Huge disappointment...

Although maybe this isn't quite fair since it was on cask, "didn't carb up like they thought it would", and it had star anise in it, but Surly Nein (had it at All Pints North) was a major dissapointment. Tarry, charred bananas, with the faintest hint of smoky maltiness. It lacked intensity, complexity, and overall was just not very enjoyable. By far my least favorite of the anniversary beers from Surly. I'll still probably pick up a bottle of the real stuff for my vertical, I just hope it tastes better.

 

How fresh was yours? I ask because now that it's canned (and I live fairly locally and can get it very fresh), that's all I buy it in anymore. Wayyy better than the shelf-unstable bottles, IMO.

 

Heady Topper is my favorite beer of all-time (at least, so far), but I'll agree with anyone who says it is over-hyped. But that's probably true of dozens of craft favorites: in most cases, you can walk to the next store over and get something that's 98% as good without waiting hours or paying a fortune. Once or twice a year I will go out of my way to try to snag some Heady, but most of the time I just buy what's in stores nearby.

As for beers that didn't live up the hype, I was pretty unimpressed by Enjoy By when I tried it (fresh) and continue to be surprised when everyone here talks it up. There are a lot of other beers that I think are pretty good, but which don't live up to the hype I see online, like Sculpin (regular or grapefruit), Chillwave, everything I've tried from Hill Farmstead so far (though I quite like Harlan, which no one ever talks about), MBC Lunch, etc. They're all good beers, but they aren't a cut above the best stuff that I can find locally.

 

Any Pipeworks beer ever.

 

Lagunitas Imperial Stout. Anything out of Dragonmead. All of the Samuel Smith beers.

 

I enjoy this site a lot, and have benefited from the knowledge shared here about beers I didn't know about quite a bit.

That being said, what are some beers that didn't live up to expectations, based on BA user comments, gospel, threads, and ratings?

For me I'd say 4Beans, Two-Hearted and FBS (preparing to get flak, lol). These were good but not anywhere near the gospel that I'd heard.

Thoughts?

 

Bourbon County Coffee. What a hilarious letdown that beer was (I've had it ultra fresh and with age)

 

there are some people I will never understand

...Mexican Cake was underwhelming IMO.

 

Enjoy By.. AKA, The Bloomin' Onion..

 

Do you like other coffee stouts significantly more?

 

too many to count. Most things never live up to the hype

 

Mexican Cake, KBS.

 

Absolutely. Bourbon Barrel Champion Ground from Jackie O's blows BCBCS out of the water IMO.

 

KBS. I guess I was just expecting a little more based on its score on here. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad beer...I've just had plenty of bourbon barrel stouts that are better and are more scrutinized in their reviews/scores.

 

PseudoSue, the epitome of the dreaded Citra hop fade -- straight up watery at a month. 077xx was a boozy malt bomb for me. And Second Fiddle had some weird metallic notes going on -- not in the same league as some of its Vermont brethren.

 

Founders Breakfast Stout

 

Nutsmasher

 

I'll second the 4Beans. I bought 2 of the 4 packs at a premium.....would have been fine with 1 can to try. Zombie Dust seemed kind of overhyped too. KBS was good but no better the BCBS and a lot harder to get my hands on.

 

Stoneface IPA.