Breweries that you used to like but avoid now?

I don't necessarily avoid or boycott any, but just choose others (mostly local).

Toppling Goliath is the closest to the spirit of this thread, due to the crazy $50-$100 bottle price for their premium beers. I went to the Mornin' Delight release last year, had a pour on draft. It's a good beer, but nowhere close to a $50 12 oz bottle beer (haven't cracked that price / oz yet), so I passed on my bottle allotment. I had to wait 4 more hours to pick it up, was close to home by that point, so I left. I haven't bought a TG beer since, though had SR-71 at a festival. Even their other offerings are at higher price points than local or even regional / national equivalents. Give me Mikerphone's ISLBS over TGs maple stouts everyday of the week.

I don't go to Goose Island much any more, but that is more due to the fact I don't work close to the brewpub/brewery. That said, I only purchase their locally brewed offerings at this point, do not like the versions of their flagship beers now produced in NY/CO.

I never liked several regional/national brands that others like (Dogfish, Ballast Point, New Beligium, Sam Adams), not avoiding just haven't found any wow beers from these brewers.

 

DFH, had them before they got here. But they showed up with stale beer & and nothing interesting

 

Add me as well. IRS, Levitation, Old Guardian, Ruinten, Ruinten w/ Orange Peel and Vanilla Bean, the OG Pale Ale and the 2.0 Pale Ale, Sublimely Self-Righteous, the Session IPA w/ Lemon Peel and Vanilla Bean was good too on draft. At one point I was hoping they'd make the 20th anniversary IPA (Citracado) every now and again as well, no dice.

Aside from Stone? Ballast Point for sure, but every now and again I buy a Victory At Sea 6-pack for old times sake. I liked the Spruce Tip Sculpin they made for winter 2018-19 but they didn't bring it back this last winter which was a bummer.

The only Stone one I've liked enough to buy a 6 pack of recently is the Peak Conditions hazy DIPA, which is pretty damn tasty actually if you're into POG. Pleasantly surprised how fruity/juicy it was.

 

Yuengling is a beer that I used to drink a lot of, but refuse to anymore. I mostly drank them out of convenience as a "good semi-local standby," but the politics of the ownership has turned me off forever.

Founders is another that I can't bring myself to give money to because of their racial discrimination issues of the last few years. This one hurt a little more as I used to enjoy their beers, I even went out of my way to have them served at my wedding. I recognize they still make quality beers, but I will not be giving them any of my hard earned dollars.

I used to get excited by Ballast Point, but they're always ridiculously expensive in my area and the beers don't do much for me anymore.

Victory was a brewer that I drank a lot of in college and shortly thereafter. I've got no qualms with Victory as a company, but they just slowly slipped of my radar in favor of better beer.

I feel you on this. I was excited when Singlecut started selling in my market here, but I've yet to find a beer that's wowed me. I've also had a similar experience with discolored IPAs that practically looked like dishwater. I see people checking them in all the time and rating them highly, but all of my personal experiences have been underwhelming.

 

Founders - Racism
Stone - Litigiousness (suing craft breweries)
Wicked Weed - Sellout
Trillium, Aslin - Quality

I'm sure there are more.

 

Not here anymore, but no interest from anything Ballast Point, overpriced for what it was. Sculpin might be one of the most over rated beers I’ve ever had, it never did anything for me.

Stone as well, I do like fresh Stone IPA, it’s the only beer from them that I buy. SSR was a terrific beer that’s gone, Ruination was a great beer gone, their portfolio at that time was simple and terrific. The first years they put out Enjoy By was a revelation, my last batch I didn’t like at all. What they put out now I won’t buy, too much a sameness at higher prices, so no thanks. A great brewery that shot themselves in the foot.

 

Was going to start my rant about a few breweries like Devils Backbone and Goose Island that are now owned by the unholy giant but wanted to check on a few others. Holy S***, what a list!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands

Nearly inescapable. But I will still strive to diminish purchases from reputable brands of past that are now part of THE EMPIRE.

 

I don't think it's hard to avoid these brands for to go purchases, but they're definitely harder to avoid if you're going to a sports bar that may not focus on beer and will pass off these brands as "craft."

 

Founders, whose poor handling of internal racial issues I found out about at this site. This is a bit painful because Scotch Ales do not proliferate in my neck of the woods. Then there's Melvin, for sexist misbehavior by a co-founder. That's less painful due to a local glut of DIPAs.

 

I feel the same way about Hop Butcher...one trick pony..they all taste the same to me. And, when the haze fad changes, what on earth with Old Nation or a Hop Butcher do when they virtually cannot make anything other than a hazy IPA?

 

"Avoid" feels harsh, but I interpret it as breweries I used to enjoy buying different things from but now I just don't bother with for a variety of reasons. Here are some that come to mind:

Stillwater
Lawsons
Firestone Walker
Sixpoint
Victory
Against The Grain
Bunker
Boulevard
21st Amendment
Stone
Yards
Anchor
Central Waters
Barrier
Smuttynose
Berkshire Brewing Co
Cambridge Brewing Co
LIC Beer Project
Spencer
Great Divide
Burial
Two Roads
Zero Gravity
Southampton
Burial
Alesmith
Full Sail
Singlecut
Sly Fox
Bear Republic
Brooklyn
Captain Lawrence
Cisco
Dogfish Head
Maine Beer Co
Port City
Perennial
Southern Tier
Speakeasy

I'm at the point where pretty much the only things that I'm regularly drawn to are imports, Sierra Nevada, Bell's, and to a lesser extent Allagash.

 

Another vote for Stone, amplified by the fact that I don’t think they really give a shit that they’ve lost so many early, loyal customers. I remember waiting in line for Enjoy By, and Xocovexa was truly innovative. But I haven’t picked up a Stone beer for years now.

 

They're not hard to avoid at all. Just drink something else.

 

Agree with Aslin, not sure what is going on with their quality control. They are now selling cans up in my area in MD but I’m finding them very inconsistent and not worth the high price tag gamble. Their 16oz single cans go for $6-$7 each where I can find solid IPas from some brewers <$3 a can and I know the consistency is there. I used to find Aslin nearly perfect with most every hoppy beer They put out but it’s so erratic now and their repeat beer releases are even inconsistent.

 

Here in NYC, I used to love Interboro, but haven't been impressed with anything of theirs in a long time.

To be fair with Old Nation, they never really wanted to do NEIPA in the first place, but once M43 started selling so well they changed course. So if the market changed in a way that made it more economically viable to focus on other stuff, I'm sure they'd be happy to do so.

 

You are correct. I can only give my opinion as far as central Iowa. I used to buy Ballast Point as a treat. Very good to great IPA’s, stouts, etc. They were always priced $15 to $16 a six pack, not counting the bombers. Too many tasty options for 25% less.

 

I no longer buy Terrapin, since Miller-Coors got a majority share in 2016 - too bad because I really liked Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale and some of their heavily hopped IPAs. We used to make side trips to Athens, GA, when we in the SE just to hit Terrapin.
Also Prairie since my experience with them is that they're over-hyped and over-priced - mediocre stouts at premium prices (IMHO).

 

I miss the old Terrapin they used to be a great brewery. Besides hoppy stuff they made some good adjunct stouts during the holidays as well. As much as I hate waxed bottles I've had quite a few good ones from Terrapin over the years. I would expand to add Sweetwater as well.

 

Agreeing with a lot of the sentiment on Stone. I will still buy an occasional beer here and there, but their portfolio is not nearly as strong as I feel it could be. Also, Bear Republic - used to one of my favorites with their Hop Rod Rye, but I honestly don't really even see them around much anymore at all. Also, Green Flash and Ballast Point are very infrequent purchases these days.

 

Agreeing with those that others have already mentioned. As I've said in other posts, it seems that ever since Southern Tier, Sixpoint, and Victory merged, I can't get anything fresh anymore outside of an occasional ST IPA. I miss Prima, Sweet Action, and Bengali.

Similar issues with Stone and Founders, but I'm going to throw out two more that I haven't seen brought up yet.

Ithaca - the OG of upstate NY craft sold its soul and has been consumed by its own pretentiousness. I mean, $18 for an 8pk of Flower Power? Come on.

Other Half [ducks] - I live 30 minutes from their new brewery. The venue is great, but they basically got it turn key from the previous brewery that went bust, and while I like some of their beers, it's pretty much a one trick pony of haze variations.

Notable exception - All Together is amazing, I've literally bought 3 cases this spring, but only the cans released by a more local brewery. I can absolutely get behind a $11-13 sixer.

Outside of that, factor in the hype crowds, and the obnoxiousness of Haze Bros pseudo-thoughtfully stroking their neckbeards while engaged in philosophical debate over the hop burn, err uh I mean, flavors that they're enjoying. I can't justify the price point.