Brewpubs That Suck

[bchurch]

I personally don't like Triumph in Philly all their beers taste like they took a glass of water and added two shots of beer in it.

 

[kinison_fan]

Lucky me--Victory Brewing here in Downingtown-my "go to" place, Sly Fox is pretty close-their bock fest/goat races is a fun time, Iron Hill, Manyunk, Stoudts, Troegs all within an hour drive.
My favorite is in the basement, three beers always on tap, and I get along pretty well with the owner/bremaster.

 

[Shaft333]

I don't feel that any of the brew pubs by me are particularly bad, but I wish that they all didn't insist on trying to be some sort of froo froo foodie dining experience. They'll have stuff like fish and chips where the fish is salmon. Or the burgers are made out of unicorn and magic beans served with a side of kale.
I just want good. That's why I'm there. They seem to try too hard.

 

[Nateo]

They'll have stuff like fish and chips where the fish is salmon. Or the burgers are made out of unicorn and magic beans served with a side of kale.

I HATE when pubs use salmon for fish and chips. Salmon is fatty. It doesn't need to be fried. Cod/whitefish/whatever is lean, it needs to be fried.

It's kind of funny how poor-guy food is fancy now. Kale is really hardy, so poor guys could grow it easily. It's basically the European version of collard greens. Hardly "haute cuisine."

 

[OhCrap]

When I'm in a pub I want good beer and good pub grub like burger & fries or fish n chips, that sort of stuff. Not restaurant food, if I wanted that i'd GO TO A RESTAURANT.

 

[Lennie]

I have only one brewpub within 20miles and they do a good job. Their one potential weak spot is their fruit beers, strawberry and blueberry blondes. To his credit the brewer only uses fresh fruit but it makes the beer really unstable and one time you'll get fruit flavors and the next it'll be cloudy and have diacetyl. Fortunately the wife is the only one who insists on experiencing this. Otherwise they have an awesome pale ale and excellent stout, plus a half dozen other styles that are generally solid.

Their food is good too, full rack of babyback ribs and two sides for $13 on Saturdays. Thursday nights the Irish folk band plays. You can even get their pale ale at the local minor league ballpark, that is a treat to drink good beer while sitting in the bleachers watching a game.

I really like this place, they've been around for a long time.

 

[Klickmania]

I'm about 15 minutes from R.J. Rockers in Spartanburg and their stuff is pretty stinking good, especially when fresh. Not a brewpub per-say but they used to run a restaurant next to the brewery. They closed it and another local restaurant moved in and it's awesome. Have some kick ass burgers for like, 9 bucks, and pints are like 3-4 dollar range. They do have some foofoo stuff on the menu, but I don't get any of it really. Haven't had a bad experience when I'm there though. If any of you are in the area, I highly suggest you try it.

A pet peeve of mine is the frosted glass...even slightly chilled drives me nuts. I always ask for a non-frozen glass or mug. I also hate when you get a bottle and they don't bring out a glass.

A lot of places here in the south don't even have beer lists. What the hell is with that?!? And when I ask what they have (at several places down here) the waitress will say 9 times out of 10, "OH, the usual stuff!" and walk away. It also kills me when I have to ask what they have that isn't light beer, and they don't have a clue. /endrant

 

[paulster2626]

A lot of places here in the south don't even have beer lists. What the hell is with that?!? And when I ask what they have (at several places down here) the waitress will say 9 times out of 10, "OH, the usual stuff!" and walk away. It also kills me when I have to ask what they have that isn't light beer, and they don't have a clue. /endrant

A lot of places in Canada are the same. I get great success by ordering a pint of "whatever's on tap that nobody ever seems to order". It's usually their best (often only) craft beer.

 

[Jukas]

Stateline brewery inside Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe fits the bill. A buddy and I went in after a full day of snowboarding on the mountain. Out of 7 or so of their beers they had on the menu only 3 were in active rotation. I ordered their pale ale. Absolutely terrible, it was like drinking colored water. No real malt taste, no hop aroma and barely any hop bitterness.

Next round I ordered a Rogue Dead Guy and was much happier. The food was 80x better than their house beer.

 

[Toga]

We are pretty lucky here in se Michigan when it come to how many brewpubs there are. There are unfortunately several that are subpar.

The good ones by beer quality alone are:

1. Dragonmead (every beer in the place is top notch even if is a style you don't care for it will be a top notch product)
2. Bastone (if you love Belgian beers this place is killer. Excellent pizza)
3. Malty Dog Brewey (small place lots of solid brews to choose from. Best stout in SE Michigan possibly the state)
4. Cj's brewing company (awesome food solid brews)
5. Kuhnhenn brewing company (their Dripa is one of the best IPA's you will ever find)
6. Arbor Brewing Company.
6. Black Lotus.
7. Royal Oak Brewery (good eats and a few decent brews. they make a wee heavy that is to die for)
8. Witches hat
9. Jolly pumpkin (only if you like sour beer.)

Places to stay away from

1. copper canyon brewery (some type of infection in every glass)
2. Atwater brewing company (just awful)
3. Motor City brewing works
4. Liberty Street (very inconsistent. more infucted brews)

 

[Klickmania]

A lot of places in Canada are the same. I get great success by ordering a pint of "whatever's on tap that nobody ever seems to order". It's usually their best (often only) craft beer.

I'm gonna have to try that next time I get a clueless server. That gets under my skin like you wouldn't believe. I don't want to sit there and have you guess for 15 minutes to see what you "might have". I've even had a waitress go check, and come back with a handwritten beer list. Pathetic. Which reminds me, a local pizza joint told me that R.J. Rockers Bell Ringer, which is an 8.0% American Strong Ale, is "Like one of those darker beers...I think?"

 

[daksin]

Living in San Diego has its advantages. Even the most mediocre brewpubs employ some seriously dedicated brewers. Some are certainly better than others, but they're all looking to work for one of the heavy hitters like Stone or open their own places. Can't say I've ever had a really bad beer even at the BJ's and Rock Bottoms. This is a town that likes its beer, I would imagine people wouldn't put up with a joint making crappy brew.

 

[Nateo]

I'm gonna have to try that next time I get a clueless server. That gets under my skin like you wouldn't believe. I don't want to sit there and have you guess for 15 minutes to see what you "might have". I've even had a waitress go check, and come back with a handwritten beer list. Pathetic. Which reminds me, a local pizza joint told me that R.J. Rockers Bell Ringer, which is an 8.0% American Strong Ale, is "Like one of those darker beers...I think?"

My favorite is when the waitress doesn't even know what's on their food menu. I've been a waiter, and it sucked, and paid horribly, but have a little respect for yourself and expend the smallest amount of effort to learn how to do your job.

 

[Jukas]

We are pretty lucky here in se Michigan when it come to how many brewpubs there are. There are unfortunately several that are subpar.

The good ones by beer quality alone are:

1. Dragonmead (every beer in the place is top notch even if is a style you don't care for it will be a top notch product)
2. Bastone (if you love Belgian beers this place is killer. Excellent pizza)
3. Malty Dog Brewey (small place lots of solid brews to choose from. Best stout in SE Michigan possibly the state)
4. Cj's brewing company (awesome food solid brews)
5. Kuhnhenn brewing company (their Dripa is one of the best IPA's you will ever find)
6. Arbor Brewing Company.
6. Black Lotus.
7. Royal Oak Brewery (good eats and a few decent brews. they make a wee heavy that is to die for)
8. Witches hat
9. Jolly pumpkin (only if you like sour beer.)

How does Founders and/or Bells not make this list?

 

[mcarb]

What one is that? I have been to beer revolution which is awesome and pacific coast brewing which is meh.

PCB, it could be so great. Beer revolution is great.

I wouldn't know, since I've never had their beers. If their beers suck, then yes, I'm talking about them.

I'm a big fan of sour beers, don't get me wrong. I was at a beer bar (also nameless) who had one of the Bear Republic beers on tap (Red Rocket, IIRC). Either the keg or the lines were infected, I'm not sure which, but the restaurant knew about it, and were serving it as a "special, one-off" sour beer.

I also generally think it's a red flag when people call themselves an "artisan." That's what other people will say about you if you make good beer.

I highly doubt it, but it could be true. Bear Republic has made some sour ales: http://www.bearrepublic.com/ourbeers.php

 

[rjwhite41]

Don't you hate it when you go to a brewpub and order a beer only to get a beer that just isn't that good?

I went to a place over the weekend and ordered their IPA. I had to send it back it was so bad. The beer either had an infection or their lines needed cleaned badly.

The second beer was just ok. Both mine and my wife's beer were fairly flat and had no head whatsoever. They obviously don't know how to balance their system.

It was just sad. If you're going to run a brewpub, at least bother to know what the hell you're doing.

As a fellow Iowan I'm curious what brew pub you went to. Although most in Des Moines are merely average I wouldn't say any were so terrible I had to send a beer back. There is one that does seem to have trouble carbonating to the proper level but some of their stuff can very good nevertheless.

 

[heferly]

How does Founders and/or Bells not make this list?

those are southwest-ish michigan

 

[DGibb]

We are pretty lucky here in se Michigan when it come to how many brewpubs there are. There are unfortunately several that are subpar.

The good ones by beer quality alone are:

1. Dragonmead (every beer in the place is top notch even if is a style you don't care for it will be a top notch product)
2. Bastone (if you love Belgian beers this place is killer. Excellent pizza)
3. Malty Dog Brewey (small place lots of solid brews to choose from. Best stout in SE Michigan possibly the state)
4. Cj's brewing company (awesome food solid brews)
5. Kuhnhenn brewing company (their Dripa is one of the best IPA's you will ever find)
6. Arbor Brewing Company.
6. Black Lotus.
7. Royal Oak Brewery (good eats and a few decent brews. they make a wee heavy that is to die for)
8. Witches hat
9. Jolly pumpkin (only if you like sour beer.)

Places to stay away from

1. copper canyon brewery (some type of infection in every glass)
2. Atwater brewing company (just awful)
3. Motor City brewing works
4. Liberty Street (very inconsistent. more infucted brews)

I was never a fan of CJ's. I went there once and ordered a raspberry beer and they poured the pint and added raspberry extract. It was horrible.

In defense of Liberty Street, their ciders (standard apple, cherry, and blueberry) were great, and the reason for going was their Clementine Lemon Thyme wheat. It was delicious.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

There's a raspberry lager in my neck of the woods, when ordered they get there lager and have one of those ice cream cone squirt thingy's that supplies the raspberry flavoring. All the beer is just awful. On a lighter note, 30 minutes away is a damn good establishment, that makes some rocking ales.

 

[Jukas]

those are southwest-ish michigan

I missed where you said se and just saw Michigan. My mouth immediately started salivating for some fresh Cerise.

 

[Chris1272]

There is one in Columbus GA where I ordered the house Maibock. It tasted like a fizzy butterscotch soda. When I tried to talk to the head brewer about the obvious diacetyl problem she blamed the taste on an infection in the beer lines that they cant seem to kill. I left knowing the head brewer knew nothing about what she was doing, and that they ok knowingly serving beer in what they consider infected lines. I won't go back there.

 

[Bamsdealer]

McKenzie Brew Pub in Malvern, PA. I haven't tried their other locations, but I wasn't impressed with the beer or food. The Iron Hills, Sly Fox, Victory (obviously), and even Rock Bottom in the mall are better choices. The ones in center city Philly make a good beer and do much better in the food department than ones in the burbs.

Not a huge fan of ABC brewing either... which is unfortunate since it's within walking distance. Still, doesn't stop me from going a couple times a month

 

[InLimbo]

This seems like the beer equivalent of a bunch of out of shape middle-aged guys sitting on their sofas and yelling at the TV while their favorite team is losing, and how they should be doing it better.

It's one thing to make a great 5 gallon batch of beer in the comfort of your home.

It's another thing all together when you're brewing to support yourself, AND trying to do it in volume.

I'll take comfort in the fact that whoever you are (yes you, reading this right now) there is probably someone in your industry that thinks that you suck as well.

 

[bchurch]

This seems like the beer equivalent of a bunch of out of shape middle-aged guys sitting on their sofas and yelling at the TV while their favorite team is losing, and how they should be doing it better.

It's one thing to make a great 5 gallon batch of beer in the comfort of your home.

It's another thing all together when you're brewing to support yourself, AND trying to do it in volume.

I'll take comfort in the fact that whoever you are (yes you, reading this right now) there is probably someone in your industry that thinks that you suck as well.

It seems we must have offended someone who makes ****ty beer.

 

[CGVT]

This seems like the beer equivalent of a bunch of out of shape middle-aged guys sitting on their sofas and yelling at the TV while their favorite team is losing, and how they should be doing it better.

It's one thing to make a great 5 gallon batch of beer in the comfort of your home.

It's another thing all together when you're brewing to support yourself, AND trying to do it in volume.

I'll take comfort in the fact that whoever you are (yes you, reading this right now) there is probably someone in your industry that thinks that you suck as well.

Really?

If you are going to make a product and expect it to sell well enough to support you, you should probably do it well.

If someone in my industry thinks that I suck, I would probably be out of a job, the same as a brewer that produces a ****ty product.

I guess that we can take comfort in the fact that brewers with a lousy attitude that produce lousy beer will most likely soon be out of business and will be unable to subject us to a sub par product.

 

[brubanker]

Really?

If you are going to make a product and expect it to sell well enough to support you, you should probably do it well.

If someone in my industry thinks that I suck, I would probably be out of a job, the same as a brewer that produces a ****ty product.

I guess that we can take comfort in the fact that brewers with a lousy attitude that produce lousy beer will most likely soon be out of business and will be unable to subject us to a sub par product.

Too true!

At the end of the day, we all live off our work product. Those little complaints should drive us to improve not make excuses. Ofc, you can' t always make everyone happy but keep as many happy as you can!

 

[MisterTipsy]

No brewer can satisfy 100% of home brewers. Not even Russian River.

On the other hand, its totally possible to brew mediocre beer and satisfy millions of people.

 

[Bamsdealer]

This seems like the beer equivalent of a bunch of out of shape middle-aged guys sitting on their sofas and yelling at the TV while their favorite team is losing, and how they should be doing it better.

It's one thing to make a great 5 gallon batch of beer in the comfort of your home.

It's another thing all together when you're brewing to support yourself, AND trying to do it in volume.

I'll take comfort in the fact that whoever you are (yes you, reading this right now) there is probably someone in your industry that thinks that you suck as well.

I'm much more animated when my favorite team is on tv. I think this is the equivalent of a bunch of people who are passionate about beer talking about their experience with drinking establishments they've visited.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

This seems like the beer equivalent of a bunch of out of shape middle-aged guys sitting on their sofas and yelling at the TV while their favorite team is losing, and how they should be doing it better.

It's more like a guy who's a high school coach in a sport watching the TV and analyzing why a specific player is screwing up. Most of us who homebrew have a pretty decent understanding of the *product* of beer, and are able to tell when something is downright bad. And there are a *lot* of brewpubs that aren't very good.

I chalk it up to competition. As someone previously who lives in San Diego said, there's not a lot of bad brewpubs down there. The market down there cares about beer, and thus the clientele is discriminating and knows enough to tell the difference. I've seen the same in Denver. The clientele knows about beer, and thus pretty much all the brewpubs I've been to in the area are pretty darn good. But when I go to a small-town brewpub, it's rolling the dice.

Up here in OC, there's a lot of the same going on. But I can think of a specific brewpub roughly in between where you and I live that is a pretty glaring exception. It's got decent food, a good wine list, and a full bar, and is located in a big shopping center with a theater. Thus, it's got so many advantages that it'll survive without the beer being great. And it's clear that they don't care about the beer. For a while their menu had wine pairings for all their dishes (uhh, *hello*, you're a brewpub, why not add a beer pairing for a dish???). And they have several BMC taps. While I don't mind that they have the BMC taps, they're *constantly* advertising the drink specials on BMC (even on their mailed ads). It goes to show that for them, brewing their own beer isn't all that important. And it's evident in the quality of the product.

I really want them to be better. They're only 2 miles from my house, and the food is good enough that it would satisfy my non-beer-drinking wife. If they made good beer, I'd be a very regular customer.

 

[Tinga]

we've got some great brew pubs around here and we've got some doozies. my favorite brew pub has great beer and the best pizza in the world. I think the beer is better at another place but it's a little pretentious.