TOPIC:

I've started looking at best before dates on the hoppier beers I've been buying lately even routing through the self to find a later date. My question is how long go they normally give on these bottles? I picked up some Torpedo which is dated 2/11/12. How fresh would these beers be? I don't know if I'm just use to drinking hoppy beers but Torpedo just isn't the hop bomb i remember it being when i first drank it. Could be that the bottle I'm drinking are just not as fresh.

I am becoming more conscious around getting the freshest i can of some beers and passing up ones that are close to date.
What are peoples thoughts on this? I think it would help more if they printed a bottling date as well as a best before date so you have a timeline to work with.

Nigel

I've beat the drum on this problem before, partially because I have the same issue: the beers I like are hoppy, just not as hoppy as they should be.

Great Divide is a particular culprit, using a bottling date without labeling it as such, therefore if you think it's a best before dates, the beer ends up 3 or 4 months older than you think it is. I've seen "Fresh" Hop on the shelves with 1+ year on it; at that stage, why bother?

This might help:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/">sites.google.com/site/freshbeeronly/

I recommend SN Celebration, whose hoppiness seems to hold up remarkably well.

In American date format 2/11/12 is 11 February, not 2 November. Could be the reason?

Always take the time to check out the dates on your bottled beers. Be particularly suspicious if it's "on offer". I've frequently got home to find beers out of date, or with no apparent date on the bottle at all - mysteriously! (the vintage of the beer only being evident upon consuming it) <!-- s:x --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_mad.gif" alt="" title="Mad" /><!-- s:x -->

I beg to differ!

BBDs that have been exceeded just mean the beer may be comming into it's own. Recent examples are a Hefe Weizen at about 6.5% reduced to €2 a bottle and a 8% Hw for €2.50

The stronger the beer the less relevant the BBD is and probably will improve with age. Just check out Westvlettern!!

Will

&amp;quot;Will_D&amp;quot;:t7of9a72 wrote: I beg to differ!

BBDs that have been exceeded just mean the beer may be comming into it's own. Recent examples are a Hefe Weizen at about 6.5% reduced to €2 a bottle and a 8% Hw for €2.50

The stronger the beer the less relevant the BBD is and probably will improve with age. Just check out Westvlettern!!

Will[/quote:t7of9a72]They are different styles than the lads are talking about though Will. Big malty beers will get better for sure but hops will fade.
I was also under the impression that hefe weizen was best young as the yeast character, which is so big a part of that style will fade pretty rapidly?