Was it the ever elusive "Bob"? The stepdad of a young lady that worked for me worked the retail side there and said to ask for him. Felt l like an asshole asking if Bob was working today and everyone there rolling their eyes and saying he was off.
95% of my drinking is at home, 4% at a restaurant or bar, and 1% at a brewery. Atmosphere and location mean very little to me. Being able to buy it at a liquor store every time I go there is important.
While I mostly agree with you that breweries should stay in their lane, so to speak, and make it just about the beer, how do you feel about breweries saying on their website or socials that they welcome people of all races and genders (LGBTQ+ friendly)?
Not that you asked me, but I've always found this type of thing weird. I understand why breweries would do it, but I've never found craft beer bars or breweries to be exclusive of anyone. As long as you drink beer and/or eat food, you are welcome. Pandering need not apply.
I don't look at it as pandering. Letting your customer base know that people of all walks of life are welcome in your establishment is a good thing and promotes inclusivity. And, if anyone decides to not patronize said establishment because they have a problem with that, I wouldn't want their money anyway. It's like we say here in the south: y'all means all
Cobblehaus is beautiful, but I'm perfectly happy not going back to it. The beers are fine, location is a little out of the way, but there's plenty of places in Pittsburgh that I enjoy more. The falls are pretty dependent on the time of year and I don't particularly love their draft lists/how they do styles I like (very heavy on the nuttiness and generally lower bitterness), but it's a perfectly fine brewery. All this to say everyone passing through the area should go in late summer a few days after heavy rain and get a beer there. I've already done it.
I think it's a combination of all the factors with distribution being a bit less heavily rated. We visit a lot of breweries and we always comment about the total experience- the sum can be greater than the parts. It's like that overall category in our beer ratings where "liking" creeps into the equation. There's a very local brewery to me - self-made and distribution to a limited few - great food, great location, excellent staff, slightly above average beer. I look at what Barreled Souls has done with a dedicated food truck, a unique indoor space, knowledgeable and helpful people, plus great beer and a chill atmosphere. Jacks Abby - we go back because it's always a good time with the bierhall setup they have although we haven't been highly impressed with a few of their recent beers. Oxbow Newcastle - hated it but loved the Oxford location. So for us it is a combination of all the factors being discussed and it is, of course, highly subjective.
Agreed, it’s the beer. Plus they need to be consistent. For me, most of Hill Farmstead´s beers are great. I haven’t had enough from Russian River.
I agree Treehouse should probably be on the list. Though I got an assortment from them once and some of the lagers were uninspiring
The way it should be. I've read some "Code of Conduct" paragraphs from a few breweries and I simply think they've got issues and or something to prove. What it is I don't know. Here's one. These folks lost me: https://www.woodenshipbrewing.com/about
Possibly....consistency . Lakefront Brewery is a Great brewery. Why ? If you go there, or buy their products, their Amber is great, their Dark Lager is great, their Ale`s are great. Hell, their Food is great. Even their Tour is great! ' https://lakefrontbrewery.com/ ' https://lakefrontbrewery.com/beer-hall/photo-gallery ' '
I agree, that's a good example of overkill. I like Hi-Wires I agree that's a good example of overkill. I like Hi-Wire's approach: https://hiwirebrewing.com/our-story/ The cliffs notes: "But most importantly, our craft beer is for everyone. Come inside, take a deep breath, and relax, because no matter what your beer knowledge is or what your palate is like, you’re sure to discover something you love." "Step into any of our taprooms, and you’ll find a group of fun, creative, and inclusive individuals. As a company and a team, we strive to provide three things: an environment where you have the freedom to choose, discover, and simply be." "We believe that the things that bring us together are stronger than the things that pull us apart. Our mission is to make the things that bring us together." They make it clear that they are welcoming of all types of folks without being overtly on one side of the political fence or the other. They do often participate in things like Pride Fest and host the occasional drag show, but again, if someone is going to put them on some sort of black list and decide not to buy their product based on only that, fuck 'em
I think a brewery is good when it’s consistently good. My two favorite local breweries are More Brewing and Goldfinger Brewing. (Western suburbs of Chicago). More is rather adventurous and does all styles. Goldfinger does only German lagers. But both, whatever they brew, brew consistently good beer. There are some bigger craft breweries that are also consistent. Revolution, mostly Bells, mostly Founders. If you’re consistently good, you’re good. My 2 cents
