Wildly inconsistent breweries

Its very frustrating, especially when the brewery is capable of greatness.

Hair of the Dog gets the inconsistency award for Oregon. Some beers are completely flat, the IPA can be wonderful one week and then awful 6 months later when a new batch is released.

It really is a shame, because Alan has made some of the best beers I have ever had. I just wont buy bottles anymore, but I will happily go to the brewery and drink there.

 

I keep going back to Magic Hat. Sometimes it seems like #9 is sweeter than others and all the other beers, IPL, wilhelm scream are just ok and thats it. But for some reason i still every now and then get their beers.

 

Never boycott an entire brewery based on a few bad beers that come out of it.

At brewery? Ask for a sampler first of their new beer to see if its tasty or bad.
At the store? Go to a store that will sell singles to try first.

 

I would have to say "Natty Daddy" & "Steel Reserve 8.1% A.B.V."-I think most people who really know about Beer,LOVE both these Fantastic,Smooth,Balanced, Top Notch & Stellar,Ultra High Quality Brews...But I have noticed a slight inconsistency in some cases,in Steel Reserve for Instance,you do not get that nice Rusty water,Toxic Sludge,Badger Shit Flavor as Much..[which sucks Balls] and @ times "Natty Daddy" does not have that sweet,Rotten,dead corpse smell as Much,also @ times it lacks the subtle hint of Husky Urine,-Look if I am Paying 99 cents for a 25oz can,I expect pure Perfection God Dammit!

 

I understand that this post has tongue firmly planted in cheek but it reminds me of what a friend of mine told me about OE a long while back after I cracked on his choice for a moment - he said that "the best thing about this beer is that no two taste alike!". The most deafening approval of a beer I've ever heard........

 

Lately for me it's been Cigar City. This years and last years Good Gourd just wasn't as good as previous years. I don't know if they changed the recipe, ingredients, or maybe I just got bad bottles? But this years and last years didn't have the strong pumpking, cinnamon, all-spice flavor that it used to have. This used to be one of the beers I looked forward to from them and I'm just finding it lacking compared to what it used to be. I'm very disappointed in it. Same thing with their Marshall Zhurkov. I didn't get any this year, but last year I got a few different bottles from different batches. One batch was awesome, and the other not so much. And the batches tasted totally different too. If the batches were made the same with the same ingredients, I don't know why the huge inconsistency between batches. Anyway, I've noticed little inconsistencies in some of their other beers as well. Don't get me wrong I love Cigar City. But as they've grown I've notice a slip in their quality a little. Hope they can fix this.

 

I totally Agree my friend,and trust me when I tell you I am No Beer Snob,I will stop by after work @ the Local quick stop and buy me a Bomber of "Schlitz O.M.L." in a Heart Beat,I just had to have some fun with Steel Reserve & Natty Daddy,because they are my buddies Faves ...but just smelling them when he cracks em open,makes me want to Hurl..Big Time,however like I always say "Beer is a VERY Subjective thing Indeed"-Cheers m8

 

Night Shift

 

Goose Island. Their barrel-aged program is among the world's best, and their shelf beers are sub-par at best.

 

I understand now. Didn't realize they are 45min away...that isn't local IMO but at least a 1/2 day toursit trip. My recommendation....unless your in that area of CA for other purposes or driving through en route, don't make a special trip to that brewery anymore. Too risky/potential waste of time due to inconsistent batches.

 

I tend to not walk away, but to just limit myself to what I know is always good--and to get a sample when I'm not sure. I've found recently some of my local spots will take a all around solid IPA and change up the hops just to change up the hops(or add some random adjuncts to it), usually creating a subpar beer. So it's not necessarily poor quality control, but more so me just no tlike the reconfigured brew. But even then, I'll still be able to find something I really like and have a a few beers and hang for a couple hours.

 

I would have to say O'so. Their shelf beers are pretty great. Some much better than others. Yet their big beers/ba beers/etc. continually have infection problems/carbonation problems and overall taste inconsistency. They have been kind enough to swap out infected beers with their other offerings, but there is no way I'm driving 2 1/2 hours up there again for a bottle release...

 

This. I've been burned twice by completly flat beers and Blue Dot can be good or terrible (I do not buy for one second that totally flat beers are acceptable)

 

“But then there are batches of stuff in between that are clearly improper, that they won't admit to. (Until months down the line if you are lucky).”

You asked: “When do you walk away?”

My answer is I walk away when they won’t openly and promptly admit to their bad batches. A quality brewery should be capable of consistently producing beer. If they do not readily fess up to problem batches that is an indication of a less than honest business and they will no longer get my money.

Cheers!

 

I swear that I've never had two Yuengling's that tasted the same. That beer is all over the place.