Ommegang:Bottlingdate on the cases they come in and both abottled onandbest bydate on their bottles. Cascade/Raccoon Lodge:Usesvintagedates. date. googletag.cmd.push(function () { Caldera:Uses apackaged ondate. Distributors say their job is getting harder all the time as the microbrew phenomenon continues to spread and big makers add specialty and even low-carb versions of their beers. : 12365 would be the 365th day of 2012. date. However, if purchased by the six-pack, bottling date is in white ink toward the bottom of the bottle The first two digits are the year the beer was brewed, the second three are the batch number and the final four are month and day. If it is a "shorts" bottle bought at the brewery, we probably put bottles into a re-used case box. Lost in translation? Battle Road:Uses apackageddate which is stamped on the bottle. It's MM/DD/YY. There are 2 lines. The delicious Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen that I'm currently enjoying was bottled on "DEC2705". There's a date on the bombers. Miller codes contain two lines. Golden City:Uses abottlingdate. Fantastic post. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Bottom of label from right to left is July, Aug, Sept. and left side of label from bottom to top is Oct., Nov., Dec. We give a single notch for each time we package a given style of beer in a month. Also, how can you decipher a Guinness date code? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The code is standard Julian dating. El Toro:Uses abottlingdate on the top of the case. The first three numbers are the day of the year the beer was bottled. Stouts aren't even good unless they've been aged for a year or so, and they're great even after 3 years. Learn about Sapporo beers, our history, promotions and more. Yuengling:Uses aproductiondate. So does a carton of milk. "08" = 8th, "E" = May (skip I and J), "09" = 2009. Southern Tier:Uses abottlingdate. Distribution-company employees are taught how to translate the codes into dates. Butternuts:Uses apackaged onandbest beforedate. Odell:Clearly shows theexpirydate. We often have issues with the coder so it might not be there. _Shelf-life dates _indicate the date by which you should consume a beer, as determined by the brewery. ), 05= 5th day, 1= 2011. Best consumed by 4 months. Iron Springs:Uses abottlingdate on the bottle itself. Gordon Biersch:Clearly shows thebottlingdate.Grand Canyon:Uses abombed on(bottling)date on their bombers.Grand Teton:Uses abottlingdate. This code is located on the shoulder of the bottle above the body label but below the neck label and is etched into the bottle. It names the month and the year. Miller:Uses apullcodeon the side of bottles, kegs, and cartons, and on the bottom of cans. OPA-OPA:Uses apacked ondate. New Glarus:Uses apackageddate. I've had more skunked Coronas than you can shake a skunk at. Lonerider:Uses abest bydate. It's on the cases only. It's on the label and marks 90 days after the product was packaged. date. Anderson Valley:Uses a Julianbottlingdate in small print on the bottle neck. Foothills:Uses abottlingdate on their outside packaging. The date is the month only. Old Dominion:Uses abottlingdate. 11F5 3SK. has 3 digits followed by a space, then one more digit. It's on the side of the label. In 1997, the family of baseball great Roger Maris found itself embroiled in a dispute over these strict requirements. Detroit Beer Co:Uses abottled ondate. I sort of goofed up the link. It's on the cases only. From the brewer: There should be a date stamp on the 'lower right hand corner' of the bottle . date. 12oz. The date code is similar to a price sticker and is usually applied on the inside of the box on the opening flap. It's a sticker on the top of each six-pack, format is MMDDYY. Stamped on the bottles and cans. Natty Greene's:Uses aborn ondate. It's Usually Safe to Eat Food Past the Expiration DateHere's How to Know When It's Ok Food expiration dates refer to quality, not safety, which means eggs, milk, and more are generally good to eat after the date on their packaging. You have to email the code to the brewery to find out the date.Duquesne Beer:Uses abreweddate on all their cases. From the brewer: If you look at the label on the bottle, there is a notch taken out on the month it was brewed. date. First 3 digits are for the day of the year and the last digit is the year. Iron Fist:Uses abottlingdate on the outside of the cases. Not quite skunk beer, but close. beer shopping expiration dates secret code. date. Sometimes it is also on the packaging, but not always. Cooperstown:Uses apackaged ondate. Its the same thing you see when you slice open an apple and its exposed to the air, says William Quilliam, the brewmaster at Coors Brewing, which marks its bottles with a clear expiration date, generally 112 days from the manufacture date. Shows the Julian date on all bottles. Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues. Blue Point:Uses abottlingdate printed on the neck of the bottle. Beers that are too old are to be removed from the shelves and destroyed. If the code says something like TCR048BA. Only bottles in small quantities. Then we hold that beer in our cooler for ten days as a kind of quarantine, just to make sure everythings ok.Breckenridge:Clearly shows thebest beforedatenotched directly on the bottle. Yes, inasmuch as it is safe to drink, the beer is still delicious. The first 3 numbers are the day of the year, and the last digit is the last number of the year. Format is MM/DD/YYYY. But if youre looking for the expiration date on a bottle of beer, forget about it for many brewers, that information is a closely guarded secret. We're updating the IPA, DOA, Stout and Pale to read like the Secession. La Cumbre:Uses acanningdate on a sticker on top of the can stacker. From the brewer: If you can check the code stamped on the case, it is the Julian date and the last digit is the year ["0" for 2010]. Only the year is written on the label. Urban Chestnut:Will use apackagingdate very shortly. It's on the back label. From the brewer: The expiration date is coded on each bottle and every case of beer. You'll see a notch for a month and a year. Augustiner - LDDD##YY## (L153072033 = L means nothing, 153rd day of 2020) Ayinger - LYDDD (L8108 = L means nothing, 108th day of 2018) Frh - DDDYY. The label reads BEST BEFORE: J F M A M J J A S O N D 12 13 14 so there would be 1 notch under a month and another under a year. google_color_link="000000"; It's on the cases only. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". We used to have almost a months worth of Miller and Coors in the warehouse sometimes, says Don Faust Jr., chief executive of Faust Distributing Co., which distributes products for Anheuser-Buschs arch rival, SABMiller, and other companies in Texas. I spell out the dates as month or season and YYYY. Geary's:Uses abottlingdate. Translates into June 11th, 2005. date. Otter Creek/Wolaver's:Uses abottlingdate on the outside of each case and 12 pack and on each bottle near the shoulder slope in yellow ink. : JUN 19 2010. Example: March 24 2010. Their bottled beers are mostly strong so they can age for a couple of years. Side Projects and SpecialReleasesare style-dependentThird Street Brewhouse (MN):Uses aproduceddate.Thomas Creek:Uses aproductiondate. beer shopping expiration dates secret code Beer an alcoholic beverage brewed with hops, malt and barley; once referred to by Keats as "sweet liquid bread" has a half life of about. Most of our seasonals do not have this due to their limited availability. A loaf of bread has it. West Sixth:Uses abrewed ondate stamped on their cases only. Left side is the day of the month, bottom is year, letters are the month.Traveler Beer:Uses abest beforedate. It is typically on the left side of the label. The exceptions to this are beers that are vintage dated and have codes like VINT11EE. From the brewer: "Bottled in" month and batch number on the neck label. We believe in competing on the basis of the taste of our beer, not its age, says Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Right side of label from top to bottom is April, May, June. Saint Somewhere:Uses abottlingdate. Reference the year on the label to tell them apart. Fish Brewing (WA):Uses aspawned on (bottling)date. How Do You Make Poppadoms in The Microwave? It's on their cases and six-packs. This time duration may be extended by up to two years with refrigeration. Format is MM/DD/YY. We explain how these codes work and what theyre used for. Covington Brewhouse:Uses apackagingdate. MillerCoors Sued For Selling Blue Moon As A Craft Beer, Mystery Thieves Drive Off With 78,500 Bottles Of Beer, Kroger Wants Alcohol Companies To Pick Up The Tab For Its New Booze Organization Plan. Processing & Packaging The letters and numbers after that indicate a brewery and packaging line.Grey Sail:Uses acanningdate. Month is notched on the left side of the front label but year doesn't seem to be there.Flat Rock:Uses abottlingdate on their 22 oz bottles.Florida Beer:Uses abest bydate. In Phoenix, though, we picked up a Dos Equis barely two weeks from the brewery. First 3 digits are the day of the year, next 2 is the year and the last 3 are the batch number. For these distributors, pulling old beers off store shelves is a big job. It's on the cases boxes as well as their keg caps. The new format will only indicate the year and month of manufacture. It's a Julian code. Written in red ink on the bottle but they plan on using on easier to read ink in the future. Logsdon Farmhouse Ales:Uses abest beforedate on bottles,bottlingdate on cases. Example: 1339 would be the 133rd day of 2009. Captured By Porches:Uses abottlingdate. Format is MM/DD/YY. Pennsylvania (Penn):Uses abest beforedate. It is stamped inside the middle slot of their six-pack carrier. But with the help of industry insiders and analysts, we cracked the codes, studying bottles purchased across the country to determine the key dates for 18 big brews. Southampton:Uses aproductiondate. So if you've got a code that reads 100980726 that means that the beer was brewed in 2010, the batch number is 098 and the day of bottling is 7/26. The number of imported beers has also risen. Snoqualmie Falls:Uses abottlingdate. On the left hand side of the front label, the month is notched The date is 4 months from bottling. For example J would be January, F would be February, etc. Brewers take elaborate steps to minimize the amount of oxygen left in their bottles before they get sealed up. M= December (A=January, B=Feb, etc. Stevens Point:Uses abottlingdate. Bottles:On the shoulder of the bottle in yellow ink. However, if the beer quality is lower than what you might expect, there might be some unwanted flavors in there as well. Hair of the Dog:Uses either the year as avintageor abatch codethat you can find out the brewed & bottled date on their website altough they haven't updated it in a few years. 0A34 means it was bottled January 13th, 2010. From the brewer: The expiration date is coded on each bottle and every case of beer. Founded in 2005, Consumerist is an independent source of consumer news and information published by Consumer Reports. Example: 10184B6, 10 = the first one or two digits of the top line indicate the year; 9 is 2009, 10 is 2010, etc 184 = Julian date, B6 = the tank it was brewed in. Mankota:Uses adrink bydate. It's just on the case. Looks like this: APRIL2012. Thus 8JT was bottled on January 20, 2008. Take Sapporo, a Japanese beer we purchased in Los Angeles, which was imprinted with "K1205FL" on the bottom. In the case of Sapporo, the first letter represents the month of manufacture: "A" for January, "B" for February and so on, through "M" for December. New Belgium:Clearly shows thebest beforedate. It's on the cases only in a format for internal use. Example:PD10/14/2008. Format is MM/DD/YY. date. Printed on the lower right hand side of the bottle as well as on the cases. date. From the brewer: It is vertically etched on the left side of the back label, and is in a MMDDYY format (063013 would thus mean June 30, 2013). date. So, drinking outdated beer isnt unsafe in any way. There was an etching on the left side of the label in the MM/DD/YY format. Hawaii Nui:Uses aborn ondate that's date stamped only on the cases. Snipes Mountain:No longer bottles but they have akegged ondate on their kegs. Tuppers' Hop Pocket:Uses abottlingdate on the cases only. Most retailers, such as grocery stores and liquor stores, actually have little to do with this. 13=2013. This is also called the six-digit code. 12oz. [1] Check the bottom of the product, the sides of the container, the lid, and the necks of bottles. Japan. Here is an example of how to decipher the code! It's on the neck of the bottle in black ink. var reg = new RegExp('\\W+', "g"); From the brewer: If bought by the case, the dates are only ON the case. The following letter is the month (A=January B=February Etc.) Real Ale (TX):Uses abest consumed bydate. Format is MM/DD/YY. Also cases are stamped with the date before they are palletized. Format is MM/DD/YY. On the cases only. Paradise Creek:Uses abottlingdate on their beers.Peak Organic:Uses abest beforedate. Listed as month/day/year and is 120 days out. From the brewer: On the shoulder of the bottle there should be two rows of numbers. Sol Code Dates are reflected as Best Before Date: BBD MMMYYY. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The date is on the side of the labels.Pedernales:Uses apackagingdate. Arbor:Uses abottlingdate. Which is 100 days from the day we bottled. google_ad_format="125x125_as"; On the upper right hand side of the label is an 8 digit number. Beer is dated 4 months from bottling. Ska:Uses abest bydate. Making a 5 percent low-hopped beer is far less expensive than making a 7 percent hoppy IPA, which needs a particular yeast strain and 10X the quantity of hops. Format is MM/DD/YY. bottles are dated with the words "Bottled with Love on:". Format is MM/DD/YY on the bottles. Sapporo Breweries will extend the best-before period for its beer and quasi-beer products from the existing nine months to 12 months. Shelf-life is recommended at 90 days but it can last longer. It makes your beer taste as though it was just poured from the tap. Take Sapporo, a Japanese beer we purchased in Los Angeles, which was imprinted with "K1205FL" on the bottom. This is the bottling date, not the best before date. Now we never have more than 10 to 15 days of inventory., As our own beer hunt found, the system isnt perfect even when theres no code involved. We decoded an Anchor Steam bought in New York and found it to be 10 months old the same age as a Bass Ale we purchased in Salem, Ore. Consider this your official guide to when foods actually expire. Their bottled beers are mostly strong so they can age for a couple of years. Their other beers are made to cellar and have the year they were blended on the bottle. Boston Brewing, maker of Samuel Adams beers, is among the few that prints clear best-by dates on its labels. Lift Bridge:Uses abottlingdate. Fort George:Uses acanningdate. An example of a date code would be January 20, 2012 = 2JT." See? Format is MM/DD/YY. Oxygen gets trapped in the bottle when it's sealed, and the oxygen interacts with the beer in unfavorable ways. Format is MM/DD/YYYY. Should be on the base of the neck of the bottle as well as on the case box in the same format. Ex. Uinta:Uses abottled onandbest beforedate. Full Sail:Clearly shows thebest beforedate. It's stamped on the outside of their cases as well as the bottles. AC Golden:Uses abest consumed bydate. It's usually on the bottom right of the label. P.S.- It is on the six packs with a stamp on the top of each on Drop Kick and Cream Ale. It's stamped on the bottle, format MM/DD/YY. Epic Brewing:Uses areleasenumberthat you can then use on their website to find out brewing and packing details. google_color_text="260A00"; Gritty McDuff's:Uses aBest if used beforedate. Almanac:Uses apackagingdate. Big Sky:Uses abest beforedate. Underneath that, the number is stamped, example SEVEN. However, if purchased by the six-pack, bottling date is in white ink toward the bottom of the bottle The first two digits are the year the beer was brewed, the second three are the batch number and the final four are month and day. It's stamped on the cases only. Because temperature and motion can also affect the rate of oxidation, theres no simple answer to how long it takes a beer to go stale. Blackstone:Uses abest beforedate. So 0218 was bottled on 21st day of 2008 or January 21, 2008. date. 1. Also, if you know the beer has been exposed to sunshine, artificial light, or has been heated, it has most likely been skunked. It's a Julian date code. The production code is an 11-digit number found on the cans bottom and the bottles neck. One of the other ways we track the age of Herman Joseph's Private Reserve is with the brew number. Format is MM/DD/YY. From the brewer: On the 12 pack I have a date it was packed and a best by date. YY is the last 2 digits of the year. Shelf life is 1 year. Saugatuck:Uses abest bydate. Best By date: BEST BY 05/22/13 .Bozeman:Uses acanningdate. Beverages You'll see a notch for a month and a year. $(document).ready(function() { Most brewers don't really want consumers to know when their beer was made. Format is: JUN 09 2013. The fact is simple: a chemical reaction happens when UV light reacts with bitter hop chemicals in a brew, resulting in a musky fragrance. 1339 1728 means beer was packaged on the 133. day of 2009 (Julian Calendar) at 17:28 (Military Time = 5:28 pm). O'Fallon:Uses aborn ondate. date. I love how pointless the Weekend WSJ is. Bottling date is 3 months before. (Others that do so include Brooklyn Brewery, Grolsch and St. Pauli Girl. Nevertheless it's entertaining: There is a much bigger list at beerdates.com but you have to dig the info out of the. Format is DD/MM/YY. Beer an alcoholic beverage brewed with hops, malt and barley; once referred to by Keats as sweet liquid bread has a half life of about three months. From the brewer: There is a date on the back label as a "best by" date. Tied House:Uses abottled/packed ondate on the bottles and cases.Tommyknocker:Uses abottled ondate. On the bottle necks, there should only be the six-digit date (mm/dd/yy) of packaging. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Food waste The first six numbers of the second row are mm/dd/yy. Also, the "regular strength" Brooklyn 12 oz. The first line comprises three numerals, a space, and then one more digit. Yazoo:Bottlingdate on the label.Yellowstone Valley:Uses abottlingdate. It seems this function is disabled on their site.Justice:They are in the middle of a label change. Backcountry:Uses abottled ondate. Here you can find 12 years worth of articles on everything from how to avoid dodgy scams to writing an effective complaint letter. It's a 3 digit number stamped on the neck.Hatuey:Uses a Julian date code which is stamped on the shoulder of the bottle. The second two digits are the day of the month (01 - 31). Some of these require an expiration date decoder to decipher. date. date. Furthermore, since they are not a small brewing enterprise, it is also less expensive due to the volume of brewing they undertake. Ex: 15JAN13. vOut +=', '; Month and year are notched on the bottom of the front label. We're working on adding that to the 12 oz.Terminal Gravity:Uses abottlingdate on the mother carton only. It's on the angled silver part of the bottom. They bottle once a week. From the brewer: It appears on the container mm/dd/yyyy. Recommended shelf life is 60-90 days. Once you purchase your beer, it is always wise to check its expiry date. 0689 1219 means beer was packaged on the 68th day of 2009 at 12:19. date on cases only. Boulder Beer:Uses apull (best before)date. Beer may be refrigerated for up to two years after it has passed its expiry date. Kona Brewing:Uses apackagingdate. In each of these countries she has experienced local dishes while learning about the culture as well as gaining insight into how food can be used as a bridge between different cultures. Sun King:Uses acanneddate. Format is a random letter or two followed by the date of the month, the month spelled out and the year. It's on the outside of the cases boxes. Once packaged our beer is best enjoyed within 150 days from the bottling date. All Coors "pull dates" fall on a Sundaythat's how you can determine the year the product was packaged. Not bad. City Steam:Uses abottlingdate which is etched on. Surly:Uses acanned ondate. The next four digits are the day and year the beer was first brewed, and the last two letters are the state code where it was brewed. Left Hand:Use abottled ondate. I think I'm going to print the graphic, and keep it in my wallet - unfold it whenever I purchase beer. //-->. Written in black ink on the side of the bottle, just below the label. Upstate:Uses acanneddate. Calicraft:Uses abottlingcode. City (WI):Uses abottlingcode. Checking The Date Shelf-life is 6 months.Monday Night:Uses abest beforedate on the case box only. It is positioned next to the UPC bar code.The date is 150 days from bottling. Harpoon:Uses abest bydate. It's on the bottom of the can. Supply chain It's a Julian date stamped on the neck of the bottle. As an example, lets say the code is 10084FA96. Ex. However, if there is contamination at a commercial brewing facility, then you can get sick. From the brewer: Laser printed born on date on each bottle.Three Creeks:Uses abottlingdate.Three Floyds:Uses abottlingdate printed on the bottle. We generally want the beer consumed within 90 days. Example, Mar. google_ad_width=120; For example, if the code on a bottle or can of a Coors product reads "NOV14 111B" or "NOV1411132B", then November 14 is the day the product should be removed from a retailer's shelves. bottles is notched. D.L. No-Li Brewhouse:Uses abottlingdate on the cases only. And the last two numbers are the year. On the bottles, it's on the label. O'so:Uses abottleddate. Well, the code indicates the beer was made Oct. 12, 2005. They have a year shelf life. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. It's on the side in the month/ year format. Extremely important information about our beer - which should not be confined to Saturday WSJ readers only. : February 2011. return vOut; Sebago:Uses abottled ondate. Hobos delight. For example J would be January, F would be February, etc.