Biggest Dissapointment in CA Beers for 2017

They're canned offerings are OK. The bottles shine. Regular BBomb and BA Dark Star are phenomenal and produced in large quantities so they're easy to acquire. Coffee Cinnamon BBomb, Coffee Dark Star, Coco BBomb are a bit less common, but still reasonable to acquire.

The truly hard to get stuff - Ancient Ones, Three Matts - is truly next level but going after them all depends upon your thoughts on exponential price increases for marginal gains on the already stellar base products.

 

Inspired by the comments on a bunch of SoCal facebook beer trading groups arising from the news that the January Stasis release is not a stout:

Traders trying to dismiss other traders by accusing them of being "new money", whether the accusation is genuine or ironic. We're reaching Rick and Morty fandom levels of cringeworthiness on some of these threads...

 

Hey @SDReaper thought this might interest you since you live in San Diego

https://www.kcet.org/shows/californias-gold-with-huell-howser/episodes/avocados

 

Huell's delight over the avocado-eating dog gives me life.

 

That dog has a better palate than SDreaper

 

https://www.kcet.org/shows/californias-gold-with-huell-howser/episodes/hops

 

Biggest disappointment is CA Wild Ales, only one bottle release event in June 2017.

A first and last release?

They should be on the bad trader list and I on the gullible/idiot list.

 

I have a long list of disappointments, but here are a few:

1) Modern Times limited releases are still expensive as hell. I'll add to this that 2017 was the first and only year I was invested in a league membership. I hate the feeling that as members, we are also expected to fund their ambitious expansion plans. There is still lots to love about the brewery. It's cool that they value craft, are employee owned, and have grown in an organic way, but most MP and DT variants still aren't worth $33 for a bomber. In 2018 though, I'll stick to MT shelfies.

2) Societe kegs still barely make it out of SD county, and the only bottled beer that's seen distro was one batch of the butcher. I guess it makes those trips down south more worth it, but would love to drink societe beers at home!

3) Bottle Logic makes one or two good beers a month (depending on the month), and they are only on tap for about a week, but the service in the tasting room is so beyond slow that it is barely worth the stop on my way home.

4) Bruery- just repeat everything mentioned above this post.

5) Pilsners and lagers didn't reach near the wide level of consumer adoption I had hoped they would in 2017. Luckily there are at least a few breweries I frequent on a regular basis that are committed to pushing the style (Green Cheek, Homage, Chapman Crafted, and HPB).

 

I am 100% sure I am unhappy with that.

 

This has been my main issue with them since 2016. Most of the time I just go in to pick up statis bottles, a pour of it and on my way.

 

I haven't even bought anything since they switched.

 

I thought Firestone did well with releasing the Leo vs Ursus line, as well as the very underrated Bravo. Also, the Propagator releases like Elevator Music and Ella were stellar. With that said, not releasing Sucaba was disappointing, as well as Parabola being a shell of its former self.

Bruery was disappointing for all the mentioned reasons, but I'll toss in infections even when pasteurization was supposed to eliminate this.

Kern has been disappointing as far as distribution. Straight from the source is always good. But theres a lot of old beer in distro, and bottles (and a lot of cans) with no dates. Those stickers on the 6ers come off; by accident, or by retailer.....

 

My biggest disapointment was me barely putting a dent in my cellar in 2017!

Oh well, back on the buying hold for 2018.....

 

In before "Let me send you my address..." posts.

Also, I can totally help you with that. Let me send you my address.

 

Let me send you my address for whatever you are sent that you are unable to drink because your cellar is too large and you are asking others for beer.

 

I’ve been seeing some pretty fresh Kern at Wine Country in Long Beach