Four-day freshness from Odyssey and EeBria
Fancy drinking a beer that is so fresh it has a best before end date of just four days? That is what is on offer from leading craft beer distributor EeBriaTrade after it announced a partnership with Hertfordshire-based brewer Odyssey Brew Co to supply what the two companies claim to be the shortest dated beer ever produced in the UK.
KO (Kegged On) IPA is the heavily-hopped beer in question and will have a best before end date of just four days – meaning that once it is kegged on 31 January, it will be supplied to pubs and bars by EeBria and should be drunk by 4 February.
Freshness is an ever-increasing priority in the craft beer industry, with the end goal being that beers reach customers in the best possible condition so that the delicate hop characters can be preserved – something that Eebria can help Odyssey achieve thanks to its online craft beer marketplace.
Beers can be shipped to customers on the same day they are packaged, meaning the beer can be served within 24 hours of being ready, instead of the usual distribution timeframe of several weeks. Normally breweries would put a Best Before date of several months, and pubs may take days or even weeks to sell an entire keg, so making it just 4 days is a big risk, but one the brewer considers worth taking. EeBriaTrade’s Head of Trade, Matt Stokes, said: “The best breweries in the country are using more hops than ever to create incredible beers, and at EeBriaTrade we consider it a priority to make sure they arrive in peak condition to customers. Odyssey Brew Co are creating a beer so special we wanted to ship it as soon as possible without limiting it geographically, so we have made it available nationwide within 24 hours of packaging, and the BBE date ensures the beer is served right away, guaranteeing the customer has the best experience and the brewery knows people are tasting it as it should be.” The beer will be available for pubs to order on EeBriaTrade.com from 12pm on Wednesday 17 January, and will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
