What's your least favorite micro brewery?

[RoaringBrewer]

I can normally always find a beer or three I like from any given brewer... so I won't say any one micro I've been to has outright sucked. However, thinking back to all the breweries I've been to and sampled most of their stock, I'd say Middle Ages in Syracuse was the most disappointing to me...

I'm not sure if it was the cat they had crawling all over the bar in the tasting room (really sanitary!) or not, but I honestly thought most of the beers I tried had a similar off-flavor (maybe from the yeast they use) of cat-pi$$! There were one or two I thought were OK to decent, maybe even one pretty good, but most were bland and all had that characteristic flavor!

 

[Wikipeteia]

Brooklyn. Everything I've had from them has been so underwhelming and disappointing that I've stopped bothering.

 

[philrose]

I'll go with Trade Route/Laughing Buddha. I've sampled the ginger pale, Pandan Brown and mango-weizen.

Its too kitschy. The only non specialty beer is a dry lager.

The beer tastes okay, if you're into novelty, but I say why bother?

 

[hopvine]

Arcadia for me. I've never been outright offended by any of their beers, but they all just seem a bit half-assed and lacking in "umph".

 

[MeatyPortion]

Didn't like Fat Tire when I had it last year. Everyone raved about it. I thought it was average at best.

Same for Shiner. People told me all kinds of wonderful things about it. Meh.

New Glarus' Alt and Oktoberfest beers are pretty undrinkable. It's too bad since I love their IPA, Totally Naked lager, and Organic Ale. New Glarus is pretty wonderful all around but once in a while they make a horrible beer for some reason.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Last week I had a beer called Saq-quatch by Sacramento Brewing Company. It was a Scottish type ale with Smoked Peat Malt in it. It was absolutely horrible, I had to dump it or I was going to puke. I can't even describe the flavor. I guess it was the Smoked Peat that I was tasting, and just way overboard.

 

[hukdizzle]

Leinenkugel. Most of their offerings seem so artificially flavored.

This... Fruity pebbles anyone?

 

[Jif]

This... Fruity pebbles anyone?

Seconded. Everything I've ever had from Leinie's has been horrid. The Summer Shandy is exceptionally bad (half lemonade!)

 

[novafire]

Seconded. Everything I've ever had from Leinie's has been horrid. The Summer Shandy is exceptionally bad (half lemonade!)

For what it's worth, that is typically what a shandy is, beer with lemonade.

 

[jgln]

Iron Hill

Never been there but sent them an email asking a question and they did not respond. Funny what a little dissin can do to you attitude.

Not micro brewery but two bars in south NJ I stopped going to. Went in to Nipper’s Bar in Westville Grove get a beer early/late afternoon when the place was pretty empty, just a barmaid and about 8 guys who all knew each other as well as her. Looked like laborers after work having a few. Put my 20 on the bar and sat there for 10 minutes while she laughed and talked with them. As they finished their beers she was re-filling their empty mugs way after I got there but she still had not served me. They were finishing beers and getting refills before I got my first. I got up, picked up my money. One guy looked over at me and I just shook my head and walked out. He went back to the conversation. Couldn't believe not one said to her "No, go ahead and server that guy first, he has been waiting a long time"

I think they wanted me to leave so they could chit chat in privacy.

I will never go to Eurie's in Wildwood again either. Same thing happened there only with individuals, not a group. There was like 4 people at the bar. People finishing their beers and getting new ones before I even got my first. Bartenders having conversations instead of watching the bar for new customers. Walked out and went to the Boathouse and got excellent service and every time since.

GF and Son wanted to try Euries to eat so I gave the one more chance. They have 2 hostess stations, one for inside dining and one for out but you have to pass the inside one first. No one there so we walked to the outside one since we wanted to sit outside. She told me I had to go back to the first one first. Refused to accommodate us for the mistake we made and just seat us. I walked out again.

I hate bars that treat new customers like crap because you are an outsider.

 

[lamarguy]

Avoid all brewpubs in OKC (e.g., Bricktown Brewpub, Coach's Brewpub, and Belle Isle Brewpub).

I do like the COOP beers, though. Especially, the Belgian DNR. So, I guess OK ain't all bad.

 

[Rhoobarb]

Did someone say Bell's?! Are you sure about that?! With all the different beers they brew, you couldn't find one you liked? Two Hearted Ale? Expedition Stout? I'd urge you to give them another try. One of the best in the US, if you ask me.

Illinois Brewing - I was there a couple of years ago and it was alright. No infection problem. But I've heard this dissing of them from others, so they obviously have some issues.

Atwater may have an infection problem. FermentEd brought over their Vanilla Java Porter when we were brewing last winter and the two bottles we opened were gushers and undrinkably sour.

+1 for Cave Creek Chile Beer and Buffalo Bills Pumpkin. I can't choke down that stuff. Buffalo Bills put me off of pumpkin beers for several years!

 

[Frank]

I think hands down, Pyramid has the worst beer out there. I've never had one I like, no matter the style.

 

[Frank]

This... Fruity pebbles anyone?

YES! I thought I was just crazy! I can't taste/smell any of these other flavors, or notes, or aromas, that everyone speaks of in other beers but i can distinctly taste leftover fruity pebbles milk in this one.

 

[lamarguy]

I think hands down, Pyramid has the worst beer out there. I've never had one I like, no matter the style.

Ha, I'm issuing you a challenge - Take a trip to OKC and try the beer.

 

[Frank]

Good point, i'll rephrase,

Of all the beers, I've tried, Pyramid has the worst beer out there.

I'll have to remember this thread next time im in OKC.

 

[philrose]

Leinenkugel. Most of their offerings seem so artificially flavored.

How could I forget? It was really popular in my college town but even in my bmc- shotgunning days I could turn that beer down.

 

[oloroso27]

+1 on Pyramid (was wondering when someone would mention them....)

 

[Skins_Brew]

Hook and Ladder. Forced myself to try all of their beers because they are a local company (but do not brew locally) and every single one of them sucked. Backdraft Brown def takes the cake on the worst beer that Hook and Ladder puts out.

Clipper City puts out a lot of good brews but there is one particular that I could not even finish. 'McHenry' is one gross beer.

 

[redalert]

I had some real bad beers from Lancaster, Troegs, Red Hook. I'm not saying they make bad beers but the ones that I sampled were some of the worst beers I've ever had. Maybe I got some old oxidized bad batches but I've had awful homebrews were at least semi-drinkable.

 

[BrewWench]

I'm gonna go with Magic Hat, still haven't had a beer from them that I liked. Or Twisted Pine, same thing.

I got a sampler case of Magic Hat, and the Circus Boy was all expired, but all the others had fresh dates - meaning that the company KNEW they were putting old beer into the cases and selling it - it wasn't the store's fault. And Circus Boy is the worst wheat I've ever had besides.

I'm going to have to go with Leinenkugel, and get flamed for it, but all their beers have a distinctive licorice note that I just can't deal with.

 

[BrewWench]

Sadly, I'd have to put New Belgium at the bottom. I really like the company, but can't say I like their beer. Not that I've tried all, but I've had:

• Mothership Wit
• Fat Tire
• 1554 (actually not too bad)
• 2 below
• Sunshine wheat (also not bad)

I guess I'm just underwhelmed, or have yet to acquire the taste. I still buy a sixer every now and then, but can't say I've ever felt like "Damn! Now that is a tasty beer!".

You don't like 2 Below?! Aww man.

All New Belgium beers have a similar, disctinctive note that probably comes from the yeast they use, so if you don't like that, you may not like all their beers. I think that's my issue with Leinie's.

But I have to say that their Blue Paddle and Sunshine Wheat are horrendous, IMO. I love everything else they do.

 

[humann_brewing]

You don't like 2 Below?! Aww man.

All New Belgium beers have a similar, disctinctive note that probably comes from the yeast they use, so if you don't like that, you may not like all their beers. I think that's my issue with Leinie's.

But I have to say that their Blue Paddle and Sunshine Wheat are horrendous, IMO. I love everything else they do.

to each their own, I like sunshine wheat, could go without blue paddle too. Mighty Arrow is a darn good pale too IMO.

 

[weirdboy]

For store-bought stuff, it's Angel City. I keep trying their beers because I want to support local breweries, but man they just suck. For brewpubs it's got to be Belmont Brewing Company. I'm not a huge fan of Redondo Beach Brewing Company either, but at least their beer is drinkable. My last visit to Belmont Brewing, my wife ordered a strawberry blonde that was so thick with diacetyl it was like drinking a stick of strawberry-flavored butter. The beer was also completely flat. It basically looked like a glass of apple juice when the waiter brought it over. It just pissed me off thinking there's at least three people who looked at that beer and decided it was OK to serve it.


That was an interesting anecdote a few pages ago about Stone Bistro folks being mean, because I was there with the SWMBO a month or so ago and they were incredibly nice to us. Our waitress was extremely friendly and gave us several free samples of various beers, and then we went on the brewery tour and got an unbelievable amount of free samples from that.

 

[Jeeperforlife]

+1 on the Lancaster...and it kills me to say that because i try to support PA businesses. The strawberry wheat was ok...but other than that i couldnt do it. Maybe the case i had was mistreated in some way? The milk stout was a big disappointment, as i am a fan of that style.

 

[bonzombiekitty]

DFH.

I know you craft fans swoon over it, but their IPAs are disgusting.

Nothing I've ever tasted out of that brewery was anything but crap.

Dogfish Head isn't my least favorite but I think it's the most disappointing. A couple of their beers I actively disliked, but the rest I've had were fine. I appreciate everything the brewery has done for microbrews and their inventiveness, but I've always been underwhelmed. I'd pick any other Philly area locals over Dogfish Head any day.

I think my least favorites would have to be Otter Creek or Ithaca Brewing Co.

 

[philrose]

You don't like 2 Below?! Aww man.

All New Belgium beers have a similar, disctinctive note that probably comes from the yeast they use, so if you don't like that, you may not like all their beers. I think that's my issue with Leinie's.

But I have to say that their Blue Paddle and Sunshine Wheat are horrendous, IMO. I love everything else they do.

FWIW, I love 2 Below

 

[HoppyDaze]

Edit: drunk post....um, there is a nano,nano brewery in my area I won't say the name because a big homebrew club in my area has connections with them and I dont was to offend anyone I may potentially end up knowing. But theres not a beer there that I would serve to my friends. Its got to be the yeast...

 

[philrose]

Ninkasi!!!!

Yeah, not a fan. Had the "believer" the summer ale (forgot the name) and the Tricerahops, all just tasted like the recipe needed tweaking. Can't remember why...drank three bombers a few months ago and never really looked back. Really cool taphandle though!

 

[Brewsmith]

For store-bought stuff, it's Angel City. I keep trying their beers because I want to support local breweries, but man they just suck.

My vote as well. I've also had bad luck with their beers. I think they have problems with the bottling line. That and Bevmo sucks at kepping beers from being lightstruck or turning to cardboard.

Angel City is only about 2 miles from me, so I grab a bottle every once in a while to try to support local, but every time there's something bad about the bottle. I should try to find it on tap somewhere to see if there's a difference.

 

[philrose]

That and Bevmo sucks at kepping beers from being lightstruck

Every beer drinker in CA seems to complain about this!

You think that this otherwise revered company would have caught on by now.

 

[marzsit]

i'd have to say that fat tire is my least favorite and most dissapointing, since most of the people i know like it and i'm one of the few that don't....

redhook too, sadly, is becoming a fading memory of what it used to be. i really liked the original ballard bitter brewed in the old ballard location, they altered it quite a bit when they moved to woodinville..... and longhammer ipa is terrible. the redular redhook esp is ok, but isn't my first choice whem i'm shopping...

 

[Brewsmith]

Every beer drinker in CA seems to complain about this!

You think that this otherwise revered company would have caught on by now.

I've found that certain styles are more prone. Amber ales seem to be the worst. The bigger malt component, especially the crystal malt, goes cardboardy big time. The hop flavor becomes thin and harsh. The results are like cardboard lemony iced tea

 

[philrose]

some of the foil topped beers are much more skunk resilient than I would expect, eg Kronenberg. Not a big fan of the beer, but its certainly skunked less often than the other green bottled, worldwide light lagers

 

[brew hoperator]

Lake Front Brewery out of Milwaukee is my vote.
I purchased a variety case and I was terriblely disappointed. All of the light hybrid/pale ale style beers had an iced tea (like Nestea in the bottle) flavor to them, sounds weird but it was what came to mind after drinking a few of them.

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

widmer bros.

 

[chuggs]

I've found that if I judge a beer based on the contents of a bottle...I'm really doing no favors for the brewer. New Castle is a prime example. Bought a bottle in London at a TESCO one night. Took it back to the Hotel. Popped it open... YUK!! Poured the stuff out. Couldn't stand it. Few months ago...I'm in a Hotel in Tampa, FL. Hmmm...that's interesting...only two beers on Tap. New Castle and some mega brewery Light beer. I decided to give New Castle another go. It was excellent. So it got me to wondering...how many of these beers get stuck in a truck with a broken refrigeration unit while the driver whiles the day away at a topless joint. By the time the beer gets to your glass...it's lost it's flavor and the truck driver is out of one's...

 

[HoppyDaze]

Red Hook. They don't make anything I can choke down because I'm sensitive to diacetyl. All I can taste is the diacetyl.... their beers are like liquid 50c microwave popcorn.

New Belgium would be at the bottom but I *love* their sour beers... can't stand any of their regular beers. Their banana/bubblegum house strain is a big turn-off for me.

Its becoming obvious to me that Redhook's quality is being comprimised somehow during travel. Because thier ESB and IPA are both very, very good. I live near the source though...

Now, Fat Tire ....talk about the most overrate sac of crap beer out there

 

[Pintodave]

I love DFH's basic offerings, but good lord they are getting quite eccentric. I know thats their motto and all being "off centered" but.......

Lots of bashing of the Magic Hat... I thought some of their offerings were pretty good...

New Belgium. I cant get it where I am at, so I enjoy their offerings when I can, but I dont know if it is the end retailer or them, but a few of us were at the GABF a few weeks back and I made it a point to try a Fat Tire when I could at different bars - At most of the bars I was definitely dissapointed, then we went to Falling Rock by the ball park and it was a total 180, that Fat Tire tasted WAY different. Way more flaverful, more of the toasty-ness, fresher, whatever you want to call it... It was great. So what gives with that??

 

[Blinebuddy]

Pinto Dave I know exactly what your talking about. I live in Colorado, and I have been blessed to have a lot of craft breweries here to sample there brews. the first major label beer i became fond of at all, the beer that got me drinking beer was Hazed & Infused by Boulder Beer company. to this day that beer tastes almost identical to way it used to 4 years ago. thats a product that in my eyes wont change anytime soon.

now onto New Belgium . since I cannot get ahold of Hazed & Infused @ every bar I have been to- I adjusted my tastes to liking Fat Tire. the first one I had was at a chili's in Lakewood and it tasted so balanced with biscuity malts & hops. there has been a handful of bars I have gotten this brew from I wont go back to simply because their fat tire sucked the big one in my book. as time has gone on, I think somehow New Belgium introduced economy into their beer and honestly no fat tire exists the way it used to 4 years ago. goes to show how something that once was so good can change into something you wont lay a finger on anymore because the company got too big too fast.

all New Belgium's brews all had some character, now their shells for what once was a great beer. they are simply riding out their popularity from years past and I hope the general public see's this transformation.

everyone has their own way of measuring public recognition. I cater weddings on the weekends because it gets me extra money to pay the bills, and its something fun to do. and when you see most wedding parties go from buying a majority of domestic brewers selections to buying the whole New Belgium line up.... it tells you something.

keep good beer out of the public spot light, otherwise it may start skunking due to light exposure. keep it at home is my new motto.

Bline