Lean Hard Into Dates

Life with beer after COVID

Thank you for that funny start to D & T, Ross. Accurate as hell. It took me a few looks to realize it's the same house in both pictures.

The Thing With Dating

Em Sauter @PintsandPanels

Love when a brewery sells single cans and also love when they put the canning date on their website

I’m hella supportive of any brewery going all in on dating their beer.

Since I’ve been doing a lot of grocery store beer shopping during the Pandemic, checking the dating of six-packs and 12-packs has been a big running theme.

As you might have imagined, things are mostly “old”. Like, 4 months to a year (yes a fucking year). It’s frustrating.

I have been playing it up for comedic effect recently on the Perfect Pour. While I’m trying to be entertaining, I’m also still genuinely frustrated.

• Frustrated when the beer is old.

• Frustrated when it’s not dated.

• Frustrated when the dates are smeared and illegible.

I feel like some breweries are afraid to date properly. Thinking, if they don’t date it then they can leave it on the shelf as long as they need to until it sells.

Besides being a dick move, this is a bad idea for long term business.

The civilian drinker buys your old beer and doesn’t like it (because it’s hella old). But doesn’t understand that it tastes like cardboard because it’s old and may still be a good beer to try in the future still.

Nope, they just remember that your beer sucks and doesn’t buy it again.

Now, the craft beer drinker. He unknowingly buys your old beer, tastes that it’s old and gets pissed you left on old beer on the shelf to still be bought.

Doesn't buy it again.

So NOBODY is happy except the people that moved that old beer off the shelf.

And don't get me started on the brewries that use the Julian dating method. It's a math puzzle to us but it makes sense to the brewer. So basically they are hiding the date from the customer and only telling themselves what the date is. Shady.

Oh and I hear you if you are saying “Mikey, stop buying beer in a grocery store. You have breweries, buy from the source.” I do this too. But it's COViD so I'm trying to limit places I go to the BAREST of minimum and I HAVE to go to the store.

Bottle shops and breweries are a luxury visit in times of Corona.

I just need my grocery store’s beer isle treated with respect. Is that too much to ask?

Post COVID Drinking Life

My first reaction was to say less. I guess I’m still in a negative funk from the COVID. Plus I was going pretty strong in 2019.

I ultimately chose the same amount.

Really, I just don’t know how I’m going to roll. I just know I’m waiting until I'm fully vaccinated before I really go out like it's 2019. And that probably won't happen until April, if I'm lucky.

I'm hoping for June 1st as a date I can be normal again with me and my family fully vaccinated.

I'll be getting so. many. tasters. I have not had a flight of beer since late 2019. I miss them and will really appreciate having one again. There may be crying.

Have An Excellent Week!

I hope you are well as you can be. Enjoy your beers. Thanks so much for the read!

-Mikey

PS. This is my beer drinking blueprint for today, all bought in the one grocery store I shop that has a good selection:

I hope they are fresh 😂.