Alpine brewing at Green Flash?

That is obviously not Alpine's reason, however.

 

After they're done showing him how to pour beer from a bottle, maybe those same cicerone buddies can go down to Alpine and teach Pat a thing or two about QC?

Seriously, though, Alpine is the greatest. Amazing beer, great pub with awesome workers with an opinionated, character of a head brewer. I'll take prickly and inconsistent any day when the rest of the experience is so great.

 

I like how every single problem that Alpine has is directly Pat McIllhenny's fault. You'd think he's the only person who works there.

Complaining about batch variation from a brewery that's smaller than the average apartment doesn't seem like something that's going to generate a lot of sympathy, either.

 

That's ridiculous. If you spend money on something you don't have certain expectations for the product you purchased?

 

That mis-characterizes the issue and besides, its out of whack with the facts of the situation. There isn't a correlation between quality and price, nor does the fact that you pay for something mean you're guaranteed any specific quality or even a consistent product. If batch inconsistency isn't isn't okay with you, then you're not really in the right hobby. It would be one thing if Alpine's beer was consistently subpar, but it isn't. Its just a single run of beer with more sediment than normal.

Its really no different than the hand-made vs. machine made argument in any number of products. The expectation that the product will be perfect isn't actually fair.

 

I don't think people really believe that; it's just that Pat is the one that is out there drawing attention.

 

Attention Alpine complainers - please quit going to the brewery and buying bottles.

P.S. I would like to be able to go up there and buy when I want, without having to worry what is sold out.

Thank you.

 

I didn't say anything about inconsistency or quality vs. price. All I am saying is I (and I assume you too) expect a certain quality out of a product. There have been plenty of beers that didn't meet my expectations and I didn't buy them again.

People get too defensive on here when someone says anything negative about certain beers and breweries, not saying you are I'm just generalizing. I had a valid concern with the beer being chunky and I voiced it. Does that mean I won't ever buy Duet again? Probably not, but that decision is up to me. Everything doesn't have to be cut and dry.

 

The first of these is a patently ridiculous assertion. Probably better said would be, "If batch inconsistency isn't okay with you, then don't patronize Alpine."

I do think it's fair to expect quality in exchange for my hard-earned money, especially when these QC issues have been called out time and time again, publicly and otherwise. It's not like Alpine's a brand new brewery, just learning the ropes. Flat bottles and huge amounts of hop sludge aren't a mild inconsistency--they are a sign of lazy inattentiveness and should be called out.

 

It's a good point, but "lazy" might be off the mark. They may have bitten off a little more than they can chew (pun intended). Is it a coincidence that this latest stuff happened at the same time they did a few special releases (Keene Idea and Expo) and the same time they were firing up things at Green Flash? Maybe, maybe not.

 

Excessive hop sediment is extreme, but batch inconsistency is completely normal with craft brewing. Any (non-delusional) craft brewer will tell you that.

AleSmith owner Peter Zien once told me that one thing he really admires about Budweiser is their ability to produce that beer at different plants around the country and have it taste and look exactly the same every time. That doesn't happen with craft beer.

 

Alpine Police Department over here.

 

I fail to see your point. Are you saying that Alpine's batch inconsistency is the norm in craft brewing?

Because... no.

 

Another wannabe beer blogger from L.A. over here.

 

My issue with this whole thing is, if you buy something and it is bad or broken what do you do?
Most likely go back or at least tell the establishment the deal.
But it seems Beer Advocates are much more inclined to run to the internet and complain.
Everytime time there is an Alpine thread you can expect the shitting without having to read it.
Half of the same people that complain are still going there for more beer, it all seems kind of odd to me.

Hoppy Birthday is excellent right now.

Oh and I do not work at Alpine, might as well add it in before people start on that.

 

Many people that have had the audacity to complain to them about bottles have either been banned from the brewery outright, or told they can only buy beer in growlers. This is not hyperbole, and the comparison with the "Soup ****" on Seinfeld is far more on the mark than it seems.

 

As HeavySpeedway pointed out above, seems like you're just pretty off-base on this entire thread.

 

I know a few people who have had bad bottles before and have taken them back to the brewery themselves to complained. After a couple incidents with the bottles being bad they were told they could not buy bottles anymore. Banned from bottles, but ok with growler fills. I see this is happening again. I too had a bad bottle of Pure Hoppiness a few years ago that I bought at WF's. I had to drain pour 3/4 of the bottle. No head and tasted very like vinegar. It was not the only bottle as it was all over here on BA at the time. Now its Duets turn. I was just there a month ago and they were out of Duet bottles. so I just grabbed Pure and Nelson and growler fills of all 3. All was good. Still have a growler of Pure to open.

 

That's putting it lightly.

Cheers,

 

Couple of things here:

1. "Running to the internet and complaining" is, in today's world, a totally valid way to register your disappointment. Any brewery with a Web presence, especially a FB page, is opening themselves up to an online conversation about their business. There are some awesome breweries/brewers (Modern Times, Lagunitas, etc.) who interact directly with the BA community, addressing complaints and offering balanced perspectives. Plus, as has been pointed out in a number of posts, Alpine patrons have been punished for direct complaints.

2. I'm not sure what's so odd about people complaining at the same time they buy their beer. Speaking for myself, I know I get kind of worked up because I like the beer so damn much. It's called passion, man. I want to see them do well, and produce great beer, and not consistently shoot their brand in the foot every chance they get. People who are passionate and dedicated about their favorite sports teams don't refrain from criticizing them. Nor do strong businesses wither under criticism: they listen, and adapt, and get better.

One last thing: if you were a manager at a business (of any kind), and you had an employee or department that kept fucking up, in the same way, over and over, would you accept from them the excuse that "inconsistency is just the norm in our business, man?" Of course not. You'd put them on a performance plan, then probation, then eventually fire them.