No looter guy in Texas

[Sri Lanky]

Hmmmm....issues with black people perchance?

[SeanPatrick]

Beer has a "Best consumed by" date. It would have gone to waste had it sat in the store. Besides, he probably saved returning residents from consuming "skunky" beer. :-D The governor probably had his drinks lined up during the storm...

"Beers produced for consumption in European Union countries are mandated to have an expiration date on the packaging. When the same breweries produce a batch for export to the United States, too often, off comes the expiration dating and on goes the Surgeon General's warning. "

Damn Europeans!


The guy above may be a Beer expert...

Freshness period: The drinking window
The length of time it takes for a beer to become stale (a papery note, dulled hop character, or other off flavors) is determined by the alcoholic strength and hopping level of the beer. Both alcohol and hops help preserve beer. Thus hoppier, stronger beers keep for longer. Typically, the freshness period for a lager is four months; for stronger craft-brewed ales, five months. High-gravity, high-strength beers such as doppelbocks typically carry a six- to twelve-month freshness period. All of the preceding assumes proper handling of the beer.

How can you determine the "drinking window" of a beer? It depends on the dating system used by the brewery. Taking a typical example of Boston Beer's Samuel Adams brands, the freshness period is the time between shipment from the brewery and the freshness date, or "consume by" date, marked on the label or capsule. In the case of a beer with a "born on" date (Anheuser-Busch products, for example), the freshness period is approximately four months after the date on the label.

Imports: A note of caution
Imported beer can have a rough ride on its way to your local retailer. First, it must undergo a sea voyage, hopefully in temperature-controlled containers, or "reefers," in industry parlance. After sitting in the bonded customs warehouse (hopefully, air conditioned), it must pass through an importer's warehouse and then be shipped to a wholesaler's warehouse. In the best case, the local wholesaler will have temperature-controlled storage and an efficient stock

control system, although this is an area of commerce that is not renowned for sympathetic handling of product or startling efficiency with stock. One thing is for sure-at any moment of time in the Byzantine system of beer distribution in the United States, a prodigious amount of imported beer is sitting in warehouses slowly undergoing the inexorable effects of aging.

This is not to suggest that many imported beers do not find their way to us in perfect condition. However, one is not reassured by the reluctance of virtually all beer importers to put freshness dating on the wares that they import. Beers produced for consumption in European Union countries are mandated to have an expiration date on the packaging. When the same breweries produce a batch for export to the United States, too often, off comes the expiration dating and on goes the Surgeon General's warning.

It must be said that some imported beers do carry a freshness date, but they are vastly outnumbered by those that do not. Thus a consumer purchasing a six pack of imported Czech pilsner or English bitter may have no idea as to how long the product has been in the chain of distribution. In both examples freshness is as important as with any domestic ale or lager. Dust or label discoloration may give a clue that a beer has been too long on a retailer's shelf, but even these are not always reliable indicators. At the Beverage Testing Institute it has been noticed that a number of bottles purchased at retail have failed the freshness test, sometimes to the point of being undrinkable. Ultimately, market pressure will be the only factor that will promote wide-scale introduction of useful freshness dating for imported beers. Until such time, consumers can use the following commonsense approaches to avoid being shortchanged with stale imported beer.

Try to purchase imports from reputable specialty stores with enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff.
Check the crown cap seal (if it is a bottled product) to see if there has been any seepage. If there has, then the bottle most likely has been subjected to heat abuse.
Dusty, discolored labels should not inspire confidence.
Always insist on returning skunky, out-of-condition beer for a refund (see our article on beer faults to know what to look for). This should be no problem

[Penta]

Damn Europeans!

It's the Europeans' fault that the US doesn't have proper labelling requirements?
I thought you were all for small or minimal government and cutting regulations. I must have misunderstood something here.

[goat balls]

[SeanPatrick]

That's obviously a photoshop job :-P We all know the Bush family drinks Bush Beer. :-D



Anyway, I think heading for the mountains is a good idea... Returning to a flood prone community doesn't sound fun unless it's Mardi Gras time and the land is dry.

[khalampre]

Punta,

Did the USA run over your puppy when you were a kid?

[Penta]

Yup. And then it turned round and blamed France, who was proved to be in his local café, mulling over the latest Sartres with a few mates over a bottle of ordinaire, at the time.