Breweries selling old beer

I wasn't going to share this story with anyone here because I don't like to draw negative attention to brewers/breweries but this has been on my mind for a while and it is more about poor customer service than simply out-of-date beer.

Double Nickel Brewing Company out of Pennsauken, NJ is a new-ish brewery in town. I had been to the brewery several times before and they consistently make good beer. After one visit I decided to buy a six pack of their IPA pack to bring home with me. There was no bottle date but that didn't worry me because A) I'm not a freshness fanatic and B) I figure it's from the brewery so it should be reasonably fresh. Unfortunately it tasted god-awful.........tasted closer to an american bareleywine (and an old one at that) than an IPA. I had literally had several pints of this beer before and know what it usually tastes like (west-coast style). I have never returned beer before and I can usually find a way to re-purpose bad beer (bread, simmering liquid, marinade, etc.) but I just spent $10.99 on this and it was so foul tasting that I decided I would not re-purpose it for anything. So I called them right back and they said I could get it replaced, no questioned asked. That's great, I figured. I'll cerainly do that.

I stopped by the next day and was quickly approached by their head brewer who doesn't even say hello or anything, just grabs the old six pack from me and opens a bottle and loudly said "I'm going to try this for myself" in front of a bar full of people He pours himself and his (presumable) friend sitting across the bar from him. They start swirling the beer around, smelling it and slowly sipping it as if it were a fine port wine, all whilst staring at me from afar. After some time it he squints at me, turns around and walks away. Neither of them finished the glass, both went right down the drain. After waiting for a while I flagged him down and asked what he thought and he said "yeah, it's a bit on the oxidized side.". He quickly left without saying another word. I never saw him again. The bartender working there gave me another 6 pack of the same beer from the same fridge I got mine.I figure it has to be fresh beer but lo and behold, same problem. Phenolic mess with a not-so-nice hint of diacetyl. I didn't even bother returning it; I just threw it away.

TL;DR: If you knowingly push sub-par product with contempt and without apology then you are not getting my business.

 

Thank you for sharing that story. Hopefully you have not purchased any other Double Nickel beer after that atrocious event.

Cheers!

 

No problem, thanks for reading.

I have not....and it really sucks because they're a new local brewery (I live like 5-10 minutes away) and they have (had?) really good product at a good price. To be honest they really weren't all that friendly during the initial 4 or 5 visits. However, Brian (their sales guy IIRC) was a great dude and fun to talk to and the beer was more than good enough to get past their otherwise lackadaisical service (when it comes to breweries, beer comes first IMO, people second). The condescending attitude (from one of the owners, no less) is what pushed me over the edge; it was as if they were trying to embarrass me or call me out in front of everyone at the bar.

I really, really wanted to see these guys do well but I cannot give these guys my money anymore. Not after that. They have pretty good reviews so perhaps my experience may have been a rare one but it was enough for me to never look back. Looks like Forgotten Boardwalk is now my go-to local brewery now. They make really good beer and everyone there is quite kind. My only minor complaint is the limited hours but whatever....well worth the trip.

Agreed. It is akin to a bakery selling stale bread....for full price.

 

I'm pretty familiar with Boneyard's growth over the past few years. I don't understand how the expansion to meet demand and the more frequent availability of a different beer explains the experience you had at the tasting room, but if you're sure that's what it was, I guess that's what it was. Cheers!

 

Perhaps they actually were trying to call you out because you actually were being a condescending prick. These comments, or casual words of advice actually do hurt the people you are trying to support, and sometimes that thick skin they try to put on with active listening develops a hole, and they decide 'fuck that' and call you on it. It's interesting when it happens, because you need to understand and empathize their perspective on it and what broke that hide and got to them. It wouldn't be the first time a customer has tried to talk like they know more than the person who owns the joint.

 

Maybe, but without any evidence from his story to suggest that, why would you assume he was a prick about it? He called to confirm he could return it, and when he showed up it seems the Brewer was waiting for it. Nothing there to suggest he was in the wrong; maybe he left out details that would show that, but it's really weird how you jumped to put the blame on him.

 

To immediately come to the defense of a brewer- maybe any brewer- is not a wise method of wading through any hearsay brewery story. Personally, I believe the OP completely- the story is well written, reasoned, and he seems to truly regret having had the experience at all. I know of some brewers and brewery owners that have the people skills of an anvil. And, of course, beer "experts" (patrons) can become especially charming after the second 10% brew.

 

Depends on which side of the cash register you are looking at it from. SO... No. Sometimes customers are just using that moment of free time where they think they are being listened to because "the customer is always right" to vent off all of their weeks stresses on the first person that irks them. I don't mean to single out the person I responded to but. To presume the customer is always right is never a wise idea either because some of them are truly dumb, and others are merely grandstanding because it gets them their weekend jollies. Somewhere in the middle of this lies the truth.

 

So can the barmaid.

 

What? Were you present when any of these events occurred? I don't know why I'm wasting my time replying to this but I'll bite...

I called the place first and asked them politely if they knew of any problems with the IPA they have been selling. I was not demanding anything from them. They are not obligated to do anything regarding my comment/concern. They said they were not aware of any issues but they would be happy to replace it if I felt it wasn't up with par. Great customer service I thought up until then.

When I arrived I was intercepted by the brewer as soon as I opened the door as if he was waiting for me. Then the events I described occurred. I never criticized or said a single fucking thing to the brewmaster or anyone else working at the brewery. So go ahead and please enlighten me. Show me where I was being a condescending prick? Is it because I called and asked a simple question? If they hadn't offered to swap out my unused swill I would've been satisfied with their response but I thought they were being helpful so I took them up on it.

I have worked in customer service, technical support amongst other shitty consumer-relation type jobs before. Believe me when I say I know what it's like being on the receiving end of an entited douchebag customer. I was nothing of the sort, just asking a simple question and what I received is some of the worst service I've had in quite some time. I know what it is like being in their shoes from a CSR standpoint but their reaction was completely out of line, especially if you want to sustain a new business. Kinda sad you are only willing to see this encounter from one side and not the other.

 

Appreciate your understanding and I already regret telling the story because

1) i avoid calling out any brewery, or business for that matter, on a public forum because it is unfair to the business owners and

2) you get misinformed responses from people like the one above and then you have to deal with that. It's irritating for everyone involved.

In retrospect I probably should have stuck to my gut kept this to myself....it happened months ago and perhaps the freshness/consistency issue has been resolved already. They are a newer brewery so I know mistakes happen and it's not a big deal. It was the mistreatment that rubbed me the wrong way. This is literally the only bad experience I have ever had at a brewery as far as freshness and bad service.....also for what it's worth I certainly didn't call to complain after tying one on (that would be very poor form). I had the beer the next day after work and I noticed it was off so I gave them a call and ran down the street to take them up on their exchange.

 

I will comment one more time: thank you for sharing your story.

I will go further and state: thank you for mentioning the name of the brewery involved.

There is absolutely no reasonable reason for how you were treated here. The folks at Double Nickel should absolutely never respond the way they did to you.

Please continue to share other experiences like this in future BA posts. As BAs we get to share our love of beer and our experiences we have with the beer community. Some of those experiences are wonderful and some of the experiences are like the rude behavior of the Double Nickel folks. You are helping the BA community by sharing your thoughts.

Cheers to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Breweries selling old beer is only a problem because someone is buying them. Don't buy, and they'll have to dump it. Breweries should be the epicenter of freshly bottled or canned beer.

 

A couple of scenarios, the keg components might have had a tiny leak and caused the invividual keg to oxidize...

Or the "crowler" was with a slight leak and it just didn't seal right. Nothing is full proof.

 

I was at Treehouse on Wednesday, and those Julius and Green cans had to have been off the line for at least a few hours. Sometimes you can measure it in minutes.

 

I respectfully disagree, perspective isn't an issue here. If the beer is off it's off and shouldn't be sold by any responsible brewer.

 

I don't think either scenario applies here. The beer was purchased as a six pack which was off and replaced by another six pack which was also off.

 

If the beer is off. That's another issue and is addressed at the brewery as such. Dependent on the off flavor being presented. You work backwards to where it is coming from and solve it.
The final answer coming from several breweries on buying barrel aged options is drink them now. The reason. Barrels on the after-market have a lot more issues now that distillers are becoming better bean counters with their spirits. For barrel programs. That means there are not as many wet and hot barrels coming into barrel aging programs as there were a few years ago. More room for microbes and other agents of change to set up shop and raise hell on your stouts.
If you are buying at the taproom and the beer is old. I don't know. I'd ask to speak to the taproom manager and figure out why someone hasn't looked at that. Swapped stock out, or tasted it recently. IF they know about this. Then. Get a beer and listen to them explain to you the fineries of their equipment and what that does for their adherence to qa/qc standards. While you are there, you have every right to ask what is going on and since the brewery is also right there. Someone should be able to get you an answer.