Customer Dissatisfaction

Had a good interaction with North Coast Brewing in regards to Barrel Aged Kld Rasputin XIX. Opened a bottle that was off. In looking at reviews, I was not the only one.

I emailed and the Brewmaster acknowledged that he had received some complaints. About a week later, a bottle of the Rye Whiskey Barrel. Needless to say, I was impressed and will definitely continue to frequent their beers!!

 

Warped Wing?

 

Hmmm...my experience is limited, but to the opposite, and when I have had the odd "complaint", my expectation is for nothing in return. I'll not call out the breweries. I had a 16 ounce can explode in my stash with enough force to break two glasses. The four pack was replaced and two spiffy new glasses showed up. Two - a definite sour where it had not been in a beer we drank a lot of - replaced at the store via the brewery rep (four traded fos six new ones). Third - still open, but a kind of sour/odd/out of place flavor and a definite wet cardboard flavor where it should not have been on a very fresh beer that was pretty anticipated. And yes - if I am the only one tasting it that way, why should they take my word? We had one can my wife grabbed as a single to try - I would gladly have sent the rest back (as requested) if we had any "rest", and we're honestly leery of buying any more given the initial experience with a beer we both should have loved.

To me, it depends on the brewery - all three instances are breweries I like a lot, so it matters to me and hopefully to them. I don't want to buy their beer wondering if it's "on" or "off". If it is a brewery with a poor personal track record with my taste buds, then something that is WAY off will be the last ride. Also, I do my fair share of troubleshooting customer complaints (thankfully not directly with consumers) so I approach it like I would want to be approached - not antagonistic, trying to be helpful, provide all pertinent information, etc. You would expect the smaller breweries to be more responsive - if you think about it, one complaint for a small brewery might be a significant number. But maybe that isn't always the case - there's some level of arrogance involved and we've all heard the horror stories of lousy and downright rude customer service more or less across the board. I've seen brewers at tastings arguing vehemently with consumers (granted, the consumer could just be being a jerk too). In this posted instance, regardless of the original inquiry, there could have been a better level of manners displayed with the explanation.

And according to ye olde BJCP, sour would be a flaw in a Baltic porter. Dark fruit and fruit seem to be the descriptors, but not sour. The Op said he "liked" it but thought it was odd. OK - even if that is communicated to the brewer that way, the response could have been substantially more gracious than what was written here. Thanks we'll look into it would seem the minimum if unintentional, or "that was the intent" is another option. The equivalent of what's the problem - not so much in my book.

What I do find a bit strange is the method of contact that actually seems to work - FaceBook messenger. E-mail - I have had good success with Jack's Abby, Mystic, Allagash. But man, that Facebook message (which isn't public to my knowledge) gets a response almost every time.

 

Would you have bought the two cans if they had been called "Baltic-ish Porter"? Also sounds a bit pricey.

 

Out of curiosity, was the beer labeled a "Baltic Porter" on the can by the brewer?

 

Somebody start a thread about people who buy two cans of Baltic Porter for 17 bucks please! 2 CANS??? That being said I have had a few bad and some great experiences with breweries but remember, its beer, sometimes it isn't perfect.

 

Trust me, if you got a truly infected Baltic Porter it is very highly unlikely you would have enjoyed it .

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4398/43971/

Drop down and read Rediamonds review, as he goes in to detail.

 

Love North Coast!

 

pretty sure this is the beer:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33939/155737/
only a few reviews but no mention of sour notes

Also, I get that you were dissatisfied with their response (which was unprofessional). But you say this was over a year ago and that you enjoyed the beer, so why bring it up now. Don't support them or whatever you want to do and move on

 

Did @BradenMK provide you with communication that this was the beer? I asked him to provide more details but he ignored my request for more information.

Cheers!

 

Great to amazing customer service

Sixpoint
DFH
Victory
Philadelphia Brewing
Sam Adams
Saranac
Sierra Nevada
Yards

Bad service

Founders


Borderline service

Otter creek


I was sent shirts from Yards and SN

Offered glassware from DFH and Saranac......declined both

Free case of beer from Victory and Philadelphia brewing

Money back from Sam Adams

Porch bomb from Sixpoint after I posted about some old Bengali I had. I am a customer for life. Had this not happened I would have moved on and never tried all the great beers Shane puts out.


Never heard a word from Founders.


I have contacted breweries for

Bottle necks breaking off when opening bottles

Shards of glass stuck to the bottles in the case

Bad beer

Beer I did not like......was sent my $ back from Sam Adams....I still don't agree that Rebel is a west coast IPA.


To me the worst was Founders. I bought a mixed case labeled packed on 14 February. I opened it up and that was the date the six packs were put in the case. The actual dates on the bottkes was much older. The pale ale was so old it was not worth drinking. I never heard back. I did not buy founders for many years after that.

Enjoy

 

That's always the way it goes.

 

We had detectives talk to your friends and your stories don't match. We have means, motive and opportunity. For your own sake, you better start cooperating.

 

@BradenMK did you finish both cans?

 

I've had infected Duck Rabbit Imperial Stouts a few years ago when they were having rampant infections. It had a tart cherry taste that was off to the style, but it wasn't really terrible, just off from what's expected. Got free swag on that one. But I've had a few Cherry Ryes from GI and to be honest it's my least favorite of their line. That cherry hit just didn't hit me right. No doubt any brewery getting an inquiry should be more diplomatic, after all you have the money to buy their stuff.

 

Could be the yeast strain. I get notes like sour cherry from some English ale yeasts. Samuel Smith's Porter in particular actually tastes kinda sour to me.