Drinking a beer when the label tells you to
The label on a bottle of Orlio Organic IPA, a 5.6 percent ABV brew that is one of the organic beers from Magic Hat, had this advice. "Please drink by the end of the month notched."
The notches on the label of this bottle told me I should sip the contents before the end of June 2008. I followed the label's orders and found this beer to have pleasing golden/straw color, an excellent head and powerful, maybe overpowering, hops.
But it felt odd to be told what to do by a beer label.
More organic beers are appearing on the market. Oxford's organic Raspberry Wheat is slated to make its debut this weekend at the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Fest Saturday at the Timonium Fairgrounds.
Freshness matters in beer, but I guess with organic brews it matters more.
My question is do you notice the notches? Do you read the label of beer before you buy it?
How's about before you drink it?
Or are freshness codes too much information?
Comments
I always notice and appreciate a date notch. Some stores will sell good beers at a great discount and it's often because they're past the date. I think the dates are generally too conservative and will ignore them up to three months past the date.
Posted by: Brian | April 4, 2008 11:13 AM
I definitely prefer Magic Hat's "hI.P.A." to the Orlio Organic IPA. At 6.8% it packs more of a wallop that Orlio's. Very hoppy flavor but not overpowering. It's a seasonal offering and they do have it at the Wine Source right now.
As far as freshness codes go, I agree that I pretty much never pay attention to them, but do still think they're necessary. I say this because stores in more remote areas that don't get as much customer traffic could have brews on the shelf way past their prime.
Posted by: Greg S | April 4, 2008 3:56 PM
I'm drinking a Terrapin Golden Ale right now that has a "drink by" date on it of 1/18/2008 and its still pretty good. It was part of a sampler pack that has Terrapin Rye Pale Ale in it, with an expiry of 3/18/08.
The beer is brewed in Athens GA but says it follows the exact recipe of a brewmaster in Frederick MD.
I HIGHLY recommend the Rye Pale Ale! Nice hops taste and just the right amount of bite.
Greg S. is right. We are out of the way and even though we get lots of tourists who drink the mass-produced stuff, beer does tend to sit on the shelves awhile.
Posted by: Rob in the Redneck Riviera | April 4, 2008 5:53 PM
I may drink a beer a month or two past the drink by date but when I see beer in the cooler of a liquor store with beer two years beyond the date I pass on the purchase. When this happened I told the management but when I was in the place a couple of weeks later it was still there. Now I just by lottery tickets there and make all alcohol purchases at the Wine Source.
Posted by: Mark | April 6, 2008 10:40 AM
I always check dates on beer. If a beer doesn't have a date I am very reluctant to buy it. There are exceptions to the rules. Alcohol content in beer will play a huge factor in its shelf life. The more booze the longer it will last. I have several bottles of Kulmbacher Eisbock, vintage dated July 11, 1996 sitting in my beer fridge waiting to be opened. The last time I had one was last year and it was still exceptional. At the same time I had a Dominion Lager just past its date by one month and it was unpleasant. So I think using the date a reference is a good idea for a regular strength brew, but there are other things to look at.
Posted by: Mike McD | April 6, 2008 10:52 AM