Bay Area Thread

[abecall98]

So, anybody have a Cognac barrel noir from Almanac and have a really really infected bottle? I loved it back when it came out, but right now, it's got a pretty bad infection.

 

[bdogg1]

So, anybody have a Cognac barrel noir from Almanac and have a really really infected bottle? I loved it back when it came out, but right now, it's got a pretty bad infection.

Thats not good

 

[abecall98]

Thats not good

Had to drain pour this bad boy. Nasty sourness to it. I noticed it was a little off when I poured it cold and a big head formed too. I was really looking forward to this too.

 

[drgarage1]

Had to drain pour this bad boy. Nasty sourness to it. I noticed it was a little off when I poured it cold and a big head formed too. I was really looking forward to this too.

Wait, when you put sour and clean barrels next to each other you get infections? Who knew!

 

[abecall98]

Wait, when you put sour and clean barrels next to each other you get infections? Who knew!

They forgot to put the sour guards on these barrels apperently.

 

[Arbitrator]

So, anybody have a Cognac barrel noir from Almanac and have a really really infected bottle? I loved it back when it came out, but right now, it's got a pretty bad infection.

Piggybacking on this, has anyone tried Heirloom lately? I know they admitted one specific bottling date was infected, but my experience with a bottle purchased before that date was that it was infected, too. Just checking if anyone else experienced that.

How are this year's crop of sours? I felt like they got same-y and boring in the later half of last year, so I haven't bought any.

 

[CommanderofAwesome]

Had to drain pour this bad boy. Nasty sourness to it. I noticed it was a little off when I poured it cold and a big head formed too. I was really looking forward to this too.

Piggybacking on this, has anyone tried Heirloom lately? I know they admitted one specific bottling date was infected, but my experience with a bottle purchased before that date was that it was infected, too. Just checking if anyone else experienced that.

How are this year's crop of sours? I felt like they got same-y and boring in the later half of last year, so I haven't bought any.

My experience with Almanac, I bought 4 bottles of their heirloom, 1 was fine, 1 was infected. Had on draft twice, 1 was infected, 1 wasn't.

I emailed them, and they apologized then sent me replacement beers plus swag.

If you open a bad bottle I'd recommend doing so as well, that level of customer service has kept me a repeat buyer.

 

[MrFootstones]

Hate to pile on here, but did anyone find the latest Dogpatch Sour to have intense, solventy nail polish remover going on? It was worse on the nose for me, and not undrinkable (I'm looking at you, Bully Guppy), but it was still fairly heinous.

 

[CommanderofAwesome]

Hate to pile on here, but did anyone find the latest Dogpatch Sour to have intense, solventy nail polish remover going on? It was worse on the nose for me, and not undrinkable (I'm looking at you, Bully Guppy), but it was still fairly heinous.

 

[tosh1]

Piggybacking on this, has anyone tried Heirloom lately? I know they admitted one specific bottling date was infected, but my experience with a bottle purchased before that date was that it was infected, too. Just checking if anyone else experienced that.

How are this year's crop of sours? I felt like they got same-y and boring in the later half of last year, so I haven't bought any.

They certainly got samey. Always okay, but ultimatly not enough fruit to distinguish from their base. This last year Citrus was only stand out, even Valley of... lacked something compared to original.

I like the Pulot, but I am not recommending it. I like it, but it aint great.

 

[tosh1]

Hate to pile on here, but did anyone find the latest Dogpatch Sour to have intense, solventy nail polish remover going on? It was worse on the nose for me, and not undrinkable (I'm looking at you, Bully Guppy), but it was still fairly heinous.

Never a fan, did not buy this batch

 

[Arbitrator]

My experience with Almanac, I bought 4 bottles of their heirloom, 1 was fine, 1 was infected. Had on draft twice, 1 was infected, 1 wasn't.

I emailed them, and they apologized then sent me replacement beers plus swag.

If you open a bad bottle I'd recommend doing so as well, that level of customer service has kept me a repeat buyer.

Tbh, I think I outfoxed myself on this one. I messaged them after the announcement saying that the 9/2 or 9/3 bottles were infected, and they asked for my shipping address. I then realized I had bought the bottles on 8/29, so I told them I couldn't have infected bottles, and I declined to provide my address. Which was stupid of me, because they clearly tasted infected, all 4 that I drank. Going back a year later and saying, "OH BY THE WAY" seems like it'd be suspicious even though it's true. So I'm just looking for corroboration at this point.

I have nothing against them and will gladly buy their stuff if it's good, though I haven't chanced anything since Heirloom.

EDIT: oh wow, it's been almost a year now.

 

[abecall98]

My experience with Almanac, I bought 4 bottles of their heirloom, 1 was fine, 1 was infected. Had on draft twice, 1 was infected, 1 wasn't.

I emailed them, and they apologized then sent me replacement beers plus swag.

If you open a bad bottle I'd recommend doing so as well, that level of customer service has kept me a repeat buyer.

My Heirloom that I got were not the specific infected date they posted, but they were still infected and I got a cool box from them.

As for the new sours, the Pluot and Blackberry recently released are both awesome, pick up those two if you see them. I haven't tried the Dogpatch, but farmers reserves are a good bet right now IMO.

 

[matedog]

I'm not good with subtle differences, so I've had similar issues on Almanac's beers. Valley of the Heart's batch 1 was a stand out and I was disappointed with batch 2. The brewer chimed in here saying that they removed the cherries and didn't have that many to begin with, but it seemed to me to be a noticeable difference. *shrug*

I now occasionally buy their stuff and am generally happy to see it on tap, because it's always good. I stopped cellaring their stuff though because I didn't see the point.

 

[AptosBeerDrinker]

AptosBeerDrinker shots fired!

What do I look like?

 

[Arbitrator]

AptosBeerDrinker shots fired!

Tom Lopez != AptosBeerDrinker

 

[AptosBeerDrinker]

Tom Lopez != AptosBeerDrinker

Wrong. Tom is general zod something something.

 

[ineedbeer1]

Wrong. Tom is general zod something something.

!= means "does not equal" so he is technically correct which is the best type of correct.

Sorry that your username is getting dragged through the mud with the association to Tom Lopez.

 

[stupac2]

I have no idea who Tom Lopez is.

 

[AptosBeerDrinker]

!= means "does not equal" so he is technically correct which is the best type of correct.

Sorry that your username is getting dragged through the mud with the association to Tom Lopez.

Ahhh. I'm still learning how the internet works from my AOL machine.

Tom is too busy to respond here because he's drowning himself in a vat of Not Your Father's Root Beer apparently.

 

[snuffy707]

Speaking of Almanac, I saw bottles of it at Costco yesterday for $8.

 

[tosh1]

Speaking of Almanac, I saw bottles of it at Costco yesterday for $8.

Saisons or Farmers Reserves?

 

[snuffy707]

Saisons or Farmers Reserves?

Farmer's Reserves. New Dogpatch maybe? I didn't pay much attention since I don't buy their stuff anymore.

 

[Arbitrator]

Farmer's Reserves

Which Costco?

 

[snuffy707]

Which Costco?

Sacramento, so not really Bay Area, but I thought it was relevant.

 

[rrryanc]

Which Costco?

I thought you didn't like sours?

 

[mjl21]

Sacramento, so not really Bay Area, but I thought it was relevant.

Sac? Wrong thread bro.

 

[bdogg1]

Sac? Wrong thread bro.

to be fair, he is a transplant to Sac from the Bay.

 

[snuffy707]

Sac? Wrong thread bro.

Help, I'm lost. Can someone show me how to get to the Valley thread?

 

[AptosBeerDrinker]

Can someone show me how to get to the Valley thread?

Where you at Ryan?