Breweries that might need to step it up?

NYC real estate prices and taxes might make expanding their main brewery cost prohibitive. A good contract brewer can match a recipe...it's in their contract to do so. Contract brewing gets a bum rap by too many BA's because of some myth that contract brewers aren't doing proper quality control and/or that the original brewer doesn't care about their product, which is nonsense. In Brooklyn's case the difference is probably not the actual product, but your taste preferences changing over the years and new comprarable products on the market.

 

42+ to be bottled in 2014. Probably about 130-150 overall on draft.

 

Night Tripper is better than both of those beers.

 

Sweetwater.

 

GUYS. FOUNDERS. HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR TERRIBLE BACKSTAGE SERIES LATELY. JESUS CHRIST. MOAR CBS PLZ. LOL

 

WTF, Sierra Nevada?!?! Is this real life?

The Southern Hemisphere I had last night begs to differ. How many awesome beers that are inexpensive and readily available fresh does a brewery have to make for them to not be on this list??

 

Don't you know that widely available means it's not good around these parts? If you didn't acquire a beer via trade it's probably mediocre at best.

 

This whole thread just blows my mind, I need to get the hell out of it. Seeing names like Great Divide, Sierra Nevada, and Southern Tier..........it's just too much. And someone even had the balls to mention STONE, the brewery that is probably on the cutting edge in the states right now in terms of distribution, website, consistency, and bold decision making. I don't normally bother too much with the "Let's shit on a brewery" threads but I jumped in here out of curiosity.

 

Widmer and Magic Hat are both not very excellent

 

I read your post twice just to make sure you weren't jumping in to rescue Rogue LOL...

 

Those guys are really stuck in a rut! http://weihenstephaner.de/site.php?lang=eng

Next thing you know they'll stop selling their beer direct to the consumer!!

 

...........who?

Kidding. I mean, I'm definitely not saying every brewery is great. But Jesus, Sierra Nevada and Stone? I challenge anyone to name 2 breweries that have as consistent of a line across the board whilst still adding new great beers to their lineup as those 2. Founders and Bells are about it and even they're debatable. Personally, I think SN is the gold standard in American craft beer. They embody everything I love about craft beer and moreso than any other brewery.

 

I've never heard anyone say that- except maybe you.

 

Has nothing to do with changing tastes, I still prefer simple well made lagers to most styles. And I have nothing against well made contract beer - in fact I like the lagers cotracted at Two Roads that I have tried. In the case of Brooklyn Lager has everything to do with technical faults ie. diacetyl.

 

Sounds like they should step it down a little and concentrate on making fewer styles better....

 

Shipyard SUCKS

 

The grocery store by my house has a build your own sixer from an array of singles for $9.99. Old Raspy is one of those singles.

 

That is certainly a matter of opinion. I'm sure you'd get many different answers regarding our breweries distribution model.

 

I can't wait for the day when Heady Topper is castigated by beer snobs as no longer "good enough" and that The Alchemist really needs to step up their game.

It happened to Westvleteren, it can happen to anyone. Seriously, who cares about that "blasé" Westy 12 ever since they released that deal last year? I hope next year they age it in holy water barrels blessed by the Pope.

 

I was kind of hoping DFH would redo the recipe for Shelter Pale and make it more hop forward.