Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates
The Beer Connoisseur®|Fall 2016

I recently completed a beer trade with a couple of friends and ended up with the equivalent of two mixed six-packs after the swap.

Jonathan Ingram
Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates

Once home, I put the 12 beers, which reflected the eclectic tastes of my fellow craft enthusiasts, into two separate camps on my kitchen table. One had either “bottled on,” or “canned on,” or “best by” dates and the other side had none. As it turned out, it was a 50-50 split when it came to identifying the age of the beer – or not – among this far-reaching sample of American craft.

I was disappointed but not necessarily surprised. But isn’t it time that all craft brewers come to the aid of the consumers that keep them in business by adding notice of when their beers were put into bottles or cans?

Craft’s calling card has always been fresh in the sense of being unique, whether it be a creative approach to styles, names of beers, labels and can design, marketing via social media and on and on. So why can’t craft brewers commit to providing notice on when its beer was freshly packaged?

I tend to not think this is a make-or-break industry issue. It’s a little like the mythical argument that poor quality craft beer that tastes sub-par hurts the entire independent brewing industry. Doesn’t the marketplace, which now has plenty of competition in all 50 states, sort the quality issue out pretty quickly?

When it comes to stale beer on the shelves, I don’t think anybody interested in craft is going to stop buying beer from independent brewers due to one bad experience with a six-pack. It’s more of an identity question. How do craft brewers want to present themselves to the community they participate in? Do they want a community where the beer drinker continues to feel a direct kinship to the brewer?

Denne historien er fra Fall 2016-utgaven av The Beer Connoisseur®.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Fall 2016-utgaven av The Beer Connoisseur®.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE BEER CONNOISSEUR®Se alt
Madtree 2.0- How To Grow A Brewery
The Beer Connoisseur®

Madtree 2.0- How To Grow A Brewery

Cincinnati Brewery Doubles Down on Quality, Employees, and Charitable Giving

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2017
Incredible Pulp Blood Orange Extra Pale Ale – Boneyard Beer – 91 Rating  ​​​​​​​
The Beer Connoisseur®

Incredible Pulp Blood Orange Extra Pale Ale – Boneyard Beer – 91 Rating ​​​​​​​

Responses from Boneyard Beer’s founder and brewmaster Tony Lawrence. 

time-read
1 min  |
Fall 2017
Gueuze: The Champagne of Craft Beer
The Beer Connoisseur®

Gueuze: The Champagne of Craft Beer

With a new year swiftly approaching, it’s time to dust off that lambic basket and prepare to ring in 2017 with a beverage far superior to champagne.

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2016, Issue 27
Winter Style Recommendations
The Beer Connoisseur®

Winter Style Recommendations

Think outside the Bocks with these “alt-wintry-night” beer styles.

time-read
4 mins  |
Winter 2017
The Beer Connoisseur®

The Mixed-Culture Master

Chad Yakobson of Crooked Stave discusses his brewing techniques and his pioneering work with Brettanomyces.

time-read
8 mins  |
Fall 2016
Chasing the Rabbit: Bobby Thomas of Red Hare Brewing
The Beer Connoisseur®

Chasing the Rabbit: Bobby Thomas of Red Hare Brewing

The head brewer talks background, beers and bunnies.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2016
Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates
The Beer Connoisseur®

Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates

I recently completed a beer trade with a couple of friends and ended up with the equivalent of two mixed six-packs after the swap.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2016
Foeders
The Beer Connoisseur®

Foeders

The Barrel's Big Brother

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2016
Drinking in the French Countryside
The Beer Connoisseur®

Drinking in the French Countryside

England, Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany and even the Czech Republic rank as noted European beer travel destinations, but what about France?

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2016
St Bernard's A Tail Of Licker Barrels And Heroism
The Beer Connoisseur®

St Bernard's A Tail Of Licker Barrels And Heroism

The Story Behind the Most Interesting Man’s Best Friend in the World.

time-read
5 mins  |
Winter 2017