Beers that were "better" last year

Hop-heavy beers are by their very nature volatile things. Batch variation happens- and often enough from month to month within the same year. The best breweries will vary within a narrow range, but a range nonetheless. Having one negative experience and somehow extrapolating it to cover some general trend may be tempting, but that's not really what we should be doing. Crowd-sourcing info can be a good thing, as long as we are realistic about it and are just sharing notes on that particular batch, and not slamming the whole brewery or that particular beer.

Still- some years do trend better than others, but a lot of that has to do with the source materials. That's OK, though- if you don't like it this year, then you may love it the next one.

Anyway- welcome to BA, and you do have BMC correct.

 

This brings to mind annual/seasonal releases which, even if based on the same recipe and premise, can vary from year to year - just like wine from the same vineyard but of different vintages.

For me, the biggest let down recently was Black Butte XXV... Had the XXIV in 2012 and it knocked my socks off. IMHO the 2013 version was cheap soy sauce in comparison. Did I drink both of them too fresh? Probably. But they were equally abused, so it's a fair comparison nonetheless.

Then there are also the subjective tricks our minds play on us. When the big Foster's oil can started getting imported from Canada rather than Australia, I lost interest. Does it taste the same? No idea. I'm not sure I can even render an unbiased opinion. Same for Kirin Ichiban. I grabbed some to enjoy with supermarket sushi one night and then quickly put it back in the cooler when I noticed it wasn't made in Japan any longer, but rather California. Yuck.

 

Of course it does, sometimes we think a particular beer should be like something else in the style, instead of enjoying it for what it is. I catch myself doing it in reviews and in recommendations.

Absolutely our palates and tastes change, and sometimes we look to the past with rose tinted glasses.
I used to love Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and thought it was the greatest beer ever. Now I can't stand it, but I look back and remember it as the greatest beer.
I get there are yearly differences and fluctuations between batches, but the batches can't get worse every year as you often see on this site.

Just drink the beer and enjoy it for what it is.
Cheers,
Tikk

 

Good example of this is Great Lakes Chillwave. Last year as Alchemy Hour...it was miles ahead.

 

Hopslam

 

According to the forums on this website, the answer is "every one."

 

Haven't had this year's version, Chillwave, but I've heard the opposite, that Chillwave is better than Alchemy Hour was last year.

 

I'll take "cliche's of a beer nut" for $200, Alex...The music equivalent of course being, "Their last album was better..."

 

I believe that our memory of how a beer tastes is what is most likely more different than the actual "difference" in a beer batch to batch.

 

Surely our tastes change a bit, but there is no doubt in my mind that hoppy ales vary substantially from batch to batch. Nugget nectar and Heady Topper both come to mind as beers that seem to vary quite a bit.

 

Maybe it's just people having better access to better beers, this year more than last year- and last year the beer was more impressive compared to the other beers they were drinking, but this year they've had so much of the same style that it all starts to taste the same.

 

If only someone would invent a time machine we could put this discussion to rest.

 

Hopefully, that is not the case and may be a perception thing, influenced by the required name change. There would be no requirement for them to change the recipe, so except for modest changes a beer can usually see from year to year, in theory, there shouldn't be anything different. And given that consistency is one of Great Lakes strengths, I wouldn't really expect any difference. At least this is all what I am hoping for, because that beer was one of my top 5 "wow" beers after moving to the Midwest last year.

 

To me its just a pretentious beer snob trend.
This years ten fidy and uncle jacobs stout both blew last years out of the water as did odell red.

 

I thought sucks was a bit off this year, still amazing but tasted better last year

 

All of them were way better last year. Even the Miller lite taste better last year, and even better back with the original vortex bottle.

 

Nugget nectar

 

Incorrect. Please try again next year.

 

Boy howdy, ain't that the truth. It never seems to occur to many on this site that it just might possibly maybe be their memory of last year's beer, especially if it was the first time they had it. "I was really blown away the first time I tried it, but this year it just isn't as impressive." Couldn't be the consumer, must be the beer.

There was a thread a few months ago speculating that Great Lakes had changed their recipe for Nosferatu because it "just didn't taste the same" Besides the brewery changed the descriptor, from "stock ale" to "imperial red ale" meaning they must have changed the recipe. So I e-mailed GL and asked. They said the recipe was the same, the descriptor was changed for marketing purposes.