Labatt and some other beers have a six month shelf life. I wrote to Labatt asking how to interpret the date stamped on the box of twelve bottles. It means that the case I bought at the beer store was only two weeks old.
Hello Robert-
Thank you for taking the time to reach out. I am sorry for the delay in response. We appreciate your patience. Please see below for a breakdown on how to read the label on your bottle of Labatt Blue.
Ex: M06L14-03:50
M = Month (December)
06 = Date
L = Brewery (London)
1 = Year (2021)
4 = Production Line
03:50 = Time Stamp
This translates to your beer being bottled on 12/6/2021 at our London brewery. After this date, you bottle has a shelf life of 180, or 6 months, so your beer will be freshest enjoyed before roughly 6/6/2022. Beer is okay to be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The main thing is that you want to keep it stored out of direct sunlight or in heat for prolonged periods of time. Hope this helps clear things up. Let me know if you have any further questions.
It's always a pleasure serving you. Write back any time, and thank you for reaching out to our Contact Centre.
Cheers
The format is awkward because date and location codes are mixed. I would prefer to see something like:-
