White Birch QC issues?

Oh, I know that odor all too well man...
A Berliner should have a hint of bile in the nose, but full blown too-lazy-toss-spent grain-stench is just gross.

 

Maybe they should be a little less ambitious and limit the beers they brews to the ones they get right:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20417

 

I've also met Bill Herlicka. He is a very nice guy. Unless he changed his brewing practices since he moved to his larger facility, the inconsistencies in his beers can be easily explained. His first facility was NOT CLIMATE CONTROLLED. Maybe it had a little heat in the winter, but nothing for cooling in the summer. He actually said to me, "Fans of my beers can tell when I've brewed my beer because of the difference in taste with the change of seasons." I had to bite my tongue. Most beer lovers want a consistent product not a crap shoot every time they buy. I know I want that bottle of pale ale (or whatever) to taste the same regardless of the date on the calendar. Maybe he'll learn...

 

I agree.

 

I had the Berliner on tap last week and it was very tasty. Now I am worried about the bottle in my fridge haha

 

Sorry to hear you've had some bad bottles ao125. I've invested a lot in the past 12 months to improve our product across the board. Since a few points are noted above I'm happy to address them here:

Berliner Weisse - this year we produced over 10,000 bottles of it (9 batches). That's up from 3000 the year before and 1000 the first year. I've heard of a handful of people having one where it was not good. As far as I can tell it came from the middle of the production run but I can't find a solid reason for this intermittent problem. Starting with our fall 2013 seasonals we've modified our seasonal release labels to add numbers from the run so I can better identify which batch a bottle came from, when it was made and where it went.

Temp Control - we moved from our old building because we could not control temps in the building. I threw out a lot of beer from that last summer (2011) there. Our current building has heat and air conditioned fermentation, finished product, sales and barrel storage.

Prices - as we've grown and improved our production abilities I've lowered our prices. Unfortunately I've also seen a lack of this price change flowing through to the end retailers. The system seems geared towards prices raising versus lowering. In retrospect it probably would have been easier to just rename the beers and add new UPCs. We work hard to create a label for the beer. Call me sentimental but I like our names.

I can't control end pricing so while we have ideal targets in mind, the range on the street can vary based on where you live. Want to know what I think the beer should sell for? Check out http://www.whitebirchbrewing.com/home/store/#specific-place
we're a little behind on the current store inventory as the Southern NH Brewers fest took all our time but the prices are accurate. We do get out in market and I address all pricing issues as we find them.

QC issues - My brewing team has changed completely this year. Capped by the hiring of a 12 year brewing industry veteran. We've had our best year yet in terms of taste consistency and batch consistency. The experience on the team and our current practices make me prouder than ever that our beers are the best they've been. Our veteran brewer has done a great job of fine tuning our bottling line as well as many of the small steps from grain to glass. Along with our other two obsessive brewers, these guys are solid.

QC issues that are really old stock related - I've always put dates on my bottles. I think it just makes sense. I've also been enforcing our out of code policy on our beers and the stock out there is in good shape. That said, there are still some corners of the market with old or very old bottles. I just don't know they are there till someone says they had a bad bottle and it turns out it's a two year old beer that was never intended to age. It's frustrating as a producer to see hoppy beers or lower abv beers aging at stores, more so when it's my hop session getting old. As an enthusiast drinker I've been guilty myself of buying beers and then not getting to them when they are fresh. I've also put back a lot of really old IPAs and DIPAs.

Overall, I think we've improved a lot this year. I see it when I'm trying the beer at bottling, when I'm out at events and even from online sources, including BA. The comment about dredging up a three year old thread versus a new issue to me says a lot about our efforts quietly showing up everywhere. Want to see it first hand? Come up to the brewery and sample the lineup. It's free and it's the same beers we send out everywhere. Can't make it here, come to one of our many tastings. Still have a concern then tell me. I do have a profile here, twitter, facebook and my email is [email protected]. I'm happy to speak with you.

 

I like the sound of all of that.
For what it's worth Bill, I actually have noticed the prices drop a bit, and for this reason I keep your beers in my rotation. Not with the frequency of other breweries, but I have yet to, and likely will not give up on WB after a few drainpours simply because I have tasted truly great batches in the past and I think more are to come. Looking forward to beers produced in the new space with some new talent.

 

I had the Berliner last night purchased at Yankee spirits in Sturbridge for 5.99 and thought it was great .

 

Thanks for the updates, Bill.
I will give the changes a little more time to settle into place and I will be revisting the White Birch brands.
Like I said, when everything hits on all cylinders, you do have a really good product. It's that history of inconsistancy that thows a lot of people off.

 

Good to read about all of the improvements and expansions, Bill ... I personally haven't had a bad experience with anything you've done (and lots of REAL good ones), and having a guy/team/brewery like yours succeed is a Good Thing for everyone. Cheers!

 

I had a pour of the Belgian Pale at Clover a while ago that was damn close to Taras Boulba. If that stays consistent it would be pretty awesome to have around on shelves.

 

Thanks BOA. That is the Belgian Pale profile now. I have a $5000 PH meter and we've been monitoring the water this year. We adjusted the mash temps so that the body and flavor have stayed more consistent. I was amazed at how much the water chemistry changed with the summer season up here. Never had a Taras Boulba, had to actually look it up. Sounds like a tasty beer. Nice reference. Thanks

 

Had a Berliner Weiss sunday that I purchased from bier celler in Portland while on vacation. My wife and I thought it was excellent. I wish we grabbed more than one bottle.

 

I just drank their berliner weisse tonight, I thought it was actually pretty good, no off-tastes for me.

 

Same here....no off tastes when I had it.

Cheers

 

I was one of the jokers who bought a bottle of each "barrel". $60 drain pour...only one was barely drinkable.

These QC and brew team changes sound like a positive thing though. Might have to give a brew another go.

 

I'm trying to remember if I had White Birch's Berliner Weisse in past years, but I've really enjoyed it this year, especially when it was served on cask with blueberries at the SNHBF last month.

I've also been very pleased with most of the seasonal beers introduced over the past year or so. Among my favorites have been Nyx, Ol' Cattywhompus, First Sparrow and Our Humble Porter, which was one of the best porters I've had in a long time. I can't remember exactly when they introduced the standard lineup of flagships and seasonal beers, but it's made it easier to keep track of the beers and look forward to some favorites, while keeping some interesting one-offs available for growler fills and bottles in the brewery shop. That's along with the new brewery, greater efficiency (and lower prices) and the brew team Bill mentioned. Plus being able to snag a bomber of Hop Session, which is among my favorite everyday beers, for $5 now is evidence to me that the folks at White Birch are working to continually grow the brewery in the right direction. We served a keg of Hop Session at my wedding a few months ago, and it was super fresh and delicious, and a big hit with everyone I spoke to, including the bartenders. No QC issue there!

 

I was at a store yesterday with like 15 different varieties of old old bottles... 15% off if you bought 4 or more .