Which Beer Really Let You Down?

Double Bastard. Drain pour.

 

Pliny the Elder - it greatly benefits from a self sustaining hype train as new craft beer drinkers read about it and hype themselves up about it and then rate based on hype. It tastes like 50 other double IPA's I've had.

Dark Lord - more hype

New Belgium Salted Caramel Brownie Ale - I have a huge sweet tooth but this didn't work for me at all.

Brooklyn Lager - wayyyyyy too hoppy for the style. This tastes more like an IPL, and I wanted a Vienna Lager.

Sip of Sunshine - hype machine again - tastes like every other hoppy beer

Allagash: Mattina Rosa - way too sour, didn't like at all.

 

All of them. I've now resorted to wine coolers.

 

Off the top of my head, Nugget Nectar and Carton 077XX. Both were just ok at best.

 

I got my hands on some Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stouts that were aged one and two years. I was excited to try these vintages since I heard they age well. Definitely prefer that beer fresh.

 

Sculpin recently landed in Michigan and brought disappointment with it. I'll still give their other beers a shot though. I can't pass up the chance to try new brews, I'm a ticker

 

If it was really and truly so bad after such a short time that it became a drainpour , then I'd say it's pretty badly made.
Pliny is decent enough and I liked it when I had it...but definitely overhyped for what it is.
It was pretty good...just not overly 'special'.

 

I don't think I've ever felt extremely let down by a beer, but I definitely think Speedway Stout is a bit more praised than I agree with.

 

I have a list lol.
BCBS it is just what it is a bourbon stout. Nothing special to me when other breweries have similar offerings available.
Velvet Merkin just tasted way to thin. Scared me away from trying any FW limited beers.
Nelson just tasted like an onion bomb to me. I really hate onions.

 

I agree with Sump. It was good, but far from great. The hype was unfounded.

 

Boulevard Boubon Barrel Quad
Avery Rumpkin, Mephistopholes, Pumpkyn, (the soy sauce collection doesn't impress me)
Deschutes Black Butte

I like Barrel aged beers but not those!!!

 

I am right with you. I heard so many amazing things about it and it did nothing for me at all.

 

Stone Imperial Mutt Brown Ale - Always looking for a really good brown ale and this had so much potential but it just didn't do it for me.

 

Dark Lord '14 and Mexican Cake

 

Drinking a 2013 vintage of The Abyss right now and really enjoying it. This is a beer that really seems to benefit from some aging. I had a 2014 bottle last year because I was able to get my hands on several bottles, and it was underwhelming. The vintages do vary, so that's a factor as well. Two years out, the 2013 is really nice, more smooth and balanced. Just some thoughts on this particular brew.

 

Heady Topper
Bourbon County Bramble Rye
BA Abraxas

I'm glad I didn't have to give up much to try any of those.

 

Pliny
Prairie Bomb!
Hopslam
Maybe letdown is not completely accurate...they were all good...but I fell for the hype surrounding them. I will revisit eventually and hopefully come away with more positivity about them

 

Well there's two things:

• Bottled Pliny is not a general distribution beer. Even if you live close to the brewery, you rarely can find places that stock it. In fact, those that do stock it usually get a small shipment each week, and those cases sell out within hours. I am not exaggerating. Pliny seekers are like Bourbon County seekers, but the urgency to buy happens each week.
  
  So the people buying Pliny get it quickly, consume it quickly. Hell, even the bottle has many, many warnings about drinking it fresh, and not allowing it to age. So you can't compare Pliny to a nationally distributed beer like Sculpin, Union Jack, Lagunitas, 90 Minute, etc. They don't play on that field at all.
  
  
• My personal experience with drainpouring is this. I've had Pliny on draught. Delicious. I've had Pliny in a bottle anywhere from 1 day to about a week and a half of bottling. Also very good. I once forgot about a bottle in my fridge for a month, maybe 5 - 6 weeks tops. That's when I thought it tasted really off, and had to drainpour. My wife also took a sip and made this face of disgust.
  
  Was it just that one bottle? Possibly. Or maybe it doesn't age well, which is exactly what Russian River says everywhere on the bottle.

Anyway, see also this topic.

 

Ruination 2.0....poured 2 bottles in a 22oz glass and tried it. I almost dumped it. The next day I returned the other 4 to the store for a refund. It was fresh, but I wouldn't have guessed it was a Stone beer. Recently had on tap (complimentary) and it came across a little better. Still miss the original Ruination. I won't buy 2.0 again.

 

Perhaps you are right....purchased Pliny bottled within 2 days last time I was at RR....Delicious....had one once a couple years ago that was more than a month old (maybe 6 weeks?) and it didn't do anything for me. It was still good...but ultra fresh is best.