@BJP Based on a survey of unofficial sources, Harp varies by location. Harp in Great Britain and possibly Ireland is 4% alcohol. US Harp is 4.5. So it is possible that the US version is better. I remember sampling US Harp in the 70s or 80s, and it tasted pretty good then. Quite a few lagers are lower in alcohol in Britain than in the US (Bud for example).
It's the beer. Last year I brought one to a calibration meeting for homebrew judges - examples of Ambers are getting thin on the ground - and one guy said, "How is this not just a West Coast IPA?" I didn't have an answer for him. 15 years ago when you opened a NN it smelled like an Amsterdam coffeeshop.
Something is up at Live Oak. The stores pretty much only stock Pilz & Hefe in Austin lately. Even the brewery it self has fewer choices of package to go.
I hate hearing that, but I can't say I'm surprised. There was a time I'd happily buy year-old Live Oak Pilz and not bat an eye over it. Now I'm afraid to buy anything more than a single can of theirs at a time.
Can you please provide more details here? Why are you only willing to buy a single? Is this concern brand specific? When did you start doing this? Cheers!
Brand specific. Live Oak was a stalwart of the Texas craft beer scene for years, but the last 6-pack I bought of their Pilz was terrible, and there's news here from @ttoadee that unfortunately suggests my experience wasn't isolated. That to me says there's no reason to spend money on their beer at least for the time being, yet I have such great history with them that I hate giving up on the brand entirely. Thus, I'm willing to buy their beer by the single can at a time to test what's going on.
I had Bass (cask) a few weeks ago in London and it was incredible. I was expecting something sorta "meh" but unironically it was one of the most enjoyable beers of my life. Incredibly quaffable. I had never had it before, so I'm not sure what it used to be like, but I am a huge fan of the current 2026 Bass.
As another Texas resident, I agree. They aren’t what they once were. Seems like distribution has skinnied down too. I have a hard time finding anything other than the Hefe in DFW now.
I’ll never forget my first Pliny - 2011 at Hollingshead. This is when (which I complained about often), they didn’t have a menu on the wall with what beers were on tap. You had to sneak between people sitting at the bar to look at tap handles, or just ask the bartender for a recommendation. So there I was and I asked Kenny if they had any IPA’s on tap. And flummoxed as all hell, Elmer Fudd style he said aloud, “Do we have any IPA’s? Do you want a single, double, or imperial?” I then asked for a double and was poured my first pint of utter greatness. I literally had to stop in my tracks after my first sip. It was that good. I then asked for the name of the beer put in front of me and I have never looked back.
What the hell happened? It makes me think of the first time I visited Lone Pint in Magnolia. The head brewer gave the tour that day, and I whipped his poor ass with at least 20 questions. He answered every question patiently, and somewhere during that conversation he said they would only grow the business "organically." That word always stuck with me b/c it made so much sense, and it makes me wonder if Lone Pint tried to chase the money and are now failing b/c of that?
An explanation: https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2025/12/02/draught-bass-is-bouncing-back ABInbev owns the label and is trying to revive the brand. They contracted brewing to Marstons Burton on Trent (a Carlberg operation).
FWIW back in 1995, Bass in a bottle here in Texas was pretty fantastic. Obviously, that's 30 years ago, so times change, but I've never thought of Bass as bad beer b/c of that first experience where it stood toe-to-toe with Samuel Smith, Young's and Fuller's by comparison. Glad to hear you got to try it on cask.
Stone Brewing's Ruination. Yes, the original recipe was divisive but that was the whole point. It was a palate ruin hence the name and it ruined any other supposed hops forward beer's ability to claim hoppiness. Nothing was that hoppy by far. The new version? Bah. More rounded and refined for modern palates? Double bah! Nothing beats the original in my opinion.
I remember trying that beer for the first time at GABF 2003. I'd tried plenty of double IPAs before, but nothing hit like that one. I even tried 1-2 others (that tasted normal) and went back only to be overwhelmed again. That might be one of the most jarring experiences I've ever had with beer. I'm not even sure I liked it, but it definitely hit different.
Couldn't agree more with your listing of Grant's Perfect Porter and Pete's. I used to say to my friends, the "perfect" in the name was true. Then...bye bye. With Pete's. Didn't have it for years and was hoping to drink some nostalgia...disappointed.
I swore off Flower Power for years, and then bought some on a whim when they changed distribution formats, and I was shockingly surprised; so much so that I started visiting the brewery again. It's not necessarily back to where it was when Chief was brewing, but it's a hell of a lot better than it was during the dark times.
