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

McBrewskie said:

I agree its not craft.

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I know this subject is a bit off-topic and has been discussed ad nauseum, but what the hell... Since "craft" refers the scale of production, I think as a formal designation it is pretty much useless. Just because the Goose Island people might wear an InBev patch on their shirts doesn't mean I'm no longer going to consider their beers as qualitatively "craft," at least in the actual sense of the word and not how the Brewer's Association defines it. Now if they move the location of production, or start using a bunch of cheaper ingredients, that's another matter. I don't subscribe to the notion that a craft product has anything to do with who owns the brewery; to me that's just a form of anti-capitalism. I don't necessarily like the idea of a big brewer buying out smaller "craft" brewers, but I'm not going to deny myself a tasty brew because of it or start dickering around with pointless definitions of "craft."

I understand where your coming from but inbev does NORMALLY change location and ingredients. They moved rolling rock from Latrobe and anyone who has drank rolling rock for a while will tell you it's not the same. The same goes for Bass which is now also brewed in NEW YORK. In 2012, AB InBev, the makers of Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser, announced that, for the UK market, they were reducing the alcohol content across their range of beers, from 5% to 4.8%. The original strength of the lager was 5.2%. Anheuser employees even came out after the takeover and admitted more adjuncts are being used and other ingredients cut to save costs. If you look up any brewery they take over they start looking for cost cutting techniques. Because the CEO of the company was originally a soda person who DOES NOT DRINK BEER he has no reservation on tampering with recipes to save money. Further more InBev is quickly becoming a complete monopoly accounting for over 50% of the WORLD'S market share. By still buying there products you support them and these actions, I do not care who owns a brewery but I do care what they do to the beer and inbev has proven they do not care about there product ONLY profitability.

Rampant tastes like a stronger Ranger to me, maybe you guys got an old batch, we just started getting new Belgian much more widely distributed around Detroit so it's pretty fresh.

grimstuff said:

I know this subject is a bit off-topic and has been discussed ad nauseum, but what the hell... Since "craft" refers the scale of production, I think as a formal designation it is pretty much useless. Just because the Goose Island people might wear an InBev patch on their shirts doesn't mean I'm no longer going to consider their beers as qualitatively "craft," at least in the actual sense of the word and not how the Brewer's Association defines it. Now if they move the location of production, or start using a bunch of cheaper ingredients, that's another matter. I don't subscribe to the notion that a craft product has anything to do with who owns the brewery; to me that's just a form of anti-capitalism. I don't necessarily like the idea of a big brewer buying out smaller "craft" brewers, but I'm not going to deny myself a tasty brew because of it or start dickering around with pointless definitions of "craft."

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Goose Island 312 is brewed in new york so they have already changed location of production

NormPeterson said:

In 2012, AB InBev, the makers of Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser, announced that, for the UK market, they were reducing the alcohol content across their range of beers, from 5% to 4.8%. The original strength of the lager was 5.2%

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I was so upset when they cut it from 5.2%!!

And back on subject...any pale or ipa or should be hoppy beer from New Holland brewery is really bad. Their White Hatter for example, I have never before had a Belgian IPA that has as much flavor as a boring ass lager. Blah...quit bogarting the hops homies.

New Holland Mad Hatter and the double version are both great, I've had the white on draft and it was good, I'm wondering again if you got old or mishandled beer.

fizgig said:

New Holland Mad Hatter and the double version are both great, I've had the white on draft and it was good, I'm wondering again if you got old or mishandled beer.

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No, I live just outside of Holland I have gotten all of those right from their taps...still no hop character. I think they do pretty good with beers that aren't so hop forward, but honestly I don't really bother when I can just go to Founders or Bells.

hoghead said:

Goose Island 312 is brewed in new york so they have already changed location of production

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Well hell!

21st Amendment Hell or High Water tastes like someone ate nothing but watermelon juice for a month and then pissed in a can. Have not poured out many beers in my life but this is a definite throw away.

NormPeterson said:

21st Amendment Hell or High Water tastes like someone ate nothing but watermelon juice for a month and then pissed in a can. Have not poured out many beers in my life but this is a definite throw away.

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Wesley likes it

NormPeterson said:

21st Amendment Hell or High Water tastes like someone ate nothing but watermelon juice for a month and then pissed in a can. Have not poured out many beers in my life but this is a definite throw away.

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bottlebomber said:

Wesley likes it

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I sure do! I think it's pretty good. It tastes like a wheat beer up front and then the watermelon flavor comes in. I thought they did a good job with it. But tastes vary.

bottlebomber said:

Wesley likes it

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WesleyS said:

I sure do! I think it's pretty good. It tastes like a wheat beer up front and then the watermelon flavor comes in. I thought they did a good job with it. But tastes vary.

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Really? :smack:

chiteface said:

No, I live just outside of Holland I have gotten all of those right from their taps...still no hop character. I think they do pretty good with beers that aren't so hop forward, but honestly I don't really bother when I can just go to Founders or Bells.

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I had Mad Hatter once, in a restaurant in Ann Arbor. It was very good and very hoppy.

EDIT: the IPA that disappointed me, because the brewery is generally very good, was Broken Paddle by Dragonmead.

grimstuff said:

I know this subject is a bit off-topic and has been discussed ad nauseum, but what the hell... Since "craft" refers the scale of production, I think as a formal designation it is pretty much useless. Just because the Goose Island people might wear an InBev patch on their shirts doesn't mean I'm no longer going to consider their beers as qualitatively "craft," at least in the actual sense of the word and not how the Brewer's Association defines it. Now when they move the location of production, or start using a bunch of cheaper ingredients, that's another matter. I don't subscribe to the notion that a craft product has anything to do with who owns the brewery; to me that's just a form of anti-capitalism. I don't necessarily like the idea of a big brewer buying out smaller "craft" brewers, but I'm not going to deny myself a tasty brew because of it or start dickering around with pointless definitions of "craft."

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Small edit above in bold. I would drink it right up to when I can tell is changed. Usually doesn't take long. Now that InBev owns the entirety of Goose Island I give it a year before it tastes similar to crap like Pyramid.

McBrewskie said:

Small edit above in bold. I would drink it right up to when I can tell is changed. Usually doesn't take long. Now that InBev owns the entirety of Goose Island I give it a year before it tastes similar to crap like Pyramid.

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Do you mean Widmer?
Pyramid is distributed by Coors ;-)

Hey WeslyS if you like wheat beers I highly recommend Oberon. As of right now it's my favorite wheat.

NormPeterson said:

Hey WeslyS if you like wheat beers I highly recommend Oberon. As of right now it's my favorite wheat.

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I've actually had Oberon. I thought it was pretty good too. Of course, I've never been disappointed with anything from Bells.

I agree with you on Bells. Bells and Red Brick are two of the best quality beers. Red Brick just doesn't have good enough marketing (it's really unfortunate), every year round beer from them has won at least one award.

I haven't found a single Otter Creek beer that I enjoy.

Mdsutton said:

I guess I do not care for Sours, tried DogFish Head's Noble Rot, did not LIKE!

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At heart, I'm a winemaker by trade and a brewer for fun. I really enjoyed the Midas Touch, 61 IPA, and Noble Rot because I enjoy the fusion of my two favorite passions. They are not something I'd want to drink a lot of in one sitting, and I can see how someone would not like any of them. However, I give credit to DFH for pushing the envelope.

Especially with Midas Touch. That recipe was reverse engineered from residue found in the pots of King Midas' tomb. The recipe would not have been possible without the help of acrhaeologists and is, to my knowledge, the oldest beer recipe around. Regardless if you like the beer or not, that is pretty cool to pay respect to the history of brewing. I don't always enjoy the beers that DFH puts out, but I appreciate their efforts.

Abita Andygator.. NASTY!

One I am sure to get a lot of disagreement about is New Holland's Dragon Milk. I was very disappointed, especially after all the hype.

I too was disappointed with Dragon's Milk, but it don't think it belongs on this list.

Did you drink it ice cold or what? That beer has hype and may not live it up to your vision on it but its still a damn good beer and has no right being on this list.

I agree its not the worst beer (as the list says), but it's not a good beer. It received a 2/5 from me.

Sam Adams little white rye. Had it last weekend. Tastes like lemon pledge. Disgusting.

m3n00b said:

Sam Adams little white rye. Had it last weekend. Tastes like lemon pledge. Disgusting.

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I am having a hard time coming up with a Sam Adams that I actually like enough to go out and buy for a session night. I respect them but just don't really like any of their beers all that much.

NormPeterson said:

One I am sure to get a lot of disagreement about is New Holland's Dragon Milk. I was very disappointed, especially after all the hype.

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You won't get disagreement from me. I think one common theme from this thread is most people want beer to taste like beer-- not like fruit, not like donuts, not like herbs, but like beer. Dragon's Milk, IMHO, may have started as a beer, but once it hit the barrel became something else.

gometz said:

I am having a hard time coming up with a Sam Adams that I actually like enough to go out and buy for a session night. I respect them but just don't really like any of their beers all that much.

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I'm a big fan of the Noble Pils. Definitely their best beer IMO.

ReefKeeper said:

I'm a big fan of the Noble Pils. Definitely their best beer IMO.

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+1 on the noble pils. Their latitude 48 is pretty decent too. And if I'm at a restaurant I usually will order a Boston lager. But that being said there is always better brews out there to buy.

paliessmann said:

+1 on the noble pils. Their latitude 48 is pretty decent too. And if I'm at a restaurant I usually will order a Boston lager. But that being said there is always better brews out there to buy.

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I'll have to try that one then.. I have never been a Sam Adams fan. I actually try and avoid it

tripplehazzard said:

I'll have to try that one then.. I have never been a Sam Adams fan. I actually try and avoid it

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Yeah I definitely wouldn't call myself a Sam Adams fan but some of their stuff isn't all that bad. I think they've just started to develop a stigma with craft fans. But some of their stuff really is bad.

I too like their latitude 48. The black lager is pretty decent too IMO.

Their noble pils is pretty good.

What was pretty craptastic was goose islands 312. I thought I was drinking a bud light, but considering how unintelligent the waitress was, I might have been. I'm sorry but for 5 bucks it was very bland pale yellow fizzy beer.

The Sam Belgian Session is pretty awful.

skipfab74 said:

The Sam Belgian Session is pretty awful.

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Agreed. I'll never get another of their seasonal 12 packs ever again. The blueberry lager is also nasty.

I've never met a mixed 12-pack that I liked..

bottlebomber said:

I've never met a mixed 12-pack that I liked..

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Peak Organic and Southern Tier make mixed 12's that I like.

gometz said:

I am having a hard time coming up with a Sam Adams that I actually like enough to go out and buy for a session night. I respect them but just don't really like any of their beers all that much.

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Sam Adams Imperial Stout was good.