Instinctively I dislike writing bad things about micro breweries. I know the care and pride in their products that most of them have. Regrettably some have a blind spot. They have an inability to recognise a bad batch and even a bad recipe, never mind obvious brewing faults. There is frankly too much beer being released from micros that should never be sent to trade.
I have though written about quality issues from small independent breweries and I came across the issue again last night from a (South West) brewery I have had trouble with before. The brewery describes the beer I unwisely purchased as "A golden coloured quenching beer with great hop character. Full fruit in the mouth with good hop balance and a long dry finish." The beer was light brown and smelt of creosote. Never a good sign. It was distinctly woody, phenolic and frankly, an undrinkable mess. Using my best Dom Jolly technique, I complained and had it replaced by the much more mundane, but drinkable Greene King IPA.
For once I am not going to name this brewery or beer, but I will give a clue at the end of this article. The general point is that micros will only ever thrive by producing quality beer that pubs will re-order. No one in their right mind would re-order this stuff.
Clue: The beer tasted woody. The brewery has obviously taken its name too literally in making this beer!
Wooden Hand, by any chance? If so, not a shock, as their beers are consistently poor.
ReplyDeleteAh, Wooden Hand - we had a couple of their beers at Stockport Beer Festival a couple of years back - they were terrible.
ReplyDeleteYou may say so, I couldn't possibly comment!
ReplyDeleteWith your clue I was thinking of Tom Woods.To be fair I rather like their beers,though today I had a pint of their Landlady's bitter and was not overly impressed.. and as for the pumpclip,it may reopen some old debates..I cannot remember whose blog the thread was on,maybe Stonch's?.That said it was selling well.Furthermore I see they recommend dispensing beers without a sparkler,which is a sin in my local. Possibly another debate??????
ReplyDeleteBen
Liverpool
Ben
ReplyDeleteTom Woods ain't South West!
Their Black Pearl is really nice. Had it at a mini-beer festival in a north London pub.
ReplyDeleteThat was also on. Funnily enough, I didn't fancy trying it!
ReplyDeletemissed the South West bit.
ReplyDeleteBen
I have to say that, should we be talking about the brewery implied above (nudge nudge, wink wink), we sell a couple of their bottled beers (Buccaneer and Cornish Mutiny), and they are perfectly serviceable examples. Do you think the fault was in the beer when it left; the fermenter? the brewery? the cellar?
ReplyDeleteZak - While saying nothing about the brewery concerned, I can say without a doubt the faults in this beer originated in the brewery. My guess is a fermentation problem though equally it could originate from the mash tun. But while able to recognise problems, I am not a brewer.
ReplyDeleteI was making a general point though as well, albeit illustrated by the bad beer I had.
The fact that John and Tyson say bad things about a particular brewery can be regarded as useful feedback I'd say.They both know their beer through and through.
On a general point, I think South West brewers as a whole, with some honourable exceptions, produce some of the dullest beers in the UK. There. I've said it.
That's an interesting point. We have a local micro in this neck of the woods that are quite high-profile with one of their beers (it's quite good), but everything else they produce ranges from barely drinkable to actively unpleasant - I think they have an infection problem somewhere, or some very odd ideas about what to put in beer.
ReplyDeleteI've been unimpressed by both St Austell and Sharp's, until I've had them in good nick. Doom Bar in particular I just thought was really dull, until I had a pint in my local that exploded sherbety-hoppiness on the tongue. Tribute is rubbish in bottles but on tap in the right condition it's a wonderful pint.
ReplyDeleteWe got some Wooden Hand beers out here, I think there were fermentation issues in both. Very certainly had a phenolic woody character going on, very estery as well.
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind me asking but what pub was this in. Am simply interested as I'm always on the look out for pubs that stock different micros (however bad they may be!)
ReplyDeleteLord Moon of the Mall.
ReplyDeleteI've had Cornish Mutiny and Black Pearl from Wooden Hand in the Harp, Covent Garden. Thought both were excellent - esp. the latter. Perhaps it's because you were drinking in a Wetherspoons?
ReplyDeleteStonch - Do you think I don't know the difference between badly kept beer and badly brewed beer, or did you just accidentally miss out the smiley?
ReplyDeleteThis is the biggest threat to Stonch's credibility yet-defending Wooden Hand! I've sampled them at various venues, and they really are terrible brewers. How anyone can actually enjoy them is staggering.
ReplyDeleteWooden Hand used to be called Ventonwyn a good few years back and the beers were atrocious then - all infections, dodgy tastes everywhere and basically just badly brewed. I've had a couple of them as Wooden Hand and totally agree with you in that they are shite and should never be on sale; if I were a landlord and ordered them they'd never get past the quick taste before connecting the lines to the casks... perhaps this is the issue here, very few landlords these days actually taste the beer before putting it on thinking that as long as it's clear then it's okay?
ReplyDeleteAnd I think Southwest beers are pretty poor too, for the record...
The beers we got out here weren't out right infected but they certainly had faults, I wonder if its the brewer or if their kit has some issues.
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