Born-on-date for Bass Pale Ale

[Jake]

I like a Bass Pale Ale now and then. Does Bass have a born-on-date on their bottles? If so how do you read it?

[newportstorm]

Here's one source for some answers. Not a complete list, but feel free to add any you know of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshness_date

Cheers!

[Jake]

Thanks for that info. I just got back from the store for an exchange. The Bass Pale Ale I had read 22E4SZ. According to the info at that website that Bass expired May 22, 2004.

I'm really getting pissed because time and time again I keep buying year or older beer!

[Richard English]

Quote "...I'm really getting pissed because time and time again I keep buying year or older beer!..."

Of course, the "born on" thing is a device invented by A-B to persuade gullible drinkers that immature beer is better than mature beer. The younger Dudweiser is when it's drunk the less money that A-B have to pay to store the stuff.

Good bottled beers are better for keeping - and that means bottle-conditioned beers (and Bass is no longer one of those).

In the UK ALL foodstuffs must have a "best-before" date, clearly shown in non-coded form and from that intelligence I can tell you that most bottle-conditioned beers - Fuller's 1845, Young's SLA, Coniston Bluebird, for example - have a best-before date of over a year from bottling. And if kept properly, bottle-conditioned beers will last far longer than that, developing character all the while.

[Jake]

I think majority of the time fresh beer is better beer. Except for those beers loaded with hops or high in ABV. Bass is from Britain why don't they make it easier to understand how old their beer is? Their is not even a 1-800 # on their bottle to call to get consumer info. I can't find any where on their website how to contact them.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Jake
I think majority of the time fresh beer is better beer. Except for those beers loaded with hops or high in ABV. Bass is from Britain why don't they make it easier to understand how old their beer is? Their is not even a 1-800 # on their bottle to call to get consumer info. I can't find any where on their website how to contact them.

I agree. Most beer is better fresh. Some beers (bottle conditined or not) can improve with time, but "improve" is very subjective, as is the taste of fresh beer. Sometimes, oxidation can add as much pleasant change in a beer as refermentation can.

As for dates on Bass and other European imports; many breweries change the date/code for exports to the US. While it might be a clear date in its home country, it's a mysterious code in other markets. Silly. All beer should be dated in uniform fashion. Whether it's an agreed upon worldwide standard (unlikely) or country specific, it should be uniform and easy to understand.

Cheers!

[Richard English]

Quote "...Bass is from Britain why don't they make it easier to understand how old their beer is? ..."

I assume the US packaging regulations are different from those in the USA. Ours are very stringent and even giant multi-nationals such as Coors (who now own Bass) have to abide by them. Bass sold here is clearly marked with its "best before" date - I assume Coors don't bother in the USA because they don't have to and it's just one more way in which they can rip off the drinker.

I agree that the website is full of fizz and fury and little else (a bit like most of Coors's beers) but you could direct your enquiry to Coors themselves who have a separate site (or get onto the US FDA and ask why they don't adopt the same kinds of regulations as we have had in the UK for decades!)

Bass is but a pale shadow of its once great self and their bottled beer is no more than average. Why not buy a REAL British beer rather than a US-owned imitation? There are plenty available.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Richard English
Quote "...Bass is from Britain why don't they make it easier to understand how old their beer is? ..."

I assume the US packaging regulations are different from those in the USA. Ours are very stringent and even giant multi-nationals such as Coors (who now own Bass) have to abide by them. Bass sold here is clearly marked with its "best before" date - I assume Coors don't bother in the USA because they don't have to and it's just one more way in which they can rip off the drinker.



No, Coors does not have to date their beer(s). Yet, they do date Coors products:
http://www.coors.com/faq.asp

And Bass in the US is dated with a code as well.

No one has to buy any beer - Coors, Bass or otherwise. If the consumer cared about freshness dates that much, they'd put back beer that didn't carry it and choose something else. No one is ripped off. They give their money willingly.

Cheers!

[Richard English]

Quote "...No one is ripped off...."

I think the point I am trying to make is that the reason why the likes of Coors use a code like 22E4SZ, instead of the much clearer 22 May 2004, is to conceal the date of origin or their product and thus have fewer people refuse it as being out of date. Why else would they use a code?

We had the same nonsense in the UK once, but for many years, it has been illegal to sell any foodstuff that doesn't clearly show its "best before" date in a plain and understandable manner - which means no codes.

There is much we could learn from the USA, but in the field of consumer protection, so far as the drinker is concerned, I believe we in the UK have much that your authorities could learn from us.

I was staggered to discover that there are no official measures for "draft" beer in the USA and a beer is a beer when purchased that way - even if it is half a glass of froth. In the UK it is a criminal offence for a publican not to show the prices of all the drinks he sells, and their quantities, where they can be seen before the customer purchases. It is also a criminal offence for a publican to sell draught beer except as an exact fraction or multiple of an Imperial pint (typically a half or a pint).

Beers sold from sealed containers can be of any size, but the container itself must have its contents shown in metric measurements - and that measurement must also be on the price list.

Unfortunately rip-offs are common throughout the world and it's too easy to say that customers can vote with their feet. They can only do so if they realise they are being ripped off - and most do not.

[newportstorm]

I agree that a uniform, easy to read date system is needed. In lieu of this, boycott those brands that don't use one. I do. Undated beer that could be old, out of season or not local and known by me to be fresh? Pass. Too much good, fresh beer to choose from - hooray for the breweries that care enough to date their beer.

I can see the usefulness for "confusing" batch codes that are easily understood by the brewery only - should a quality control problem arise (infection, etc.), the brewery can identify which batches, tanks, dates the beer came from. However, this should be included along with a clear freshness date.

If people are happy with their purchase and don't realize they are getting ripped off, are they really ripped off? Sometimes it's best to leave the ignorant be.

Cheers!

[Richard English]

Quote "...If people are happy with their purchase and don't realize they are getting ripped off, are they really ripped off? Sometimes it's best to leave the ignorant be. ..."

I suppose the problem with this philiosophy is simply that there are too many people around who can be thus fooled. Let's face it, until about 30 years ago most US drinkers thought that Dudweiser and its clones were good beer. Even now around 75% of Americans still believe that. Those of us who know what good beer is realise that they are being ripped off - but it is up to us to prove it.

It took the efforts of CAMRA to prevent good beers from completely disappearing - with the result that we now have the choices we do. Had the founders of CAMRA not done what they did, the entire world would now be drinking Dudweiser clones.

Sometimes market forces and customer choice are just not enough.

[Jake]

I don't drink Bass Pale Ale very often. Looking at my records I purchase Bass for the first time March 2005. So its been 1 year ago since I last drank a Bass. To me it is just an average Pale Ale though unique in its own way. I did get some info from the website given above , but i'm not sure if that info is erroneous or not. I like to find out right from the horses mouth how to read that code. If I cannot find away to contact Bass Importers I will not buy another Bass again. My only hope is to send a letter to Bass Importers, Norwalk, CT. 06856. Hopefully that will be enough of an address to get it delivered. I will keep everyone posted on what I find out.

[Richard English]

Quote "... To me it is just an average Pale Ale though unique in its own way...."

That is a very fair description.

Years ago there were two fine draught beers brewed by the Bass/Charrington concern - Bass and Worthington, both of which had an excellent bottled euqivalent.

Now draught Bass is still a good cask beer although not the world-beater it once was. Draught Worthington I haven't seen for years.

Worthington White Shield was an excellent bottle-conditioned beer - one of the very few left when CAMRA was founded - but it, too, was eventually discontinued by the mega-brewer that owned the brands. Fortunately it is now brewed once more, after a spell of being brewed outside by the late lamented King and Barnes, by the Bass Museum Brewery.

I don't know whether it's available in the USA but I suggest it's worth seeking out as it is now a far better drink than bottled Bass.

Further information here http://www.worthingtons-whiteshield.com/