# Out Of Date James Squire Ipa



## benny_bjc (6/4/08)

Hi,

Just bought a bottle of James Squire IPA yesterday from the bottleshop to find that the best before date is 7th March 2008. It should still be ok right?

I didnt get a recipe so if I may or may not be able to exchange it.

thanks


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## Muggus (6/4/08)

Recipe?

There shouldn't be anything wrong with it. Most commercial beers are drinkable after their best before date, in some cases they just don't taste as fresh though.


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## MCT (6/4/08)

I think he means receipt.


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## benny_bjc (6/4/08)

MCT said:


> I think he means receipt.



correct! 

Oh dear... haven't even had anything to drink!


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## sponge (6/4/08)

beer007 said:


> correct!
> 
> Oh dear... haven't even had anything to drink!





Maybe thats the problem... :icon_chickcheers:


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## peas_and_corn (6/4/08)

drink it, pretend it is bad and do your best to get a refund... maybe??


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## Adamt (6/4/08)

Go into the store, make sure they still have out of date stock on the shelves, then return them.

It is illegal to knowingly sell out of date (or past best before date) products without informing customers. 

Then, if they don't refund them, show them the out of date stock they are selling.


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## dr K (6/4/08)

> It is illegal to knowingly sell out of date (or past best before date) products without informing customers.



A "Best Before Date" under the relevant Federal Regulations which can be found at www.foodstandards.gov.au simply means :



> A best-before date is the last date on which a food can be expected to retain all of its quality
> attributes, provided that it has been stored in accordance with any stated storage conditions.
> Quality attributes include things such as colour, taste, texture and flavour, as well as any
> specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made. For example, the
> freshness of the food or certain vitamin levels.



AND



> Food date-marked with a best-before date can be sold after this date, provided the food is
> not damaged, deteriorated or perished. It is an offence under New Zealand and Australian
> State and Territory Food Acts to sell food that is damaged, deteriorated or perished at any
> time, regardless of whether the food is within its specified date mark or not.



It would be reasonable to assume that reponsibility for "Freshnesh" or otherwise would fall to the retailer after the best-before date.

K


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## goatherder (6/4/08)

beer007, don't try taking the beer back. Drink it, taking note of the muted flavours and being sure to develop a good sense of disappointment in a beer that is past its prime. Then make a promise to yourself that you will check the dates on any beer you buy in the future, before you buy it. I learned my lesson with a 6er of Staropramen a couple of years back. A hard lesson, but one worth learning.


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## greg_549 (24/4/08)

I work at a Bottle-O and we sell stuff half price if its best before is within a month. Not allowed to sell past that date, we have to pour down the drain.. Trust me- that takes strength.

Saying that, if i'd bought it, i would have drunk it by now. Not as nice but definitely still safe and drinkable.


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## PostModern (24/4/08)

beer007 said:


> Just bought *a bottle* of James Squire IPA yesterday from the bottleshop to find that the best before date is 7th March 2008. It should still be ok right?



One bottle? I read the whole thread thinking you were talking about a case. Just drink it, man!


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## mfdes (24/4/08)

greg_549 said:


> I work at a Bottle-O and we sell stuff half price if its best before is within a month. Not allowed to sell past that date, we have to pour down the drain.. Trust me- that takes strength.
> 
> Saying that, if i'd bought it, i would have drunk it by now. Not as nice but definitely still safe and drinkable.



Hi Greg,
I wish local bottle shops in Hobart would do as you do.
It's often hard to buy a beer (other than high throughput stuff) thats WITHIN it's use by date...

MFS.


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## Wasabi (24/4/08)

greg_549 said:


> I work at a Bottle-O and we sell stuff half price if its best before is within a month. Not allowed to sell past that date, we have to pour down the drain..



Greg, who told you that? 
Beer, which carries a best before (not a use by) can still be legally sold past this date(Check the food code). 

I'm not even sure that it legally requires a best before stamp. The Best Before issue is an industry regulated control and pertains primarily to filtered or pasteurised beer. They got together an decided 9 months was a reasonable time period. But beers like Coopers that are bottle conditioned have and exemption. The best before relates to the rate of oxidation, because Coopers are adding yeast (who then go and consume any oxygen introduced during bottling) they don't have the same staling problems.

Regadless of whether Best Before is required, you can still sell it if it's 10 years old (Caveat emptor). Only USE BY expirations must be not sold.

Unless it's the brewery demanding you dump it?


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## captaincleanoff (24/4/08)

when I worked in a bottlo a few years back, I used to take note of all the out of date beers. 

I'd then inform the boss, and take then out to the bin. By bin i mean the boot of my car.

Scored soooo much beer that still tasted perfectly good. Took home 20 cases of trumer once.. 10 cases of elephant beer another time. Still get them every now and then from my mate that still works there!!


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## gerald (17/5/08)

picked up a carton of some crappy imported lager beer from 1st choice for $20. was a month out of use by. never had a fresh one so i cant tell if its good or bad but its drinkable so meh. not bad when you think about it. can hardly be making a profit selling beer for $20 a carton.


also throwing beer out tough? you've never seen the waste at a brewery. i would regularly dump 600+ bottles a shift at lion nathan. just cos the labels were bad.


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## Kleiny (17/5/08)

An IPA was originally brewed to last as it was shipped to the troops during war time thats why it is usually higher in alcohol % and higher in IBU
so should be fine if it is true to style for many more months to come


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## bakkerman (17/5/08)

The standard use by date for light colored beers is 9 months after bottling, 1 year for darks like stout and porter.

I keep some (strong) home brews longer than that, you should be fine.


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## oldbugman (17/5/08)

Kleiny said:


> An IPA was originally brewed to last as it was shipped to the troops during war time thats why it is usually higher in alcohol % and higher in IBU
> so should be fine if it is true to style for many more months to come



Though I dont think an original IPA had the yeast removed from the barrels it was transported in.


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## Adzmax (8/7/08)

I've notice IPA's I've purchased have been out of date too, mind you I don't think this shop sold a whole lot of it, tasted ok to me though as I didn't notice till my last 6 pack, wasn't as bitey as the fresh stuff though.


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## jdsaint (25/10/09)

i have a beer bottle collection thats uncracked around 60 beers some of these are outta date by 3 months to 2 years, even a couple of forsters lagers from the melbourne cup in 88-89, I was wondering if some of the 3 month 1's would be safe enough to drink, as collecting them now seems a waste of beer and money...
i was going to use these for above my bar when i get around to building 1, but hey you could always put them up their empty, my knapstien lager ran outta date 4 months ago 1 of my fav's!


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## benny_bjc (25/10/09)

speaking of out of date james squires....

I just discovered a few bottles of James Squire Pepperberry Ale (Winter Limited Edition 2008) with best before March 09.

I cracked one and it had definetly lost a lot of taste and body, but was not bad. Quite easy to drink down though.

As for the Amber Ale, I cracked an old one of those and my goodness.... awful.... sweet, watery, pissy and a head which looked like washing up detergent. 

I have only ever tried the one JS IPA and that was the out of date one (as per above) and did not think much of it (especially for an IPA) ... but should give another bottle a try sometime.

I really do not know why they have to add preservatives to the James Squire Beers... If they just added a clean yeast to the bottles which formed a solid sediment it would avoid the need for preservatives and wuld not make the beer cloudy.

I think it would further improve the marketing of the beer if people knew that it was a fresh, natural product. (Even Tooheys New Claims to be all natural - and preservative free)


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