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

[RCCOLA]

Epic Ales Cinco Plantas brewed with epazote. So bad!

Wow, I just looked that one up. Sounds Epic indeed.

I looked it up too. LOLed at one review:

"Oh boy, some stale tire air aroma right up front. Maybe I spent too much time repairing bike tires as a kid, but this is what I would smell when I had to repair bike tires. "

 

[MisterClean]

The worst ever commercial beer I've had is a recent one:

The Devastator Doppelbock from Wasatch brewery.

I must have gotten a bad batch, because the bottles I have tried do not taste like a doppel, yet BA scores are fairly good. The one i have tried are incredibly sweet, and cidery. It tastes like someone dumped a bunch of sugar into the beer to up the ABV. I get mostly sweet, with very little malt. It's almost belgian, with none of the redeeming aspects.

edit: read a few more reviews, and I'm not the only one who doesn't get it. Several others have remarked that it's closer to a quad than a doppelbock, and that it is way too sweet. So i guess my tastebuds are vindicated.

 

[MTate37]

Just had DFH 61 last night...it did nothing for me. Of course that was after can of Heady and a bottle of Pliny, but I'm still pretty sure it isn't good.

 

[D_Nyholm]

Just had DFH 61 last night...it did nothing for me. Of course that was after can of Heady and a bottle of Pliny, but I'm still pretty sure it isn't good.

Darn. I just bought a few bottles of that! At least I will be going into it with low expectations so I may have a different experience now

 

[MTate37]

Darn. I just bought a few bottles of that! At least I will be going into it with low expectations so I may have a different experience now

If you like it I'll send you my remaining three bottles. I really don't know what I'm going to do with them.

 

[D_Nyholm]

If you like it I'll send you my remaining three bottles. I really don't know what I'm going to do with them.

With that offer I hope I like it

 

[mcowsert]

Apollo from Six Point.

 

[CliffMongoloid]

I wanna do a beer trade including some of that infamous ketchup... The whattaburger or what not

 

[MTate37]

I wanna do a beer trade including some of that infamous ketchup... The whattaburger or what not

I had no idea their ketchup was such a big deal. We have plenty of restaurants in the area. I haven't seen it in stores, but I also haven't looked for it. I could definitely get some packets.

 

[MTate37]

With that offer I hope I like it

Let me know what you think.

 

[Xpertskir]

Rogue bacon maple ale, just made the list last night..

Ugh. I've had it sitting around forever and finally had over a guest that didn't know better. We dumped most of it.

 

[bottlebomber]

Definitely on my top 5 is Rock Art Brewing's Imperial Pumpkin Spruce Stout. Absolutely gross, thick and heavy but utterly without balance from the hops. Pumpkin for me adds an element that is both bland and cloying if that makes sense. The spruce just added an extra element of nastiness. If I were served this with the brewmaster standing in front of me it would be all I could do to force a gulp down my throat, and croak out a "well, it's definitely interesting." One of only a few beers I've dumped.

 

[julioardz]

I was previously hating on Abita Jockamo. I would gladly drink a six pack of Jockamo if I was given a choice between that and Deep Ellum Farmhouse Wit. As a side note, I am a fan of saisons and farmhouse ales. I like most Belgian's I try and enjoy the yeast funk and spice adjuncts. However, Deep Ellum's Farmhouse wit is disgusting. It tastes like a rubber inner tube with a sprinkle of pepper and coriander. I was able to choke down Jockamo. I bought a 4-pack of Deep Ellum's Farmhouse tallboys and dumped three of them, 1/2 of the first can, 1/2 of the second can, and the last two full cans. I tried them a few days apart, thinking that maybe my taste buds were off the first time around, but no, it was equally bad the second time.

 

[CliffMongoloid]

I was previously hating on Abita Jockamo. I would gladly drink a six pack of Jockamo if I was given a choice between that and Deep Ellum Farmhouse Wit. As a side note, I am a fan of saisons and farmhouse ales. I like most Belgian's I try and enjoy the yeast funk and spice adjuncts. However, Deep Ellum's Farmhouse wit is disgusting. It tastes like a rubber inner tube with a sprinkle of pepper and coriander. I was able to choke down Jockamo. I bought a 4-pack of Deep Ellum's Farmhouse tallboys and dumped three of them, 1/2 of the first can, 1/2 of the second can, and the last two full cans. I tried them a few days apart, thinking that maybe my taste buds were off the first time around, but no, it was equally bad the second time.

I enjoy jockiamo

 

[morticus]

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

False.

 

[Nargan]

I don't want to start any arguments but I think mine is actually Dogfish Head's 120min IPA. I'm not saying it's "bad" because some people obviously love it. It's just not for me. Way too syrupy. No amount of hops can mask the "am I drinking Aunt Jemima??" sweetness. I've tried it both on tap and in bottles on a few occasions and it's just not my style. If not that, probably Dogfish Head's Black & Red. Raspberry, chocolate and mint beer? My buddy and I both shot each other disgusted looks when we tried it. Again, I bet some would try it and LOVE it but my taste buds rejected it.

(I hate to say that, too, because I really respect Dogfish Head and Sam C.)

 

[bleme]

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

False.

This is what is wrong with the Internet. People just spout things off without any regard to facts. It is a Coors truck that delivers Pyramid to my store. The last two beerfests I have been to, Pyramid was served under a Coors tent.

I didn't say that it was owned or produced by Coors, but they clearly have a distribution relationship.

 

[julioardz]

I enjoy jockiamo

I've tried on several occasions, but I just can't. It's tolerable compared to my more recent experience with Deep Ellum's Farmhouse though.

 

[PLOVE]

Rogue bacon maple ale, just made the list last night..

When a beer makes this list multiple times - independently. You know it is really bad. I can't imagine wasting my time and tastebuds figuring out which of the beers on this growing list is the worst, but the Voodoo donut beer from Rogue is flatout awful and embarrassing for a brewery that usually gets it mostly right.

 

[Nargan]

When a beer makes this list multiple times - independently. You know it is really bad. I can't imagine wasting my time and tastebuds figuring out which of the beers on this growing list is the worst, but the Voodoo donut beer from Rogue is flatout awful and embarrassing for a brewery that usually gets it mostly right.

I don't know... They tend to mostly get it "meh" IMO. The fact that the CEO is an ex-Nike exec and his son is an ex-Adidas exec probably explains why they're obsessed with marketing and not quality of the product. The first time I noticed it was when I visited their Portland brewpub and was wondering why they felt the need to make a beer based on a reality TV show about crab fishing (Cap'n Sig's Northwestern Ale). Then, the stories of their employee abuse, union busting, gross neglect of the brewery's sanitary conditions, etc came out, I pretty much just wrote them off. Why pay $2-5 more per 6-pack for something mediocre that also then helps support a company that openly shames and insults its workers and brags in its newsletters regarding how many people they've fired? And before people jump in saying that that type of info is just from an angry ex-employee, there are just far too many employees and ex-employees with corroborating stories for it to be made up. They've also been in the news for some of their antics.

And then the Voodoo beer happened. Collaborate to make a gimmick beer with a gimmicky, tourist-trap donut shop that you sell for $13 a bottle. Terrible reviews galore. So they made another gimmick beer with them: the peanut butter, chocolate, banana ale. Terrible reviews galore. The nail in the coffin was the Powell's Book Store collaboration. Yes, a book store beer. Since it's also such a huge tourist trap, surely this marketing gimmick will make lots of money for them, right? But how do you make a book store based beer? They brewed the beer with pages torn from Moby Dick in the kettle and called it White Whale. Will that make it better? No. Will that add to the quality in any way? No. It's another stupid marketing gimmick designed as a seriously cheap money grab and it's insulting. They even grab a bit of your money when they tell you they'll give you a free taster of their beer. Plus, they make Beard Beer. Nuff said.

There are too many very good breweries in this area for me to want to give my money to Rogue.

 

[dizzle]

Prima Pils by Victory. I always try to make it through a beer even if I don't like it, but this one I had to dump.

 

[bottlebomber]

Great rant Nargan! I hate Rogue! I always knew that in the past, but didn't know why, and you helped me to understand it

 

[D_Nyholm]

Let me know what you think.

Alright, just popped one of my DFH 61 and even with very low expectations from your post, i have to say it is not terrible, but in no way good. It has almost no hop flavor or aroma at all for an IPA. It also has a very dry tannin flavor which I would assume comes from the wine. Even though it has that dry taste, it also have a sweet aroma like unfermented grape juice. I guess that is what happens when you dont dry out a red wine like it is supposed to be (I would think a Syrah would be below 1.000 when it is all said and done, but this surely isn't).

If I had to sum it up, it almost tastes like a homebrew that gets that bad cider off flavor that is not anticipated. I do not think they used the same hope schedule in DFH61 as they did in DFH60 since they taste NOTHING alike!!

Keep your other bottles and maybe they will age well?

 

[Swarley88]

Great rant Nargan! I hate Rogue! I always knew that in the past, but didn't know why, and you helped me to understand it

Totally agree, hate Rogue as well. Not even a fan of Dead Guy. Wouldn't kick it out of bed, but that's only because it's a beer and beer is God. Also I was very drunk when I first had it but was not impressed enough to pay 5 dollars more for a sixer with all the other lovely beers out there for less money.

 

[MTate37]

Alright, just popped one of my DFH 61 and even with very low expectations from your post, i have to say it is not terrible, but in no way good. It has almost no hop flavor or aroma at all for an IPA. It also has a very dry tannin flavor which I would assume comes from the wine. Even though it has that dry taste, it also have a sweet aroma like unfermented grape juice. I guess that is what happens when you dont dry out a red wine like it is supposed to be (I would think a Syrah would be below 1.000 when it is all said and done, but this surely isn't).

If I had to sum it up, it almost tastes like a homebrew that gets that bad cider off flavor that is not anticipated. I do not think they used the same hope schedule in DFH61 as they did in DFH60 since they taste NOTHING alike!!

Keep your other bottles and maybe they will age well?

Rats...I really wanted you to love it. I really don't think I'll drink another. They don't even make a good one more beer at the end of the night beer.

 

[gometz]

Totally agree, hate Rogue as well. Not even a fan of Dead Guy. Wouldn't kick it out of bed, but that's only because it's a beer and beer is God. Also I was very drunk when I first had it but was not impressed enough to pay 5 dollars more for a sixer with all the other lovely beers out there for less money.

I always felt like I was missing something when everyone would talk about Rogue. I just could never really get into their beers. Not because I hated them or anything, just didn't make me want to get more.

 

[D_Nyholm]

Rats...I really wanted you to love it. I really don't think I'll drink another. They don't even make a good one more beer at the end of the night beer.

You are totally right about that. What I usually do with the beers I am unsure of or want to try is buy a few and then when my brewing buddies come around we taste test them all in little 4 ounce glasses. That way you dont have to choke down terrible beers since there isn't much and you get to at least try stuff.

 

[MTate37]

You are totally right about that. What I usually do with the beers I am unsure of or want to try is buy a few and then when my brewing buddies come around we taste test them all in little 4 ounce glasses. That way you dont have to choke down terrible beers since there isn't much and you get to at least try stuff.

Note to self: meet more brewing buddies to share in the misery of bad commerical beers.

Since we're just legal here in Alabama and I haven't been brewing that long I haven't had the chance to meet many brewers. Hopefully that will soon be changing.

 

[hopstupid]

I have yet to have a good beer from Alesmith. Everything they make is way too sweet. Now I have only had a couple beers from Firestone Walker but both were fantastic.

what alesmith beers?

 

[Andrikos]

I don't know... They tend to mostly get it "meh" IMO. The fact that the CEO is an ex-Nike exec and his son is an ex-Adidas exec probably explains why they're obsessed with marketing and not quality of the product. The first time I noticed it was when I visited their Portland brewpub and was wondering why they felt the need to make a beer based on a reality TV show about crab fishing (Cap'n Sig's Northwestern Ale). Then, the stories of their employee abuse, union busting, gross neglect of the brewery's sanitary conditions, etc came out, I pretty much just wrote them off. Why pay $2-5 more per 6-pack for something mediocre that also then helps support a company that openly shames and insults its workers and brags in its newsletters regarding how many people they've fired? And before people jump in saying that that type of info is just from an angry ex-employee, there are just far too many employees and ex-employees with corroborating stories for it to be made up. They've also been in the news for some of their antics.

And then the Voodoo beer happened. Collaborate to make a gimmick beer with a gimmicky, tourist-trap donut shop that you sell for $13 a bottle. Terrible reviews galore. So they made another gimmick beer with them: the peanut butter, chocolate, banana ale. Terrible reviews galore. The nail in the coffin was the Powell's Book Store collaboration. Yes, a book store beer. Since it's also such a huge tourist trap, surely this marketing gimmick will make lots of money for them, right? But how do you make a book store based beer? They brewed the beer with pages torn from Moby Dick in the kettle and called it White Whale. Will that make it better? No. Will that add to the quality in any way? No. It's another stupid marketing gimmick designed as a seriously cheap money grab and it's insulting. They even grab a bit of your money when they tell you they'll give you a free taster of their beer. Plus, they make Beard Beer. Nuff said.

There are too many very good breweries in this area for me to want to give my money to Rogue.

Wow.
Thanks for that info, I'll definitely not buy Rogue again. Not gonna miss them anyway.

This rant makes me respect Sierra Nevada and Ken Grossman all the more.