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

stratslinger said:

A few years back, in their summer variety 12 pack, Sam Adams had a cranberry (maybe raspberry, don't remember for certain) lambic. Most god awful beer I've ever tasted. Also the first "lambic" I'd ever tasted - had me convinced for a couple years that lambics were just bad, until I had a lindeman's and realized Sam Adams just had no idea what the style was all about.

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+1 on how aweful that cranberry lambic was, also did not like the east/west kolsch or their bonfire rauchbier. The rouchbier tasted of liquid smoke and would have bee best consumed by pouring out over a bonfire.

kylevester said:

Oh, I love you guys. Getting to read opinions on beers I like where others ABHOR with certitude is delightful. Keep it up!

But, really, those of you who don't bow to the altar that is Stone? DIAF. (Joking of course)

I liked 16th Anniversary Pale Ale more than the 10th Anniversary Ruination. TEHO, folks, To Each His Own. Cheers!

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I normally like Stone, but I'd say their new belgo IPA monstrosity is awful.

RCBIV said:

I'm not sure this is the worst commercial craft brew I've had, but I had Roscoe's Hop House IPA a couple weeks ago and couldn't finish it. Had to put it down the drain.

Thankfully, I bought it as a single.

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Grannyknot said:

I thought these were pretty bad excuses for an IPA.

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Those are both contract brewed for Whole Foods, I used to work there as their beer buyer and hated that I had carry them because they're so terrible and just space away from good beer.

As for the worst beers I've ever had, we have the following:
New Holland Charkoota Rye-reminded me of bacon and tasted very thin and just off
Southampton Pumpkin-very metallicy, thin and kinda soapy
Coney Island Freaktoberfest-Also thin and watery
Harpoon Winter Warmer- Have some sitting around from last winter still
Mostly everything from Sam Adams, esp Raspberry wheat and Cranberry lambic

And that's all I can think of at this moment, I'm sure more will come to me.

jwaldman11 said:

I'll also add my voice to the Voodoo Maple Bacon. It tasted more like they mixed Guinness with rancid maple syrup, with bacon fat thrown in for good measure.

However, at least I was able to finish that one. I was at a beer tasting a few years ago and tried Cave Creek Chili Beer. I like spicy, but that was just so obnoxiously jalapeno-flavored. That's the first and only time that I've poured out a beer sample.

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Agree on the Cave Creek Chili Beer. I believe it's more of a novelty than a beer. That being said, it's one of the secret ingredients in my chili.

Yeastie Boys' Rex Attitude learned me good: that bag of peated malt I'd bought on a whim and was gonna add to some future batch of darkish beer? Yeah, don't do it, is the lesson. Sweet galloping animated elephant balls. We're talking a beer made with 100% peated malt: $7 per 12oz bottle, and it tastes like tube sock bologna (in a very, very bad way).

Picked up a 6 pack of Terrapin's Golden Ale and it was horrid

Proboscidea said:

Yeastie Boys' Rex Attitude learned me good: that bag of peated malt I'd bought on a whim and was gonna add to some future batch of darkish beer? Yeah, don't do it, is the lesson. Sweet galloping animated elephant balls. We're talking a beer made with 100% peated malt: $7 per 12oz bottle, and it tastes like tube sock bologna (in a very, very bad way).

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LOL, this is the quote of the day.

You win the internet.

Cracked my Unibroue 17th Anniversary Grand Reserve... very disappointed. I knew it was oaked, but MAN, too much oak. It smells like a heavily oaked wine, and tastes a bit like a heavily oaked wine. Far from the worst beer ever, but easily the worst Unibroue beer I've ever had. And at $16 for the bottle, that hurts.

I waited in a very long line at a brewery to get an $8 bottle of New Glarus "Brewmaster Select" Sour ale. Everyone was bonkers for it as it a local phenomenon and has been aging since 2009. Got home, poured a glass and had to choke it down. I drank it alright as I won't pour an $8 beer down the sink but man was it sour! Tasted like sweet tarts in an already over carbonated beer. Dang it! I could have a whole 6 pack of Fat Squirrel for the same price.

FirstLadyofBeer said:

Those are both contract brewed for Whole Foods, I used to work there as their beer buyer and hated that I had carry them because they're so terrible and just space away from good beer.

As for the worst beers I've ever had, we have the following:
New Holland Charkoota Rye-reminded me of bacon and tasted very thin and just off
Southampton Pumpkin-very metallicy, thin and kinda soapy
Coney Island Freaktoberfest-Also thin and watery
Harpoon Winter Warmer- Have some sitting around from last winter still
Mostly everything from Sam Adams, esp Raspberry wheat and Cranberry lambic

And that's all I can think of at this moment, I'm sure more will come to me.

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Roscoe's isn't contract brewed for whole foods; I've seen it in our local grocery store. That' being said, thanks for steering me away from it!

Sour Mash Wheat - Moonlight Brewing Company

Tasted like musty dirty anus, not that I know what that tastes like...

broadbill said:

Roscoe's isn't contract brewed for whole foods; I've seen it in our local grocery store. That' being said, thanks for steering me away from it!

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I found the 4 in hand at a local grocery store, not whole foods, but the owner of the store did tell me that it was contract brewed for whole foods. It goes through a distributor (per TN state law), and if the distributor has excess that they can't deliver to whole foods, they are free to sell it to whoever they please.

I can't speak for the roscoes.

Proboscidea said:

Sweet galloping animated elephant balls.

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Jordan, I disagree.... THAT is the quote of the day! :rockin:

Over the weekend I had Flying Dog's Gose, it's a very pale beer, not sure if i could pin any particular style to it, maybe California common... But it's beef with a major punch of old bay seasoning... I couldn't get through my 4oz taster.

I have another to add to my list.

Thomas hooker watermelon- smelled like watermelon jolly ranchers, tasted like nothing.

Matt3989 said:

Over the weekend I had Flying Dog's Gose, it's a very pale beer, not sure if i could pin any particular style to it, maybe California common... But it's beef with a major punch of old bay seasoning... I couldn't get through my 4oz taster.

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That's kind of the gose style though. A really light wit that's salted and drank really young. Not everyones thing

Grannyknot said:

I found the 4 in hand at a local grocery store, not whole foods, but the owner of the store did tell me that it was contract brewed for whole foods. It goes through a distributor (per TN state law), and if the distributor has excess that they can't deliver to whole foods, they are free to sell it to whoever they please.

I can't speak for the roscoes.

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Sounds like it is contract brewed for the state of Tennessee then!

many years ago budwiser sold their version of hefe weizen....a friend offered me one to compare with my home brew hefe....GOD gagging terrible for both of us! way too much hop for the style and off flavors followed by the burn.....luckily this crap was just a pilot & was pulled before it killed someone!

anything sam adams...can this be considered a craft brewery?
I suspect S.A. to be the budwiser of the so-called craft brew industry. all hype no product........
S.A. cherry wheat is snake oil in a bottle...yuck!

GD51

gizmodog51 said:

S.A. cherry wheat is snake oil in a bottle...yuck!

GD51

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I have to agree and disagree with you on the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.

I had in on tap and I thought it was pretty good.
Next time, I tried it in the bottle and it was HORRIBLE.
Tasted like cherry cough syrup.

I cant believe something would be so different from draught vs bottle.

Stone IRS Belgo 2011 with the Anise.... Terrible!!!
Newcastle IPA..... RANCID!!!

cheezydemon3 said:

FAT TIRE

suck hole-o-rama!

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I have to agree, so much was made of this beer, then when I had one, it was very average.

Earlier this month a guy brought a Voodoo Doughnut to the homebrew meeting. I already knew what to expect because of this thread. There were 20 in attendance, and not one person was able to finish their approximately 1 oz pour. This is the most hideous beer available, folks. I think it's the home smoked hickory malt that really does it. It literally tastes like you're sucking on the underpants of a hobo who dried his clothes over the camp fire, but forgot to wash out the Denny's bacon mess and Steel Reserve urine.

MollyHatchet said:

I have to agree, so much was made of this beer, then when I had one, it was very average.

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Ya, but try Fat Tire out of a keg and you might change your mind. I find the bottled version about a 5 out of 10, uninteresting and somewhat bland. I'd put the kegged version at an 8.5 if not 9. Very tasty.

I recently tried New Belgium's Belgian Abbey ale. It tasted like someone made Fat Tire with Mothership yeast. It didn't have any of the body or mouthfeel I'd expect from the style and the hops just clashed with the yeast flavors. I have no interest in a second glass of that!

Matteo57 said:

Stone IRS Belgo 2011 with the Anise.... Terrible!!!

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Yeah, I split a bottle of that with 3 others, and none of us could even finish the few ounces we poured to simply taste it. We tried about 12 Stone beers that night, and it was the only one all of us said was downright nasty.

JollyIsTheRoger said:

That's kind of the gose style though. A really light wit that's salted and drank really young. Not everyones thing

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Yeah, that beer is brewed to a specific style and then spiked with old bay seasoning. I can understand how it would be off putting if you didn't expect it, but when I had it at the brewery the guy pouring it made sure to explain what it was before letting me have it.

Matteo57 said:

Stone IRS Belgo 2011 with the Anise.... Terrible!!!

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I drank a bottle of this a couple months ago that I bought last year and I wholeheartedly disagree. I thought it was great and had no problems finishing the bottle by myself. But that's just me. Tastes differ.

solbes said:

Ya, but try Fat Tire out of a keg and you might change your mind. I find the bottled version about a 5 out of 10, uninteresting and somewhat bland. I'd put the kegged version at an 8.5 if not 9. Very tasty.

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I can attest to this also. A bottle of fat tire compared to a draft is a might and day difference for me. I didn't think I liked fat tire until I had it out of a tap.

The worst I've had was a cask-conditioned red at Rock Bottom in Denver. Smelled and tasted like raw bread dough. Told the bartender to dump it and got something they had in a bottle (as in NOT a Rock Bottom product).

david_42 said:

The worst I've had was a cask-conditioned red at Rock Bottom in Denver. Smelled and tasted like raw bread dough. Told the bartender to dump it and got something they had in a bottle (as in NOT a Rock Bottom product).

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We have a rock bottom here and their beer is not very good. I think I may have sent one back too, iirc.

david_42 said:

The worst I've had was a cask-conditioned red at Rock Bottom in Denver. Smelled and tasted like raw bread dough. Told the bartender to dump it and got something they had in a bottle (as in NOT a Rock Bottom product).

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Havent had that, but I think the RB Hop Bomb is one of the best IPAs on the market. I almost always get that, so I cant speak to any of the others.

Moylands Hopsickle is probably the worst beer ive ever had (I would literally take a bud light over it - and I LOVE IPAs!). It ruined me on anything thats has Columbus in it. Disgustingly pungent and tons of ammonia.

I was very disappointed in Mission Brewings Shipwreck IPA too; good pine and citrus aroma, but the Columbus pungency totally over powers all of that after the second sip.

WesleyS said:

I drank a bottle of this a couple months ago that I bought last year and I wholeheartedly disagree. I thought it was great and had no problems finishing the bottle by myself. But that's just me. Tastes differ.

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I'm glad to hear someone liked it. You are the first I've heard that enjoyed it! I guess you are right on the tastes differ!

Sam Adam's Octoberfest tastes like meat.

Shiner Hefeweizen is...it's hard to explain. Bad, but bad is not really enough. It was NOT a hefe, more like boiled bile in a bottle. Horrid.

Anything out of Tioga sequoia tastes like garbage IMO.

gizmodog51 said:

anything sam adams...can this be considered a craft brewery?
I suspect S.A. to be the budwiser of the so-called craft brew industry. all hype no product........
S.A. cherry wheat is snake oil in a bottle...yuck!

GD51

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I think SA's problem is they try to make too many beers. But I think it'd be a gross characterization to say they're all hype and no product since I've had several really good beers from them - Boston Lager, cream stout, Scotch ale, Noble Pils, Old Fezziwig. Their IPAs are pretty decent too but I hardly count them since I'm pretty sure a 1-handed drunk chimp could manage to brew together a drinkable IPA. But still, many decent to good beers which is far more than I can say of Budweiser or even the entire AB-Inbev empire.

Which isn't to say that they don't have some stinkers. Definitely steer away from any of their beers involving wheat or fruit and if they're together....well, I agree that their cherry wheat is pretty vile stuff.

As far as worst *commercial* craft brews... Do Blue Moon and Pilsner Urquell count? I didn't like the Blue Moon pumpkin ale. It smelled good but the taste didn't do it for me and it left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. As for the Urquell I'm pretty sure I just had a skunked bottle (green glass strikes again!) but I've been prejudiced against it ever since.

Leinenkugel's Sunseat Wheat (are they still considered a craft brewery?). Just god awful.

Brulosopher said:

Alright, you got me. But seeing that I don't think it is the holy grail of beer, not even close, I probably come off as hating it.

Seriously though, the absolute worst craft beer I've had, at least in recent memory, was a "Rye Cream Ale" from a small brewpub in Visalia, Brewbaker's. I swear they served me a glass full of loogies; so bad, I asked them to take it back.

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That does sound bad, never been down there myself

Sam adams cherry wheat, nastier than homemade sin.

jdozer said:

Sam adams cherry wheat, nastier than homemade sin.

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I don't think this is so bad if I pour it into a glass first. A lot of the aroma and whatnot goes away then. From the bottle, it's pretty bad, but if you pour it into a glass like it's meant, it's much better.

Mercenary Double IPA from Odell brewing, Turned me off from ever liking an IPA again. Felt like hop flavored battery acid in my mouth. Would rather boil and eat my shoes than to let that stuff hold my mouth hostage again. I did find out my cats are extra clingy though if you spill some on your jeans. Maybe not so good if your walking around mountain lion territory.

fosgate said:

Mercenary Double IPA from Odell brewing, Turned me off from ever liking an IPA again.

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Chances are you didn't like them to begin with. That's a very well regarded beer.