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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Anchor Liberty Sediment
Curious thing - maybe someone has an explanation. I was shopping for some Liberty at Weston&401 LCBO and I noticed that some of the bottles don't have the usual sediment that I got used to in this beer. I looked on the label and they seem to have a different date code. Has something changed in their brewing process?
Hey guys - I've been out of town and out of touch. Just returned!
I though you might like to know how to "decode" the date codes on the back of the Anchor bottles.
First of all, if it is 4 digits, just discard the last one - it just tells which conditioning tank the beer was in.
The first three digits give the date that it was bottled on:
The 1st number tells the year - i.e. "0" = 2000, "1" = 2001, "2" = 2002, "5" = 1995, etc.
The second digit is the first letter of the month. i.e. J=January, F=February, etc., EXCEPT, when you get to a month that the letter has already been used, they use the next letter - e.g. June is "U" since "J" is already used for January. Similarly, July is "L" since both "J" and "U" have already been used.
The third digit tells the day of the month:
A-Z = 1st-26th
7-9 = 27th, 28th, 29th
0,1 = 30th or 31st.
Hope this helps!
I though you might like to know how to "decode" the date codes on the back of the Anchor bottles.
First of all, if it is 4 digits, just discard the last one - it just tells which conditioning tank the beer was in.
The first three digits give the date that it was bottled on:
The 1st number tells the year - i.e. "0" = 2000, "1" = 2001, "2" = 2002, "5" = 1995, etc.
The second digit is the first letter of the month. i.e. J=January, F=February, etc., EXCEPT, when you get to a month that the letter has already been used, they use the next letter - e.g. June is "U" since "J" is already used for January. Similarly, July is "L" since both "J" and "U" have already been used.
The third digit tells the day of the month:
A-Z = 1st-26th
7-9 = 27th, 28th, 29th
0,1 = 30th or 31st.
Hope this helps!
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
Sediment or no sediment something has changed in Fritz Maytag's recipe. Yesterday I had side by side a February and a September versions of Liberty. The September version had a more assertive hoppiness and fruitiness to it, let alone much bigger body. I think we may witness quality depreciation in our beloved Liberty. Anyway, an opinion...
Were "September" and "February" the dates you purchased them, or the "brewed on" dates (as per secret cereal box decoder described in message above)?
Coincidentally, I was at the Anchor brewery about two weeks ago and I can attest that nothing has changed.
A beer like Liberty - with such a beautiful hop aroma and flavor - can definitely change dramatically if it sits on a store shelf for too long. At Premier, we only stock the Anchor products in the cooler slides, not on the warm shelves, for just this reason.
Also, because it depends so much on the hops - different crops could potentially make a big difference in the final beer.
In my opinion, Liberty is, and will always be, one of the best beers made in America. For many people, it was the beer that first introduced them to the wonderful character of American hops!
Cheers
_________________
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 09:09 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 11:03 ]</font>
Coincidentally, I was at the Anchor brewery about two weeks ago and I can attest that nothing has changed.
A beer like Liberty - with such a beautiful hop aroma and flavor - can definitely change dramatically if it sits on a store shelf for too long. At Premier, we only stock the Anchor products in the cooler slides, not on the warm shelves, for just this reason.
Also, because it depends so much on the hops - different crops could potentially make a big difference in the final beer.
In my opinion, Liberty is, and will always be, one of the best beers made in America. For many people, it was the beer that first introduced them to the wonderful character of American hops!
Cheers
_________________
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 09:09 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 11:03 ]</font>
It may be different hops (or different crop of hops). Who knows. I remember the first batch of Liberty that I got last summer was just hitting the stores and it still wasn't as thin as the 2002 February version.
By the way the September one I purchased it in December but it's been in the fridge all the time and the February version one week ago.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-04-15 12:56 ]</font>
By the way the September one I purchased it in December but it's been in the fridge all the time and the February version one week ago.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-04-15 12:56 ]</font>
I'm pretty sure it wasn't a different variety of hop. I was in their hop room and the only hops there were Cascades and Northern Brewer. Only whole flowers - no pellets of course! Both seemed exceptionally fresh and fragrant.
Cascades are notoriously bad storage hops. In fact, they are one of the worst. If you ever buy a small bag from a homebrew shop and don't use them all, you'll be amazed at how quickly they degrade. That being said, all the hops I saw at Anchor were REALLY fresh.
Every brewery has an off bottle now and then. Especially when you consider the trip they take to get here from the west coast. Personally, I find that sometimes my own tongue just doesn't feel like tasting beer. Some of the beers that I've had the most adverse reactions to - I've gone back at a later date and been quite happily surprised.
In fact, as a general rule - any brew that really rubs me the wrong way - I assume the problem is "me" and make a note to try it again soon. Of course, this doesn't apply to beers with "obvious" flaws.
Of course, you tasted the bottles side-by-side, so presuming you didn't switch to your spare tongue in between, I would just assume that the something was off about the one bottle. Of course, with a beer as great as Liberty - we've developed quite high standards!
Cheers
_________________
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 18:27 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 18:59 ]</font>
Cascades are notoriously bad storage hops. In fact, they are one of the worst. If you ever buy a small bag from a homebrew shop and don't use them all, you'll be amazed at how quickly they degrade. That being said, all the hops I saw at Anchor were REALLY fresh.
Every brewery has an off bottle now and then. Especially when you consider the trip they take to get here from the west coast. Personally, I find that sometimes my own tongue just doesn't feel like tasting beer. Some of the beers that I've had the most adverse reactions to - I've gone back at a later date and been quite happily surprised.
In fact, as a general rule - any brew that really rubs me the wrong way - I assume the problem is "me" and make a note to try it again soon. Of course, this doesn't apply to beers with "obvious" flaws.
Of course, you tasted the bottles side-by-side, so presuming you didn't switch to your spare tongue in between, I would just assume that the something was off about the one bottle. Of course, with a beer as great as Liberty - we've developed quite high standards!
Cheers
_________________
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 18:27 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2002-04-15 18:59 ]</font>