What breweries have really "fallen off" recently? Which have improved a lot?

When Aeronaut first opened out here I wasn't very impressed with anything they did, but I tried a few of their beers recently and they were awesome!

 

One that has really disappointed me recently would be Breckenridge. I've gotten extremely high levels of diacetyl from 4 different beers in the last 2-3 years. I reported two incidents (for Well Built, which isn't cheap) on their website and never heard back. I told my server about another incident (a BA barleywine) at their 471 location and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about and thought the butter was normal.
They were serving at least one beer at their anniversary last year that smelled like a buttery dumpster. All I got was a shrug when I mentioned it.
Finally, I got a buttery Summerbright last week.
No more for me. I know they're moving and one of their brewmasters left a couple years ago, but I won't buy anything else from them until I can be sure that they give a shit about what they're doing again.

 

I'm not sure about the brewery as a whole, but the most recent batch of Great Lakes Eddy Fitz was, shall we say, less then spectacular...

 

Otter creek for sure. I hate to think they just started marketing a line of hop forward beers for the sake of fitting in, but all that aside they taste really good. Huge improvement over what I remember about five years ago.

 

Fallen off: Maine Beer Co. -- oh it's true
Improved: Otter Creek

 

Agreed that Otter Creek has improved greatly. But at the same time is in danger of becoming nothing but another IPA brewery and I think it was a huge mistake to get rid of their Copper Ale even though Switchback has really started dominating the taps for a decent Altbeir up here. That being said I'd like to see what that brewmaster of their could make thats not an IPA.

 

Totally agreed. The last display I saw was all IPA variants, and it's starting to feel like they are in a rut already. I did hear about a new hoppy pale lager coming out, which I will take as a step in the right direction.

 

A guy from SoCal told me over the weekend that Alpine has gone downhill, I can't substantiate that rumor

Foothills Brewery continues to impress me from the fist time I drank there 7 years ago

 

I think Stone gets it, they are ahead of the curve on IPAs and innovation and collaboration. They're not hiding their products, good for them. I dont see old Stone stuff on the shelf, they always seem to have something new hitting the floor.

 

I've heard some bad things about Alpine beer that's been brewed at Green Flash's main brewery. I'm guessing what issues there are will hopefully be resolved with time.

 

The collab with Jack's Abby! Excited for that!

 

Toppling Goliath has fallen directly off a cliff. The latest batch of King Sue was a shell of its former self, PseudoSue is incredibly inconsistent and nowhere near what it used to be, SoSus last batch was near drainpour levels of bad, and pretty much everything else is just so-so at best, MoZee notwithstanding, which was actually quite good. They will hopefully get back on their feet with time and the new brewmaster getting things dialed in, plus the help of the BrewHub, but for now, I'm done buying their products. What was once one of the best breweries in the country now wouldn't make my top 10 in the Midwest.

Ale Asylum in Wisconsin showed a lot of promise early on, but now they are languishing with a bland lineup that has far more misses than hits. Bedlam is still really tasty, and I won't hesitate to order Hopalicious, Madtown Nut Brown, or even Velveteen Habit in a bar if there's nothing else on. The problem is, like with Toppling Goliath (though not on the same plane by any means), they could've been great.

Fremont has really impressed me. Originally, I thought they were just another average brewery in a saturated area of the country, but damned if they don't keep churning out delicious brew after delicious brew, each batch better than the next.

Karben4 has also really been a great up-and-comer locally in Wisconsin. Initially, they were absolutely nothing special, a brewery that people only patronized because of the awful locavore syndrome, but now they are actually hitting their stride in a big way, and heading there one can be sure to get a good beer no matter what one orders.

 

Seems like dfh gets a little bit more watered down everytime i have it.

 

I love a lot of breweries. I despise a lot of breweries. I am indifferent on some. Abita was one I was indifferent on. But, if we are talking about most improved then it's Abita (that I've noticed in our distribution area). A lot of people are starting to talk about how Abita has really turned their ship around. They've added some interesting beers and a solid IPA finally. Seems like they are actually following trends instead of just being known for Turbodog and Purple Haze. They've added here recently Wrought Iron IPA (which gets a very respectful 88 score on here) Imperator, Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout (score of 90), a bourbon barrel porter and stout, and Two Boots saison.

They might not be home of the whales, but they are making strides in the right direction with what appears to be brewing a lot of firsts for them.

 

Arbor brewing. Not sure if they've stepped things up or just made more of their beers more widely available

 

This may be more of a personal thing only but Dogfish Head has fallen off for me. I haven't gotten excited about any of their new releases in years and I haven't bothered to buy any of their core beers in months. Their core beers I'm sure are still the same old solid beers but getting a fresh six pack of say 60 minute is utterly impossible and over priced for a 6% beer. What I want from them is less wacky Wasabi beer type stuff and a few new familiar style beers.

 

As far as breweries on the up I would have to say Sixpoint, Neshaminy Creek are on the way up.

And I hate to say it but Ommegang with their game of thrones beers are way overhyped and overpriced for average beers at best.

 

New Belgium.