How important are best before dates on beer?

As a PerfectDraft customer, you may have noticed that all the beer kegs you purchase from us come with a best before date (BBD) stamped on them. In this article, we will discuss the importance of BBDs on beer and what it means for you as a consumer.

Firstly, it is important to understand that BBDs on beer are not the same as use-by dates on perishable food items. Beer does not have a use-by date as it is a preserved product and will not spoil or pose a health risk even after the BBD has passed. Instead, BBDs are an indication of the time frame within which the beer is likely to taste its best.

The closer you drink a beer to its BBD, the more likely you are to enjoy its full flavour profile. Beyond the BBD, you may notice a gradual weakening of the beer's flavour as the hops and malt start to break down. This may not be noticeable to everyone, and some beer enthusiasts may even enjoy the subtle changes that occur over time. However, we always recommend that you drink beer as close to its BBD as possible to experience it at its best.

At PerfectDraft, we take the quality of our products very seriously. We are confident in the quality and taste of our beer kegs, even close to and beyond their BBDs. In fact, we only consider a keg to be "short-dated" if it has six weeks or less remaining before its BBD.

It is also worth noting that BBDs on our kegs are stated as the last day of the month.