Curious - what beer was your biggest disappointment?

I managed to land two bottles of Pliny the Elder and invited a good friend over to drink through the first bottle together. We both thought it was good, but not something to put yourself out to get.

4 Hand's Madagascar is my biggest disappointment. Sorry to point the finger at a Missouri brewery, but it tasted like vanilla Coca-Cola, and just as thin. Maybe they've cashed in on the hype, maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe it was just always a hype-driven beer. No matter which of those three it was, I was still disappointed, especially with two of those options very much within 4 Hand's control.

 

4 Hand's Madagascar is my biggest disappointment. Sorry to point the finger at a Missouri brewery, but it tasted like vanilla Coca-Cola, and just as thin. Maybe they've cashed in on the hype, maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe it was just always a hype-driven beer. No matter which of those three it was, I was still disappointed, especially with two of those options very much within 4 Hand's control.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree. I had a bottle a few years ago and it was average at best.

 

Probably Dogfish Head 120 minute, I love so many of their beers, I was really looking forward to trying it. When I did, I was disappointed

 

I was anxious to try Jai Alai from Cigar City when I heard it would be distributed here. It was good, but I'll stick with Two-Hearted Ale.

 

I know this won't be a surprise to anyone, but DFH, in general, has been disappointing to me. For a brewery that did SO much to further the craft beer landscape in the beginning, they've just fallen completely flat for me over the past 10 years or so.

 

I totally agree with you. We just got DFH in Iowa about a month ago. Very underwhelming to me.

 

Guess it depends what you're looking for in a DIPA. Personally, I'll never turn my nose up to PtE. Then again, I'm not going out of my way to find it, either. Got to give it a lot of respect for being the originator of the modern style, but there are TONS of readily available DIPAs out there that are just as good or even better.

 

If you thought Jai Alai was good and it was your biggest disapointment, I'd say you're lucky.

 

120 has been very inconsistent, which I agree is unacceptable at those prices, but it can be truly fantastic when it's 'on'.

When their high gravity beers are disappointing there's always an unpleasant acetone quality to them that I'd consider a flaw myself. Yet they seem to pass the tasting panel for whatever reason...I dunno, I rather have a better beer at a few gravity points lower than these 'extreme' things they seem hell bent on releasing, but that's probably just me .

 

It was a homebrewed imperial oatmeal stout that I aged on bourbon soaked oak cubes. It took four months from kettle to glass to find out it was pretty much undrinkable. Still aging some bottles hoping it mellows out some but it was a failed experiment.

On the professional side, standing in line at Russian River for Pliney the Elder was not really worth it for me. It's an excellent beer but we get lot's of well crafted ipas here in the PNW that are just as good. I like Sticky Hands better than PtE. We have a local bottle shop that gets shipments weekly so it's always fresh.

 

I think you put it in a splendid fashion.

PtE was good, but again, nothing I'd put myself out to obtain. Just plenty of great options out there otherwise that don't require me trading 2:1+ to obtain. Should I be in PtE distro area and I see it, I'll buy it, but I will not be attempting to setup a trade to obtain it.

 

Felt spoiled to have PtE and Blind Pig readily available to me when I lived in Denver in the mid-2000s. SO many brewers learned how to properly make hoppy beers (amongst other things) from Vinnie. His beers deserve the respect that they still get.

 

I could not agree more. DFH asked had they gone too far on this one?, and my reply was yes.

 

For me, CBS. I landed four bottles with the recent release and had one right away. It was outstanding, but sure didn't match the hype. I expected it to be my new favorite, but it's only my 20th most favorite. I'll crack another sometime soon - perhaps my taste was off that day.

Runner-up is Black Note - just don't get why people think that's so great, and I've tried it a couple of times. It's my 294th favorite...

 

Just wondering how long ago you guys tried Pliney? I feel the same way about it after having hassled someone I knew visiting SF to bring me back some bottles. It was a great beer, even better than most others I’ve had in that style, but it was definitely underwhelming considering all the hype. I think if I would have tried it like 4 years ago just getting into craft it would have blew my mind but with all the amazing IPAs out there these days it was pretty average overall, albeit still an amazingly crafted beer.

 

Mine hasn't happened yet

 

Crooked Stave's Nightmare on Brett.
(NOPE).

 

I can't say any TG Stout I've tried has ever really Wowed me...add in the hype they get and it's pretty baffling why people sell their kidneys to get one