Worst Craft Breweries

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drathbone said:
Interesting. Which ones have you tried? Their Loose Cannon is hands down one of my top beers and that's coming from a guy who isn't crazy about IPA's. Their Imperial Stout and below deck were enjoyable as well. To each their own.
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Same here, I read the statement about their beers being bad and thought "There isn't a Heavy Seas beer I don't like."
 
Dayton Beer Company, Ohio. All their beers seem to have a off flavor. I don't know if they aren't cleaning their lines or kegs as they should or what but every single beer just doesn't taste right. Always reminds me of dirty water.
 
Vandulus said:
Wow, that kind of comes across as Ohio can't produce any good beers. While we have our fair share of crappy breweries, there are quite a number of really good ones.
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It was a joke, dude. I guess the winking smiley was too subtle. I'm from Pittsburgh, hopefully that provides a frame of reference.
 
Brewery Creek in Mineral Point, WI. First, you can't get a seat unless you are ordering food. Second, I NEVER leave a beer unfinished... and I walked away from a flight of four. Awful product and very unwelcoming atmosphere.
 
I still defend NB, but must admit I don't like the direction they're going in. Removing Ranger and Rampant from their lineup and replacing them with decent, but extremely typical IPAs. Heavy Melon, Cookie Dough Ale, etc. Definitely moving even more towards mass appeal. I think they still produce good products, and they do a lot for the brewing community and the environment, but their recent antics seem strange to me.

As far as bad craft breweries, I'm not a huge fan of Fort Collins brewery. They're not outright offensive, but they're known for being quite subpar around here. They attempted a rebrand last year with new recipes for their staples that fell really flat, the graphic design for it is awful as well. Their new IPA was okay, but pretty watery and not all that interesting. The old one was a maltier take on the style that I actually preferred.

That being said, they did just release a Gose IPA hybrid that I really enjoyed.
 
filthyastronaut said:
I still defend NB, but must admit I don't like the direction they're going in. Removing Ranger and Rampant from their lineup and replacing them with decent, but extremely typical IPAs. Heavy Melon, Cookie Dough Ale, etc. Definitely moving even more towards mass appeal. I think they still produce good products, and they do a lot for the brewing community and the environment, but their recent antics seem strange to me.

As far as bad craft breweries, I'm not a huge fan of Fort Collins brewery. They're not outright offensive, but they're known for being quite subpar around here. They attempted a rebrand last year with new recipes for their staples that fell really flat, the graphic design for it is awful as well. Their new IPA was okay, but pretty watery and not all that interesting. The old one was a maltier take on the style that I actually preferred.

That being said, they did just release a Gose IPA hybrid that I really enjoyed.
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FCB is an odd one for sure. I really enjoyed their Oktoberfest this year, and last years Double Chocolate Stout that I sat on for a yr aged quite nice.
 
Upthewazzu said:
It was a joke, dude. I guess the winking smiley was too subtle. I'm from Pittsburgh, hopefully that provides a frame of reference.
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Sorry, I saw the WA location and immediately thought there was some West Coast snobbery going on. :tank:
 
I didn't hate the beer at this spot, but there is a small brewery somewhere between Custer SD and Rapid City SD that shares their spot with a winery with tacky names for their wine. I sampled their beer while my wife did a wine tasting. They weren't bad but they all seemed to taste the same. Just a bit disappointing.

At risk of incurring the wrath of the proprietor (who apparently watches some travel review sites like a hawk, so who knows what other sites he is checking), there is a small winery in Baileys Harbor WI with some great wines but it is really disappointing to see what is happening with the place. I don't think they're in danger of closing or anything. They're in a location that is really dense in small wineries, but the atmosphere at that place is just off. The tasting room is to small and understaffed. Their prices are higher than the competition and while they have a good product (particularly their port), IMHO it isn't that much better that it merits such high prices, and I doubt I'm the only one who feels that way.

I don't feel good giving bad reviews like this. I have to give out some good reviews too. There are a couple good breweries in Billings MT. I think one was in an old railroad station. There was also a place with good beer in Livingston MT, I think it made its own beer on site, it was nautically themed bar & grill / diner sort of place.
 
Kent88 said:
I don't feel good giving bad reviews like this. I have to give out some good reviews too. There are a couple good breweries in Billings MT. I think one was in an old railroad station. There was also a place with good beer in Livingston MT, I think it made its own beer on site, it was nautically themed bar & grill / diner sort of place.
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Carters Brewing in Billings is the one your probably thinking of. Pretty decent beers compared to most of the other breweries in town. Sadly though, IMO, a lot of beer brewed around here is downright terrible but the locals drink it. So I guess I'm the odd man out.
 
new belgium- never ever did i like anything from them.
abita- nothing good here. although never tried their grapefruit. and we dont get a ton of their beers in CA, so limited experience with them.
yuengling- yuckling is more like it. have not had all the "new" beers but tried one or two, still dont like them.

cismontaigne in orange county CA- did not have a single taster i liked. was told they make a good porter tho.

sam adams- mostly garbage for past 10 years, then had a special release called Roggen Wolf. rye IPA. delicious. although their black lager was AWESOME about 12 years ago.

beachwood in LB, CA- "award winning" seems to be thrown around alot these days, did not like a single beer there. not bad (like NB, cismontaigne,etc), just not anything worth remembering.

sudwerk- Davis, CA- wasnt a fan of their old german beers except the pils. now the next generation took over and somebody forgot to tell them about the idea of balance. not a fan.

quite a few others were so bad i have blocked it out of my mind. id have to be told the name and where it is to remember that ive been there and it sucked.

always a bummer to hear good opinions about a new brewery and then get skunked on a flight of tasters, or a bomber that looked promising.

que sera, sera.
 
We had 2 breweries here in the Fresno area that kept putting out batches with a solvent/cleaner flavor to them and it wasn't subtle either! Tioga Sequoia offered to review their process and help them track down the problem, but they both refused the offer. One of them must have figured it out on their own, because their beer is back on track but 559/W Brewing is still so awful they are having an identity crisis.
 
Worst brewery in San Diego is Magnetic Brewing Company. When you're the worst brewery out of 130+ breweries, that's a rather bad distinction. Only had two beers on tap and they were both awful. Brewer also gives bad brewing advice, which I should not be surprised based of the quality of his beer. Also awful are 32 North and Quantum; they were the worst until I found this little gem.

Also I noticed someone said Beachwood. It's not the worst, but I found absolutely nothing special from it. Just another typical middle-of-the-road brewery.

As for most over-hyped brewery in relation to the actual tasting experience, I would say Eagle Rock.
 
ChefDougAU said:
Brewery Creek in Mineral Point, WI. First, you can't get a seat unless you are ordering food. Second, I NEVER leave a beer unfinished... and I walked away from a flight of four. Awful product and very unwelcoming atmosphere.
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I feel like this is 98% of breweries in Wisconsin...
 
Please keep in mind taste is a subjective thing. What one person may love another can't stand. With that said, there is a brewpub in the Chicago suburbs I cannot stand called Stockholm's. I've given it two tries and each time their beer tastes severely infected. I also think Magic Hat does not taste very good either.

As far as bland or boring, anytime I have been to a RAM chain I am severely disappointed. I am also very disappointed with how downhill Goose Island went after getting acquired by InBev. Some people would disagree but I think Goose Island's quality has gone down quite a bit.
 
Is Magic Hat even a craft brewery? Their beers are awful to the point of being macro.

Goose Island distributed beer is absolute swill. Their Bourbon County is good though, but I would rather have Founders instead.
 
Kent88 said:
At risk of incurring the wrath of the proprietor (who apparently watches some travel review sites like a hawk, so who knows what other sites he is checking), there is a small winery in Baileys Harbor WI with some great wines but it is really disappointing to see what is happening with the place. I don't think they're in danger of closing or anything. They're in a location that is really dense in small wineries, but the atmosphere at that place is just off. The tasting room is to small and understaffed. Their prices are higher than the competition and while they have a good product (particularly their port), IMHO it isn't that much better that it merits such high prices, and I doubt I'm the only one who feels that way.
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I know exactly which winery you're talking about. When my wife and I were there recently (last summer) all they talked about was how they brought in only the "best and highest quality" grapes from California. Door County WI is home to some wonderful grapes. Non-standard, but the other wineries seem to have no problem creating a quality product from it. We weren't a fan of their attitude or price/quality.
 
kevink said:
Magic Hat... Gross.
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I think Magic Hat was my introduction to breweries getting bought. I had it on vacation one year and loved it. Tired it next year on vacation to same spot and hated it. It took me a while to figure out.
 
Nimbus a brewery in Tucson. The were considered good 10-15 years ago but none of their beers have changed. I don't think they know what an American hop is, they have never offered an IPA
 
Yup, I was in Tucson a few years ago and went to Nimbus. They seemed confused when asked why they don't have an IPA on tap. Food was ok, beer was mediocre.
 
JonM said:
Eh, I thought they sucked before the sale.
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Their #9 was my first introduction to 'fruit beer' and it blew me away. I started expanding my craft beer world and when I eventually had #9 again I couldn't believe I had actually enjoyed it!
 
I will confess that I did enjoy Magic Hat when it was my gateway beer. When I was a younger, I worked next to the brewery, and I'd grab a growler. Fat Angel was decent. But once I moved on, not even nostalgia could bring me back. Honestly, now that I think of it, a lot of Burlington bars don't bother offering it.

If you like a pronounced movie theater popcorn butter aesthetic, you may have found your brand.
 
FruityHops said:
Lets compile a list of the craft breweries that have left us disappointed. The ones where everything they offer is mediocre and/or of inconsistent quality.

Of course I'll start us off :

Grey Sail Brewing in Westerly, RI

I've been to their tap room a few times and sampled flights. Nothing is above average except for Captain's Daughter, except for when it isn't. That is to say it is extremely inconsistent. I've even gotten a few cans of Captain's Daughter that were obviously infected. Never again.
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Go another 30 minutes east and try Whalers... I have no idea how they're still in business, let alone expanding.

I like Grey Sail Flying Jenny - it has changed within the past year though.
 
IslandLizard said:
I'm gonna play the Devil's advocate here. I really have a hard time enjoying New Belgium's offerings anymore. IMO, over the years the quality has dropped significantly, while gimmicky named beers don't live up to their own hype or are sheer undrinkable. La Folie used to be one of my favorites... not so anymore, the complexity has vanished, now being an acetic abomination. They must make a killing with their flagship "Flat Tire," sustaining all the other ones.
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I agree with you. I still order a Fat Tire on a rare occasion but I don't drink/enjoy it nearly as much as 5 years ago.
 
I think as times go on our tastes change and we get more sophisticated or "beer snobs".
I thought Sam Adams Boston Lager was good when it first came out, then I thought they cheapened it or somehow changed it. Well, way back in 1996 I (we) had a recipe called Pam Adams so as to not encroach on their trademark and it was a good clone.
So, I pulled that recipe out of my log books and made it then I went and bought a 6 pack. They tasted the SAME. So ...........my tastes have changed way more towards the Belgian Trappist style beers.
I'm happier then he11 that I just cloned Orval Trappist ale and it is awesome.
 
Bad Tom Smith Brewing in Cincinnati. I used to live within walking distance and made my way there on multiple occasions. The people working there always seemed nice but the product left a lot to be desired.

On a related note, Rhinegeist may not be the worst craft brewery but I'm convinced it is the most overrated brewery in Ohio. 90+% of their beers are bland, generic pale ales or IPAs and their only successful flagship, Truth IPA, is no better than 3rd best in the city.
 
Brewery Ferment in Traverse City, MI. There are several breweries cranking out sub-par beers consistently, but I don't usually make a fuss about it and just move on. Brewery Ferment is worthy of note, however. I've been there twice in 3 years, and my (and my cohorts') impressions were the same both times. The first time I was there was not too long after they opened and I gave them some slack as some brewers need some time to get in tune with their new systems. The second time, two years later, was just as bad. I have no idea how they are still in business. All the beers we tried were either terrible recipes or downright infected. The staff seemed oblivious to this fact, and seemed offended that none of us finished any of our beers on either visit. At least we gave them a second chance.
 
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."
- Ratatouille
 
I certainly wouldn't call them the 'worst' breweries, but Sam Adams and Dogfish Head have been a major disappointment for a few years running. They both have beers in their lineups that I enjoy (SA Octoberfest, DFH 60 and 90 etc) but I don't even bother getting their new releases at this point because they are consistently bad.

Maybe my palate has changed or it is because there are so many other choices, who knows?
 

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