Here’s the deal on the letters at the bottom of Shiner beer bottles: this is a production code stamped on by the bottle manufacturer. The “DIE” is actually “DI3” read backwards through the glass. The “D” indicates the fourth tank at the production facility; the “I” indicates the first production line on the “D” tank; and the “3” indicates the time the bottle went through the line, i.e., 3 a.m. All bottles which go through this particular production line every day between the hours of 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. are stamped with the “DI3” code. The “DI3” code is preceded by a Julian date code which specifies the date the bottle was manufactured.

We assure you that there is nothing malicious about these codes in any way.

Our packaged products have a 120-day shelf life before we ask that the product be pulled from the retail account (which happens VERY rarely). The “pull-date” printed on the bottle indicates the day on which the product was bottled PLUS the 120 days. For example, a pull-date of 03/21/04 would mean that the beer was bottled on November 21, 2003.

This does not mean that the beer is “bad” after the pull-date; however, 120 days is our standard for freshness to the consumer.