Saint Archer

Chavez Latrine has nowhere near the amount of craft options, I don't hate SA from showing the Dodgers love for carrying their product more than any CA team.

The backlash over the idiot that posted this on their IG page was ridiculous though. I saw more fans raging over this "slight" than when the Padres announced Bud Selig Plaza.

 

A great quote from Tom Nickel in the UT article: "There are a number of brands that have been trying to help further the legacy of San Diego's making great beers. I wouldn't put Saint Archer in that fold."

 

Who cares? Didn't everyone realize this was Saint Archer's goal from the moment they launched? Have they ever denied it? They do solid examples of all the beer they put out.

 

They were still bought out by a larger brewer, but since it is Duvel there is a difference in opinion. SABMiller has done great things for Pilsner Urquell in the states the last couple of years.

 

Still don't entirely know how I feel about breweries selling out. I definitely don't like the idea, but there is truth in the statement that it doesn't affect how the beer tastes. Still, would prefer to give my money to help bolster smaller businesses instead of just lining the pockets of gigantic corporations. It probably won't affect my purchasing habits too much... though they make a damn fine pilsner, which is all too rare in San Diego. Here's to hoping that that beer at least gets spread to all those dive bars that don't carry craft.

Curious if this means their beers will now be canned with a Frost Brew® Liner, though.

 

Don't care.
I'll still buy Coffee Brown, Mosaic, and anything new that they put out that sounds good, most of you will too.

 

They definately built it to sell it - the type of money they had behind it invested with the expectation of an exit (and this was a home run for them). For those breweries that don't like the idea of selling to an AB, MillerCoors, etc., they can "sell" to their employees in an ESOP transaction (where the employees buy the company for debt that is funded by the operations of the company). There's a lot more to it than that, but it's really tax efficient for the sellers/founders and it's a lot more palatable for some breweries than "selling out" to one of the majors. I know that Deschutes, New Belgium and others have gone this route (it also ususually stays below the radar, so most outsiders don't even know it happened).

 

These guys were at the OC Brew Ha Ha today too. Not much of a line.

 

Ok maybe some shitty news here... Heard Mosaic is offline and not being brewed anymore. At least based on one of my local spots Harbor rep. All other St archer stuff being made regularly.

 

I respect the shit out of Tom for what he has done for San Diego's beer scene over the years, but if I was faced with the choice of drinking one of Nickel's IPAs or St. Archer's IPAs, I'd choose St. Archer without thinking twice.

If I can support a brewery with both good intent AND good beer, I absolutely will, but I'm not going to buy shitty, flawed beer from people who mean well just to support the craft beer community.

 

It's a summer seasonal, are you sure your rep didn't just mean they're done producing it this year since it's no longer in season?

 

I'd bet the rep didn't know it was a seasonal and thought he had some sort of hot scoop.

 

Are Nickel Brewing beers as you described?

 

The pale/hoppy beers are, excluding the apple pie beer. They had a tap takeover at Hamilton's a couple months ago and every hoppy beer was a chlorophenolic mess, worst of all the keg that genuinely tasted like it had been dry hopped with band aids. I've had a couple of their IPAs before and experienced similar results, and multiple people who have gone to the brewery in Julian at different times told me they tasted the same thing. The dark beers weren't quite as bad, but none seemed to be properly executed, unless the intent was unbalanced beer with mild off flavors.

No ill will toward him, as I said, he's been instrumental in San Diego beer both as a brewer and publican, but I'm not going to spend my money on bad beer, no matter the brewer's intents or history. Every brewery has growing pains at one point or another and I can forgive bad batches from time to time, but if a brewery willfully sells beer with off flavors, it's clearly a business decision and should be perceived as such by consumers - any real "craft beer community" should be a two way street where breweries take care of customers in return for their support. Nickel isn't the only offender in this category, I just happened to use that as an example due to his quote.

 

I thought that one of Nickel's initial offerings, the Stonewall Stout, was pretty good on nitro. I got the second batch and thought it was still good.

The latest Apple Pie version, based on crabapples apparently, was nearly as good as prior versions of it. In fact, if blindfolded I might have said "Imperal apple tart saison". Yes, I know crabapples are acidic, but this really was a different beer than the two earlier versions of it I've had.

I'm not sure how many old timers are around here, but not all of Tom's beers at Del Mar Stufft Pizza were that great, either.

 

Thanks. I have such respect for Tom, it's unfathomable that he would knowingly sell flawed beer. That's too bad.

 

Good for them. They've made good beer and smart business decisions. I'm glad to see them make some money along the way. I look forward to many more pints of Saint Archer beer in the future.

 

Vaguely related to one of his bars serving the worst tasting pints of PtE that I've ever had, on multiple occasions, over multiple years

 

Really? No matter what your feelings are about Tom, I cannot Tyson (O'Briens manager) serving you crappy beer.

 

I think MiCusi is referring to O'Brien's having long, dirty beer lines for years. They've made some improvements on that in the last couple years.

As for Tyson, he won't recommend a crappy beer, but will do his job and serve you one if you ask for it.