So, Sam Adams is making waves because their new double IPA is going to have a very strict shelf life. The cool thing about this is that Sam Adams is big enough that they can throw their weight around a little, in order to get fresher beer on the shelf. Distributors on the other hand, aren’t as excited because they take on more responsibility to get product moved into the stores.
This is a big deal, because beer has been known to say in a warehouse for a month or longer before arriving on the shelf. In the case of a finished beer (as opposed to a hurried fresh hop ale) that can have a significant impact on flavor.
If I hadn’t recently had the experience of having an IPA that was made every two weeks, I’m not sure that I’d make a big deal out of this. But because of my trip to the Key & Lantern, I genuinely feel that Sam Adams is going to be offering a superior product with the Raw IPA and I look forward to trying it.
I also hope that this helps other breweries in their push to get their product on the shelves in a timely manner. A successful run of Sam Adams’ beer might help with that.
A pint for Dionysus 