Are new brewery's getting worse?

Radcp

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I went to a local microbrewery with a buddy today and ordered a peanut butter porter. I was intrigued by the description and figured how can I go wrong? Well, when the flavoring imparts a sting to the back of your tongue it ruins the beer and cancels out the front flavors of a good porter. I was incredibly disappointed and because my buddy knows a few people who work there I couldn't just push it away, especially when an assistant brewer was sitting to my left! I was thinking either the beer was improperly flavored or was ruined by an infected batch.

I choked down the rest and went on to try a straight up pale ale; it was good but not great-despite the owner raving about the floral and citrus hops they use. I'm by no means an experienced brewer but both beers I tried were less than great.

Am i getting more particular because I am drinking my own beer (honestly not the best either) or are some brewery's just around because microbrews are a fad?

To give some context, I love porters, ipa's and almost any form of wild yeast/farmhouse beer. The rest (except dunkel) I will be objective on an drink based on the individual flavor. Also I am not allergic to any food, I in fact ate peanut butter this morning and am still alive which is why I am assuming its an additive or infected beer.
 
Around here we're pretty lucky. Competition is stiff and if you're putting out mediocre beers, you won't last long. Most of the brewers and breweries locally have a pretty tight bond as well so the atmosphere is strong and supportive.
I know I've been to breweries before and had things that I didn't think were good at all and others seemed to really enjoy? I think a lot of tastes are different and can even change from day to day. That said, I have had brews that are straight up rank and wondered why they would put it out. I think I'd rather dump a batch and keep my reputation than put out something sub-par. At the very least, say it didn't turn out as expected and drink it all night for $5 or $10. You could at least re-coup some coin, be honest, and there are plenty of patrons that straight up just don't care and would gladly drop a five or 10 spot to drink the rest of the night.
I'm also of the opinion that input can be important. We went to dinner the other night and the service was absolutely horrid. But we left without saying anything (my wife's wishes). Management needs to hear about issues or concerns to address possible problems. I can also understand your situation. Sometimes (like out with my wife) it's just easier to move on.
 
I've tasted some bad brews (recently) and the place is doing fairly well. Let's face it, guys, our tribe is fairly small in comparison to the fizzy yellow pinkelwasser-drinking crowd. The good stuff isn't hard to find here in Denver, as Thunderwagn says, but the bad stuff can be found too. I went in, ordered a beer and got some raspberry juice. I mentioned to the server that it wasn't what I expected and instead of offering me a replacement, she explained why I was wrong. Okay. Second beer, a Colorado Pale Ale. I don't know what they did but it had the weirdest flavor and was harsh. Nice. I won't go back and I won't advise anyone to go there. Still, a lot of people go there.
 
Am i getting more particular because I am drinking my own beer (honestly not the best either) or are some brewery's just around because microbrews are a fad?


I have become so critical of my own beer for fear of being content with mediocre, then when I taste beer when I'm out in public I begin to realize all too quickly that the all mighty dollar can make a professional brewer whom as a home brewer produced quality beer, forget that quality is determined by the eyes, nose, and tongue of their patrons, not the pennies they saved by short cutting their process, or sacrificing the use of the freshest ingredients.

It is apparently the most widely neglected topic in their business plans (quality over quantity) and will be their demise as a respectable and successful business owner and above all a brewer who truely care more about their customers satisfaction than their own pockets.

Sorry for the ranting.
 
We have a local craft brewery that to me, their beer is... iffy at best. But there is a small college in eye shot of it. The college kids rave about it and the brewery does quite well and even sell a few kegs to a few local bars. But IMO, the brewery/pub would have closed a month after it opened if they were catering to a discerning crowd. Nothing against college students, as I have one of those, but I think they are more focused on “hey, I drink craft beers at such and such”, but wouldn’t know the difference between a good beer from a bad one. My wife and I have been there a couple times and sampled several of their brews, but not one of those beers have ever been that good. But, it’s drinkable, I’ll give it that.
 
My thought on this is the West coast and all their hoppy beers has spread out tremendously. There are more IPAs on tap or even hoppy lagers than well balanced well brewed pale ales or good browns. They all try to go that one step to far to be a stand out. Actually some of the best beers you will find in a local pub have roots coming from a homebrew competition that they have held or award winning recipes from the brewmaster of the pub. If they have a GABF FLAG hanging around then they usually have a few good beers. Yes Jimmy Carter what you did very much enhanced craft brewing.
 
yes .. "are some brewery's just around because microbrews are a fad?'

no doubt

on the other hand, one could possibly argue that there are only two kinds of beer ... good and excellent. I make good beer. Sometimes I make excellent beer.

I saw a friend across the restaurant last night drinking bud light .. he must think that's good beer.

Excellent beer is always better, but good beer is drinkable .. most times.
 
I myself just want to thank former president Jimmy Carter for legalizing home brewing.

Our town is 10 miles from Plains and some of the members of the club will send "Mr Jimmy" a bottle of a particularly good brew on occasion. He always sends a nice thank you note in return.
 

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