Worst Craft Breweries

[Cavpilot2000]

Usually the restaurants with "their own beer" are just having a local brewery contract brew it for them. At least around here that's the norm... probably not brewing it on site unless they're specifically advertising themselves as a brewpub.

True. If it's just, say, one signature beer, it's probably brewed on contract elsewhere.

 

[bbohanon]

New Belgium has somehow gotten worse of late for me..there is some sort of "cookie dough" beer they make that is a "WTF!" beer..Its just terrible.

Cookie Dough needs to stay in ice cream, not beer.

To me, craft breweries seem like they starting to hit "Starbucks" level around where I live and alot of them are just not putting out product that is worth the money to purchase.

If you dont care enough about the beer to truly love what you are putting on tap for folks to pay their hard earned $$$ for, you will not make it in this craft beer cycle when the bubble DOES burst and it will eventually burst..may be later than sooner, but everything is cyclic with this stuff. (good times, bad times).

Luckily, the crappy breweries at this point still have plenty of patrons that have never really had excellent craft beer so its a "what they dont know won't hurt em and they will just keep coming back for more" mentality.

Its the ones that take the proper care, time and full cycle quality control of the beer as well as understanding ALL parts of the brewing process/recipe formulation that will make it beyond the glut of new startup breweries.

Making beer for a living (and being profitable) has to be a passion unlike anything else in your life, not just a job to pass the time, have a cool hangout for you and your buddies that is a revenue generator, or think starting a brewery is a way to potentially get rich quick (anyone starting a brewery to get rich should immediately be slapped in the head).

I still have plans at some point to jump in the brewery pool, but I want to be sure the time is right, the funding is right (too many breweries are starting up 100% underfunded which leads to bad beer due to cost overruns and no dump funds for bad batches initially), and that MY beer is the best I can possibly make for those that are wanting to pay and consume it.
I just wish more craft breweries took that stance and craft beer would be even better than it is today as a whole.

 

[jerbrew]

Usually the restaurants with "their own beer" are just having a local brewery contract brew it for them. At least around here that's the norm... probably not brewing it on site unless they're specifically advertising themselves as a brewpub.

I get that and I've had some good beers brewed for restaurants specifically by a particular brewer. But they usually boast about it and who brews it because its a good thing. I'm taking about random places with the generic Red, IPA, Pale, Stout thing going on.

Picture it...Vacuum turned extract sales dude walks in and tells the owner who doesn't really care anything about beer that they have "good" recipes and that a brewer they work with can brew it just for them. And that the price per keg will be cheaper than what they can get from a vendor for craft beer. So they carry Bud light, Coors light, and their "own" craft beer. They may never even know that the brewery is just a warehouse with a boil kettle, fermentors, and kegging equipment. Sounds like something AB InBev Anyways, I can just see this sort of thing being responsible for some really generic beer.

 

[beernutz]

Avondale in Birmingham, AL has been the worst craft brewery I have visited, as opposed the Good People in the same town that is top notch. New Belgium I think has always had an "off" flavor. I spend several years living in Europe and grew to really like German and English beers. I am now back in the PNW and find brewery's out here lack selection, tons of very good IPA's but I want a nice English Bitter or a German Helles. The Helles from Ninkasi is horrible.

Certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion but I have to stick up for the brewers at Avondale. IMO Spring Street Saison, Ms Fancy's Tripel, and Battlefield IPA are each excellent beers. In fact I think they brew very good renditions of many Belgian styles. I have been to the tap room a few times and my niece had her wedding and reception there last summer and I have never had anything close to what I'd label as a bad or even a poor beer. I am really curious about what you tried and how you found it wanting. I was told at my last visit by their staff that Spring Street is the best selling Belgian style beer sold in Alabama for whatever that's worth.

 

[Sebastes]

I do not know how Firestone got so popular on Double Barrel Ale and 805. One is musty and the other a wannabe micro beer. These also happen to be on tap before any of their palatable beers. I would like to support local, but not this one.

 

[Invertalon]

Aqueduct Brewing in Akron, OH wins my (best of the) worst award out of the 110-120 breweries I have stepped foot into.

All the beers were atrocious. Fusels/boozy, terrible balance and just flawed on so many levels. Not sure anything comes close to the level of suck that place is.

 

[burdbrew]

I am a Vermonter, and I flat out hate Magic Hat. Their beer is just not my bag. I don't know many natives who drink it anymore. Diacetyl and apricot don't make for a tasty mix, as far as I'm concerned (the No 9). Most of what they put out is mediocre or flat out crappy, AFAIC.

I hate the faux hippie aesthetic they use to market too. I tried one beer of theirs that I liked, so I went to look at the website to learn more about it. They told me it was an elixir for the senses, wind through my hair with the convertible top down, hug from a long lost friend kind of bull hockey. It was a struggle to figure out the style and their intent. I didn't buy anymore and regretted revisiting their label.

I do love yuengling. Is it piss water? Sure. Is it refreshing? Absolutely. Not my go to, but I'll always pick up a case when I'm in New York.

Taste is of course subjective, and I mean to offend no one. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I am a Vermonter, and I flat out hate Magic Hat. Their beer is just not my bag. I don't know many natives who drink it anymore. Diacetyl and apricot don't make for a tasty mix, as far as I'm concerned (the No 9). Most of what they put out is mediocre or flat out crappy, AFAIC.

I hate the faux hippie aesthetic they use to market too. I tried one beer of theirs that I liked, so I went to look at the website to learn more about it. They told me it was an elixir for the senses, wind through my hair with the convertible top down, hug from a long lost friend kind of bull hockey. It was a struggle to figure out the style and their intent. I didn't buy anymore and regretted revisiting their label.

I do love yuengling. Is it piss water? Sure. Is it refreshing? Absolutely. Not my go to, but I'll always pick up a case when I'm in New York.

Taste is of course subjective, and I mean to offend no one. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Magic Hat is horrendous. I agree 100%. A couple years ago I got a 12 pack of their sampler of their most popular beers. They all tasted like spruce. In home brewing with spruce a little dab will do ya. Apparently Magic Hat never heard that saying. All of their beer tastes the same spruce all around. That's all I tasted. Yuck!!!

 

[Devon]

There are way too many people around here in Halifax, NS that brew for a few years and jump into commercial brewing.

There's two breweries here that are packed all the time. One of the workers at one of them came over for a brew one night and basically detailed how my process was far more advanced.

She said they haven't even looked into water reports or mash PH yet. Their stouts taste like astringent water and they've actually put out on the market a beer that unintentionally had gotten infected.

It frustrates me that someone gave these guys 2 million to start up a brewery.

And two more open every week in seems. The market must be getting near the saturation point by now.

 

[madscientist451]

Nope, not anywhere near a "saturation point". When production outpaces demand, you will see a reduction in prices as competition for customers becomes more intense. My observation is that craft beer prices are still rising, so that shows increased demand. Now and then I see different brands such as Sierra Nevada or Goose Island being discounted, but its not a widespread thing.
Having said all that, I think there's a lot of crappy product being marketed, but the drinking public has pretty much shown that crappy products are what they like.

 

[violinguy]

Shipwrecked Brewpub in Egg Harbor, WI. They have survived purely on being a novelty in a tourist heavy town. I first had their beer in the bottle, and thought, boy, that's a wicked off flavor. Bought a different beer of theirs, same off flavor. About a year later I had the opportunity to try it at the brewery, had a flight of all their beer. Every single one had the same sharp nasty aftertaste off-flavor.

What upsets me the most is that tourists and vacationers will try this thinking that all craft beer tastes this way.

Agreed. I prefer to head down the road and have some really nice wine at Stone's Throw

As for Fat Tire, I like it just fine. People are throwing around the "gateway" label like it's an awful thing. Beaujoulais is a gateway wine that I still enjoy drinking from time to time. Fat Tire is very drinkable and at a hockey game I'd much rather have that than Miller/Bud water.

I've soured a bit on Lagunitis lately. At first I loved it, but the last six-pack I drank ('lil sumpin sumpin) was just too bitter for me. I ordered their IPA at a restaurant a few weeks ago and wasn't thrilled with that one either.

Luckily for all of us, there are plenty of options, especially brewing our own.

 

[JonM]

I'll agree about Shipwrecked. Door County Brewing Co., on the other hand, does some excellent work and I'm really pleased that their beers are on the shelves down here in Milwaukee.

 

[thaefathan]

I think Rogue is pretty bad. They don't put 'best buy' dates on the bottles, and since they charge more than everyone else, the bottles sit on the shelf for a long time. Dead Guy can be a good beer, but the quality is really inconsistent. Their IPA's taste watery, like hop flavored water, Yellow Snow is disgusting. If you ever take a tour of the brewery, it's filthy. The floors have puddles all over, there's mold everywhere, and there's birds flying around the brewhouse ****ting on the fermenters.

 

[theowlman16]

Lonerider in Raleigh, NC makes many beers that are remarkably average.

 

[drathbone]

I have yet to like an Abita beer or a Heavy Seas beer. Admittedly, I have not tried all of their offerings. Grayton beer calls their blonde ale their flagship beer. It's a drain pour.

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.

 

[normonster]

Gordon Biersch in The Bay.

 

[soccerdad]

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.

I'll see if I can taste those.

 

[GPP33]

It seems like some of us may taste something and find an off flavor where the brewer intended a certain flavor to be present. I'll go back to NB and fat tire. Many people love it because of the flavor profile while others find it offensive and full of flaws. I can't help but go back to there being no such thing as a bad beer, just a different beer. Unless of course there's no consistency due to poor controls, then it's either lucky or bad. But if the brewer gets the product he's shooting for and someone likes it then how can we say it's not good?

 

[ltito8080]

Monterrey brewing in salinas CA

 

[woo_pig]

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.

The peg leg is one of my favs non ridiculous expensive imperial stout.

 

[Garou24]

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.

Same here, I read the statement about their beers being bad and thought "There isn't a Heavy Seas beer I don't like."

 

[ajr628]

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.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Always reminds me of dirty water.

Dayton Beer Company, Ohio

I think I found your problem

 

[Vandulus]

I think I found your problem

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.

 

[JonM]

And one of the really good ones gently pokes fun at a past water issue ...

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1485454626.974585.jpg

 

[ajr628]

I think I found your problem

I think bad brewers are the real problem

 

[Upthewazzu]

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.

It was a joke, dude. I guess the winking smiley was too subtle. I'm from Pittsburgh, hopefully that provides a frame of reference.

 

[JonM]

Still waiting for a Milwaukee Brewery to poke fun at an unpleasant moment in our water history.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Milwaukee_Cryptosporidiosis_outbreak

 

[ChefDougAU]

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.

 

[filthyastronaut]

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.