TOPIC:

I bought this beer today from the off licence cos I hadn't seen it before and fancied something different...thing is I didn't check the use by date and its shown as 12-07...would this be ok to drink?

[img:2n5nvgdx]http://www.awooga.org/a/71DSC00228.JPG[/img:2n5nvgdx]

It'll be fine. You'll find with beer that a 'Best Before' date is used. Theoretically it's past its best after that date but still safe to consume. 'Use by' is generally for perishable food where it may be unsafe after that date. I've often drank out of date beers and by and large they've tasted fine.

It affects some beers worse than others. You'll still see the odd bottle of Messrs Porter around with a 10/07 date, but it's perfectly palateable. Edelstoff, unfortunately, loses a lot of its trademark smoothness when it's not fresh.

Isn't it a good excuse to get a discount from the seller ?

I've tried that, and unless it's already discounted it won't work. I very much doubt if the distributors to independent off licences work on a sale-or-return basis.

I once brought back an expired bottle of beer to a well-respected Dublin off licence: it had been expensive and when I got it home I noticed it was ludicrously out of date. It was the last bottle of that particular beer in stock, but they let me exchange it for something else. When I was next in, some months later, the very same bottle was [i:3ttj88dm]still[/i:3ttj88dm] sittng there.

As far as the shops are concerned, if you're not going to pay full price for elderly beer, some other mug will.