Disappointment in a local brewery....

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Lonek

Lonek

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So I finally stopped in at a local micro brewery that has been in business for quite sometime and grabbed a sample case of their beer. Wheat, Hopped Amber, Nut Brown and Pale Ale. Needless to say, I was very taken a back out how crappy the beer tasted to me. I've made all these beers this summer and think mine have tasted far better. Most of their beers had bad after tastes and the Amber tasted scorched. These guys have gotten a lot of praise by normal beer drinkers, I think they've never tasted good beer before this.... At least I got another case of bottles, but I won't be stopping back in there.
 
Most people are just in awe when places have more than BMC, Bass and Heiny on tap; when they find out that they brew their own, dudes get their panties wet over how "cool" that is. This tends to cloud their judgment a tad.

Our local brewpub actually does great stuff---the brewmaster (very cool guy) is pretty decorated, and is moving on as we speak to his own brand new hop farm and brewery about 20 minutes outside of town (in the middle of wine country-how fitting). I hope they can find someone at the brewpub to take his place that knows what they're doin...
 
By your location and the beers listed, you're talking about Troegs?

Haven't had their beers in awhile, but I remember liking the Rugged Trail (brown), and being so-so on the other three. Nothing as bad as what you describe, though.

If you want a really good local weizen, try Stoudts.
 
Brewery? :tank:

In defense of Troegs, they make some very good brew. I don't recall ever getting a bad one from them. Stoudts is very good. Penn as well.
 
I didn't want to name names, but yes, Troegs. Stoudts and ABC have great beer. I've had ABC flowing through my veins for the last 10 years almost. And actually I saw Stoudts was named as one of the best places for micro brew in the US on Food Network last year.
 
The local brewery in Winston-Salem leaves a lot to be desired. I've left there with a half full beer on the table twice.

Just got back from Calgary and had a chance to spend some time at Brewster's and Wildwood. Now they make good beer. The brewmaster at Wildwood was also very forthcoming about some of the recipies too. Cool guy.
 
*shrug*

I have had the Mad Elf, Troegenator, Hopback Amber, Nugget Nectar and sampled the Nutbrown. I haven't had a flawed one in terms of standard qualities that most folks look at, can't say they are the BEST brewery out there but fwiw it is all relative. Some days brews just taste totally different to me where I'll like them one day and not care for them too much another. Did you buy the case directly from the brewery?
 
Maybe I just got an old case of bottles? Hmm, maybe I'll stop back in and talk to them. The Amber was way above in flavor, but the flavor was "off", tasted burnt.
 
Lonek said:
Maybe I just got an old case of bottles? Hmm, maybe I'll stop back in and talk to them. The Amber was way above in flavor, but the flavor was "off", tasted burnt.
Click to expand...

I had a 6 of them, the Hopback and imo it is on par with many of the other 'hoppy' ales out there. I have never noticed any burned flavor, personally. It has a slight carmel flavor but nothing more than I'be tasted in IPA's. The nutbrown wasn't my cup of tea, although I did find it to be well made. Haven't had the Pale Ale.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
You think that's bad, my local insists that Wit is a "seasonal" brew...:confused:
Click to expand...

That's perfectly reasonable, Bill. Most breweries I know only do light wheat beers in the spring and summer. When you've got limited space and capacity, going seasonal is really a smart thing to do---because the market kind of demands it. Some people don't---I personally can and do drink Expedition in the heat of summer and Whirlwind in the dead of winter---but the market as a whole likes lighter wheat beers in the summer and darker maltier beers in the winter. That's the buying pattern at our store, and when you've got limited capacity, one thing you don't wanna do is buck the market.
 
Micro places in our area are becoming a "fad" for the upper class. It's allowing for poor beer to passed along as good micro brew, but it's also getting more people aware of beer past BMC... take the good with the bad I guess.
 
There are microbreweries that make ok brews and survive because there isn't any competition. Trask, formerly of McMinneville, made ok brews. Two problems: a McMenamins two doors down, which is in the restored Oregon Hotel, and Golden Valley Brewery, an easy walk down the road. McMinemins makes good brews and Mark, at GVB, makes great ones. Trask is dead.

One of Mark's seasonals is a Belgian. Since it is at the low ABV end, it makes a great summer ale. His 3rd Street Wheat and Golden are year round. They are good intros for the BMC crowd.
 
I have a local microbrewery near me and there is another one near my in-laws; both make absolute swill that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. It was very disappointing the first time I went in to each to find out just how bad beer can be.
 
Chimone said:
i bet they are still making money
Click to expand...

As they should be...they do produce some really good beer.

I have found the hopback to be a bit inconsistent when it comes to the hop aroma but outside of that, I haven't had a bad troegs out of several cases and who knows how many pints. I have had their Sunshine Pils (least liked, kinda bland and no where near Prima Pils), Dreamweaver wheat (2nd to least), Pale ale, Troegenator, Hopback, Rugged Trail nut brown, Nugget Nectar & Mad Elf . Nugget Nectar is a killer seasonal brew.
 
You might have gotten some old cases. FWIW, I picked up a case of Hopback Amber when I was in PA last year, as I had heard and read so many good things about it. I was sorely dissapointed - it had no hop aroma and an off flavor that I was pretty certain was from sitting too long at room temperature in the ghastly PA 'beer store' I went to. (How do you PA folks stomach those depressing, overpriced places?). I could see where someone might call it 'burnt'.

I'd really like to try it fresh.
 
Rhoobarb said:
I was sorely dissapointed - it had no hop aroma and an off flavor that I was pretty certain was from sitting too long at room temperature in the ghastly PA 'beer store' I went to. (How do you PA folks stomach those depressing, overpriced places?). I could see where someone might call it 'burnt'.

I'd really like to try it fresh.
Click to expand...

As a resident, you learn where not to shop very quickly....especially the places that have little to no turnover in their stock. That said, I can get Stone IPA for $27 bucks a case and it's the 6 pack purchases @ 10 bucks that I think suck it big time. On the plus side, we do have some of the best selection in the area and a really excellent "beer culture" from what I have experienced.
 
Rhoobarb said:
You might have gotten some old cases.
Click to expand...
My first thought too...but AT THE BREWERY? They'd have to be pretty poorly run to sell old mishandled beer from their own front door.

...the ghastly PA 'beer store' I went to. (How do you PA folks stomach those depressing, overpriced places?).
Click to expand...
In the bigger cities, you search and search until you find a good one. A few have amazing selections, though since they have to sell whole cases you wonder how often they can turn some of the high-priced, unusual items.

If you can't find a good distributor (or even if you can), you homebrew :mug:
 
Evan! said:
That's perfectly reasonable, Bill. Most breweries I know only do light wheat beers in the spring and summer. When you've got limited space and capacity, going seasonal is really a smart thing to do---because the market kind of demands it. Some people don't---I personally can and do drink Expedition in the heat of summer and Whirlwind in the dead of winter---but the market as a whole likes lighter wheat beers in the summer and darker maltier beers in the winter. That's the buying pattern at our store, and when you've got limited capacity, one thing you don't wanna do is buck the market.
Click to expand...
I see your point, and I didn't tell you the entire story...they are still making/selling Weizens. No significant difference....and oh, yeah, it is summer...

They're bad about it too. 14 beers on the menu and everyone you select is out...WTF??

I told them I won't be back.
 
I'm blessed to live in the PacificNW, and that means that there are breweries all over the place near where I live. The more popular Craft Breweries (Pyramid, Redhook) are decent, some of the smaller ones (Boundary Bay, Diamond Knot) make phenomenal beer, and some of the locally popular ones (particularly Pike Brewing) makes beer that I just don't like. Everything they do is very middle of the road, uninspired or creative, just kinda blah. It leaves me with no reason for going to their brewery.
 
Bike N Brew said:
...In the bigger cities, you search and search until you find a good one. A few have amazing selections, though since they have to sell whole cases you wonder how often they can turn some of the high-priced, unusual items...
Click to expand...

Gosh, I'd hope so. We were in the York area and everyplace we went to was open-air, cement floors, dark, dank - just depressing.

Didn't mean for this to come off as a smack at PA; sorry if it did. I'd like to try the Hopback fresh on tap.

Maybe the brewery just sells stuff it gets back after shelf rotation at the retail stores?:confused: :drunk:
 
Rhoobarb said:
Gosh, I'd hope so. We were in the York area and everyplace we went to was open-air, cement floors, dark, dank - just depressing.

Didn't mean for this to come off as a smack at PA; sorry if it did. I'd like to try the Hopback fresh on tap.
Click to expand...

Lol, no offense taken. I do know the type of distro you are referring to! Close to where I live (State College) it is a college town so turn over is rarely a problem save for the really high priced stuff, which still seems to do well. The three 'big' distro's here are really good, the master for Troegs refridgerates all of their beer save for a meager "out front" selection. The other main one refridgerates most of their stock as well. Another one that I frequent has no refridgeration but really moves their stock and is air conditioned anyways. The bottle shops are much more of a gamble for several reasons.

As for the Hopback, it is good. The Nugget Nectar is better imo, but is seasonal.
 
Bike N Brew said:
My first thought too...but AT THE BREWERY? They'd have to be pretty poorly run to sell old mishandled beer from their own front door.
Click to expand...


Yeah that really amazes me. I have yet to have from them what I would consider 'bad' or 'flawed'. :drunk:
 
My BIL brought me a 6 or Troegs Oatmeal Stout and Double Bock. I thought both were really good. However I know how average or poor beer can be passed off as premium by a micro. Our company Christmas party was at the local Rock Bottom Brewery. The best beer was average and their Porter was horrible, watery and tasteless, and I usually love porters.
Craig
 
CBBaron said:
My BIL brought me a 6 or Troegs Oatmeal Stout and Double Bock. I thought both were really good. However I know how average or poor beer can be passed off as premium by a micro. Our company Christmas party was at the local Rock Bottom Brewery. The best beer was average and their Porter was horrible, watery and tasteless, and I usually love porters.
Craig
Click to expand...

Ugh, don't get me started on Rock Bottom. I went to one in Chicago and man it was pretty terrible imo. I tried several offerings, hoping that it was just the one beer. They were all poor, and so were the ones the other guys got.
 
zoebisch01 said:
Ugh, don't get me started on Rock Bottom. I went to one in Chicago and man it was pretty terrible imo. I tried several offerings, hoping that it was just the one beer. They were all poor, and so were the ones the other guys got.
Click to expand...

There is a Rock Bottom in the King of Prussia mall out my way...I will only say that I found the name pretty descriptive.
 
brewt00l said:
As a resident, you learn where not to shop very quickly....especially the places that have little to no turnover in their stock. That said, I can get Stone IPA for $27 bucks a case and it's the 6 pack purchases @ 10 bucks that I think suck it big time. On the plus side, we do have some of the best selection in the area and a really excellent "beer culture" from what I have experienced.
Click to expand...

howdy neighbor.... i agree with the $10 6-packs.

what beer distributors have you found to be the best in the area?
 
The best response to a situation like this one where you are totally unhappy with a local MB (short of firebombing :D ) is to support another that you like. There are varying palates out there and not everyone will share your opinion. I too have found a local MB that I absolutely despise yet others rave about. I don't understand how they stay open in a place like Vancouver with the number of high quality Micro-brews available here. I guess it's subjective and therefore others like what I find crappy.

The positive spin:

ALWAYS learn from someone else's mistake. Try and find out how they brew their beer or what ingredients they're using and when it comes to designing your own brew, avoid those techniques and ingredients. Let it be a positive experience rather than a negative one.


Ain't homebrewing great? It allows us to be the ultimate selfish beer drinker by brewing exactly what we want.

We are luck folk.
:mug:
 
who ye be callin luck folk?

leprechaun.jpg
 
jackdaniels1940 said:
howdy neighbor.... i agree with the $10 6-packs.

what beer distributors have you found to be the best in the area?
Click to expand...


Yo!

Close to home I hit B&B in Doylestown...ok pricing and a really good selection of craft/micro and imports. The owner will also get stuff in if you inquire. Further out, you have to hit Shangys and The Beer Yard (you can find some info online). Both will make your wallet burn when you see the selections. Hatboro beverage (I haven't stopped in for a while) supposedly has a good selection too. There are a bunch of places with an ok selection but what's the point when there is sooo much better?

Bottle/6-pack shopwise, you have to check out the Candlewyck close by in Buckingham and Capone's in Norristown. Matt @ Capone's is a great guy that really goes out there and brings some great stuff in. The new Valida Market in Lansdale has a great selection and price on their singles.

Check out ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com for some of the excellent places to hit in the area. Where do you normally grab your commercial beer?
 
Originally posted by Rook
and some of the locally popular ones (particularly Pike Brewing) makes beer that I just don't like. Everything they do is very middle of the road, uninspired or creative, just kinda blah. It leaves me with no reason for going to their brewery.
Click to expand...

Rook,
Have you been back to Pike lately? Charles Finkel bought the brewery back from Samuel Smiths. The beers have gotten alot better now that Drew has the freedom to brew what he wants. I think the Monks Uncle Tripel is one of the best domestic Tripels I've had. The IPA is much hoppier and more in line with the NW style. Give it another shot, heck I'll even meet you down there.
 
Until I moved out to the HArrisburg area I didn't realize that some places in PA you can only seem to get 6 packs at the bars. Where I lived before and still visit there are 6 pack shops that will sell single bottles and allow you to mix and match which really helps when you want to try something different. Out here you have the cases and kegs and the overpriced BMC and its awlful. But it is very easy for me to take a long walk or a short drive to ABC for some usually fresh nd usually very tasty brew.
 
Brewtopia said:
Charles Finkel bought the brewery back from Samuel Smiths. The beers have gotten alot better now that Drew has the freedom to brew what he wants.QUOTE]

Brewtopia, when did that thappen?
Click to expand...
 
brewt00l said:
Yo!

Close to home I hit B&B in Doylestown...ok pricing and a really good selection of craft/micro and imports. The owner will also get stuff in if you inquire. Further out, you have to hit Shangys and The Beer Yard (you can find some info online). Both will make your wallet burn when you see the selections. Hatboro beverage (I haven't stopped in for a while) supposedly has a good selection too. There are a bunch of places with an ok selection but what's the point when there is sooo much better?

Bottle/6-pack shopwise, you have to check out the Candlewyck close by in Buckingham and Capone's in Norristown. Matt @ Capone's is a great guy that really goes out there and brings some great stuff in. The new Valida Market in Lansdale has a great selection and price on their singles.

Check out ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com for some of the excellent places to hit in the area. Where do you normally grab your commercial beer?
Click to expand...

Thirsty's in Warrington is where I usually go when I'm running low in the homebrew dept. They've really started stocking up on the local micros. I've also been to Super Value Beverage in Warminster. Its a much larger store than Thirsty's with a good variety of micros/craft/imports.

I haven't checked out the 6-pack situation in the area since I work just over the border in Jersey and usually pick up the 6-packs here. The only place I remember seeing good 6-ers is at Muggs in Doylestown.

Do you do your HB shopping at Keystone?
 
jackdaniels1940 said:
Thirsty's in Warrington is where I usually go when I'm running low in the homebrew dept. They've really started stocking up on the local micros. I've also been to Super Value Beverage in Warminster. Its a much larger store than Thirsty's with a good variety of micros/craft/imports.

I haven't checked out the 6-pack situation in the area since I work just over the border in Jersey and usually pick up the 6-packs here. The only place I remember seeing good 6-ers is at Muggs in Doylestown.

Do you do your HB shopping at Keystone?
Click to expand...

I haven't been in thirsty's for a long while. Mugg's selection is nothing compared to the Wyck, Capone's & Vidalia. Though, Mugg's was the place I had my first legal beer when I turned twenty one (but it was called Cheesesteak Charlies at the time aka cheepskate charlies).
 

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