The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsWorst craft beer?
Every time there is a beer thread in the lounge, all the resident beer snobs emerge to declare which mass-produced domestic beer tastes like various types of animal pee. (I'll take your word for it that Keystone Ice tastes like lemur piss).
I drink a lot of craft beers and some of them seem to have spent more time on the name and label art than the actual contents of the bottle.
I recently suffered through a horrid brew called "Bitter American" that comes from a brewery (21st Amendment) that in the past has offered up some really good stuff. This shit was almost undrinkable, but being the Viking I am, I powered through. Can y'all tell me of any other craft brews I should avoid and why?
Trajan
(19,089 posts)Super sickening sweet with zero bitterness ...
I love this Portland town I live in, with the most wonderful craft breweries in every direction, but Dead Guy Ale reminded me of day old Budweiser ...
Hideous ...
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)but I'm mostly with you - the few things I've tried by them I thought other breweries did much better. I have not tried Dead Guy Ale though - If I saw it at a pub on tap I'd probably try it.
And another unpopular opinion of mine is that Sam Adams over-rated - although it is often the only decent thing at a restaurant...not hard to be when the competition is big 3 macro.
HarveyDarkey
(9,077 posts)There are much better examples of the styles by other brewers that are more reasonably priced.
haele
(12,582 posts)Not too sweet with just enough fruit to tell you it's an apple cider, very crisp, and dryer than most American Ciders.
Laz says it gives Strongbow a run for it's money, and it's also supposed to be very popular in the UK.
I do know it makes for the best deglazed sauce base for pan fried pork chops or seared loin roast.
Haele
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)I'll give that a try - I only recently ever paid any attention to cider of any kind - We were visiting relatives in Indiana and stopped by a place called Oliver Winery and they make some kick ass ciders - I guess it's all apple then flavored with peach or strawberry or what have you. I really like them but they are pretty sweet so I'd be willing to try that cider - I have seen them in the store but didn't know they were from Sam Adams.
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)But it does cost a bit more than my other preferred beers.
I also like 1554, Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown, Taddy Porter, and my all-time favorite: Herold Bohemian Black Lager (which I don't think is available in the US any more *sob*).
harmonicon
(12,008 posts)I think Dead Guy Ale is one of the few American beers that actually is like beer, as opposed to over-hopped booze water, which seems to be what too many people think counts as "good beer."
Trajan
(19,089 posts)Well ... I actually drink beer rarely ... before I moved to Portland, I had stopped drinking any beer .... But I just could not resist this amazingly vital beer culture in Beervana ....
That being said in I simply prefer hoppy beer over malty beer .... I thought it was 'each to his own'
But, apparently, I am a snob ... ok .... I've been called worse things .... AND, if I had to drink malty beers only, I would again stop drinking beer altogether ...
Why would I drink beer that I don't like?
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)I like some hoppy beers, but my husbands HATES them. We're both called beer snobs by our friends.
Do you ever drink McMenamins in Portland? I like Ruby and Terminator.
harmonicon
(12,008 posts)The hops and the malt should both be carefully considered. I do really enjoy milds (an English style of beer that doesn't really exist in the US - Newcastle Brown Ale being the closest you're likely to get - which is quite light on the hops), but I like some very hoppy beers as well. The problem with too many US beer makers it that they use a shit-load of hops to compensate for otherwise dull flavours.
T_i_B
(14,734 posts)And to be honest there are too many UK breweries making below par mild.
That said, Spire Ravenswood is the beer I've drunk more of then any other beer this year and that's a mild.
The best beers I've had so far this year are Bristol Beer Factory Bitter Californian, Crouch Vale Riwaka and Thornbridge Baize.
T_i_B
(14,734 posts)To be honest it's not a beer style that I really go for, but I don't consider it to be offensively bad.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)This is a local beer company.
I used to enjoy going to the beer garden every Friday afternoon.
In a month it'll be warm enough, now I have a driver that I can trust.
Raine1967
(11,589 posts)Whenever I get back up to visit my family in the Hudson Valley we try to stop over in Kingston to visit the brewery.
(I used to live right across the river from there!)
MM used to be a little thicker than it was about 3-4 years ago, I think they tinkered with the recipe. I still love MM. We can't get it here in the DC area.
Out of curiosity, have you been to Ommegang? Love the drive there and LOVE the location!
As far as craft beer, I'd generally the new trend of big brewers trying to get in on the action: Shock top sucks BAD. (hint: it's bud)
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)I'll have a designated driver by my side later this month.
He is a pro so finally I'll be able to sit back and enjoy the ride without worrying.
[img][/img]
Cooperstown will be on my list this summer!
Raine1967
(11,589 posts)We'll be up there in May. FAmily wedding, we might need an escape that weekend!
(BTW, that BobR guy posting down thread is my hubby. He loves going to Keegan ales! It makes my draggin' his butt to see my family a little more worth it. )
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)HarveyDarkey
(9,077 posts)although not really "craft" the Guinness Black Lager was one of the worst. There were several others that were not up to expectations, but few that bad.
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)My husband has celiac, and he was disappointed that he couldn't try it when it came out. I took one for the team and gave it a try - I tried one bottle, and took the rest to a party to get rid of it (people will drink anything when it gets late enough).
olddots
(10,237 posts)don't know if it was craft but it sure tasted terrible .
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Our move to Pennsylvania has been largely a craft beer adventure.
I will say that I have never had a good Fat Tire craft.
HarveyDarkey
(9,077 posts)They do make some very solid beers thiugh
Mike Daniels
(5,842 posts)Not a fan of Fat Tire but I would consider that to be the equivalent of Sam Adams' standard lager, i.e., the brand that let's them play around with their small batch beers.
HarveyDarkey
(9,077 posts)Although I haven't reviewed all of them there were a few clunkers in the ones I've tried. I have a couple in the fridge pending review.
Aristus
(66,098 posts)But nothing as bad as mass-market beers. I don't think that makes me a beer-snob. I think mass market brewers approach their product as if it was a widget; make it efficiently, and to appeal to the broadest possible market.
That means, make it as bland as a sitcom.
Craft brewers focus on, well, the craft. They make their product with pride, and to appeal to discerning drinkers.
Give me craft brew any day.
harmonicon
(12,008 posts)I feel bad saying it, as they're from my home town and used to have a great brew pub. The thing is, they'll occasionally make good and even great beers, but their standard fair is just awful. It has some special metallic taste along with a secret ingredient to hurt your appendix.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Maine-ah
(9,902 posts)on draft - it's not bad, just not my kind of beer. I prefer something on the sweeter end like Maine Beer Company's "Mean Old Tom" vanilla stout.
Response to harmonicon (Reply #13)
SpartanDem This message was self-deleted by its author.
T_i_B
(14,734 posts)However, that's part of their beer range I haven't shown any interest in to be honest.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)There are entire beer brewing types that I don't like. I don't care for most of the lighter types, pale ales, hefeweizen, wheat beers, ambers. I like IPAs mostly, with occasional forays into darker beers. There are exceptions.
And I can drink a very cold Budwieser on a very hot day and be just fine with that.
mysuzuki2
(3,521 posts)Zorra
(27,670 posts)Can't even bring myself to call that stuff beer.
I did have some awful Pumpkin Ale around Halloween that was almost as bad as Miller or Bud once.
Blue Moon is awful, but I think Coors mass produces it.
Trajan
(19,089 posts)... I just received news recently that InBev/Budweiser has bought a large stake in Widmer Brothers, along with Red Hook and Kona Brewing .... this has turned me away from the delicious Hefeweisen that I grew to love ...
It is my understanding the intent was to acquire the distribution routes for those beers, and to slowly close those routes to competitors outside of the InBev universe ...
Part of my love for craft beer is how we support local business by purchasing their locally sourced products ... I will NOT willingly provide revenues to the behemoth known as InBev ... so I gave up my Widmer Hefeweisen ...
I'm enjoying finding a replacement ....
bamacrat
(3,867 posts)Xipe Totec
(43,872 posts)BobR
(16 posts)such as Blue Moon, Hoegarden, Shock Top, etc..
I bought a 6-pack of the brown ale from RJ Rockers and was extremely disappointed. The bottles were gushers, WAY over-carbonated, and didn't taste like a brown ale at all. That's usually a sign that they were bottled before the beer was done fermenting, or that they got contaminated. Neither are good options for a professional brewer.
I live in the DC area and DC Brau, 3 Stars, and Port City are all good. I have had at least two awful beers from Chocolate City brewing, which sucks, because I want to support local breweries. One was murky and indistinct, the other smelled like disinfectant.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)Account status: Active
Member since: Sat Feb 9, 2008, 05:01 PM
Number of posts: 10
Number of posts, last 90 days: 3
Favorite forum: General Discussion, 2 posts
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)that's pretty remarkable to remember credentials for 5 years of not logging in!
On the other hand, if BobR wants to de-lurk twice a year to point me at good beer, I say more power to him!
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)BobR
(16 posts)My wife is on here all the time, but I haven't been lurking - I just haven't been on.
I was teasing you.
Initech
(99,915 posts)Earth_First
(14,910 posts)Otherwise; yech!
Initech
(99,915 posts)I'll still drink it - but Coors shouldn't be insulting real craft brewers by calling it's overly marketed product "craft beer".
Earth_First
(14,910 posts)The data is out there that there is a decent sized craft beer market.
I'm not surprised that Coors has tried to get into this market. Even if by posing as craft beer.
Initech
(99,915 posts)Really they need to stop. I don't mind when breweries try new things- I'm all for that. But I do have a problem with mass market swill posing as craft beer.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)I assume overrated, mass-produced import stuff like Corona or Heineken doesn't count as "craft beer" for our purposes.
On the other hand, I'm probably not enough of a beer snob for some tastes because I actually like Blue Moon and a few similar beers. Not the best brew in the world, but as Belgian-style knockoffs go it's certainly better than say, Fat Tire.
Speaking of New Belgium, it's also worth noting that a lot of "craft" breweries are no longer "micro" in any sense, assuming they were to begin with. See also Sam Adams, Red Hook, Widmer Brothers.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)They taste like soured rotting fruits
Although - in a sour ale, they can be OK
T_i_B
(14,734 posts)....but I really don't like Flying Dog Wilde Man IPA.
As to UK beer? There's been a few stinkers down the years. Brightlingsea Brewery "A-Wheat-A-Mistake-A" sampled last year was the worst beer I've had in a long long while though.
I also used to detest Ridley's Brewery, who used to turn out really foul beer on a constent basis. But they got taken over and shut down by Greedy Kerching.
The most disapointing beer I've had this year was the Thornbridge / Sierra Nevada collaboration "Twin Peaks". I still can't work out how 2 breweries as good as Thornbridge and Sierra Nevada could combine to produce such a bland boring beer.
Xipe Totec
(43,872 posts)http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/296/50750/?ba=popery
Rated #14 on the list of worst Gluten-Free beers, but I disagree
It is #1 worst, bar none.
(ETA)
It tasted like rancid glue from old envelopes.
T_i_B
(14,734 posts)....Then another UK Brewery, Wold Top needs to be mentioned. They make gluten free beer and I've yet to find any of their beers I like. I forget what their mild is called but it's especially bad.
As to St Peters, they do make some very experiemental stuff, although not always sucessfully. The beer of theirs I especially dislike is their grapefruit beer. Call me what you will but you can get much better flavours out of hops.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)'Malt de liqueur' I think it was called
It was brewed to taste bad...
Came in a paper bag....LOL
vanlassie
(5,637 posts)but the store was out of it... He has pretty good taste and brews himself. Now I really HAVE to try it.
jmowreader
(50,453 posts)Way too hoppy, and it's like Idaho potatoes used to be: sold in 27 states but not available 47 miles from the brewery.