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Anyone else disapointed with Un*Earthly?

Contribute your own beer reviews and ratings of beers that are made or available in Ontario.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

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Bonesey
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Anyone else disapointed with Un*Earthly?

Post by Bonesey »

I've had this beer a number of times on tap and in bottle and I've always enjoyed it. The order I got with R&R, I found it to be a sweet and malty train wreck with zero hop aroma (All I got was bubblegum?!). I felt it was somewhere between a barley wine and an IIPA, but with none of the charm of those respective styles. It was like they forgot to add aroma hops or dry hop it. I know this beer does tend to be on the sweet side, but I just found it had no hop aroma, zero bitterness and was cloying. maybe my tastes have changed for the bitter. I just wanted to get others feedback on this batch before I sent a tactfully worded email to Southern Tier.
"Put another brick in my hookah, Chow Ming, and fetch me fresh silks, I've soiled myself again."
--Franklin Pierce, April 6, 1856

mintjellie
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Post by mintjellie »

It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse that lacks temperature control, and so on.

Does the problem lie in the LCBO-imposed ordering process rather than the brewing process?

Roland + Russell
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Post by Roland + Russell »

Bonesey wrote:I've had this beer a number of times on tap and in bottle and I've always enjoyed it. The order I got with R&R, I found it to be a sweet and malty train wreck with zero hop aroma (All I got was bubblegum?!). I felt it was somewhere between a barley wine and an IIPA, but with none of the charm of those respective styles. It was like they forgot to add aroma hops or dry hop it. I know this beer does tend to be on the sweet side, but I just found it had no hop aroma, zero bitterness and was cloying. maybe my tastes have changed for the bitter. I just wanted to get others feedback on this batch before I sent a tactfully worded email to Southern Tier.
Sorry to hear that your expectation has not been met. Ironically, we were at the brewery yesterday and had Un*Earthly (on tap) and were pleasantly reminded of this beer's character and quality.

Please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Regards,
Roland + Russell
www.rolandandrussell.com
twitter.com/RolandRussell

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Bobsy
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Post by Bobsy »

mintjellie wrote:It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse that lacks temperature control, and so on.

Does the problem lie in the LCBO-imposed ordering process rather than the brewing process?
I've had Unearthly from private orders with no degradation, so I wouldn't blame the lcbo. However, I did pick up some Gemini in Buffalo and it was eerily similar to what you've described. Luck of the draw and variation in batches is what I'd suggest.

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cratez
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Post by cratez »

mintjellie wrote: It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse.
Yep. That's what's happening with the Central City order as we speak. The importer e-mailed us three weeks ago informing us that the brewery shipped the beer within a week of receiving the order (nice work, CC!), but it's currently collecting dust and age, and losing flavour, in the Controllers' warehouse. As a consumer I'm disgusted with the way the Board handles - or should I say ruins? - these orders. Just pathetic.

mintjellie
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Post by mintjellie »

I would call and complain. I know it probably goes nowhere, but I still would on principle.

nickelass
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Post by nickelass »

Roland + Russell wrote:
Bonesey wrote:I've had this beer a number of times on tap and in bottle and I've always enjoyed it. The order I got with R&R, I found it to be a sweet and malty train wreck with zero hop aroma (All I got was bubblegum?!). I felt it was somewhere between a barley wine and an IIPA, but with none of the charm of those respective styles. It was like they forgot to add aroma hops or dry hop it. I know this beer does tend to be on the sweet side, but I just found it had no hop aroma, zero bitterness and was cloying. maybe my tastes have changed for the bitter. I just wanted to get others feedback on this batch before I sent a tactfully worded email to Southern Tier.
Sorry to hear that your expectation has not been met. Ironically, we were at the brewery yesterday and had Un*Earthly (on tap) and were pleasantly reminded of this beer's character and quality.

Please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Regards,
Please bring me with you next time?
"You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!"

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SteelbackGuy
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Post by SteelbackGuy »

mintjellie wrote:It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse that lacks temperature control, and so on.

Does the problem lie in the LCBO-imposed ordering process rather than the brewing process?

I'm sorry but a beer like Un-earthly does not degrade that quickly. I've had bottles from many orders up to recent orders that were just fine. In fact, more than fine.
If you`re reading this, there`s a 15% chance you`ve got a significant drinking problem. Get it fixed, get recovered!

mintjellie
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Post by mintjellie »

SteelbackGuy wrote:
mintjellie wrote:It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse that lacks temperature control, and so on.

Does the problem lie in the LCBO-imposed ordering process rather than the brewing process?

I'm sorry but a beer like Un-earthly does not degrade that quickly. I've had bottles from many orders up to recent orders that were just fine. In fact, more than fine.
Then that must not be the reason.

I thought that hop aroma began degrading within the first few months. That could be a misconception on my part.

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SteelbackGuy
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Post by SteelbackGuy »

mintjellie wrote:
SteelbackGuy wrote:
mintjellie wrote:It was probably the time it spent in transit from the brewery, sitting in an LCBO warehouse that lacks temperature control, and so on.

Does the problem lie in the LCBO-imposed ordering process rather than the brewing process?

I'm sorry but a beer like Un-earthly does not degrade that quickly. I've had bottles from many orders up to recent orders that were just fine. In fact, more than fine.
Then that must not be the reason.

I thought that hop aroma began degrading within the first few months. That could be a misconception on my part.
You never know. Generally the hops do take a while to fade....in a beer like that, I'd say longer than normal IPAs.
We tend to blame LCBO warehouses for this sort of thing, but they are temperature controlled (not chilled, but cool), and beer sitting around here is no different than beer sitting on the shelves of RYan's Party store or some other small shop in the US. But all we read about here is LCBO warehouse complaints.

Not saying I agree with the time it takes to get out of the warehouse, I am just saying it happens elsewhere too.
If you`re reading this, there`s a 15% chance you`ve got a significant drinking problem. Get it fixed, get recovered!

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Gedge
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Post by Gedge »

For me, Unearthly was the gateway beer that got me into high gravity, overhopped beers. I find - like most microbrews - that different batches are variable in terms of hop flavour, maltiness, etc. I have never had an Unearthly I did not enjoy, but some were better than others.

However, I went in on a case of the oak-aged Unearthly with a couple of friends recently and none of us could detect any kind of oak character. We did not have any "standard" Unearthly to compare with, but we all agreed that it tasted pretty much like the non-oaked version. Shipping/storage issues would not be the issue here I would it? Does oak character fade with time like hops?

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Bonesey
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Post by Bonesey »

I doubt it was the time at LCBO. The 2xIPA I got had a production date of June 22. Unfortunately the Unearthly has a production code that I can't decipher.

This beer does not fade that much in my experience. In the past I've had 9 month old bottles that had bright hop aroma.
"Put another brick in my hookah, Chow Ming, and fetch me fresh silks, I've soiled myself again."
--Franklin Pierce, April 6, 1856

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Bonesey
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Post by Bonesey »

Unearthly had a production date of june 22 2010, so it's definitely not the LCBO. So it's either me or Southern Tier.
"Put another brick in my hookah, Chow Ming, and fetch me fresh silks, I've soiled myself again."
--Franklin Pierce, April 6, 1856

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Torontoblue
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Post by Torontoblue »

Southern Tier have been known to bottle "incorrect" beers before due to a slight change in recipe; remember the 'debacle' a couple of years back with one of their releases?

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Derek
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Post by Derek »

When it's good... it's phenominal.

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