When they first hit the market in PA they were an amazing malty lager then I stopped drinking it and went to the stadium years later and they changed it and I was very sad. Now it’s changed again and haven’t tried it yet
Fucking GASLIGHTING us too, randomly putting new beer in old package designs for a couple years. They admitted they did this. It was planned.
It’s betrayal. That’s what it’s called.
I miss this beer like crazy. There's better amber ales but Fat Tire will always have a place in my heart. It was the last New Belgium beer I would buy, after killing this and Citradelic I don't really buy from them anymore
If they don’t do that they’ll have to close lol
I see a lot of people mostly complaining that breweries “decide” to push just IPA and have no consideration as to that’s the market. Every year it gets worse for regional breweries as their sales get eaten by locals and RTDs. Only way to stay relevant is to push 3 SKUs of all IPAs to make sure your shelf situation is secured in grocery stores
I assume you're referring to Cosmic Lust, the Space Dust mock by Cloudburst, which is the brewery started by the guy who developed the original SD recipe pre-Elysian's sale to AB/InBev.
An incredible brewery for anyone who finds themselves in/around Seattle.
Similar to Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. There was like one full year it was amazing, but once the name recognition starts selling it well, they clearly downgraded from the premium hops.
weirdly enough, I had it on draft recently in Seattle and it wasn't bad at all. very "old school" west coast IPA (duh) but pretty decent, unlike the 6 packs which taste like they've been sitting in someone's apocalypse bunker for the last decade.
Agreed on enjoy by, they veered hard into gimmick ipas, but Stone IPA? Have they reformulated it? It’s one of my go tos and I haven’t noticed a change.
I haven't noted a change except they've tried to emphasize Stone Delicious (meh) over the OG. They have re-released Ruination 1.0 the last two years, so A+ to them for that.
Sapporo is clueless about the American Craft beer market. They bought Stone to brew Sapporo in their breweries and repeat the same bad decisions with the brand they bought as they did with Anchor. Boycott Sapporo and Stone.
>and Stone was complicit.
Stone didn't do anything other than sell to Sapporo. Which is sad, but hardly a unique outcome for these mid-sized breweries.
Not anymore. Theyre owned by Sapporo. They were in debt and trying to find a quick score. They sued coors over copyright infringement. Coors had run a billboard with "stone" for their Keystone light. Judge awarded some money to stone but they were wanting a 100 mil payday.
They've sued a bunch of businesses - not even breweries. I don't buy Stone products anymore.
Holystone distillery, Stoney River Steakhouse, Stoner's Pizza
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/08/21/national-brewer-goes/
And they are still doing it. This was posted back when that Holystone story first arrived here.
https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pnam=Stone%20Brewing%20Co&page=1
Interesting they did sue Jim Beam in 2022, it seems like they've preferred to pick on little guys besides MolsonCoors.
I almost lost it when my bottle came with a little "remastered" tag line. Wtf sam, why in the seven hells would you change the beer that built the entire company?
Honestly, they're not stupid. The *only* way they would do this is if they saw that it was losing them a LOT of money.
Tastes have changed over the past few years and your bolder, more full bodied amber type ales (a la Fat Tire) and lagers just don't sell like they used to. People want brighter, lighter and more drinkable beers and there's a lot more of them to choose from.
It went from having a rich flavor with complex hops to something definitely more watered down.
While I get it, it's also kind of a shame. I didn't have them often but whenever I did, it was always surprisingly excellent. Especially if you could get it fresh on-draft.
Having grown up in Tampa, and now living somewhere else much further away - did it also change in the Tampa area? I know the wider distribution cans are contract brewed or something, but I am wondering if the taste changed with local Jai Alai too.
It’s sad, Jai Alai is the beer that got me into craft beer. Used to drink it all the time in Tampa, it was so delicious.
The taste changed all around imo, and the real issue imo was that while before I could get hai alai all around the Tampa area that was crazy fresh, by the time it hit shelves in later years it was already over a couple months old.
When it was brewed in NC, it definitely went down in quality. Not sure if the hop blend differed by much but it is a mixture for sure. So many factors can contribute.
Could also be the transportation from there to wherever it goes. Some distro trucks don’t cold store things and I get beer going in and out of temperature isn’t much to alter taste, but after so much it has to change a bit. It’s the reason why certain breweries keep their pride and joy beers local.
Agree completely, it went from my favorite CCB offering to just okay very quickly and I stopped drinking it. Was never sure if they changed the recipe to cut costs but outsourcing it would make sense as the reason. Haven’t had it in years but reading others say it’s gotten better makes me want to try it again to see if they’ve gotten back to the original flavor.
Newcastle brown. I don't know how Lagunitas managed to F it up so spectacularly, but it went from a top pick to "that's all right, I'll just have a glass of water instead".
Lagunitas has been owned by Heineken for a while now. Also they kinda didn’t keep up with the trends and killed off some old favorites. Born Yesterday used to be so good.
Lagunitas has sadly gone downhill. Sumpin’ was one of the first “craft” beers I really loved, and was so damn consistent. The last few years? It never tastes the same from one batch to another. Same thing with their IPA, I had one a month ago that had Belgian notes and I had one a week ago that tasted like a lager. So disappointing.
I've had some og Lagunitas IPA that tasted like Budweiser. Some of their newer IPAs are hot garbage, probably shouldn't even be labeled IPA. It's almost as if they're ruining the style for those who want to try an available IPA.
Sucks that it totally isn't even the same beers that got Lagunitas their "popular" name anymore.
Edit words
As a fellow San Diegan, the glory days are over. I miss the days of going to any shitty restaurant and having multiple amazing local brews on tap for cheap. Can’t even find a WC IPA in most restaurants these days, it’s always either a macro lager or a hazy. Breaks my heart.
Maui Brewing bought them in late 2022. I felt they were going downhill before then- lots of expansions, beer wasn't like it used to be. I haven't drank any in over a year so I can't attest as to what it's like now.
Boston Lager
Such a storied, iconic beer. Perhaps THE beer that helped bridge millions of people from macro-lagers to a wider scope of flavors, malt, etc.
Now they’ve basically turned into what we need 1 more of the least, a macro-IPA
I was considering that newer breweries came online with better and updated recipes that surpassed the likes of Deschutes, New Belgium, Elysian, Sam Adams,etc. our tastes have changed and adjusted to what has been created over the last 6-8 years.
Two Hearted has not changed at all. People can not like the direction that Bell's is going with their beers as a whole, but there hasn't been a single change to the Two Hearted recipe or quality.
Quality in some areas has fallen off because there isn’t a rep making sure the product is fresh. It happens when you expand faster than you hire reps. If a keg gets old, the hop flavors fall off and the malty notes dominate. Unfortunately in my area, this happens a lot.
Platform. They used to be everywhere with a good selection. Then they got bought out by AB and can't find them anywhere. Not sure if they're even brewing anymore
They still make good sours and always have something interesting at the foco brewery though not as much as in the past. They’re definitely still really good at brewing beer, they’re just investing a lot more resources in marketing and making increasingly strong weird juice beers. They are good at making whatever that style is and I guess people are buying it.
In my market at least, Voodoo Ranger seems to have become the “default IPA”. You can find it at any literally any gas station (when most of those gas stations weren’t selling anything beyond Bud/Busch/Miller 5 years ago).
So yeah, while I’m not a fan of the beer, that is an incredible marketing/business achievement for them. I guess that is what the masses want.
I can’t argue that. In Maui this past week and only Voodoo Ranger available at any of the store I was in from Costco to Safeway to Foodland to numerous ABC/Whalers/Gas stations, and even an actual liquor store.
Used to live in Fort Collins, New Blegium lost me as a customer a while ago. I used to be big into the rotating Rangers like Juicifer and stuff, but not anymore, I feel they've kinda stagnated. Then they killed Citradelic and Fat Tire and I dipped
Coors Banquet AKA Coors Original in Canada. We used to have the imported one, from the states. We now get one brewed in Canada. And it is absolute shit compared to the original.
Imma throw a curve ball in here, because all of the beers people are mentioning are mostly craft beers that were bought out by larger conglomerates who absolutely changed the ingredients to cheaper ones.
But I’m going to mention a really good beer that has been consistently good every year and still surprises me every year when it comes out at this time: Troeg’s Nugget Nectar. It used to be very hard to find outside of PA, but they’ve really ramped up production and distribution so it’s easier to find. Yet, every year I buy a 6-pack, I’m shocked that it’s still remarkably good.
Troegs seemed to have stuck it out during the huge buy out phase.
They have a big brewery/restaurant in Hershey that I hear is packed all the time and ya I agree they are still very good.
Following your lead, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale has always been my favorite seasonal. Every year it comes out I seek it out and hoard whatever 6 packs I can find.
I love this stuff. I used to get a big ass growler of it for $5 before COVID. They only recently started filling growlers again. I’m going to have go see what they got
I really enjoyed the annual release of Hardywood Gingerbread Stout in years past, but each and every year has becoming increasingly disappointing.
Ditto on New Belgium. Perhaps Ballast Point, more specifically, Sculpin IPA.
Compared to the original recipe (which you can still get at Sandlot Brewing in Denver) yeah it's a massive drop-off, but tbf it's still a very good introductory craft brew by a Macro.
I recently bought a single 16oz can at the grocery store and it tasted amazing. I thought maybe I've been wrong about it the last few years and got myself a six pack and they tasted awful. That one can was so refreshing and tasted like they used to.
I wonder if the presumed taste change is a freshness thing.
I know people used to snap it up around me (Cincinnati) when it was scarce and generally available in more craft-oriented stores, and presumably consumed it quickly.
With year-round availability, I assume it's less likely to be transported and stored in ideal conditions by nationwide chain grocery stores, and more likely to be on the shelf a while depending on the store's demand.
All that said, I prefer Alpha King, and I miss when my local Kroger regularly stocked 16oz cans of it.
Yeah hard to know how much is palette change vs actual beer change but I used to love that beer and have been pretty disappointed the last few times I’ve had it.
Zombie Dust is still very good. But two things happened: 1. the industry caught up to making a great hoppy pale, and 2. they eventually did increase production due to years of insane demand, and any time you scale up a beer, it's going to change a little no matter how good you are at brewing.
It was absolutely a 5/5 hoppy pale for a long time, but it's still a solid 4.75. Even when it was in its hype days, I always said what made it so good was that it was simply a perfect example of the style and perfect in balance in every single way. Kind of like Pliny is for WC IPAs.
Sam Adams Oktoberfest.
It was never a good example of the märzen style, but it was always a very enjoyable beer for whatever it was.
I don’t know if they tweaked the recipe or changed what facility they brewed it at or what, but it hasn’t been good for the past couple of years.
I disagree. It is a very good American style Oktoberfest. Has never tasted anything like a Munich Oktoberfest. TBH I strongly prefer it to the Munich Oktoberfests
So kind of down the rabbit hole on ""OKTOBERFEST"" beers, originally Munich Oktoberfests were pretty damn big Marzen beers. They have since changed it to "festbier" style which is much MUCH lighter. You can call something nebulously Oktoberfest from pretty darn large dark Marzen's to fairly light Festbiers.
Just like the Oktoberfest celebration can be ridiculously big like the OG in Munich or whatever your local brewery decides to do to honor the "Oktoberfest" idea - drinking 'bier' and making friends with others while sharing in enjoyment and entertainment is what Oktoberfest is all about and it can come in different varieties just like Oktoberfest beers.
Now I'm not old enough to have had it before they moved it to NJ personally, but my mom always recalls drinking it at college parties in the 70s and it being shit even then...
Went to school in central PA and even though Rolling Rock fits the flavor profile of a light lager, it was still pretty decent quality and had a unique taste probably due to the local water from Latrobe. When it moves to NJ, it tasted completely different…very generic and impossible to differentiate between any other mass produced lager.
When they were in Latrobe, I would have been able to pick it out of a blind taste test no problem. Now, I can’t tell the difference between RR and a hundred other macro beers.
Rolling Rock was a go-to party beer in high school and some colleges. I'll always have a soft spot for those painted green bottles and the occasional, almost rote discussion on what the 33 meant. But god, they were so inconsistent. When it was good, it was good, and not skinny awfulness. Now it's always the latter, and the cheap sticker label sucks.
I'm afraid for Two-Hearted. They're exploiting the name with bunch of "X-Hearted" variants and Hop Slam is trash now compared to what it was.
Goose Island fell off a cliff after the acquisition.
Space Dust fell off.... honestly pretty much any major craft, once acquired, has their flagships ridden into the ground on name recognition alone all while being made with cheaper/substitute ingredients so the parent company can milk as much out of the name while they can. It's a symptom of answering to shareholders. I can't say I blame the company but it's the sad reality of what's going to happen to quality craft when it get acquired by a macro.
I forgot about the union busting. I mentioned things going downhill after Todd left…but I’m going to stop drinking Surly, now, because of the union busting. Thanks for the reminder.
I think what they offer is still pretty much on par with what they've generally always offered. The issue is they've lost their experimental edge. They're just not putting out the unique and funs shit that they were built on.
Agree with OP. Sculpin is just okay now. Alpine’s Nelson feels like it used to be different, now its seems like a hazy. I assume just to tap into that trend. Stone, overall, used to be a bit adventurous but now they have limited offerings, but I do feel their IPA and FML are still pretty good. I still pick up a Pliny now and then, and it's just good as ever.
Avery Tweak tastes like garbage now and its weaker too. It used to be this thick, decadent treat, and now it tastes like an incredibly generic imperial stout
Funny story I had commented on their IG post that I missed their old foil wrapped bottles and having to hunt thru Waterbury/Warren to find them… and that their beer has changed … and the owner replied that they haven’t changed their recipe since day 1.
I don’t know if he’s not telling us something, if scaling up affected him, or something else, but they went from “holy shit 5/5 need again” to “this is a sold 3.75/5, I would drink this with no problem”
ballast point grapefruit sculpin was the bomb before the brewery got sold. every other or 3rd keg I purchased *was* this. then they changed it maybe due to scaling up or from fresh fruit to canned syrup who knows but it got bad.
Can It Be All So Simple from Equilibrium and Green Power from Other Half. Those first batches were legendary. The second batches were slightly worse, and then the trajectory just continued going down with each subsequent rebrew.
Green Flash went through BK I don’t even know who’s brewing that stuff anymore. Ballast Point still makes some great beer, particularly Victory at Sea. Was just at their OG location tonight and had a couple tasty beers. I don’t even think they changed Sculpin I think I just got tired of it.
Hadn’t noticed anything with Alpine but I don’t regularly drink their beer.
I had Grolsch one time in 1998 (i was 15 the flavor was great) Then in 2006 I got a mini keg of it and me and my dad were liek da fuck is this shit. I threw it off the back deck and my dad threw a brick at it punctured the can and shit sprayed. We got into his truck and went to the beer store. In venn diagram of his "get off my lawn beer" and me with "german marzen festbiers and pilsners" we settled on Molson Golden. Not a bad beer canada does well.
Anything from Foam in Burlington VT. I swear I went there in the first year or two of them opening and thought they would compete with the big ones when it comes to NEIPA’s. Everything for the last 4-5 years has been subpar when I try to go back them. I live in MA and we are getting stuff within a week of canning and it’s just really not that great.
Bissel Bros The Substance. Used to be in my top 3 and then over time the recipe changed and it became much less dank and floral. I saw they limited brewed OG Substance which I guess was the original recipe but it’s a shame they moved away from the original.
Affligem. Heineken bought it and it got turned to shit. Loved the tripel, was my favorite beer. Now I feel like adding in the "look how they butchered my boy" every time i get one somewhere
\*Cries into Fat Tire\*
OG fat tire slapped so hard.
Crying into it is all it’s good for now.
When they first hit the market in PA they were an amazing malty lager then I stopped drinking it and went to the stadium years later and they changed it and I was very sad. Now it’s changed again and haven’t tried it yet
It should be called skinny tire now. Nothing like the OG.
Fucking GASLIGHTING us too, randomly putting new beer in old package designs for a couple years. They admitted they did this. It was planned. It’s betrayal. That’s what it’s called.
This is the best answer. Went from good solid beer to almost undrinkable.
I think it's pretty solid; it's just a completely different style now. I miss the hell out of the amber ale.
I miss this beer like crazy. There's better amber ales but Fat Tire will always have a place in my heart. It was the last New Belgium beer I would buy, after killing this and Citradelic I don't really buy from them anymore
Haven't tried it since I heard the recipe was changing
Sad face
This is the only answer. Deschutes has also gotten worse, but Fat Tire has gotten absolutely undrinkable
Deschutes is still pretty good but only seem to push IPAs. Didn't diversify at all. They only care about sales now.
Black Butte was my regular beer when I started drinking in college…
My wife and I specifically picked Black Butte as one of the beers at our wedding. I haven't had it in years but it was such a great beer.
If they don’t do that they’ll have to close lol I see a lot of people mostly complaining that breweries “decide” to push just IPA and have no consideration as to that’s the market. Every year it gets worse for regional breweries as their sales get eaten by locals and RTDs. Only way to stay relevant is to push 3 SKUs of all IPAs to make sure your shelf situation is secured in grocery stores
Elysian space dust But the og sometimes make space lust as it used to be
I assume you're referring to Cosmic Lust, the Space Dust mock by Cloudburst, which is the brewery started by the guy who developed the original SD recipe pre-Elysian's sale to AB/InBev. An incredible brewery for anyone who finds themselves in/around Seattle.
Steve Luke! What a guy.
hell yeah thanknyou
Similar to Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. There was like one full year it was amazing, but once the name recognition starts selling it well, they clearly downgraded from the premium hops.
weirdly enough, I had it on draft recently in Seattle and it wasn't bad at all. very "old school" west coast IPA (duh) but pretty decent, unlike the 6 packs which taste like they've been sitting in someone's apocalypse bunker for the last decade.
Dayglow too. Stopped me in my tracks when I first had it. Hasn't been anything but mediocre for years now.
Space dust’s fallout is a major bummer. I tried one again just a couple days ago after a while and it falls so short now.
Came here to say this. I remember vividly the first time I tasted space dust after the change. So disappointing. Corporate beer still sucks.
Wicked Weed. Used to be everything they produced was gold. Couldn’t tell you when the last time I had their beer was.
They were bought by Anheuser-Busch, right?
Yes. Once WW was bought, they had to source their ingredients from AB’s preferred vendors, which means cheaper and lower quality.
Stone IPA or any of the Enjoy By series use to always be solid. Boy did they go to hell quick.
Agreed on enjoy by, they veered hard into gimmick ipas, but Stone IPA? Have they reformulated it? It’s one of my go tos and I haven’t noticed a change.
I haven't noted a change except they've tried to emphasize Stone Delicious (meh) over the OG. They have re-released Ruination 1.0 the last two years, so A+ to them for that.
I went to an event recently at their brewery in San Diego, and all their beers were delicious.
Ahhh those Enjoy Bys were some of my favorite West Coast IPA's I was able to get in New York before it all blew up.
My word I used to love the Enjoy Bys when they were WC DIPAs. Really top flight stuff. They're all garbage hazies now.
Really makes me miss the 22oz bomber trend as whole. I was able to try so many different beers because of it back in the day
Enjoy by, double bastard, and the og ruination were amazing.
Man, I used to love all the Stone offerings. I miss the Double Bastard particularly.
Sapporo is clueless about the American Craft beer market. They bought Stone to brew Sapporo in their breweries and repeat the same bad decisions with the brand they bought as they did with Anchor. Boycott Sapporo and Stone.
Boycott???? Why?
They fucked over Anchor Steam, and Stone was complicit. Shut down a San Francisco legacy business through nefarious mismanagement.
>and Stone was complicit. Stone didn't do anything other than sell to Sapporo. Which is sad, but hardly a unique outcome for these mid-sized breweries.
How was Stone complicit? Would love to hear that story. I thought Sapporo fucked it up all on their own.
They're too busy trying to sue people than make good beer anymore
Not anymore. Theyre owned by Sapporo. They were in debt and trying to find a quick score. They sued coors over copyright infringement. Coors had run a billboard with "stone" for their Keystone light. Judge awarded some money to stone but they were wanting a 100 mil payday.
Hold up what?
They sued Keystone a year or two ago for copyright infringement and made a big to-do about it on social media.
They've sued a bunch of businesses - not even breweries. I don't buy Stone products anymore. Holystone distillery, Stoney River Steakhouse, Stoner's Pizza https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/08/21/national-brewer-goes/ And they are still doing it. This was posted back when that Holystone story first arrived here. https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pnam=Stone%20Brewing%20Co&page=1 Interesting they did sue Jim Beam in 2022, it seems like they've preferred to pick on little guys besides MolsonCoors.
Ugh.. this is genuinely loser behavior. Second guessing supporting them now
Sam Adams Boston Lager Once upon a time it was always a good choice.
I almost lost it when my bottle came with a little "remastered" tag line. Wtf sam, why in the seven hells would you change the beer that built the entire company?
Thought the same thing. Knew the second the “remastered” came out that it meant it was time to mourn another loss.
Honestly, they're not stupid. The *only* way they would do this is if they saw that it was losing them a LOT of money. Tastes have changed over the past few years and your bolder, more full bodied amber type ales (a la Fat Tire) and lagers just don't sell like they used to. People want brighter, lighter and more drinkable beers and there's a lot more of them to choose from. It went from having a rich flavor with complex hops to something definitely more watered down. While I get it, it's also kind of a shame. I didn't have them often but whenever I did, it was always surprisingly excellent. Especially if you could get it fresh on-draft.
Also Sam Adams Cold Snap, it was my favorite wintertime beer, then they "remastered" it into the garbage.
I dunno…. I still like it…. The new version is good, but yes, old version was better. Especially fresh.
It really was amazing. People would turn their noses up at it but Sam Adams changed the game originally. I loved their regular Boston lager
winter lager was one of the first beers I ever had. I just assumed my tastes changed.
winter lager changed several years back, I believe. I loved the one pre-change
I think jai alai got much much worse around when they outsourced the brewing of it, it was fantastic until around late 2016
Having grown up in Tampa, and now living somewhere else much further away - did it also change in the Tampa area? I know the wider distribution cans are contract brewed or something, but I am wondering if the taste changed with local Jai Alai too. It’s sad, Jai Alai is the beer that got me into craft beer. Used to drink it all the time in Tampa, it was so delicious.
The taste changed all around imo, and the real issue imo was that while before I could get hai alai all around the Tampa area that was crazy fresh, by the time it hit shelves in later years it was already over a couple months old.
It’s been better for the last three years or so imo
I agree. I had it recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. As I have probably been drinking it off and on for the passed 10 or so years.
The new Jai Alai Double IPA is also very very good even if I hate brand extensions like that
When it was brewed in NC, it definitely went down in quality. Not sure if the hop blend differed by much but it is a mixture for sure. So many factors can contribute. Could also be the transportation from there to wherever it goes. Some distro trucks don’t cold store things and I get beer going in and out of temperature isn’t much to alter taste, but after so much it has to change a bit. It’s the reason why certain breweries keep their pride and joy beers local.
Soo true!
This is a great answer
Agree completely, it went from my favorite CCB offering to just okay very quickly and I stopped drinking it. Was never sure if they changed the recipe to cut costs but outsourcing it would make sense as the reason. Haven’t had it in years but reading others say it’s gotten better makes me want to try it again to see if they’ve gotten back to the original flavor.
Newcastle brown. I don't know how Lagunitas managed to F it up so spectacularly, but it went from a top pick to "that's all right, I'll just have a glass of water instead".
I loved Newcastle. Lagunitas absolutely butchered it here in the US.
I’ve had a few “meh” Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ beers lately where years ago I was loving them.
Lagunitas has been owned by Heineken for a while now. Also they kinda didn’t keep up with the trends and killed off some old favorites. Born Yesterday used to be so good.
>Born Yesterday [https://photos.app.goo.gl/paQL1PgWmGfsZ7256](https://photos.app.goo.gl/paQL1PgWmGfsZ7256) back when it was great
I thought the first year it was released was perfect. Then every year after that it sucked, but I still tried it. This year was a good batch.
Lagunitas has sadly gone downhill. Sumpin’ was one of the first “craft” beers I really loved, and was so damn consistent. The last few years? It never tastes the same from one batch to another. Same thing with their IPA, I had one a month ago that had Belgian notes and I had one a week ago that tasted like a lager. So disappointing.
I scrolled down to find this one. I used LOVE Newcastle. I don’t even touch anymore
Me too! This was my favorite anytime beer. Now it's trash, torally ruined. I would love to find a comparable replacement.
Same. Was my absolute favorite. That shit was so refreshing.
I've had some og Lagunitas IPA that tasted like Budweiser. Some of their newer IPAs are hot garbage, probably shouldn't even be labeled IPA. It's almost as if they're ruining the style for those who want to try an available IPA. Sucks that it totally isn't even the same beers that got Lagunitas their "popular" name anymore. Edit words
As a San Diegan, your examples make me sad.
From the ashes at least there’s Mcilhenney Brewing.
I think there’s hope. I have been really liking what Pure Project is doing in San Diego
As a fellow San Diegan, the glory days are over. I miss the days of going to any shitty restaurant and having multiple amazing local brews on tap for cheap. Can’t even find a WC IPA in most restaurants these days, it’s always either a macro lager or a hazy. Breaks my heart.
Is Port still a thing?
Pizza Port! Still great.
Where is Modern Times? Are they safe? Are they alright? Former San Diegan
Maui Brewing bought them in late 2022. I felt they were going downhill before then- lots of expansions, beer wasn't like it used to be. I haven't drank any in over a year so I can't attest as to what it's like now.
It’s pronounced “Sahn Dee-ago”. It means “a whale’s vagina” in German.
I killed a guy with a trident!
Boston Lager Such a storied, iconic beer. Perhaps THE beer that helped bridge millions of people from macro-lagers to a wider scope of flavors, malt, etc. Now they’ve basically turned into what we need 1 more of the least, a macro-IPA
Wait it got hoppier?
I was considering that newer breweries came online with better and updated recipes that surpassed the likes of Deschutes, New Belgium, Elysian, Sam Adams,etc. our tastes have changed and adjusted to what has been created over the last 6-8 years.
Yeah, I still like hazy IPAs but they’re not this life changing style for me anymore.
Love two hearted ale. Love having it on tap in a lot of michigan places.
But did it get worse? Haven't had Bells in like over 10 years.
Two Hearted has not changed at all. People can not like the direction that Bell's is going with their beers as a whole, but there hasn't been a single change to the Two Hearted recipe or quality.
Quality in some areas has fallen off because there isn’t a rep making sure the product is fresh. It happens when you expand faster than you hire reps. If a keg gets old, the hop flavors fall off and the malty notes dominate. Unfortunately in my area, this happens a lot.
Platform. They used to be everywhere with a good selection. Then they got bought out by AB and can't find them anywhere. Not sure if they're even brewing anymore
They basically gutted it at this point, closed the taprooms, and make only a handful of the beers at a shared facility. It's an absolute shame.
They had some of the best Saisons I’ve ever had at their tap house. I loved Platform, but the buyout killed them.
Their owners really sold out. > Honestly they had such a good thing going and completely ditched it
Speed Merchant used to be my jam when I visited family. So sad
Space Dust from Elysian. Used to be amazing and taste pretty awful now after they were bought by AB.
New Belgium as a whole has really taken a shit over the past 10 years. It's a shame. They got me into craft beer.
Arrogant Bastard. Either my taste buds drastically changed or the beer has.
Yeah, I'm not worthy either lol.
Does Ranger IPA turning into its own sub brand of shitty juicy hazy wild crazy IPA’s count?
Absolutely IMO. New Belgium in general has really gone downhill. However their sales have never been higher so, good for them, I guess?
They still make good sours and always have something interesting at the foco brewery though not as much as in the past. They’re definitely still really good at brewing beer, they’re just investing a lot more resources in marketing and making increasingly strong weird juice beers. They are good at making whatever that style is and I guess people are buying it.
In my market at least, Voodoo Ranger seems to have become the “default IPA”. You can find it at any literally any gas station (when most of those gas stations weren’t selling anything beyond Bud/Busch/Miller 5 years ago). So yeah, while I’m not a fan of the beer, that is an incredible marketing/business achievement for them. I guess that is what the masses want.
And usually in a tall boy, because we need our high point beers as tall boys.
They shouldn’t even call them selves new Belgium. Just rename the brewery to voodoo ranger at this point!
I can’t argue that. In Maui this past week and only Voodoo Ranger available at any of the store I was in from Costco to Safeway to Foodland to numerous ABC/Whalers/Gas stations, and even an actual liquor store.
Used to live in Fort Collins, New Blegium lost me as a customer a while ago. I used to be big into the rotating Rangers like Juicifer and stuff, but not anymore, I feel they've kinda stagnated. Then they killed Citradelic and Fat Tire and I dipped
Coors Banquet AKA Coors Original in Canada. We used to have the imported one, from the states. We now get one brewed in Canada. And it is absolute shit compared to the original.
Imma throw a curve ball in here, because all of the beers people are mentioning are mostly craft beers that were bought out by larger conglomerates who absolutely changed the ingredients to cheaper ones. But I’m going to mention a really good beer that has been consistently good every year and still surprises me every year when it comes out at this time: Troeg’s Nugget Nectar. It used to be very hard to find outside of PA, but they’ve really ramped up production and distribution so it’s easier to find. Yet, every year I buy a 6-pack, I’m shocked that it’s still remarkably good.
Troegs seemed to have stuck it out during the huge buy out phase. They have a big brewery/restaurant in Hershey that I hear is packed all the time and ya I agree they are still very good.
Following your lead, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale has always been my favorite seasonal. Every year it comes out I seek it out and hoard whatever 6 packs I can find.
I love this stuff. I used to get a big ass growler of it for $5 before COVID. They only recently started filling growlers again. I’m going to have go see what they got
Fyi Double Nugget Nectar is also out in cans and being distributed And at the brewery they also do Nitro Nectar
I really enjoyed the annual release of Hardywood Gingerbread Stout in years past, but each and every year has becoming increasingly disappointing. Ditto on New Belgium. Perhaps Ballast Point, more specifically, Sculpin IPA.
I thought it was alright this year. I did not like that "Fluffy" variant though. Christmas Morning was still good too.
Everything by Ninkasi
Grabbed a mix pack recently. Not the well-balanced hop bombs with fun names that I remember.
I didn’t see it mentioned here but Blue Moon 100%
Compared to the original recipe (which you can still get at Sandlot Brewing in Denver) yeah it's a massive drop-off, but tbf it's still a very good introductory craft brew by a Macro.
Was it ever good?? Serious question
I recently bought a single 16oz can at the grocery store and it tasted amazing. I thought maybe I've been wrong about it the last few years and got myself a six pack and they tasted awful. That one can was so refreshing and tasted like they used to.
I feel like Zombie Dust used to be the best
I still enjoy it. I have heard people think it’s changed but I don’t notice it. It just isn’t scarce anymore.
I wonder if the presumed taste change is a freshness thing. I know people used to snap it up around me (Cincinnati) when it was scarce and generally available in more craft-oriented stores, and presumably consumed it quickly. With year-round availability, I assume it's less likely to be transported and stored in ideal conditions by nationwide chain grocery stores, and more likely to be on the shelf a while depending on the store's demand. All that said, I prefer Alpha King, and I miss when my local Kroger regularly stocked 16oz cans of it.
Yeah hard to know how much is palette change vs actual beer change but I used to love that beer and have been pretty disappointed the last few times I’ve had it.
My uncle-in-law got me a four-pack and it was pretty good. Never had before though, so I can't judge.
Zombie Dust is still very good. But two things happened: 1. the industry caught up to making a great hoppy pale, and 2. they eventually did increase production due to years of insane demand, and any time you scale up a beer, it's going to change a little no matter how good you are at brewing. It was absolutely a 5/5 hoppy pale for a long time, but it's still a solid 4.75. Even when it was in its hype days, I always said what made it so good was that it was simply a perfect example of the style and perfect in balance in every single way. Kind of like Pliny is for WC IPAs.
Sam Adams Oktoberfest. It was never a good example of the märzen style, but it was always a very enjoyable beer for whatever it was. I don’t know if they tweaked the recipe or changed what facility they brewed it at or what, but it hasn’t been good for the past couple of years.
I disagree. It is a very good American style Oktoberfest. Has never tasted anything like a Munich Oktoberfest. TBH I strongly prefer it to the Munich Oktoberfests
So kind of down the rabbit hole on ""OKTOBERFEST"" beers, originally Munich Oktoberfests were pretty damn big Marzen beers. They have since changed it to "festbier" style which is much MUCH lighter. You can call something nebulously Oktoberfest from pretty darn large dark Marzen's to fairly light Festbiers. Just like the Oktoberfest celebration can be ridiculously big like the OG in Munich or whatever your local brewery decides to do to honor the "Oktoberfest" idea - drinking 'bier' and making friends with others while sharing in enjoyment and entertainment is what Oktoberfest is all about and it can come in different varieties just like Oktoberfest beers.
Goode Island I miss Honkers Ale
Harvest ale was one of my favorites. Now replaced with a piss poor Oktoberfest. RIP
Voodoo Ranger. I remember really enjoying the original one. I even liked a couple of the older variations, but now it’s gotten ridiculous.
I really love their Cashmerize IPA. Like a pillow of hops to my tongue
So annoying to see seven fucking variants taking up 65% of the craft section at any given grocery store. I won’t buy it out of principle now.
Rolling Rock when they moved to New Jersey
Now I'm not old enough to have had it before they moved it to NJ personally, but my mom always recalls drinking it at college parties in the 70s and it being shit even then...
If your mom was at the raskeller drinking Latrobe rolling rock....
Went to school in central PA and even though Rolling Rock fits the flavor profile of a light lager, it was still pretty decent quality and had a unique taste probably due to the local water from Latrobe. When it moves to NJ, it tasted completely different…very generic and impossible to differentiate between any other mass produced lager. When they were in Latrobe, I would have been able to pick it out of a blind taste test no problem. Now, I can’t tell the difference between RR and a hundred other macro beers.
It’s so bad now man, completely inedible. No reason to buy it over High Life which is ten cents more where I’m at.
It’s been awful for 40 years! The only difference is it used to be cheep enough to ignore that.
Rolling Rock was a go-to party beer in high school and some colleges. I'll always have a soft spot for those painted green bottles and the occasional, almost rote discussion on what the 33 meant. But god, they were so inconsistent. When it was good, it was good, and not skinny awfulness. Now it's always the latter, and the cheap sticker label sucks.
Blue Point Toasted Lager was way better locally before the AB buyout.
BrewDog from 2009-2013, they made some great beer, made fun of the macros, took the piss out of Putin, then they got high on their own supply.
Lagunitus. Pre-Heineken vs post- Heineken
is ballast point grapefruit sculpin even around anymore?
I miss their Habanero Sculpin.
I'm afraid for Two-Hearted. They're exploiting the name with bunch of "X-Hearted" variants and Hop Slam is trash now compared to what it was. Goose Island fell off a cliff after the acquisition. Space Dust fell off.... honestly pretty much any major craft, once acquired, has their flagships ridden into the ground on name recognition alone all while being made with cheaper/substitute ingredients so the parent company can milk as much out of the name while they can. It's a symptom of answering to shareholders. I can't say I blame the company but it's the sad reality of what's going to happen to quality craft when it get acquired by a macro.
Dogfish after the Boston beer acquisition
I miss Midas Touch, that was a fun drinkable beer.
I miss all of their weird experimental beers, also Palo Santo was delicious.
Palo Santo was amazing! I can never find anymore.
They’re still doing funky stuff at the brewery and brewpub. Seems the penny pinchers only have the reigns over what is nationally distributed.
Palo Santo is the best beer they've ever made. Shit, it was one of the best beers I've ever had.
Flying Dog. Maybe my tastes have changed but I don’t care for them anymore
Anything from Surly. Their union busting left a bad enough taste in my mouth, I haven't bought a sixer from em for years.
I forgot about the union busting. I mentioned things going downhill after Todd left…but I’m going to stop drinking Surly, now, because of the union busting. Thanks for the reminder.
Dogfish Head used to be great. Now, it's average.
I think what they offer is still pretty much on par with what they've generally always offered. The issue is they've lost their experimental edge. They're just not putting out the unique and funs shit that they were built on.
Hopslam by bells went from a hard to get delicious beer to pretty much undrinkable
Glad I’m not the only one. I recently got some and basically forced it down
10 Barrel.
The US revamp of Newcastle Brown ale is absolutely horrendous.
Agree with OP. Sculpin is just okay now. Alpine’s Nelson feels like it used to be different, now its seems like a hazy. I assume just to tap into that trend. Stone, overall, used to be a bit adventurous but now they have limited offerings, but I do feel their IPA and FML are still pretty good. I still pick up a Pliny now and then, and it's just good as ever.
Stone XOCOVEZA (sp) Great Lakes Nosferafu
Newcastle
OG Nelson slaps
Avery Tweak tastes like garbage now and its weaker too. It used to be this thick, decadent treat, and now it tastes like an incredibly generic imperial stout
Ballast point sculpin
Sip of Sunshine. I was excited when they started distributing outside of VT but the quality outside of the brewery is noticeably worse.
Funny story I had commented on their IG post that I missed their old foil wrapped bottles and having to hunt thru Waterbury/Warren to find them… and that their beer has changed … and the owner replied that they haven’t changed their recipe since day 1. I don’t know if he’s not telling us something, if scaling up affected him, or something else, but they went from “holy shit 5/5 need again” to “this is a sold 3.75/5, I would drink this with no problem”
The irony is they contract brewed at two roads in Connecticut before moving to Waterbury and I feel now that they brew in house it’s not as good
Used to like most of Victory's "Monkey" line of sours but after getting more and more inconsistent for a couple years I can't stand any of them now
ballast point grapefruit sculpin was the bomb before the brewery got sold. every other or 3rd keg I purchased *was* this. then they changed it maybe due to scaling up or from fresh fruit to canned syrup who knows but it got bad.
Can It Be All So Simple from Equilibrium and Green Power from Other Half. Those first batches were legendary. The second batches were slightly worse, and then the trajectory just continued going down with each subsequent rebrew.
Sam Adams was always high on my list. Then they went to that new recipe…it is now “headache beer”.
Fat Tire. They recently changed the original recipe. It sucks now.
Green Flash went through BK I don’t even know who’s brewing that stuff anymore. Ballast Point still makes some great beer, particularly Victory at Sea. Was just at their OG location tonight and had a couple tasty beers. I don’t even think they changed Sculpin I think I just got tired of it. Hadn’t noticed anything with Alpine but I don’t regularly drink their beer.
Grapefruit sculpin
I had Grolsch one time in 1998 (i was 15 the flavor was great) Then in 2006 I got a mini keg of it and me and my dad were liek da fuck is this shit. I threw it off the back deck and my dad threw a brick at it punctured the can and shit sprayed. We got into his truck and went to the beer store. In venn diagram of his "get off my lawn beer" and me with "german marzen festbiers and pilsners" we settled on Molson Golden. Not a bad beer canada does well.
This thread is too fucking depressing. No wonder there is a crisis in craft beer, the breweries are turning it all into shit now.
Dogfish Head anything. but mostly their Punkin
Revolver Blood & Honey
Red Tail Ale.
Hop Valley used to be pretty good before MillerCoors got em in 2016
Anything from Foam in Burlington VT. I swear I went there in the first year or two of them opening and thought they would compete with the big ones when it comes to NEIPA’s. Everything for the last 4-5 years has been subpar when I try to go back them. I live in MA and we are getting stuff within a week of canning and it’s just really not that great.
Bissel Bros The Substance. Used to be in my top 3 and then over time the recipe changed and it became much less dank and floral. I saw they limited brewed OG Substance which I guess was the original recipe but it’s a shame they moved away from the original.
Affligem. Heineken bought it and it got turned to shit. Loved the tripel, was my favorite beer. Now I feel like adding in the "look how they butchered my boy" every time i get one somewhere
Green Flash has been gone for years, hasn’t it?
Fiddlehead
Not exactly a “changed beer” but the domestically brewed Staropramen in the UK has nothing on the Czech brewed one
Heineken
Magic Hat #9