Most Improved Breweries & Those Losing Their Shine

So you don't like beer much, huh? That said I'm sure DFH is just fine, it's the "BAs" who have changed.

 

Still fully love beer, i get super excited see where its going on the brewing end, especially with the creation of new styles and previously unused ingredients.

also sorry for getting off topic. back to the thread!

 

"A few overpriced seasonals" would presumably include:
1) Breakfast Stout, which is the highest rated seasonal* beer on this entire website, and is very reasonably priced.
2) Harvest Ale, which - based on my admittedly limited observation - probably generates more buzz on this site each Fall than any other beer of that style

The Backstage series has been a disappointment to some (myself occasionally included), but I think that's largely a result of it starting with a few universally acclaimed beers (CBS, Blushing Monk) and failing to live up to that ridiculous standard since.

* - (you could take issue with this depending on how you define "seasonal", I suppose)

 

No-Li in Spokane recently changed almost everything they're doing and are killin' it, now. Fort George was damned good, to begin with, but are now verging on real greatness. I think Boulder Beer Co. has declined a bit but they're not the Flavor of The Month, anymore, though they still make great beers.

 

Not all beers will be home runs. One of the most important things is the willingness to take risks - otherwise we'd all be brewing Vienna lagers (which even was a risk 30 years ago)

 

Thanks for noticing, but we feel the best is yet to come.

 

Saga is a GREAT beer for the price, I love it.

 

We just started getting Central Waters here in SD and I love it. Kosmyk Charlie's Y2K Catastrophe Ale is fantastic as is their Bourbon Barrel Barleywine.

 

Improved:

Schell's - They have stayed true to themselves and simultaneously upped the wow factor with their Star Of The North Series, Pilsner sampler, and their Stag Series. All of them are great.

Worse:

Samuel Adams - Nothing they have put out in the past year, except for their Juniper IPA in the holiday pack has even been worth talking about. Rebel IPA? Snore. Their Noble Pils is still excellent but I haven't been compelled to pick up any SA product in ages.

 

By the way, Where is the Tiger? I cant find it anymore.

 

Not for nothing, the Founders session IPA that is "over priced" and seems to be a major harbinger of their decline is available in a 15 pack of cans for 17.99-18.99 in NJ. For your reference, a 15 pack of BMC is generally 14.99-15.99. Sooooo.... Objectively that's a fine deal.

 

Yeah I have to say that it's a great deal. Good for them for pursuing a higher margin, higher production volume item, that will appeal to 'new' craft beer drinkers. I hate to 'newsflash' BA, but RIS and double stouts with expensive additives are not exactly the backbone of a high turnover brewing operation. There's a reason they don't just make "10x as much KBS as last year."

They should start canning FBS though. Year round. In 15 pks.

 

The New Belgium Lips of Faith stuff over the last 3 years have been a crap shoot (at least in MO, KS & AR), whole lot of border-line beers that were close to drain pours. The collab between them & CCB was very boring IMHO...

 

I need to revisit this beer. It was good, but all the love it's getting makes me think I missed something...

 

Just wait - its being "reincarnated" :-)

 

Tioga-Sequoia has really stepped it up in the last year.

 

Yep I agree, but this beer is bad

 

Most Improved:
I haven't been as nuts about the new Otter Creek releases as others and Just about every Sixpoint beer I've had from the start has been great. Hi-Res was awesome, but these guys were already on the top.

I'd have to say Long Trail and Widmer. Both had been putting out one solid brew after another but really stepped up their game this year in my opinion. The brush and barrel series from Long Trail has been quite nice. I had the Lemon Pepper Kolsch as the brown bag series rather than Ramble so maybe it has changed a bit, but I didn't see it as the drain pour some have, though certainly not one id come back to again and again.

Lost their shine:

DFH: I used to love these guys, but I just haven't been interested in anything they've done in a while. I'm happy with some experimentation but I still want the beer to taste good and be worth the $10-15 the 750 cost. 75 minute and Miles Davis will still be favorites.

Sam Adams: replacing Alpine Spring with Cold Snap was one of a few disappointing choices for me this year. It's been a while since they've done anything particularly interesting.

 

Most improved: breweries that either a) produce great beer at a reasonable price or b) produce beer so good or cutting edge the price doesn't matter as much.

Decline: breweries putting out average offerings and not pricing competitively.

 

"Bad" according to you...but there probably were a few people out there who thought it was "good."

That's one of the hard things about creating a beer portfolio. If we cancel our 99IBU Habenero Rauchbier then 99% of our fans will rejoice, but we will continue to get angry emails from the 1% of people who say "hey man, that was my favorite beer!" :-)