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July, 1996 Volume 19, Issue 7

Trivia

http://budweiser.com/readbeer.html#BUD

My neighbor thinks I know everything about beer. (Uh, we all know otherwise.) So he asked me what those markings are on his Budweiser bottle label. Actually, I know more about finding stuff on the internet than about Budweiser. So, here’s what I found out:

"All Bud bottles include a laser-printed code on the body label and an ink jet code printed on the bottom of the can. For example, the one you last held in your hand might read as follows:

0 3 2 5 S A 3 0 1

Huh? Thanks a lot, right? Well, here's what it means:

The first four numbers (0325) are called the "Julian" date and they show the day of the year that this beer left the brewery. In this case, the 32nd day of the year or February 1. If it was 321, it would be the 321st day of the year or November 17... And the '5' is -- you guessed it -- 1995. The next figure -- the "S" -- identifies the Anheuser-Busch brewery where this Budweiser was brewed. In this case, "S" or St. Louis, MO. In fact, you'll find one of the following, each referring to an Anheuser-Busch regional brewery:

N: Newark, NJ

L: Los Angeles, CA

H: Houston, TX

C: Columbus, OH

J: Jacksonville, FL

M: Merrimack, NH

S: St. Louis, MO

W: Williamsburg, VA

F: Fairfield, CA (which sort of looks closed at the moment.)

B: Baldwinsville, NY

D: Fort Collins, CO

V: Cartersville, GA

The last four figures? The "A" identifies the packaging line where the beer was bottled or canned. The "3" identifies the labeling machine which affixed the label, obviously a code not included on cans. The "01" refers to the time of day when the beer was packaged: the 24 hour day is divided into 15-minute segments and in this case, the "01" refers to the first segment of the day, the period between midnight and 12:15 AM."

So, now you know.

PS - The Budweiser internet site does have a cool downloadable screen saver, if you like the "three frogs." Maybe I’ll give a copy to my neighbor as a present.

 


Updated: January 08, 1998.