about the shelf life of different products.

 

[dhcoffey]

According to my husband who was a beer salesman for years, that is the pick up date, which means the date it should be taken off the shelves but he thinks it should still be okay to drink.

Heather

 

[mr.bungle]

Beer expires?

Yes. And many beer styles such as IPA's are best enjoyed fresh. Storage (light/heat) can contribute to a beer expiring as well. Some other types of beers like Barleywines and Imperial Stouts and Wild Ales can improve and mature over time if stored properly; much like a fine wine.

Why do you think beer in green bottles taste skunky? Light exposure.

 

[Squirlz]

When I worked at a microbrewery one of my jobs was setting up the ink jet printer on the bottling line. We printed the date bottled on ours. That is the industry standard.

 

[tvguy]

I've always been suspicous since they started those "born on dates". Marketing ploy to get folks to throw out "expired" beer and buy more.
Beer is in a sealed bottle, it should not degrade.

I'll get back to you on this, because there is still part of a 6 pack of Michelob in my mom's refrigerator that I left there when I moved out 29 years ago.
I know she used one bottle to make beer bread last year, and I did have some of the bread, and IT seemed fine.
I should point out that there is also one can of Primo beer we brought home from Hawaii in 1972 in there too!!

 

[donaldduck352]

For the most part beer has a long shelf life when left cold.I'm not saying years,but afew months.Let me add tho,if beer was cold at onetime and aloud to get warm and cold again,YUCK.I call this skunk beer and you will know you gotta hold of one in the first sip,like freezer burned meat!!

 

[Squirlz]

I've always been suspicous since they started those "born on dates". Marketing ploy to get folks to throw out "expired" beer and buy more.
Beer is in a sealed bottle, it should not degrade.

"Born on" was a marketing ploy by Anheuser Busch to market their so-called beer

Date codes have been used internally by breweries for decades to control inventory.

For the most part beer has a long shelf life when left cold.I'm not saying years,but afew months.Let me add tho,if beer was cold at onetime and aloud to get warm and cold again,YUCK.I call this skunk beer and you will know you gotta hold of one in the first sip,like freezer burned meat!!

The enemy of beer is light. The whole cold/warm/cold thing is a myth. All beer is bottled cold and most is sold at room temperature. When stored in a cool dark atmosphere beer can last for years.

 

[Goingon40]

I guess I will give my two-cents worth on this subject since I have been selling/delivering the product for nearly 20 years.

To answer the OP question-it is really the "pull date" or date the beer should not be on the shelf to sell. It has not expired, it is quality control mechanism to keep the freshest product to sell to the public.

Date codes have been used internally by breweries for decades to control inventory.

A very small part at the distributor, not the brewery. The code dates are again a quality control issue. I bring back too much beer past the code, be it one day past, I can plan on being talked too or written up. I have seen in my years way too many salesman get unpaid time off for not paying attention to code dates on the product and a few terminated. It is not tolerated for the two distributors I have worked with. Also, the out-of-date product, be it just one day when picked up and returned to the company was promptly opened and poured out. My pay and bonuses have been based on that code date you see. I have carried a code date book everyday for all these years because if I don't have mine on me, I can be sent home without pay for the day. It is that important.


The enemy of beer is light. The whole cold/warm/cold thing is a myth. All beer is bottled cold and most is sold at room temperature. When stored in a cool dark atmosphere beer can last for years.[/QUOTE]

Yes, the enemy of beer is light and it is NOT a myth regarding constant temperature change. The exact reason I would not drink draught beer in the summertime if I lived in a hot/humid climate that the distributors trucks were not a/c. I know of many instances where the beer had either dramatic temperature changes or was too hot for a longer period of time than should have been for rare reasons and that beer was promptly destroyed. As for temperature, I don't really consider 38-45 degrees room temperature. If I went to deliver my product to an account with a broken cooler (that is room temperature), no beer will be delivered. Temperature is very important.

I guess it is more than two-cent I put in. I will also add that A-B InBev products have provided me with a very comfortable living and allowed me to have many nice trip to WDW.

 

[undertheradar]

I drink microbrews and the dates on those types are use by dates. The larger, less intense beers don't seem to expire like the micros do, imho.