Infected Beer: Does the Brewery Owe Us Anything?

They should be held responsible IMO. We hold other businesses accountable for defective products.

 

Very much this! It's up to them to make things right.

 

Problem is that breweries likely get a number of complaints about infection, when it is down to subjective tasting by customers who may not know the difference between normal taste, batch variation, off-tasting, and infection. That said, good customer service would mean responding to the complaint with an apology, a request for details, and some type of compensation. As with any business, breweries that deny or ignore complaints are just setting themselves up for bad press.

 

We owe it to the Brewer to bring it to their attention. Then, the direction they choose to go such as refunds/replacements, or the opposite end of the spectrum where they blow it off, determines the character of the brewey and my willingness to buy again.

We all get that shit happens. I just want to see someone own up to it and make it right. That' all I care about. If you sold me a defunct product, fix it.

 

I assume, OP, that you have contacted the store where you bought the beer and the company that made the beer to make them aware there is a quality problem, and try to get your money back? If not, my answer is contact the store where you bought it and the company that made it to make them aware there is a quality problem, and try to get your money back.

 

I only contacted a brewer about an issue like this once (many years ago). I felt like I should let them know for their sake (and wasn’t looking for any compensation). Their response wasn’t very friendly. They basically told me that they couldn’t be responsible for anything that happened to their beer once it left their brewery.

 

No excuse for that treatment. How hard is it to say thanks, please send this list of specifics, and let us know your address so we can send you something for our appreciation. They could send a t-shirt, opener, glass, stickers, coupon, etc - whatever works. Why piss off/on customers? They do need to keep track of the complaints in case one person tries to take advantage repeatedly, or in case word gets around about some neat compensation.

 

While some beer holds up well, or even improves with time, sitting on it is always a crapshoot. Especially with barrel aging and/or adjuncts

 

IMHO the brewery should make good on infected beers providing its documented and that there have been additional complaints. A couple of complaints really won't do anything, maybe a letter of apology from the brewer. If memory serves, Goose Island reimbursed hundreds, if not thousands of customers who purchased the 2015 version of its Bourbon County Brand Stout. All they asked for was the label from each bottle and they sent checks based in their MSRP. They refunded more than I actually paid and I got to drink the beer. I blended it with Lagunitas Imperial Stout and Cappucino Stout. It actually reminded me of Revolutions Dark Cherry Deth Star.

 

Indeed. I got all the swag you listed, except coupon, plus a killer shirt from Duck Rabbit. Paul Philippon was a pleasure to deal with and took full responsibility for his company, despite my not living in his distro (I traded for the beers). I always compare how companies act in the face of these things to how Duck Rabbit treated me.

 

Many consumers with a quality complaint want some acknowledgement of their complaint even if no admission to an issue, an indication of interest in the issue such as asking for further information, and some type of appreciation and/or compensation. They don't want to be ignored, dismissed, or argued with - and will tell many others if that happens.

 

I posted a topic a while back about each bottle I opened from a six pack of Otter Creek Backseat Berner gushing over. I emailed them as well. I wasn't looking for compensation, I only wanted to bring it to someone's attention. I received a reply via email a follow up phone call and a check for the original purchase price.
I spent the check on another six pack of Backseat Berner. Otter Creek has always turned out a great product and I will continue to be a regular customer for that reason. The refund and customer satisfaction concern solidified my reasons for supporting their business.
I will continue to sing their praises via word of mouth. @ottercreekbrewing

 

If a bottle is infected the brewery absolutely owes you a refund.
If a bottle does not age well, that is on the consumer.

 

I think its a very touchy subject because of all the variables at hand. I think if they recall the product then yes you are owed a refund. But if there is no major outpouring of people saying they are getting bad beer then its harder to say they owe a refund. The beer could have been stored wrong or it could just be the way you interpret the product. So that is how I approach it anyway.
Did you contact the brewery, did they say there is an issue? Are there others saying the same thing, etc. I think that is the starting point on this.

Cheers

 

I contacted a brewery about infection after tasting off tastes in 2 beers from the same 6-pack. They sent me 2 boxes, one had some pretty decent schwag, the other was a bottle shipper. They asked me to send the remaining bottles, and when they got it they emailed me tasting results. (They said that it was tasting up to their expectations)

 

In these parts,if you are sold faulty goods you seek redress from the place you bought it from.They have an absolute duty .to give a refund or exchange.In turn they seek redress from whoever sold it to them and this stretches back ultimately to the brewery.There is no redress with the brewery unless you bought it directly from there because you have no contract with it.
Having said that,many breweries might make ex gratia refunds or arrange compensation.

 

I don't think they owe anything (especially if you're aging the beer), but I do think breweries can help or hurt their reputations with their responses.

For example, a few years ago I bought a few bottles of Blvck Mass from Adroit Theory, and they were all sour gushers. They offered to replace my beer, and mailed me, free of charge, replacement beers (not infected, and delicious). I instantly went from skeptical of ever spending my money on them again to being deeply impressed with them as a company that I want to support in the future.

 

It may be a touchy subject, but I think there are a few reasons folks should contact the retail location and brewery first before coming here or other websites. One of those reasons is if you post to public media before contacting brewer/store, the threat to post to public media if they don't respond to your concerns is gone