Hop Wallop 'Drink By' Question

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Mineo, Apr 4, 2013.

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  1. Mineo

    Mineo Savant (1,079) Jul 7, 2010 New York

    Just a random question...

    Why on earth on the bottle of Victory's Hop Wallop is the "Drink By" 10-12 months in advance? I just picked up some that says "Drink By 1/16/14".

    I typically don't like IPAs older than 3 months, and I know most don't enjoy them past 5 months.

    Does Victory use some sort of special brewing method to preserve a hoppy taste, or do they simply have lower expectations for freshness than others?
     
  2. dar482

    dar482 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,039) Mar 9, 2007 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It's bottle conditioned, but I agree, don't buy an old one. They let that stuff "Enjoy By" for year.
     
  3. Mineo

    Mineo Savant (1,079) Jul 7, 2010 New York

    yeah, I figured something that says as far ahead as 2014 is fresh enough. I'll try it tonight.
     
  4. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Victory uses a relatively modern and fairly expenseive bottling line that basically doubles the shelf life of their beers. Hop Wallop is effectively a DIPA and there are other comparable beers on the market that claim a 1 year best by date as well.

    Edit: So the special step is in the bottling of the beer as there is a very small amount of oxygen left behind after bottling. The less oxygen trapped in the bottle the longer the shelf life of the beer.
     
  5. Mineo

    Mineo Savant (1,079) Jul 7, 2010 New York

    very informative reply. thanks!
     
  6. luisfrancisco

    luisfrancisco Zealot (606) Dec 1, 2009 Mexico

    Just to add another question. The minimal oxygen left behind at bottling may oxidize a beer giving it that cardboard like flavour over time. That is one thing to consider, but another one is hop fading. I believe the hop fading is not intimately related to oxidation, or is it?
     
  7. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Hops fade regardless but more oxygen or lack of refrigeration help accelerate the process:

    http://beeradvocate.com/community/t...-beer-cold-really-help-retain-hop-aroma.6336/
     
  8. MattSweatshirt

    MattSweatshirt Initiate (0) Jun 29, 2011 Texas

    I bought one older than I usually buy IPA's since they give it such a huge time frame. At 4 months it is not what I am looking for in a IPA. I noticed they redid their dating recently. Much easier to find and doesn't smudge like the other ink.
     
  9. Jspriest

    Jspriest Pundit (916) Feb 9, 2011 Pennsylvania

    Doubles their shelf life compared to what? Hand bottling? Most breweries their size have comparable bottling lines. There is no special step. I'm sure they have a great QA and packaging team/program (hopefully resulting in consistently low packaged O2), but a year is excessive for a best-by date, especially on a hop-forward beer. 4-6 months is pretty standard.

    To answer OPs question (Does Victory use some sort of special brewing method to preserve a hoppy taste, or do they simply have lower expectations for freshness than others?):

    I'll hazard a guess at "Neither." No breweries want retailers and distributors returning beer because it didn't sell in the given best-by window. Is it going to taste gradually worse (more oxidized/diminished hop flavor/diminished and distorted hop aromas) as that year goes on? Yes. I guess they feel it's worth it.
     
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  10. raffels

    raffels Initiate (0) Dec 12, 2009 West Virginia

  11. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Compared to what? Compared to many other bottling lines in use in many breweries their size and smaller.

    Here's a bit of homework to broaden your knowledge:

    http://www.soundbrew.com/bottling/bottling.html

    Look specifically at the dual pre-evacuation system described.

    Then you may find this helpful:

    http://www.beer-brewing.com/beer-brewing/bottling_beer/bottle_filling.htm
     
    raffels likes this.
  12. imbrue001

    imbrue001 Initiate (0) Aug 6, 2010 Pennsylvania

    Do not sit on this beer unless you really like circus peanuts
     
    flayedandskinned and raffels like this.
  13. Frankinstiener

    Frankinstiener Initiate (0) Jul 28, 2009 Illinois

    iI has a year freshness date so I just assume its never fresh. If the brewer don't care neither do i. I've tried the beer.. it didn't taste fresh, I used to check the dates... never saw it within 4 months so someone else can drink it, I dont even bother to look at it anymore.
     
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  14. babaracas

    babaracas Initiate (0) Jan 30, 2008 Florida

    Wow, so the Victory PR guy jumped in this thread and didn't self identify as such? Victory has always dated beers a minimum of 6 months out, even their low abv, reliant-on-hop-flavors-to-be-worth-$11/6pack IPA and Pils. Their dating system has always, and, seemingly continues to be, a joke. In contrast, the Jai Alai I'm drinking is stamped with "Canned on Mar 18, 2013." I'm not assumed to be a complete rube, and I can make an informed purchase knowing that 2 week old Jai Alai is effing delicious, super secret bottling apparatus or not.
     
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  15. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Victory's shelf life periods for most of the line-up - average abv, etc. (Prima, HopDevil, Lager, Fest, Headwater) - is 5 months. They do give a number of their stronger beers - Yakima Glory, Whirlwind, the St.'s, Baltic Thunder - "1 year ", and that includes Hop Wallop. (Their even higher abv beers are given 3 - 5 years).
     
  16. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no Victory PR guy here, not even close. And FYI there's nothing secret at all about the bottling line in use. Note that the guy from Flying Dog actually identfies the bottling line which they use which is named in one of the links and is either the same brand or a comparable brand to the one in use at Victory.
     
    Jspriest, Kadonny and dar482 like this.
  17. opothecary

    opothecary Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2009 New York
    Deactivated

    This is a common thing for some DIPAs. Ballast Point does the same thing with Dorado.
     
  18. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    I'm guessing that Victory is pretty confident that their beer is still going to be perfectly drinkable after a year, and I'm sure they are correct. They probably see how pointless it is to try and cater to every consumer's varying notions about what constitutes a worthwhile product. Some will not like this, and some will see it for what it is--a different, but certainly not ruined, drinking experience. Not everybody adheres to the 2-3 month freshness concept, and perhaps Victory recognizes that as catering to spoiled, narrow-minded consumers.

    For the record, many UK and European breweries use a year from bottling as their BB date. They have to put a date on the product by law I believe, and they fully expect that their clientele are mature enough to make their own decisions about whether that product still falls within their own preferences. Nobody tries to call them out on it, demanding like brats that they change their dating system to their own drinking preferences.
     
  19. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,582) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You are right, not everyone does adhere to it. Still, for those of us who do, a year best by date on a DIPA is too long. I buy into Victory 5 month window on HopDevil, and I'd probably buy into the 6-7 month Hop Wallop window, but an entire year is just too long for me. If you've had fresh Hop Wallop and loved it, you will not enjoy 1 year old Hop Wallop.

    My opinion.
     
    dar482 likes this.
  20. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    So at what point do you take responsibility for your own purchases instead of making demands on the producer? Take a look at the BB date, infer the bottling date, and just don't buy it after 6-7 months.
     
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