10 favorite "shelf turds"

Saw a 6 pack of Sculpin at a local bottle/liquor shop last night, bottled date of March 2013.

 

I regret not picking that up.

 

I need to move to Florida

 

Almost everything Ballast Point "sits" here in Dallas. It's not because it's bad or people aren't buying it though, I think we just get a ton of it allocated and regularly. Victory at Sea is one of my favorite imperial porters and even I don't seem to find myself buying it as much as I should.

 

how much is that over there?

 

It's hard to say, where is the line between something that's easy to come by and shelf turd?
THe only way to know for sure is to see the sales reports of various stores, and then drawing a line in the sand.
There are plenty of beers that are always in stock at most of the places I shop, does that make them a shelf turd?
Anything Pretty Things, Maine Beer, etc etc.
My definition is a beer that doesn't sell much if at all; you can go in week after week and see the exact same bottles, not just the brand.
Some places the rest of the Abbey ales are all turds, though I suppose they do sell, albeit slowly.
I always see Old Rasputin sitting around, IMO it's a world-class Imperial Stout (though I admit that I don't often buy it either)
If you also take in the definition that the term turd would also require the beer to be bad (or at least wildly inconsistent) I would add in Blue Hills Brewing and White Birch to the list (MA people will know those two...)

 

The first beer that comes to mind is Victory at Sea. It's always on the shelf and always so very delicious.

 

That's so funny, it collects dust in Chicago!

 

I remember visiting San Diego a year or so ago and seeing VaS, Indra Kunindra, and Sea Monster on shelves and thinking 'you better grab these while you're here!'. Packed them in my luggage, get home, next day notice its all over the place and hasn't changed since.

 

Ok here I go
1) Lagunitas Little Sumpin
2) DFH 90
3) FW Union Jack IPA
4) Dry Dock Hopabomination
5) Dry Dock Apricot Ale
6) Dry Dock Vanilla Porter
7) Great Divide Titan IPA
8) Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
9) Ska Decadent Imperial IPA
10) DFH Indian Brown Ale

 

I'll play too, but I'm going to limit the list to cheap beers. Sure, I can get Rochefort 10 any time I want, but who wants to spend $6-$8 on every bottle of beer?

I'm a porter/stout man, so my list leans in that direction

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Stone IRS ($8 bomber I still consider pretty cheap)
Schneider Aventinus
Ithaca Ground Break
Founders Curmedgeon
Smuttynose Robust Porter
Stone Arrogant Bastard
DFH Palo Santo Marron
Ithaca Flower Power
Founders Porter

 

I work in a liquor store, so if anyone is curious about "shelf turds" that are really good, but don't sell, I can give you a few.

1. Green Flash west coast IPA
2. All of Ommegangs lineup
3. Bear Republic racer 5
4. Bell's porter
5. All Arcadia Ales
6. Rogue chocolate stout
7. St. Bernardus

Just to name a few. I suppose "really good" is subjective, but we carry a lot of beer that is quality, but don't get picked up. Then as they get old (ie: IPAs) people pass and they get older.

 

My local liquor store had to mark down Racer 5 bc no one was buying it, now I don't even think they carry it.

 

In North Jersey:

- Lakefront IPA
- North Coast Old Rasputin
- Firestone Union Jack
- Sixpoint Sweet Action
- Osker Blues Old Chub
- Ommegang Hennepin
- Stone Levitation
- Green Flash West Coast IPA
- And of course Heady Topper.......JK!!! (albeit I have 40 cans in my possession thanks to my lovely Aunt!)

 

If only Founders, Southern Tier and Three Floyds were distributed in California!

 

I found a year-old Harvest Dance on the shelf about 6 weeks ago. Very tasty stuff, even with the supposedly faded hops. Lots of ugly sediment though.

 

Founders Breakfast Stout
Racer 5 (hardly ever fresh)
Union Jack (ditto)
Smuttynose Finest Kind
Ipswich Oatmeal STout
Harpoon Rye IPA
Any of the Trappists really (Im partial to Achel)
Allagash White
Paulaner Hef
Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter

The Macallan is always a good Single Malt available when all else fails.

 

Macallan 18?? shit is good man

 

At my store, it's Smuttynose, Perennial, Sixpoint (except Resin), Arcadia 4 pks, a good chunk of our UK beers and 90% of our Belgian beers.

 

Rochefort 10
Head Hunter
Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss
Old Rasputin
Founders Porter
Wulver
Tank 7
Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
SNPA
Rodenbach Grand Cru