So I picked up some of this last Wednesday (Batch DOB 9/10/2014). And it has this horrid smell that can only be described as junkyard tire air. I contacted DC Brau about it but still haven't heard anything back. So what I'm wondering is..what exactly is the cause of this odor in a supposed fresh beer? Theres no way this was intended, so help me understand. Thanks.
While I can't speak to the latest batch of El Hefe, I can say that DC Brau has ridiculous batch variation across its beer portfolio. It just gotten out of hand. One batch of Public will be mild citrus, one batch will taste like soap. One batch of Corruption will be nice and piney, one batch will taste like onions. One batch of OTWOA will be clean, one will have tons of floaties. And, I can say with confidence that DC Brau only responds to questions sent through the website that aren't controversial in nature. I've asked them about their batch variation, and they've never provided a response.
Thanks for the response, man. Yeah now that you mention it.. I remember the OTWOA discrepancy. Luckily my batch was floatie free. That's kinda crappy to just ignore your customers like that. I have purchased all of their other canned offerings and have been pretty satisfied. So if I can't get a simple "sorry bro, our bad" or explanation of what may have gone wrong then forget it. I'll take my business elsewhere.
They are not stupid, while they may take the Short's approach and blame the customer, it is more likely they will just take the Duck Rabbit approach and not admit it while taking excellent care of those affected (thanks Paul Phillipon). I was surprised to find out how beer websites are cruised by brewers for these exact issues, and if you emailed them it is a certainty they are deciding what to do, and how to fix.
I'm surprised by this. The only quality issue I've ever experienced with DC Brau was when they did their first bottling run, a beer called Stone of Arboath (or something like that). It poured flat as Keira Knightley out of the bottle...not a trace of carbonation. I posted on their Facebook page and they immediately offered refunds to all who bought them. I love me some El Hefe Speaks, too. Sad to hear the latest batch ain't up to snuff.
I had an bad sixer of Corruption, maybe not bad but tasted way off (very malty and dark in appearance). I contacted them through the website and they offered to replace the sixer for me. This was before they started to date their cans so it may have been old.
I was over a buddy's house a couple of months ago and he pulled a couple of cans of El Hefe from cabinet he had them stored in so we could crack them open. He handed me one of the cans and it was extremely bloated to the point that I didn't want to open it. I placed it in the sink. As soon as it touched down in the sink, it exploded......I mean shrapnel exploded! Sharp pieces of aluminum and the top blown clear off the can. Could have put my eye out. Beer everywhere, including the ceiling. He hesitantly pulled 2 more cans that were also bloated and realized that another had already exploded in his cabinet without him previously knowing it. Other beers in the cabinet were fine, so I don't think it was the condition. He never contacted them about it though.
^Oh my. That's crazy. Poured aggressively into a hefeweizen glass, mine only produced about maybe a half finger of head.
I've purchased a grand total of three DC Brau six packs since they've been available in NoVA. All within three weeks of canning. And I thought all three were "meh." Now maybe I should give them another shot. Maybe I'd get a sixer where they were having a good day.
