Disappointed!

So I was at the Kunsan O'Club Friday night, and they had a locally brewed amber ale on tap. I tried it once before and thought it was pretty good, and everyone was raving about it. I grabbed a pitcher of it, poured a pint, took a nice big swig...and then it hit me...band aids and cardboard - REALLY strong.

So I started asking my friends if they noticed a weird flavor in the beer, and almost all of them said, "Well, it has a bit of a nasty aftertaste." I told them to think about cardboard and band aids, and taste it again. They got a bit put off by the beer and we quit drinking it for the evening.

I asked the bartender if the beer is brewed on site. He said that it's brewed up at Osan (80 miles away). Damn. I wish I could've talked to the brewer about his brewing process (or sat in on a brew day). This batch of beer suffered badly from some of the classic off flavors produced by phenols and oxidation. Fortunately, not every batch is bad - it was good the last time I tried it. Hopefully the next batch turns out better!

That's a shame. The experience The Kaiser and I had at the Raleigh beerfest last year was that brewers don't like hearing about defects in their beers from "amateurs"! Even if they taste like boiled cabbage...bleah. Don't ever drink anything from Azalea Brewing Co (if they're even still in business).

Baron von BeeGee said:

Don't ever drink anything from Azalea Brewing Co (if they're even still in business).

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LOL!!!!!!!

Maybe the pub needs to clean their keg taps and lines. I have had ****ty beer because of this.

We had a local brewer that had a gorgeous 15 barrel setup, but had no clue how to brew. Other than color all of his brews tasted the same and he REALLY did not take criticism, amateur or pro . He lasted 14 months.

Wouldn't hurt to send the brewery a letter.

david_42 said:

We had a local brewer that had a gorgeous 15 barrel setup, but had no clue how to brew. Other than color all of his brews tasted the same and he REALLY did not take criticism, amateur or pro . He lasted 14 months.

Wouldn't hurt to send the brewery a letter.

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Sounds likes an arrogant SOB or somebody who's really thin skinned.

One has to listen to the voice of the customer. Make what they want or are willing to buy.

If I was professional brewer I think I might have problem taking some criticism. Even if I had the experience, I don't think I would want the job. The reason I say that is by some of the comments made on my own brews. Some people just talk to be heard w/o knowing what they are really saying. Like the saying, "I don't like hoppy beers.", but will say they like a good IPA.

You have to be able to filter the comments I guess. I suppose entering tasting competitions, and placing, is proof of what you make is good, also seeing what sells, and matching food with the style.


I was reading an airline magazine how beer is becoming more like wine, where resturants are matching beer with food like wine lists. The article mentioned Belgian Ale and some really sophisticated food that I can't remember, it goes to mention English Ales, German Lagers, and the West Coast Brews. In a nutshell they stated beer has more complexity than wine and that ordering a beer in a fine resturant is not a social faux pas anymore.

Some criticism has to be taken with a grain of salt. Also the people serving the stuff need to know something about the product to know when something is really wrong.