Fung is brewing, and brewing is fung. wrote:
The last two times I've tried a bottle of Boston Lager I've had to ask
somebody else if it tasted off to them. I even had to ask for, and
received, a refund for a 12-pak I bought because it tasted like the
plant, the one in OH, accidently put the light version in regular
Boston Lager bottles. With that refund check, I decided to give Sam
another try and got another 12-pak. Again, it was just not the same
beer I had in a bar on tap just a few months earlier. Is it just me,
or does Sam Adam's tast weak now. BTW, I'm in the Chicago area.

This is more a question for the rec.food.drink.beer
newsgroup.

That said, my experience has led to the belief that contract
brewing almost inevitably leads to differences in beer based on
what brewery it came out of. I've tasted this with a range of
beers, from Samuel Adams lager, to Pete's Wicked Ale, to
more regional breweries.
--
Joel Plutchak "They're not people, they're HIPPIES!"
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Eric Cartman

On Apr 4, 9:12 am, (Joel) wrote:
Fung is brewing, and brewing is fung. wrote:

The last two times I've tried a bottle of Boston Lager I've had to ask
somebody else if it tasted off to them. I even had to ask for, and
received, a refund for a 12-pak I bought because it tasted like the
plant, the one in OH, accidently put the light version in regular
Boston Lager bottles. With that refund check, I decided to give Sam
another try and got another 12-pak. Again, it was just not the same
beer I had in a bar on tap just a few months earlier. Is it just me,
or does Sam Adam's tast weak now. BTW, I'm in the Chicago area.

This is more a question for the rec.food.drink.beer
newsgroup.

That said, my experience has led to the belief that contract
brewing almost inevitably leads to differences in beer based on
what brewery it came out of. I've tasted this with a range of
beers, from Samuel Adams lager, to Pete's Wicked Ale, to
more regional breweries.
--
Joel Plutchak "They're not people, they're HIPPIES!"
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Eric Cartman

I remember when Miller got the contract to brew Lowenbrau. I quit
drinking it soon as I tasted the first bottle. What a shame! Now that
you can get the import again, I find I like English styles better
anyway.

Years ago Sam Adams was brewed at the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Nobody
complained then.
"John Krehbiel" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Apr 4, 9:12 am, (Joel) wrote:
Fung is brewing, and brewing is fung. wrote:

The last two times I've tried a bottle of Boston Lager I've had to ask
somebody else if it tasted off to them. I even had to ask for, and
received, a refund for a 12-pak I bought because it tasted like the
plant, the one in OH, accidently put the light version in regular
Boston Lager bottles. With that refund check, I decided to give Sam
another try and got another 12-pak. Again, it was just not the same
beer I had in a bar on tap just a few months earlier. Is it just me,
or does Sam Adam's tast weak now. BTW, I'm in the Chicago area.

This is more a question for the rec.food.drink.beer
newsgroup.

That said, my experience has led to the belief that contract
brewing almost inevitably leads to differences in beer based on
what brewery it came out of. I've tasted this with a range of
beers, from Samuel Adams lager, to Pete's Wicked Ale, to
more regional breweries.
--
Joel Plutchak "They're not people, they're HIPPIES!"
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Eric Cartman

I remember when Miller got the contract to brew Lowenbrau. I quit
drinking it soon as I tasted the first bottle. What a shame! Now that
you can get the import again, I find I like English styles better
anyway.

BD wrote:
Years ago Sam Adams was brewed at the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Nobody
complained then.

"Nobody"? Lots of complaints in the early days of BBC- how the beer
was contract brewed, how Koch "fixed" the consumer vote during the early
years of the Great American Beer Festival, how he pasteurized his beers
(unlike most craft beers at the time), A-B filed complaints with the ATF
(with support of a number of micros) over some of his claims and brewery
name labeling requirements, Heineken was in a running battle over
"adjuncts" and "freshness", etc., small brewers in the area complained
how he "invaded" the PNW and contract brewed his "Oregon" brand of beer
and exploited the good rep. of the micros in the area, etc.

For that matter, about 1/3 of Sam Adams beer is still contract brewed by
Miller in NC, High Falls and City- Lacrosse.


"John Krehbiel" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Apr 4, 9:12 am, (Joel) wrote:
Fung is brewing, and brewing is fung. wrote:

The last two times I've tried a bottle of Boston Lager I've had to ask
somebody else if it tasted off to them. I even had to ask for, and
received, a refund for a 12-pak I bought because it tasted like the
plant, the one in OH, accidently put the light version in regular
Boston Lager bottles. With that refund check, I decided to give Sam
another try and got another 12-pak. Again, it was just not the same
beer I had in a bar on tap just a few months earlier. Is it just me,
or does Sam Adam's tast weak now. BTW, I'm in the Chicago area.
This is more a question for the rec.food.drink.beer
newsgroup.

That said, my experience has led to the belief that contract
brewing almost inevitably leads to differences in beer based on
what brewery it came out of. I've tasted this with a range of
beers, from Samuel Adams lager, to Pete's Wicked Ale, to
more regional breweries.
--
Joel Plutchak "They're not people, they're HIPPIES!"
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Eric Cartman
I remember when Miller got the contract to brew Lowenbrau. I quit
drinking it soon as I tasted the first bottle. What a shame! Now that
you can get the import again, I find I like English styles better
anyway.

Other examples of the death of beers due to "contract brewing" Pete's Wicked
Ale, Bert Grant's, Redhook.

If it aint broke, don't fix it!

Justin Wilson wrote:
Other examples of the death of beers due to "contract brewing" Pete's Wicked
Ale, Bert Grant's, Redhook.

If it aint broke, don't fix it!

Sometimes it's not a matter of something being broken, it's a matter of demand
outstripping capacity. Each bar has only so many taps and if you don't have your
beer ready then the owner will put someone else's beer there.

Tom W

Justin Wilson wrote:
Other examples of the death of beers due to "contract brewing" Pete's Wicked
Ale, Bert Grant's, Redhook.


How so? "Pete's" was always a contract-brewed beer with no brewery
(tho' lots of rumors up until it's sale to Gambrinus)- altho' the
brewing company making the beer has changed often over the years, as
have the recipes and beers (currently coming out of Matts). For a time
there, "Pete" was giving Jim Koch's BBC a run for the money using their
"Business Model" but sure seemed to collapse rather quickly...

Seems to me that the failure of Bert Grant's was the incompetence of the
new owner(s)- being on the East Coast I never followed the beer that
much in later years so don't know if it was ever contract brewed (it
often sat around too long to be worth bothering with- I still see the
IPA on the shelves...).

Redhook built a new brewery in NH and coincidentally was later purchased
in part by A-B (which also coincidentally had a NH brewery) but they've
always brewed the beers in their own facility AFAIK.

Now, if you broaden the subject to beers that have changed for the worse
by moving the brewing to a different site and/or different owner- well,
that list is endless and still growing...

Joel wrote:
Fung is brewing, and brewing is fung. wrote:
The last two times I've tried a bottle of Boston Lager I've had to ask
somebody else if it tasted off to them. I even had to ask for, and
received, a refund for a 12-pak I bought because it tasted like the
plant, the one in OH, accidently put the light version in regular
Boston Lager bottles. With that refund check, I decided to give Sam
another try and got another 12-pak. Again, it was just not the same
beer I had in a bar on tap just a few months earlier. Is it just me,
or does Sam Adam's tast weak now. BTW, I'm in the Chicago area.

This is more a question for the rec.food.drink.beer
newsgroup.

That said, my experience has led to the belief that contract
brewing almost inevitably leads to differences in beer based on
what brewery it came out of. I've tasted this with a range of
beers, from Samuel Adams lager, to Pete's Wicked Ale, to
more regional breweries.

I thought their draft tasted different the last time I had it, maybe it
wasn't imagination.

On the other hand, I'm told that Saranac does contract brewing by
sending the brewer and ingredients to the Matt Brewery plant, where the
whole process is done under Saranac control. The seasonals and brewer's
choice are still made upstate.

As long as the control is there and the equipment is clean, I don't see
any technical issues with contract brewing. Sending the recipe somewhere
and hoping is another matter, of course, and water used is an issue,
Budweiser seems to make an issue of that, and they get the same boring
taste no matter where it's brewed.

--
bill davidsen
Beer blog: http://blogs.tmr.com/beer
Unsigned numbers may not be negative. However, unsigned numbers may be
less than zero for sufficiently large values of zero.

Bill Davidsen wrote:


On the other hand, I'm told that Saranac does contract brewing by
sending the brewer and ingredients to the Matt Brewery plant, where the
whole process is done under Saranac control. The seasonals and brewer's
choice are still made upstate.

Huh? The Saranac brand is and always has been a brand of the Matt
Brewing Co. (formerly known as the West End Brewery), tho' it is
relatively new compared to their older brands like Matts and Utica Club.

Nothing wrong with SA beers. And the word is "losing," not "loosing."

wrote in message ...
Bill Davidsen wrote:


On the other hand, I'm told that Saranac does contract brewing by sending
the brewer and ingredients to the Matt Brewery plant, where the whole
process is done under Saranac control. The seasonals and brewer's choice
are still made upstate.

Huh? The Saranac brand is and always has been a brand of the Matt Brewing
Co. (formerly known as the West End Brewery), tho' it is relatively new
compared to their older brands like Matts and Utica Club.

"Bob S" wrote in
:

Nothing wrong with SA beers. And the word is "losing," not
"loosing."


I won't drink the crap they're loosing onto the world.

--
SlobbyDon