Yet another thread about HOTD batch carbonation

Why do people keep tolerating this nonsense at all? He'll never fix his quality control issues if people keep buying it at absurd prices.

 

well I know not buying it won't work either. I wonder if anyone that has Alan's ear has talked to him about this. I know I was disappointed with this years bourbon fred bottles compared to the tap version. Though both are good I much preferred the tap over the bottle.

 

Have you tasted Matt, Bourbon Fred, Otto, Doggie Claws, etc? I tolerate it because Alan makes delicious beer. He also discounts limited beers with carbonation issues. That's a hell of a lot more than most other breweries do.

 

Re: the original post -- The only Fred batch I've heard anybody else express concerns about was 88. I imagine the best bet if you're looking to load up on a bunch of bottles would be to test one from a given batch first. If awesome, buy lots of them -- if not, try one bottle from a different batch and continue until you find the right one for you. Worst case scenario, you're dissatisfied with all batches you try, in which case send me a message and I'll find a way to send future batches to you until you're set.

Also, good luck in whatever awaits you outside of the PNW!

 

I've raised this point before, but it bears repeating here. HOTD might discount poorly carbonated bottles @ the brewery/tasting room, but once it goes out for retail distribution this policy no longer applies. Most of us buying HOTD beer are paying full price and taking our chances.

I purchased two bottles of 2013 Doggie Claws last week, but hesitated to pull the trigger (@ $7/bottle) due to lack of confidence in their quality control. I should mention that DC is one of my absolute favorite barleywines, but I still want and expect carbonation in my beer. I don't think anyone would argue that carbonation doesn't have some positive impact on the taste/overall experience of a beer; otherwise, no one would care whether any beer was carbonated or not.

 

I opened up 2009 - 2013 DC last night and had zero issues with each vintage. All tasted great and all had plenty of carbonation.

 

Alan's Facebook reply to carbonation issues:

Bottle Conditioning creates uneven results, especially with high alcohol Beers. That is why I have always marked each batch with a special number. Each batch is a moment in time, unique, like we are. Some of the batches that I have not been happy with have turned into the most popular ones after a few years. Beer is more than bubbles

 

Pooch on tap seemed flat to me as well. Not sure if it was suppose to be or not.

 

Some people love carbonation, maybe they need a spritzer or sparkling water

Carbonation is not always the best thing for a beer. I just finished a bottle of Proprietors. Had most of it last night and finished the rest today. The glass I had tonight was much better than the glass I had last night. The coconut and rye were much more pronounced without the carbonation. It may have been flat, but the flavors were amazing. Maybe that's why HOTD tastes so good. They focus on flavor rather than carbonation!

 

"Beer is more than bubbles"

Classic.

 

The new HotD slogan.

 

Batch 88 was completely uncarbonated for me, FYI

 

First let me apologize if this has already been covered. Just wanted to give Fred lovers a heads up to avoid this batch. I have a golf student from San Francisco to see me in DC a few times a year and brings beer with him in his golf bag for me. Fred is one of my favorite beers so this recent trip he brought me a few. 2 were batch 89 and one was batch 88. The 89 was no different than any of the other batches I've had. 88 however was completely flat and off in color, aroma, and flavor. This particular student purchased four 88's and two 89's and I was lucky enough to get the two 89's. He send HOTD an email expressing his displeasure and their response was (in his opinion) unsatisfying. I don't have their response in front of me, so this isn't verbatim, but it was something like 'Our beers are bottle conditioned and each batch is different. We recommend enjoying the nuances of each batch'.

I opened my 88 last night, poured it aggressively to see if I could coax some head out of it and failed miserably. I took a sniff, scowled, took a sip, and drain poured it. Even my wife (who hates everything but light lagers, but appreciates my passion for craft beer) noticed it was off when I poured it stating that, "It looks darker."

I'll continue to enjoy HOTD beers. I've read about quality control issues with them before. My purpose here isn't necessarily to bash HOTD (even though it would have been nice for them to recall it or send my buddy a better batch), it's just to tell all of you Fred lovers out there. AVOID BATCH 88.

 

Some ongoing discussion on this topic in the Northwest Forum:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/yet-another-thread-about-hotd-batch-carbonation.140055/

 

i have no problem with Alan's statement at face value. from an actual individual however, my personal take on it is that it's a poor blanket statement trying to cover the entire issue & Alan/HotD's known lack of decent & expected responses to the same reoccurring issues. secondly, there's cause & effect. the possible causes Alan cites i assume have the same possible effects with all bottle conditioned, high alcohol beers, by all brewers who create such beers. i don't recall other brewers wholesale excusing their fucked up batches of multiple beers with some mother nature did it - statement that amounts to: STFU & take it on the chin indefinitely.

i'm a big fan of their stuff done right but have been burned on entire cases with no response. the comment you pasted from Alan's facebook makes me think every bottle should come with a digital recording with one of those pharmaceutical disclosures, complete with some fast ass talking mofo rattling of all the known potential *risks*.