New breweries, terrible beer. What can I do?

They're going to go under one way or another. And if you were the only people there on a weekend, it seems the word is already out. Rate the beers on here and let things take their course, I say.

I don't think that is going to happen. You'd have to be living under a very large rock to not understand that all breweries are not the same these days. Lots of information flying around and a lot of people sharing opinions as well.

 

The owner will catch on if the brewery is losing money. If it were me, I'd hire a beer consultant to come in and help point out the flaws.

But yeah I don't think bad breweries will keep people from seeking out good craft beer.

 

A lot of new places take 6 months to a year to get the brewing sorted out and hit their stride (and begin putting out decent stuff).

 

Bad beer hasn't kept the Great Dane in Madison from being successful

 

Bad beer from a Michigan brewery!!? No way. In my experience that is really rare.

A new brewery may be having difficulty up-scaling homebrew recipes that were tasty as a 5-gallon batch, and underfunded breweries think that they can't afford to dump the batch, and they make a bad business decision. I've told new breweries when I detect a bad beer, so at least that they begin to have a clue that they need to rethink their process. Sometimes it is just one beer among 5 that is off, but the brewer needs to know if you are certain it is not brewed correctly.

But you also said that you are not an expert, so you need to decide if it is a bad beer that you drank, or is it just a style that you typically don't like. The 'bad beer' process can go both ways.

 

It's the same way with restaurants. No moron out there thinks Applesbee's is the best shit out there.

There are at least 10 crappy restaurants to each good one. Honestly, how many good breweries are there in the whole state of MI? I'd say somewhere under 15 and there is well over 100 of them and there are more sprouting up each year.

People are jumping in on what they think is a cash cow. With terrible beer, they won't be the next Founders.

 

YMMV, but to me this is simply unacceptable. If a brewery isn't "ready" to unveil their beers, don't ask me to pay good money for them. Not to mention it's a terrible business decision, because some people who drink those initial crappy beers will never come back.

"Bad beer" is a problem everywhere I've been, from Minnesota to California to Florida. It seems an increasing population of people with more enthusiasm than skill are jumping into the game. On the other hand, the general public isn't always looking for what us crazed beer geeks are looking for, & mediocre swill might be just the step-up from Michelob they were seeking. Some of these places will thrive!

 

I agree that it is a bad move to sell bad beer, but it is not uncommon that new breweries initially put out one or more bad to mediocre beers. I sample new local breweries, and the ones I don't care for I will give another chance 6 months to a year later to see if they're gotten their acts together (if not, I will often give up on them ... until someone I trust tells me they've gotten good).

 

Have to agree with this. Tweak your business, sure. But you should exit the gate running. Not stopping to put your shoes on halfway down the track.

I have to wonder if a lot of this taking 6 months to get rolling is a byproduct of being underfinanced and not being able to financially handle a period of ironing out the wrinkles before opening yourself to the public.

Almost all breweries have a few bad beers, in my experience. I think what the OP is talking about here is basically the whole board being garbage.

 

Do you guys not remember Craft Beer in the 90's?
The amount of shit beer that came out in that era was dizzying.

I have an ethical issue with Breweries releasing sub-par products but the other issue I have now is choice. We (especially in the MidWest) are so spoiled with quality choices that I find myself exploring less and less, which is a shame.
I don't gamble on the new $9 bombers because I can get Deschutes at the Grocery Store (?!) for $8.99 a sixer.

 

Do new breweries typically lease or buy their equipment? I'm thinking there will be a pretty robust market for slightly used brewing equipment in the not-too-distant future.

 

Given time many of the bad new startups will go away. For fun, organize a "death pool" with friends to wager which one will go under first.

 

Many buy used equipment that other breweries outgrew.

 

See also: Sprecher.

 

Their soda is a bigger reason for their success (and much better than their beer in my opinion).

 

See also: Latitude 42. Place is always packed, but I've yet to have a decent beer from them. Lots of "cart before the horse" going on with them too: They invested a lot in canning anyone knew who they were. Big investors and merchandise doesn't equal sustainability...good beer does.

 

To answer your original question, what can I do?

#1- you can rate/review the beers you tasted at said brewery here on BA. If they are not visible, you can add them. Instant Beer Karma
#2- you can tell your friends and talk to people in the community about the inconsistencies and quality issues you experienced. The more people that know about your negative experience in the local market, the better. Things will work themselves out either way but the weeding out process happens a lot faster in a discerning, active community.
#3- you could send an email to the brewery (anonymously or not) to express your feelings. Most breweries have an [email protected] catch all address. I understand it can be interpreted as rude or confrontational to do so in person (especially when you're the only one there) but I'm sure your email would well received. If not, screw them...

 

Disagree, Black Bavarian is really good.

The soda is awesome though.

As for the OP, yeah, send them an email. The way you expressed your concern on here is perfect.

 

Sprecher is 2/3rd or 3/4th soda production/sales. I forgot the exact percent on the tour, but it's the vast majority of the business. Beers are not bad...they don't make anything hyped or "whale-like" though. Some solid standard beers, I enjoy their scotch ale and black Bavarian. Not too much else personally, the beer might taste average, but it is not bad or tasteless.