What's the worst craft brew (commercial) you've had?

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Big Sky - Moose drool.. I shoulda known by the name but I'd heard good things of this Carribu sloobber beer and figured they were probly simillar. I'd have to say it was the worst i've had, In a loong time at least. And it was only a five pack at that, cause the 6th bottle cap was partially folded over! Didn't catch that till I opened the fridge and there was foam running down the bottle. Gotta remember to email them guys the picture.
 
St Peters (england) do some shockers..

http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/our-beer-range/

they dont have any beer in there range i would reccomend, all average, some just terrible

I love their bottles, but the only beer I've had from them, the cream stout, was decidedly mediocre.

I was really hopeful when I saw the link pop up for a moment. I had a great Yorkshire Ale (not Old Peculier) several years ago, which was located next to St. Peters Cream Stout in the store's beer fridge (and I believe I bought one of each in the same trip). Since it never returned to that store, I haven't been able to figure out what it was. I saw the unique St. Peters bottles on the page, made the association in my head, and thought I had finally found my lost Yorkshire Ale.
 
Yorkshire do loads of great beers (im originally from UK), imo samual smiths has to be the best in UK/yorkshire..without going into the microbreweries..

have u searched them? (love there bottles also)..

Theakstons (who do old perculier) also do XB and lightfoot.
courage directors is a great UK ale..

this link may help ;)
http://www.yorkshireales.co.uk/

edit...after looking at the site, they seem to be more micro :(
 
Yorkshire do loads of great beers (im originally from UK), imo samual smiths has to be the best in UK/yorkshire..without going into the microbreweries..

have u searched them? (love there bottles also)..

Theakstons (who do old perculier) also do XB and lightfoot.
courage directors is a great UK ale..

this link may help ;)
http://www.yorkshireales.co.uk/

edit...after looking at the site, they seem to be more micro :(

A quick Bing search makes me think it might have been Black Sheep Brewery Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale, since the idea of a ram or sheep on the logo is familiar, but the packaging, logo, "Riggwelter", and tasting notes on BA all strike me as wrong.

It probably doesn't matter anyway - I was still in my beer infancy when I had it, so there's a decent chance that what I thought was amazing at the time was actually a very mediocre brew. Maybe I'll try to track that one down some day and see what I think.
 
I don't recall if I've tried any of their other beers, but #9 was also an early "craft" beer for me. I swear it's decidedly different now than it was back in 2008 - I can't believe my tastes have changed THAT much, but whereas I used to like it, it'd probably make a top 10 list of worst craft beers for me now.

Right? Maybe they upped the "apricot flavor" (because I guarantee it's not fermented on real apricots or anything). It tastes more like some kind of fruit potpourri now. Or, I guess, maybe I'm just more acclimated to good beer and am now offended by the taste. Hard to believe, though.
 
The Bruery Saison Rue. This beer tasted like ass! I poured out the entire 750ml bottle after only four sips. I'm wondering if I got a bad bottle considering the high ratings this beer has.
 
Big Sky - Moose drool.. I shoulda known by the name but I'd heard good things of this Carribu sloobber beer and figured they were probly simillar. I'd have to say it was the worst i've had, In a loong time at least.


Moose Drool is my wife's absolute favorite beer. I made the Northern Brewer clone, Caribou Slobber, for her. I had some problems with that brew day but it turned out great, just not a clone. My boss says that my 'clone' is the best beer that he has ever had!

It always amazes me how differently we all perceive things. :mug:
 
Magic hat cucumber hibisicus beer ive never hade another beer with cucumber in it but this is the only beer I have ever poured down the drain absolutly discusting


I had this last spring while visiting family In Florida, I thought they nailed the cucumber flavor,but it just isn't a flavor I think of or want in my beer. Cucumber flavor aside, I thought the beer was very nice, nice mouth feel, nice head etc, etc, the cucumber flavor just killed it. My brother in law told me to pour it out, we were out by the pool, but I decided to finish it instead of wasting it. However, I would never drink another.
 
The MH HiCu is definitely tough to drink, as well as Adirondack Brewing's Strawberry Watermelon. Spent a few months of Russian roulette with these in the fridge from the summer sampler packs- finally someone got curious and barely finished them- glad to see them gone!
 
Moose Drool is my wife's absolute favorite beer. I made the Northern Brewer clone, Caribou Slobber, for her. I had some problems with that brew day but it turned out great, just not a clone. My boss says that my 'clone' is the best beer that he has ever had!

It always amazes me how differently we all perceive things. :mug:

Caribou Slobber was my very first 5 gallon homebrew batch. I still have like 5 left in the back of my fridge. Never the biggest fan of brown ale, but this stuff is just awesome. For some weird reason I find I enjoy a Caribou Slobber more while eating some chocolate cookies. I know there are some beers that go well with certain foods, but I laugh that this is really good with a snack. :rockin:
 
I was given a sour farmhouse ale once. Let's just say that I am not a fan nor do I understand the appeal. I really thought it had turned but I guess it was in its prime.
 
Big Blue Van from College Street in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Nasty, overdone, artificial, cloying blueberry flavor overpowering what's basically an unimpressive wheat beer. It's hugely popular in town there, so I'm told, but I left most of the pint on the table when I left the brewpub. On the positive side, their food is excellent, and the rest of their beers I tried were all adequate.
 
The Bruery Tart of Darkness is easily the worst beer I've ever had. I hate to drain pour any beer and when that beer was $20 for a single bottle its all the more painful but it was undrinkable and the only beer I have ever had that made me sick to my stomach.
 
It's a toss up between Stone Breweries "Arrogant Bastard" and "Red Horse" by San Miguel brewing in the Philippines. Both taste like churned up crap to me.
 
No way.
Red horse is THE best makro lager available here in Thailand.

Sent from my GT-I8552B using Home Brew mobile app
 
It's a toss up between Stone Breweries "Arrogant Bastard" and "Red Horse" by San Miguel brewing in the Philippines. Both taste like churned up crap to me.

I had Stone IPA for the first time in a while last night, and it tasted like they ran every hop in their fridge through a lawnmower. Like a Sierra Nevada PA dry hopped with bathroom potpourri. I know some folks will defend it, but man, that might be the most amateurish IPA I've ever had, I feel like there wasn't even a recipe.
 
I had Stone IPA for the first time in a while last night, and it tasted like they ran every hop in their fridge through a lawnmower. Like a Sierra Nevada PA dry hopped with bathroom potpourri. I know some folks will defend it, but man, that might be the most amateurish IPA I've ever had, I feel like there wasn't even a recipe.


You must have gotten an old or mishandled bottle. Stone ipa is not my favorite ipa but it's certainly a well made tasty ipa and i have had what must be a100 commercial examples by now being a hop head
 
"f$%kin amateurs" - Walter Sobchek (Big Lebowski)

I love reading this thread. A bunch of self inclined homebrewers calling some of the most successful breweries in the country "amateurs" and the like. Homebrewers keep the hype at bay, and that can't be such a bad thing.
 
"f$%kin amateurs" - Walter Sobchek (Big Lebowski)

I love reading this thread. A bunch of self inclined homebrewers calling some of the most successful breweries in the country "amateurs" and the like. Homebrewers keep the hype at bay, and that can't be such a bad thing.

If you put a pound and a half of random-ass hops in your beer and put it in bombers, someone will fawn over it. This is America, right? "Such big flavor! Hints of gasoline!" But I totally knew that would piss someone off. :) There are great IPAs, but they have to set boundaries.

You must have gotten an old or mishandled bottle. Stone ipa is not my favorite ipa but it's certainly a well made tasty ipa and i have had what must be a100 commercial examples by now being a hop head

OK. This source IS actually known for bad handling, now that you mention it (bastards), but this didn't seem like oxidation, and hops should fade if anything after some storage abuse.

Last time I had Stone's IPA was on tap a few years ago, though... and it wasn't as imbalanced as this. Maybe you've got me, maybe the hops flavors turned ugly instead of just going weak. It smelled like pineapple juice filtered through a pound of Northern Brewer.*

(*Actually I take it back, that sounds kind of good.)
 
OK. This source IS actually known for bad handling, now that you mention it (bastards), but this didn't seem like oxidation, and hops should fade if anything after some storage abuse.

Last time I had Stone's IPA was on tap a few years ago, though... and it wasn't as imbalanced as this. Maybe you've got me, maybe the hops flavors turned ugly instead of just going weak. It smelled like pineapple juice filtered through a pound of Northern Brewer.*

(*Actually I take it back, that sounds kind of good.)


I think Stones ipa is at like 60 ibus (i could be wrong here) which as you pointed out in this day and age of breweries trying to pack in as many hops as possible really isnt that high for an ipa. I see nothing wrong with saying a beer from a commercial brewery sucks we pay the exorbitant prices they are charging and should be able to expect the beer to live up to the level of those prices.
 
I carted an arrogant bastard halfway across the country in my checked luggage not expecting much out of it but a souvenir bottle and it was delicious. If your bottles shop is handling beer worse than airline luggage personnel, I'd find a better bottle shop.

To stay on topic, I'd say Sam Adams cherry wheat is by far the worst I've tried.
 
Sam Adams double bock cherry.... That **** was horrible .. I got one of those multi seasonal packs. I had to stomach down 2 of them. Man I know that Every man is different, but I have drank some bad beers that I have made that we're more drinkable than that.
 
Going to agree that some of these "craft brewers" that have gotten success off of maybe one particular beer, in order to keep the hits coming have turned around and tossed out some odd, kitchy, often terrible and disgusting things that are mostly undrinkable crap. I know I brew better beers at home than some of the stuff I've bought. Like I read earlier, Bacon Smoked Red Ale? Disgusting. :(
 
No way.
Red horse is THE best makro lager available here in Thailand.

Sent from my GT-I8552B using Home Brew mobile app
Buddy, I'd move to a different country!

I had Stone IPA for the first time in a while last night, and it tasted like they ran every hop in their fridge through a lawnmower. Like a Sierra Nevada PA dry hopped with bathroom potpourri. I know some folks will defend it, but man, that might be the most amateurish IPA I've ever had, I feel like there wasn't even a recipe.
I agree...it's bitter, just plain bitter.
"f$%kin amateurs" - Walter Sobchek (Big Lebowski)

I love reading this thread. A bunch of self inclined homebrewers calling some of the most successful breweries in the country "amateurs" and the like. Homebrewers keep the hype at bay, and that can't be such a bad thing.
I think the only reason bastard became "famous" is because it is 7.2% ABV. Too many f$&ktards out there going for the alcohol instead of flavor. Yep, I'll call them out. I really do make better beer than that...and I really don't know what the hell I'm doing yet!
 
I like most everything I have tried by Pipeworks (in Chicago) but their marilime law ninja was awful. Smelled like lunch meat...
 
Too many f$&ktards out there going for the alcohol instead of flavor. Yep, I'll call them out. I really do make better beer than that...and I really don't know what the hell I'm doing yet!

It's not hard, and it sure as hell doesn't cost me $4.99 a bomber! Some hops are getting pricy (saaz is breaking my heart), but not the hops they're using, they're all $15/lb.

I guess my tastes are a little f'ed, because I think American craft beer is off its rocker in the hops department (NB has its place, but holy **** it's in everything now--I blame you, California). Not to mention yeast character... fermented beverages should taste like they came into contact with yeast at some point in their life span. I know, you can't just wish a whole country into changing its entire beer history. I'm a commie.

But futile rant over, I have to name a really ****ty beer to stay on topic... Young's Double Chocolate. That **** should be mentioned on every single page of this thread. That is the. Worst. Beer. It doesn't taste like any chocolate I've had, and it doesn't taste like beer, either. It is the ultimate leave-it-in-your-fridge-and-hope-your-alkie-friend-drinks-it beer. I've tried it and re-tried it because I always see high ratings (at least in what I call the "novelty stout" category) and it has never tasted like it wasn't sitting in someone's trunk for a year, so I really have to blame the brewer at this point.
 
It's not hard, and it sure as hell doesn't cost me $4.99 a bomber! Some hops are getting pricy (saaz is breaking my heart), but not the hops they're using, they're all $15/lb.

I guess my tastes are a little f'ed, because I think American craft beer is off its rocker in the hops department (NB has its place, but holy **** it's in everything now--I blame you, California). Not to mention yeast character... fermented beverages should taste like they came into contact with yeast at some point in their life span. I know, you can't just wish a whole country into changing its entire beer history. I'm a commie.

But futile rant over, I have to name a really ****ty beer to stay on topic... Young's Double Chocolate. That **** should be mentioned on every single page of this thread. That is the. Worst. Beer. It doesn't taste like any chocolate I've had, and it doesn't taste like beer, either. It is the ultimate leave-it-in-your-fridge-and-hope-your-alkie-friend-drinks-it beer. I've tried it and re-tried it because I always see high ratings (at least in what I call the "novelty stout" category) and it has never tasted like it wasn't sitting in someone's trunk for a year, so I really have to blame the brewer at this point.

I love Young's double chocolate. Though the taste surely has gotten worse in the 3 or 4 years that I have been drinking other beers. I bought some a few months ago and while it wasn't nearly as good as I remember, it was still a damn fine brew. Chocolate tastes real to me and it has as much flavor as a sweet milk stout typically does though a little lacking in the roast department.
 
Too many f$&ktards out there going for the alcohol instead of flavor. Yep, I'll call them out. I really do make better beer than that...and I really don't know what the hell I'm doing yet!

In many higher ABV beers, the alcohol contributes to the flavor. I like both.
 
I think the only reason bastard became "famous" is because it is 7.2% ABV. Too many f$&ktards out there going for the alcohol instead of flavor. Yep, I'll call them out. I really do make better beer than that...and I really don't know what the hell I'm doing yet!

Arrogant Bastard is like the BMC of IPAs - it's a middle-ground taste that appeals to most IPA drinkers, though it's not necessarily an award-winner in the crowded IPA market these days. IMO, while you could do better, it's almost always a solid pick for an above-average IPA.

But futile rant over, I have to name a really ****ty beer to stay on topic... Young's Double Chocolate. That **** should be mentioned on every single page of this thread. That is the. Worst. Beer. It doesn't taste like any chocolate I've had, and it doesn't taste like beer, either. It is the ultimate leave-it-in-your-fridge-and-hope-your-alkie-friend-drinks-it beer. I've tried it and re-tried it because I always see high ratings (at least in what I call the "novelty stout" category) and it has never tasted like it wasn't sitting in someone's trunk for a year, so I really have to blame the brewer at this point.

Like Guinness, Young's Double Chocolate is delicious off a nitro tap and kind've disappointing bottled or canned (though I have little experience with nitro cans and bottles). The roasty, semisweet flavor is where I can see the chocolate name coming in, and while I don't particularly taste chocolate in it, I think it would be amazing paired with some quality 75% dark chocolate. Either way, if you haven't tried a nitro pour, you haven't tried Young's Double Chocolate Stout as it's meant to be enjoyed. Then again, your comment about 'the "novelty stout" category' makes me wonder if you might just be projecting a dislike of sweet stouts on the category's most widely-known example.
 
I used to love Arrogant Bastard (still like it), but had one last Thursday and I have to say, not nearly as good as I remember. Maybe it was an old bottle (it was on sale and I couldn't read the date on it), but it had a distinct garlic/onion undertone. On a related note, I quit smoking at the beginning of the year, so maybe my palate is getting a lot better too.

As for bad: Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. A coworker didn't finish hers at a work dinner so some of us thought we'd finish it after she left. I took one sip then switched to water.
 
Arrogant Bastard is like the BMC of IPAs - it's a middle-ground taste that appeals to most IPA drinkers, though it's not necessarily an award-winner in the crowded IPA market these days. IMO, while you could do better, it's almost always a solid pick for an above-average IPA.
Except its not an IPA...
It's not my favorite beer, but it's not bad and definitely isn't anywhere near the worst beer I've ever had.
Like Guinness, Young's Double Chocolate is delicious off a nitro tap and kind've disappointing bottled or canned (though I have little experience with nitro cans and bottles). The roasty, semisweet flavor is where I can see the chocolate name coming in, and while I don't particularly taste chocolate in it, I think it would be amazing paired with some quality 75% dark chocolate. Either way, if you haven't tried a nitro pour, you haven't tried Young's Double Chocolate Stout as it's meant to be enjoyed. Then again, your comment about 'the "novelty stout" category' makes me wonder if you might just be projecting a dislike of sweet stouts on the category's most widely-known example.
I taste chocolate in it. I wonder if some people are expecting it to taste like Hershey's syrup squirted in a stout when that's really not how a chocolate stout should taste. I can taste a distinct bitter baker's chocolate flavor in it.
I don't think I've ever had it on tap, but I've had it from the bottle and nitro can and I like it from both. It's a completely different beer from a nitro can.
 
I taste chocolate in it. I wonder if some people are expecting it to taste like Hershey's syrup squirted in a stout when that's really not how a chocolate stout should taste. I can taste a distinct bitter baker's chocolate flavor in it.
I don't think I've ever had it on tap, but I've had it from the bottle and nitro can and I like it from both. It's a completely different beer from a nitro can.

My experience with Young's (and the "double") has me thinking this is definitely a chocolate stout named for the chocolate in it, not just the roasted malt. It is gross-sweet, not just sweet stout sweet but cloying. I've had it from multiple sources, so I can't assume it's always been mishandled, but it really seems like "oxidized" is the profile they're shooting for. Or "discount rack dark chocolate".
 
Third beer I brewed was a double chocolate stout. The guy I split batches with had Young's on a nitro tap and wanted to make his own. I am planning on opening another bottle here soon. It will be 2 years old in March.

Time flies...
 
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