Jamil Zainasheff fired from Heretic Brewing

New owners, saving money. Bad news usually for the quality of the beers.
I never get the hubris of buying a company that is putting out reasonably good product then change it and wreck, yet we see it all the time in business.

 

I saw that earlier and a quick Google search showed that Jamil sold the majority stake in Heretic due in part to some health issues. I hope he's OK.

When I still home-brewed, I brewed Jamil's recipes and listened to his podcasts and stuff. When Heretic opened, I was excited to try the beers. I think I had one beer the first year and though it was so-so, and haven't had one since. I'm not sure Heretic is even distributed in San Diego; I never see (or at least notice) it.

Anyone tried their beers? How are they? What are they best at?

 

Wow! That sucks. I would always drop in there when I would visit my old stomping grounds. Was never overly impressed with the beer, nor the people, but I wanted to pay homage to a brewer who's insights helped me grow as a brewer.

 

I felt like the darker beers were better from them. His Evil Twin Red IPA, the Shallow Grave Porter, and a beer they brewed that was a riff on a Flander's Red. Was never a huge fan of his lighter beers or IPAs.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...of-heretic-brewing-co-ask-me-anything.643656/

Worth dropping this here. I am long overdue for a return visit.

 

A few weeks ago I watched a podcast with Jamil (see below) where I learned that he sold Heretic Brewing (to my surprise). I would encourage others who are fans of Jamil (like me) to watch the entire podcast. I suspect that Jamil will have other 'ventures' to keep him busy such as brewing a killer English Bitter Ale (which I will be doing in another week or so when my homebrewed Bitter Ale completes bottle conditioning).

Cheers to Jamil!

 

Sad. When I really started getting into craft in around 2013, Heretic was one of my go to beers. Could not beat a sandwich at Zanattos + Shallow Grave, Evil Twin, Evil Cousin... Great stuff. Haven't had as much since I moved south and it's just not as common down in SD liquor stores.

 

I am not a home brewer (my middle brother is, brews good beers), but found out about Jamil and Heretic via @jzainasheff 's Q & A linked by @elNopalero . Really liked Jamil's responses and passion, and I was very glad to see Heretic here on the shelves shortly thereafter.

Evil 3 is an outstanding Triple IPA, and I also thought Caramel Moo'chiato (Milk Stout) was excellent. Also thought their Chocolate Hazelnut Porter and Haze Make America Juicy Again are good beers. I wish we would have gotten more traditional styles by Heretic here. I have seen the Haze the past several months, was disappointed to not find Evil 3 here this Winter/Spring.

Hoping Jamal is able to follow his passions, whether concentrating on home brewing / writing / traveling, working for, or opening a new commercial brewery.

Also, in his tweet about the sale last November, he stated his wife Liz also worked at the brewery, so hoping she also wasn't part of the "cost cutting" if she wanted to continue there after this.

November, 2021:



Craft Beverage Cooperative is based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. This is the business which purchased Heretic last year, and purchased Moab Brewing located outside of Arches NP in 2019.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/craft-beverage-cooperative

 

Most Grocery stores in Sacramento and Roseville selling a TON of Heretic canned cocktail type drinks.

I see those maybe more than even the MAJA hazy series.

http://hereticbrewing.com/distillery/

 

They were in San Diego for awhile early on (maybe distro through Stone?) but have long been out of the market.

 

holy crap this is crazy. He *was* Heretic. He probably should have insisted on an employment contract when he sold his interest. I'm sure he'll get some job offers though.

I agree with others that his beers were fairly hit and miss. Some of the small batches only offered at the brewery were very interesting. He never really followed suit with more current West Coast beer trends, though I didn't know they got into the seltzer game. Their brewery often had a long wait to get a table. I wonder where Heretic goes from here.

 

See my post above. They are doing best with ready to drink CANNED COCKTAILS (Lemon Drop, Hurricane, ect). Also Vodka and Gin. They have a Distillery. This is not Seltzers.

http://hereticbrewing.com/distillery/

 

I know there's a lack in info about this.......but could we read it as the hostile takeover is to ditch beer and chase a fad we all know is temporary? I'm a little bitter about this.