How do you handle quality issues with your local brewers?

Contact them and tell/show them the issue. Use the contact info on their website. You’ll know pretty quickly if they are a quality brewery based on their response. Good breweries with good QC would love to know data on bad cans. They’ll ask you for all the info you’ve got and make it right.

 

Wait and see how they react. If they respond in a reasonable manner or at least refund that purchase, let it go and make your decision on whether to continue patronage. If they respond unreasonably, it's hard to say what your response should be without specifics of the situation. If this is your only issue with this brewer, it's probably not worth putting them on blast as you said. Hopefully they make the situation right for you and this info benefits them.

 

Email them directly.

 

@GomerB good ethics in restraining yourself from naming them publicly, as others have done in the past without even attempting to contact the brewer first. Though the retailer and distributor are likely not to blame, if the brewery fails to respond then you could try returning it to the store, and perhaps word will get back to the brewery through the distributor - though doubtful.

 

My town has 2 local breweries and both sell cans, one only at the brewery and the other sells cans all over town.

I'd use email, Twitter DM or Facebook messages to let them know.

If it were me I would let them know that these cans were not nearly as expected. It's not that the beer itself is bad, it's that the cans came out completely wrong.

 

what to do: contact them and they should respond back and likely offer you a replacement.

what not to do: post a thread on here with the name of the brewery and how much they suck.

 

It is most definitely their responsibility.
(Of course I'm not saying you need to publicly shame them though.)

Out of curiosity - was this a six pack of bottles or cans?

 

Absolutely contact them about it. If they care about their beer and their customers, they will take your complaint to heart and hopefully act to prevent other customers from experiencing this.

 

Yeah funny I see this, just got back from a road trip and lucked out on 2 4 packs of a DIPA I can't get in Houston. Beer was canned 2 weeks ago, but it taste like a malty mess. They have been known to switch up the hops in this beer, and they are going for the juicy profile, so not sure wtf happened here. Going to try another one tomorrow nite and if it is the same, probably going to drop them an email to ask what hops they used in this last version.

 

This seems like a different issue. A beer not meeting expectations as opposed to significant differences within a six pack implying (potentially) anything from poor QC, canning line bugaboos, etc. On your part, it is reasonable to contact them but one persons "malty mess" may not be everyones. I have certainly had some DIPAs held out to be bright/fruity and ended up being a very earthy beer--to me.

.....Oh well.

 

I usually just don't buy beer from them any more.

Did this 6 pack have a date printed on it? How about a batch number?

 

"I opened a beer two nights ago - the third in this six pack - and instead of bright and clear, it was dark and murky."

And:

"Tonight, I opened #5, and while not as dark, it tasted off. Instead of the fruity ipa I was promised and which had been delivered on half of the other beers, it was dark, dull, and malty."

FWIW the above descriptions appears to be problems of oxidation. Maybe they were experiencing packaging line issues (e.g., some of the fillers introduced too much air/oxygen) for that batch of beer?

Cheers!

 

Sounds like you are already doing the right thing, just keep in touch with them and I bet things will be made right. Sounds like a few bad ones and it does happen from time to time.
Cheers

 

I talk to the local brewer. If they're responsive, great. If they're not, or tell me I have no idea what I'm talking about, then I just smile and leave.
Then I'll give them a 6 month break, try 'em again. Same result?
Leave, try em again after 1 year. Same result?
NEVER AGAIN.

 

Yes thus why I am wanting to know what hop it is .

 

IF they have a Facebook page, I have had better success using FB Messenger for making contacts with brewers and other companies rather than e-mail. Often times, will end up with a phone call or an e-mail, but Messenger does seem to get results.