After my last Goose story I was prepared to steer away from Goose Island. Personally, I feel the topic is getting somewhat old, but the Hall's seem to have a miraculous ability to keep generating stories for this blog. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Greg Hall, exiting Brewmaster of Goose Island, son of the founder, and future brewing consultant to Anheuser - Busch (AB) mistook a pint glass for a urinal while standing in a bar.
The Tribune is reporting that Hall relieved himself in two pint glasses in the bar area of Bangers and Lace and then left the premises. Hall has allegedly admitted he acted inappropriately, but can not recall the entire evening as he was too inebriated. Hall did apologize.
I will be looking into the story more tomorrow as it is almost 9 pm here. I plan contact media relations at Goose Island, AB and Bangers and Lace. I would also like to know if this brazen public urination has been reported to Chicago Police Department, or does Bangers and Lace let people have a complete disregard for decorum and the law? Not only is Goose Island off my list of bars to hang out at, Bangers and Lace is looking that way to....
Check back for more updates or follow me on Twitter @verysmallbeer
Update: As I expected getting no comments across the board.
Showing posts with label Goose Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goose Island. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tough Topic Business of Beer & Customer Relations
As I discussed last Monday everything connected to beer is a business. What type of business depends on your relationship to beer. If you are a store, bar or restaurant you sell to consumers. Distributors have to convince those outlets to sell the beer they distribute, and brewers must convince distributors to carry their product. However, one group matters more than any other in that heap, customers.
The customer is more important than anything. If we are not buying a certain product no one will sell it. The key to getting the customer to buy into your product is building a relationship. We live in a time when social matters. I already wrote on brewers in social media, but interpersonal relations matter too. I buy local but I also buy from international faceless corporations. I buy from Amazon but not Wal-Mart. Heck, I would even buy beer from AB if it intrigued me.
One product I do not think I will buy again is Goose Island. The company has a tragic inability to foster strong customer relations. Years ago I met John Hall for the second time. He started fishing for compliments. I threw him a bone and then I explained an issue with the Clark St. brewpub. Without blinking he told me it made a bunch of money last year so he must be doing something right. Well, if he had got his head on the issue he might of made more. After they had their near closing scare they made some serious changes to the brewpub. Unfortunately, they were not responsive to customer complaints, and even started to have what many believe were contaminated draft lines. Finally, they sold to AB. That in and of itself did not mean I would not buy their beer again although it did piss me off. How they handled the situation is what irked me.
The final straw came last week. The Chicago Beer Society sent out a notice that Greg Hall would speak on the AB sale. I stayed for a while and I never heard him speak, although I waited two hours some say he did show up eventually. What I did see was John Hall come in 90 minutes after the event started, shake a few hands with people he was obviously acquainted with and go drink a beer with a bunch of suits at the bar. Many in the room were concerned about the sale. I would not of classified the atmosphere as hostile, but this is the group is some of your biggest and loyal customers. Many people ask these people for their opinion on beer. Goose Island had a chance for a major PR victory here. Instead they blew it off.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Goose Island Sale Will Damage Small Brewers
I know you are all sick of hearing about Goose Island and the Anheuser Busch acquisition. I think every beer blogger, writer and news outlet wrote knee jerk responses. I stand by my previous post, but I wanted to write a more thoughtful post especially now that a discussion had occurred. I was faced with a difficult problem while writing on Monday. No one had made an argument for or against this acquisition This blog is not about me proselytizing, but rather about the conversation that occurs within the beer community in which I am one voice.
Beer enthusiasts have fallen into three camps. The people who think Goose Island's sale is a great thing, those who regard it as horrible and the wait and see camp. I think in some respects all three camps are correct. Yes, I think everyone is right. They are right for their own reasons.
The sale is great for Goose Island as a brand. AB will pump up production, and may even bring back some retired styles like Oatmeal and Nut Brown. The two Chicago brewpubs are unaffected, and I read in more than one article that they are evaluating their options. The Hall family got a nice chunk of cash for building the business. With AB at the helm I think people from coast to coast will see Goose Island in their stores over the next few years. No doubt this is a win for Goose Island as a business.
The people in doom and gloom land are right for the same reasons. These people do not like large corporations selling beer to them. They believe in environmental sustainability, drinking local, and the diversity craft beer has to offer. Craft trumps profit and they believe the industry is damaged.
The wait and see people are probably the most reasonable people. AB is promising to let John Hall retain control. They have also said the St. Louis brewery will not be used to produce Goose Island beer, but curiously did not mention the other AB facilities. The recipes will not change and everything will be the same. The question is whether AB holds true to their word or not. These are huge questions and time will tell. AB has not always followed this in the past, although they may have learned from mistakes.
Where do I sit? I believe in all three camps. This is great if your name is Hall or your a Goose Island production worker. Without a doubt a larger corporation is selling the beer. Goose is now a subsidiary. Make no mistake this is not the "partnership" some have tried to frame this as. AB owns Goose Island -do not be stupid. AB will look to make their money back, and they will look to find ways to cut costs. Will those changes come at the expense of quality? Only time will tell. I will put money on AB brewing 312 Urban Wheat Ale in giant brewkettles at their facilities within 3 years which may or may not affect quality.
The people who really need to be concerned are Metropolitan, Half Acre, Three Floyds and other Chicago brewers. Without a doubt AB will flex their marketing muscle to keep their new brand out in front. If AB is able to keep these breweries from expanding their taps and shelf space their business models went to hell. Now imagine if AB is able to go after 5% of a small brewers accounts. Metropolitan Chicago's only strict lager brewery is a strong up and comer. (My review) Metropolitan is sold in about 363 bars and restaurants in the Chicago area. AB would only have to successfully shut Metropolitan out of 18 outlets to hit that goal. Looking at the list it would not be that hard. You can watch the movie Beer Wars to see how the retail side of things works. AB may not need to shove them out, but imagine if Metropolitan's their shelf space went from two facings to one?
Many small startup breweries are running with debt right now. Their business models are built on ever increasing growth. Should AB flex their muscles many smaller craft brewers may be in trouble.
Beer enthusiasts have fallen into three camps. The people who think Goose Island's sale is a great thing, those who regard it as horrible and the wait and see camp. I think in some respects all three camps are correct. Yes, I think everyone is right. They are right for their own reasons.
The sale is great for Goose Island as a brand. AB will pump up production, and may even bring back some retired styles like Oatmeal and Nut Brown. The two Chicago brewpubs are unaffected, and I read in more than one article that they are evaluating their options. The Hall family got a nice chunk of cash for building the business. With AB at the helm I think people from coast to coast will see Goose Island in their stores over the next few years. No doubt this is a win for Goose Island as a business.
The people in doom and gloom land are right for the same reasons. These people do not like large corporations selling beer to them. They believe in environmental sustainability, drinking local, and the diversity craft beer has to offer. Craft trumps profit and they believe the industry is damaged.
The wait and see people are probably the most reasonable people. AB is promising to let John Hall retain control. They have also said the St. Louis brewery will not be used to produce Goose Island beer, but curiously did not mention the other AB facilities. The recipes will not change and everything will be the same. The question is whether AB holds true to their word or not. These are huge questions and time will tell. AB has not always followed this in the past, although they may have learned from mistakes.
Where do I sit? I believe in all three camps. This is great if your name is Hall or your a Goose Island production worker. Without a doubt a larger corporation is selling the beer. Goose is now a subsidiary. Make no mistake this is not the "partnership" some have tried to frame this as. AB owns Goose Island -do not be stupid. AB will look to make their money back, and they will look to find ways to cut costs. Will those changes come at the expense of quality? Only time will tell. I will put money on AB brewing 312 Urban Wheat Ale in giant brewkettles at their facilities within 3 years which may or may not affect quality.
The people who really need to be concerned are Metropolitan, Half Acre, Three Floyds and other Chicago brewers. Without a doubt AB will flex their marketing muscle to keep their new brand out in front. If AB is able to keep these breweries from expanding their taps and shelf space their business models went to hell. Now imagine if AB is able to go after 5% of a small brewers accounts. Metropolitan Chicago's only strict lager brewery is a strong up and comer. (My review) Metropolitan is sold in about 363 bars and restaurants in the Chicago area. AB would only have to successfully shut Metropolitan out of 18 outlets to hit that goal. Looking at the list it would not be that hard. You can watch the movie Beer Wars to see how the retail side of things works. AB may not need to shove them out, but imagine if Metropolitan's their shelf space went from two facings to one?
Many small startup breweries are running with debt right now. Their business models are built on ever increasing growth. Should AB flex their muscles many smaller craft brewers may be in trouble.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tough Topic: Goose Island Changes Hands
On Thursday March 21 I posted a more thoughtful second look.
Given today's breaking news I have opted for a second hastily written Tough Topic post. You should still check out my post on Brewery Tours.
In what is a historic announcement Goose Island's ownership sold the production brewery and beer portfolio to Anheuser-Busch. I have no qualms about saying this is historic. Goose Island was a pioneer in bringing craft beer to the Midwest. Several other breweries in the region, and even the nation are headed by brewers who cut their teeth at Goose Island. Goose Island has stood for quality and innovation in a tight knit drinking community.
Goose Island is not just where I became acquainted with craft beer, where I made friends or enjoyed the best beer I ever had. Over the last few years Goose Island really pushed the idea of drinking local with beers like Green Line, and helped fuel the trend for barrel aged beer with the Bourbon County Stout line of beers. While all this occurred Goose Island has had some issues, and long term customers were beginning to grumble about a drop in quality. (See here and here for details.)
I have met the Halls and I never doubted they were in this business to make money. I can not blame them. only idiots go into business to go broke, but a bottom line always seemed to pop up with them. Goose now claims that in order to keep up growth they needed to sell to Anheuser-Busch for $38.8M. Frankly, I think they undervalued the brewery, but I am just a humble blogger. BeerAdvocate has a press release where John Hall founder of Goose Island calls this a partnership. I find it hard to consider someone buying a 58% stake in the business a partnership when the founder is no longer really in charge.
The customary claims that nothing will change are being made and Goose Island will continue operations as is, but with additional support of the resources of AB. However Goose Island's current brewmaster is already stepping down and being replaced by Brett Porter. Brett is a well regarded brewer, but this is evidence of change, and I can only assume that positions will be eliminated. I already had a recently terminated Goose Island employee tell me he expects us to see many more pink slips.
What else will change? Beer selection. I expect to see the Michelob line of beer scaled back. Currently Michelob sells a line of craft style beers in in several traditional styles from English Pale Ale to Bavarian Wheat. Michelob struggled to gain a foothold in this segment and having beer drinkers adopt it as a viable choice. It would realistically make sense for AB to push Goose Island's current well rated and accepted line of beer into the same shelf space.
Harry Schuhmacher has reported on his Twitter feed that Dave Peacock the CEO of AB has stated they will not brew Goose Island's line of beers at the St. Louis brewery. I find the choice of words interesting given that AB operates eleven other facilities in the US and has access to InBev facilities overseas. At some point someone will make a decision that it is cheaper to begin doing runs of certain beers such as 312 or Summertime in a larger facility. I agree we will not see these changes right away, but they are coming. Once capacity opens up we may see the Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown beers return or we may see less profitable beers disappear.
I do think the Chicago facility will continue operation, in fact AB is claiming to pump over a million dollars into the facility in the next year. However, I believe that this will be to focus on smaller batch beers such as Bourbon County and Matilda. It is just too easy to increase profits on some of these beers by transferring production to another facility.
What else will change? I do not think AB will change their position on honesty. I do think Goose Island will have a drop of sales in certain circles such as HopCat's announcement to discontinue sale (#3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth by BeerAdvocate). I do think their sales will likely increase, and Goose Island will sell coast to coast. I have not alway embraced the David vs Goliath philosophy and felt microbreweries biggest competition was each other and not the big guys. I think this acquisition needs to be closely watched by Dogfish Head and Brooklyn Brewery. This threatens them in a way they have not seen.
In any case the next 24 months will have a lot to show. Will this work? Will it grow or die? What will the effect on other establishments be? Come back and find out I plan to watch closely. Given Goose Islands increasing focus on Belgian style beer it is ironic they got bought up by a Belgian conglomerate.
Given today's breaking news I have opted for a second hastily written Tough Topic post. You should still check out my post on Brewery Tours.
In what is a historic announcement Goose Island's ownership sold the production brewery and beer portfolio to Anheuser-Busch. I have no qualms about saying this is historic. Goose Island was a pioneer in bringing craft beer to the Midwest. Several other breweries in the region, and even the nation are headed by brewers who cut their teeth at Goose Island. Goose Island has stood for quality and innovation in a tight knit drinking community.
Goose Island is not just where I became acquainted with craft beer, where I made friends or enjoyed the best beer I ever had. Over the last few years Goose Island really pushed the idea of drinking local with beers like Green Line, and helped fuel the trend for barrel aged beer with the Bourbon County Stout line of beers. While all this occurred Goose Island has had some issues, and long term customers were beginning to grumble about a drop in quality. (See here and here for details.)
I have met the Halls and I never doubted they were in this business to make money. I can not blame them. only idiots go into business to go broke, but a bottom line always seemed to pop up with them. Goose now claims that in order to keep up growth they needed to sell to Anheuser-Busch for $38.8M. Frankly, I think they undervalued the brewery, but I am just a humble blogger. BeerAdvocate has a press release where John Hall founder of Goose Island calls this a partnership. I find it hard to consider someone buying a 58% stake in the business a partnership when the founder is no longer really in charge.
The customary claims that nothing will change are being made and Goose Island will continue operations as is, but with additional support of the resources of AB. However Goose Island's current brewmaster is already stepping down and being replaced by Brett Porter. Brett is a well regarded brewer, but this is evidence of change, and I can only assume that positions will be eliminated. I already had a recently terminated Goose Island employee tell me he expects us to see many more pink slips.
What else will change? Beer selection. I expect to see the Michelob line of beer scaled back. Currently Michelob sells a line of craft style beers in in several traditional styles from English Pale Ale to Bavarian Wheat. Michelob struggled to gain a foothold in this segment and having beer drinkers adopt it as a viable choice. It would realistically make sense for AB to push Goose Island's current well rated and accepted line of beer into the same shelf space.
Harry Schuhmacher has reported on his Twitter feed that Dave Peacock the CEO of AB has stated they will not brew Goose Island's line of beers at the St. Louis brewery. I find the choice of words interesting given that AB operates eleven other facilities in the US and has access to InBev facilities overseas. At some point someone will make a decision that it is cheaper to begin doing runs of certain beers such as 312 or Summertime in a larger facility. I agree we will not see these changes right away, but they are coming. Once capacity opens up we may see the Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown beers return or we may see less profitable beers disappear.
I do think the Chicago facility will continue operation, in fact AB is claiming to pump over a million dollars into the facility in the next year. However, I believe that this will be to focus on smaller batch beers such as Bourbon County and Matilda. It is just too easy to increase profits on some of these beers by transferring production to another facility.
What else will change? I do not think AB will change their position on honesty. I do think Goose Island will have a drop of sales in certain circles such as HopCat's announcement to discontinue sale (#3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth by BeerAdvocate). I do think their sales will likely increase, and Goose Island will sell coast to coast. I have not alway embraced the David vs Goliath philosophy and felt microbreweries biggest competition was each other and not the big guys. I think this acquisition needs to be closely watched by Dogfish Head and Brooklyn Brewery. This threatens them in a way they have not seen.
In any case the next 24 months will have a lot to show. Will this work? Will it grow or die? What will the effect on other establishments be? Come back and find out I plan to watch closely. Given Goose Islands increasing focus on Belgian style beer it is ironic they got bought up by a Belgian conglomerate.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Event Review: Day and Night of The Living Ales
Each year the Chicago Beer Society (CBS) holds the Day & Night of The Living Ales: A Celebration of Real Ale. This event features real ale, also known as cask beer. Real ale has no carbon dioxide added and the beer naturally carbonates, additionally the yeast in this beer is still active almost up until the time you drink the beer. The beer also likes to exist around 53F so festivals like this can be a bit chilly. Normally CBS finds a deli or other caterer to put out a small selection of higher end meat and cheese to munch on.
CBS splits the day into two sessions the Day and the Night. There is no real difference except time of day. The organizers try very hard to make sure beer is held in casks for the second session. Occasionally one will run out, but not usually half way into the second session. A benefit of the second session is you can call people you know at the first session and know what is worth it and what is not. Personally I am done for the day after drinking for hours so I typically crawl into bed after an event like this.
In 2011 there were 45 beers available and for the most part were very good. Chicago brewers dominate at this event, but there was a fair sprinkling of brewers from elseware. Metropolitan had an intriguing ginger infused alt and Piece had smoked chocolate porter that reminded me of cocoa puffs. The bad side of cask events was evident in Revolution's Village Green Bitter which had some off flavors. This can happen easily and I would note their Eugen Porter was above average. With the ale be alive right up to the end it is hard for a brewer to ensure the perfect flavor. I do not know if this was the situation with Village Green, but many brewers never get to crack open the cask until the event itself making it near impossible to provide the level of quality control we have become used to.
CBS also gives awards at this event and Firestone Walker's Double Jack Double IPA won the Golden Tut Award for being the beer that best exemplified the cask experience. Attendees also vote for their top beers. This year first place went to Goose Island's production facility for Scully an oak aged saison with strawberries, honey and Champagne yeast.
Overall, this is one of the better events on the annual beer calender, and does sell out. I try to attend each year as I never know what I may find. I have done both the day and night sessions, and I lean towards liking the night better. CBS holds Living Ale each March and I hope to see you there next year.
CBS splits the day into two sessions the Day and the Night. There is no real difference except time of day. The organizers try very hard to make sure beer is held in casks for the second session. Occasionally one will run out, but not usually half way into the second session. A benefit of the second session is you can call people you know at the first session and know what is worth it and what is not. Personally I am done for the day after drinking for hours so I typically crawl into bed after an event like this.
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| Night Session 2011 |
CBS also gives awards at this event and Firestone Walker's Double Jack Double IPA won the Golden Tut Award for being the beer that best exemplified the cask experience. Attendees also vote for their top beers. This year first place went to Goose Island's production facility for Scully an oak aged saison with strawberries, honey and Champagne yeast.
Overall, this is one of the better events on the annual beer calender, and does sell out. I try to attend each year as I never know what I may find. I have done both the day and night sessions, and I lean towards liking the night better. CBS holds Living Ale each March and I hope to see you there next year.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Brewery Review: Anheuser-Busch
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| St. Louis Brewhouse |
People also do not realize the level of influence AB has in many of the most popular craft beers. AB has about a one-third stake in Goose Island and steaks of several others, most notably the Craft Brewers Alliance. Many people from the South think Landshark Lager is a micro-brew. Seriously? When do craft breweries have enough cash to buy naming rights on an NFL stadium? Think I am lying? Scroll to the bottom of their homepage and click the beeresponsible.com link.
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| Beer Bitch Loves The Horses |
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| Pouring From A Finishing Tank |
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Beer Review: Honkers Ale by Goose Island
Inspired by English country pubs, Honker's Ale is one of Goose Islands core brands and is found in most grocery stores in the Chicago region. I also know some grocery stores and almost all beer stores in the Midwest can get you this beer. For a number of years I kept a six pack of this in the fridge as my go-to-beer. I also find this is a relatively safe beer to take to BBQs and other gatherings as people may not find it as intimidating as some other beers.
Tasting Notes:
Pours amber with a bit of a haze and a proper head. A fruity aroma with a trace of hops gives way to flavors of a balanced brew. A bit of citrus hops dances across the tongue. Honker's has a pretty smooth feel almost thin mouthfeel. I think novices will likely have their eyes opened by this beer and snobs will likely drink one and move on.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Memory Lane: Making Friends
After my run in with Garrett Oliver (see here) I delved into craft beer with no end in sight. I used to scrape together enough change to go to Goose Island for a beer. After I got to know the bartenders they would occasionally let a free one would slide my way. I do not think Beer Bitch knew how often I went and I am scared to tell her. I was pretty broke, but I found a place I could call home. Goose became a place I could sit and talk and not worry.
As my finances improved I started to go to their beer academies. I made regular pilgrimages there for years until Wil left. After he left it was never the same. Prices went up, pours were smaller, and quality began to suffer. However, for the years I went I made a number of friends. I can not tell you how ingrained the craft beer circle has become in my life. I frequently get together with people I met at Goose and will always fondly look upon my time there fondly.
How has craft beer made an impact in your life?
How has craft beer made an impact in your life?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Memory Lane: The Best Beer I Ever Had
Since my first trip to Goose Island I asked Beer Bitch to take me back each time I came to town. Sometimes she caved; sometimes she didn't. I ended up finishing my degree and moved to Chicago to be with her. I have a day job that requires an exam. When that was done I headed to Goose Island, and I ordered a Brew 2000 Wheatmiser. To this day I swear this beer was the best beer I ever had in my life. It was over this beer I reflected on a bachelors degree, a graduate degree, a move away from family and friends to be with Beer Bitch, the toughest test of my life, and searching for a job. Sadly it was during this beer my mother called to tell me we lost my Great-Grandmother. I look back on this beer and am amazed at the joy, pain, excitement, fear and sadness that was all summed up while drinking a solitary beer.
How about you? Whats the best beer you ever had?
How about you? Whats the best beer you ever had?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Changing Brewers Might Not Always Be A Bad Idea
Over the last several months both Goose Island and Rock Bottom in Chicago changed their head brewpub brewers. One brewery approached the change in a manner designed to keep customers happy. The other brewery lacked discipline and control and failed to provide a the quality that loyal customers could expect.
Rock Bottom lost Pete Crowley who wanted to go out on his own, and Goose Island transfered Wil Turner to their production facility. Rock Bottom replaced a highly regarded brewer with a well regarded and experienced brewer, Chris Rafferty. Goose Island replaced their brewer with a man who lacked the resume and the experience of the man he replaced. While new Goose Island head brewer Jared Rouben is a smart man and does know how to make beer; he is not realistically in the same ballpark as his predecessor.
When Rafferty came to Chicago he made what I feel is an unusual move. He knew a good beer when he saw it and did not tweak every recipe. For instance, at Flossmoor Brewing Company their signature Pullman Brown Ale has been changed with each brewer. However, Rafferty is not tweaking the Chicago Gold, Line Drive Light, and a few others. He is putting his stamp on the place by introducing some of his own recipes. This does include an excellent Pilsner.
On the other hand, the beers at Goose Island never quite tasted the same. Maybe the recipes have been tweaked, the lines went bad or something else happened. No one I know seems to enjoy the beer as much. To much changed so fast that loyal customers could not come in and drink or eat something familiar. People who enjoy craft beer enjoy two things: innovation and consistency. While Goose went with innovation, the consistent beers people drank every year just were not there or not like people remembered them. I know I take a hard line on Goose Island in many of my posts, but I feel like they have gone down the path of maximizing profits at the expense of stupid customers who do not know the difference.
At Flossmoor Brewing Co., the ownership had an audit done by a previous brewer and his recommendation was to revert back to the old recipes used by several brewers ago for the Great Eight. I appreciate the throw back to tradition , but I think it handcuffs the current brewers options as well as an inability to evolve with customer tastes. A mass produced Budweiser today should taste like a Budweiser from forty years ago. Craft beer is in large part about evolution. The quality of ingredients and customer tastes are constantly evolving to the next level. By sticking with a static recipe the owners of Flossmoor will likely be left in the dust.
From a standpoint of owners managing brewers I find it somewhat odd that Rock Bottom a national operation seems to be doing a better job than locally owned and managed operations. Brewpubs can be the heart of a community, and being sensitive to the community is what matters. If you make good beer they will come. Management in these establishments need to learn a hands-off approach when it comes to beer.
Rock Bottom lost Pete Crowley who wanted to go out on his own, and Goose Island transfered Wil Turner to their production facility. Rock Bottom replaced a highly regarded brewer with a well regarded and experienced brewer, Chris Rafferty. Goose Island replaced their brewer with a man who lacked the resume and the experience of the man he replaced. While new Goose Island head brewer Jared Rouben is a smart man and does know how to make beer; he is not realistically in the same ballpark as his predecessor.
When Rafferty came to Chicago he made what I feel is an unusual move. He knew a good beer when he saw it and did not tweak every recipe. For instance, at Flossmoor Brewing Company their signature Pullman Brown Ale has been changed with each brewer. However, Rafferty is not tweaking the Chicago Gold, Line Drive Light, and a few others. He is putting his stamp on the place by introducing some of his own recipes. This does include an excellent Pilsner.
On the other hand, the beers at Goose Island never quite tasted the same. Maybe the recipes have been tweaked, the lines went bad or something else happened. No one I know seems to enjoy the beer as much. To much changed so fast that loyal customers could not come in and drink or eat something familiar. People who enjoy craft beer enjoy two things: innovation and consistency. While Goose went with innovation, the consistent beers people drank every year just were not there or not like people remembered them. I know I take a hard line on Goose Island in many of my posts, but I feel like they have gone down the path of maximizing profits at the expense of stupid customers who do not know the difference.
At Flossmoor Brewing Co., the ownership had an audit done by a previous brewer and his recommendation was to revert back to the old recipes used by several brewers ago for the Great Eight. I appreciate the throw back to tradition , but I think it handcuffs the current brewers options as well as an inability to evolve with customer tastes. A mass produced Budweiser today should taste like a Budweiser from forty years ago. Craft beer is in large part about evolution. The quality of ingredients and customer tastes are constantly evolving to the next level. By sticking with a static recipe the owners of Flossmoor will likely be left in the dust.
From a standpoint of owners managing brewers I find it somewhat odd that Rock Bottom a national operation seems to be doing a better job than locally owned and managed operations. Brewpubs can be the heart of a community, and being sensitive to the community is what matters. If you make good beer they will come. Management in these establishments need to learn a hands-off approach when it comes to beer.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Memory Lane: My First Craft Beer
I do not know if it was the holidays or the fact that I am getting older, but I decided to write a series of posts about memorable moments in my craft beer life. Some of these moments where sad, others happy. The posts are not meant to be a sob story, but rather a reflection on how craft beer and the community that exists formed me into a psychotic beer snob with a blog.
My first brush with craft beer was at a now defunct Thirsty Dog brewpub. I cannot remember why we went out, but I was with my older cousin. I ordered a Raspberry Leghumper. I can understand if your laughing at my 21-year-old self right now. I was not a fan of strong beers and figured the raspberry would take the edge off, and leghumper sounded funny. I remember liking the beer, but thought a place like Thirsty Dog was a rarity. I had no clue microbreweries existed all over the place. I went back to drinking Coors Light and then Bud Light, although I mocked people at college parties who served Natty Light.
A few years went by and Beer Bitch and I parted ways for graduate school. Knowing I wasn't happy about being in a long distance relationship she tried to find fun stuff to do when I visited her in Chicago. So she took me to Goose Island. She told me she heard about this sampler thing where I could try a whole bunch of beer in little glasses. We had a waitress whose name escapes me, but I know she worked as their trainer serving and was very knowledgeable. She made a few suggestions and it was love at first sip. For a couple years after that I would keep Honkers Ale on hand and split time between it and Bud Light. I wanted more craft beer, but just did not have the money. Goose became this inexplicable force in my life and provided the backdrop for the most pivotal moments in my life.
Everybody has a first craft beer. When was your first?
My first brush with craft beer was at a now defunct Thirsty Dog brewpub. I cannot remember why we went out, but I was with my older cousin. I ordered a Raspberry Leghumper. I can understand if your laughing at my 21-year-old self right now. I was not a fan of strong beers and figured the raspberry would take the edge off, and leghumper sounded funny. I remember liking the beer, but thought a place like Thirsty Dog was a rarity. I had no clue microbreweries existed all over the place. I went back to drinking Coors Light and then Bud Light, although I mocked people at college parties who served Natty Light.
A few years went by and Beer Bitch and I parted ways for graduate school. Knowing I wasn't happy about being in a long distance relationship she tried to find fun stuff to do when I visited her in Chicago. So she took me to Goose Island. She told me she heard about this sampler thing where I could try a whole bunch of beer in little glasses. We had a waitress whose name escapes me, but I know she worked as their trainer serving and was very knowledgeable. She made a few suggestions and it was love at first sip. For a couple years after that I would keep Honkers Ale on hand and split time between it and Bud Light. I wanted more craft beer, but just did not have the money. Goose became this inexplicable force in my life and provided the backdrop for the most pivotal moments in my life.
Everybody has a first craft beer. When was your first?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Why I Am not Buying Rare Bourbon County Stout
The other day I was given a heads-up by a store on getting myself a bottle of Rare Bourbon County Stout by Goose Island. I discussed whether to purchase Rare with Beer Bitch. This discussion should send up a big red flag. I never discuss beer purchases prior to purchase, much like she never asks what I think of her shoes. Either way, purchases show up and the other person goes "Oh, what is that?" I thought very, very hard on this and actually have a list of reasons why I am not buying it.
For your consideration:
For your consideration:
- I tried an early batch of Rare in the Spring at a Goose Island event. While I know it was not the finished product, and Bourbon County Stout (BCS) usually takes a year to age once in the bottle. At the time I was not impressed.
- The name. I could fire up a homebrew kit make a limited number of bottles, and call it rare. Just because I call it rare does not mean it is a good beer.
- We do not know if this is good beer. This is a new recipe. How do we know it is really worth it? It might be indistinguishable from the regular BCS recipe.
- Goose Island has had quality control issues. We can all remember a recall of Matilda their flagship beer, and reports of contaminated taps at their brewpub.
- Cost. At $45 a bottle it may or may not be worth it. Not that I am opposed to spending that amount for a bottle of beer, but I want to know it is worth it. I have a sneaky suspicion this beer might only be worth a few dollars more than regular BCS.
Now I know in a few weeks many of you will likely point out positive Beer Advocate reviews or your own good experiences with this beer. I think you should keep in mind a psychology theory known as confirmation bias. It is the idea that a person has a belief and will look for any evidence to confirm that they made a correct decision. I hope if you bought a bottle you do not regret it. If you did not buy a bottle and regret it please use my list to console yourself. Hopefully you will end up believing it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The last of its kind.
Goose apparently wanted this beer out of their lineup in order to focus more on Belgian beers. I think this was short sighted, but then again no one asks me before they make business decisions. Look for it to make an appearance at the brewpub from time to time, but I doubt it will be the same.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Why do so many breweries make soda?
Simply put: excess capacity.
Production breweries require three main components: brewhouse, fermentation, and packaging. On many occasions a production facility fills the fermentation tanks to capacity. The beer is not ready to bottle, and there is no place to store newly brewed beer. Therefore, bottling and brewing equipment as well as employees sit idle. Many breweries fill this gap by producing craft sodas.
These sodas are often made with unusual ingredients, like real fruit juice and ginger or unusual techniques, like gas-fired kettles. Non-traditional flavors like orange cream, grape and true ginger are produced, but of course root beer is a popular option. Additionally, many of the sodas are all natural and use cane sugar versus the standard high fructose corn syrup. Sprecher makes their Cherry Cola with Wisconsin cherries and brews it in a gas-fired kettle. Goose Island makes all their sodas caffeine free and most are all-natural. Appalachian Brewing even makes the unusual Birch beer. Obviously not your run of the mill products.
The breweries get a few benefits from making soda. First, they do not have idle hands and equipment thus increasing their profitability. Secondly, I think it adds a touch of family. For one, Beer Bitch has something to drink. While I do not have kids, I wonder what going to a brewery, ordering a sampler and trying to convince a five-year-old he doesn't want any of it is like. More than once I have seen parents ask for a couple empty sampler glasses and pour the kids samples of soda. This creates the opportunity to fill brewpubs during the day with families that may shy away from the bar atmosphere at night. In fact Sprecher's brewery tour offers the option to taste soda instead of beer and Lakefront gives non-beer drinkers their Golden Maple Root beer.
In the end the innovation to make soda has more than likely lead to a bigger impact to micro-brewing than one imagines. If nothing else it at least shows people that there is yet another type of food that can come from something besides a multinational corporation.
 |
| Goose Island Vanilla Cream |
Production breweries require three main components: brewhouse, fermentation, and packaging. On many occasions a production facility fills the fermentation tanks to capacity. The beer is not ready to bottle, and there is no place to store newly brewed beer. Therefore, bottling and brewing equipment as well as employees sit idle. Many breweries fill this gap by producing craft sodas.
These sodas are often made with unusual ingredients, like real fruit juice and ginger or unusual techniques, like gas-fired kettles. Non-traditional flavors like orange cream, grape and true ginger are produced, but of course root beer is a popular option. Additionally, many of the sodas are all natural and use cane sugar versus the standard high fructose corn syrup. Sprecher makes their Cherry Cola with Wisconsin cherries and brews it in a gas-fired kettle. Goose Island makes all their sodas caffeine free and most are all-natural. Appalachian Brewing even makes the unusual Birch beer. Obviously not your run of the mill products.
 |
| Sprecher Cherry Cola |
In the end the innovation to make soda has more than likely lead to a bigger impact to micro-brewing than one imagines. If nothing else it at least shows people that there is yet another type of food that can come from something besides a multinational corporation.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Goose Island Having Draft Line Issues?
I have heard from several people in the last few weeks that some beers at Goose Island's Clybourn location have issues. One friend even sent her beer back. The most offensive from what I gathered is the Harvest Ale. Since I once fancied myself as an investigator I had a comparison done with the bottle version. I asked people who had problems to have a bottle purchased in stores. No Issues.
So is Goose not cleaning their lines or are we back to the Matilda quality control issue? Another possibility could be that Jared Rouben is brewing a completely separate version for the pub. Either way this is the second time this year I have come across a significant problem.
So is Goose not cleaning their lines or are we back to the Matilda quality control issue? Another possibility could be that Jared Rouben is brewing a completely separate version for the pub. Either way this is the second time this year I have come across a significant problem.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend
Monday, August 9, 2010
Goose's QC appears lacking.
Goose Island markets repeatedly their Matilda beer as brewed for food. Well some recent batches have been anything but brewed for food. In a very sterile manner Gregory Hall issued this statement. In the statement he admits Goose had several batches of Matilda contained a strain of Lactobacillus. While this poses no health risks as it is often used in beer it is "outside spec" as Mr. Hall puts it for Matilda.
Goose Island shipped batches of this from 4-1-2010 to 5-21-2010. See the list to see if your bottle was recalled. The problem that bothers me is HOW? How does a brewery ship a beer for 50 days that isn't right? Why weren't brewers and lab techs pulling samples throughout the brewing process? How did this go on for so long? How did it get in there in the first place lactobacillus is not naturally present?
In my opinion I think it was laziness and cutting corners. I personally have felt Goose is just no longer making sure their beer is quality. Even if you want to say Bud is crap you have to give AB credit for flying daily samples from all 12 regional breweries to St. Louis for consistency checks [Source]. I currently am thinking long and hard before I decide to give my hard earned dollars to Goose as I feel they are not earning it. One bottle off is no big deal, but this much? Give me a break.
Goose Island shipped batches of this from 4-1-2010 to 5-21-2010. See the list to see if your bottle was recalled. The problem that bothers me is HOW? How does a brewery ship a beer for 50 days that isn't right? Why weren't brewers and lab techs pulling samples throughout the brewing process? How did this go on for so long? How did it get in there in the first place lactobacillus is not naturally present?
In my opinion I think it was laziness and cutting corners. I personally have felt Goose is just no longer making sure their beer is quality. Even if you want to say Bud is crap you have to give AB credit for flying daily samples from all 12 regional breweries to St. Louis for consistency checks [Source]. I currently am thinking long and hard before I decide to give my hard earned dollars to Goose as I feel they are not earning it. One bottle off is no big deal, but this much? Give me a break.
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