portwood wrote:I have received orders in the past direct from 2 other breweries with beer close to 6 months old and also received beer without date codes - which tasted fine but were probably 4-6 months old.
so, your statement that craft brewers are passionate and wouldn't dare ship stale beer is looking at the brewing BUSINESS through rose colored glasses.
Yikes. I'm sorry and saddened to hear about these orders. I would be upset if that happened to me.
I'd like to say my rose coloured glasses as glass half full optimism
Some of my optimism does come from experience. I've been fortunate in that I've never received an un-fresh beer from home orders, as I check the dates on IPAs and lagers when I receive them.
After picking up a couple of cans from an eastern Ontario brewery labeled as a "Juicy" IPA in May a couple years ago only to realise after I'd started drinking that the cans they gave me from the fridge in their bottle shop were canned in the *September* I realised that not all breweries operate in the same ways and, in fact, they differ wildly. I haven't had any issues with Rorschach or others lately, but maybe that's just a reflection on choosing breweries that I *know* care about their product and the consumer's experience with it.
nickw wrote:... but maybe that's just a reflection on choosing breweries that I *know* care about their product and the consumer's experience with it.
That's the key!
once burned, twice shy.
breweries ship out stale product at their own peril - i.e. risk never selling anything to that person ever again
Just wanted to bump up the thread on Rorschach as I was there last night before a show at the new music venue History (which I think they will nicely benefit from, as every seat was full pre-show).
As they have had for a while, a wide range of stuff on the beer menu in line with Ontario trends, IPA, sours & other flavoured beers.
But, the real highlight for me was their pizza! Truly one of the best I've had in Toronto. A really chewy and delicious crust. I would have it again in a heartbeat.
portwood wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2020 10:25 am
I think the vast majority of breweries in Ontario never got talked about before the pandemic primarily for two reasons:
1. most of them operate mainly for locals - not many offered shipping in the past
2. their beer may be good but not worth talking about
There are breweries that come up in conversation that I have tried before or have even BEEN to that I forget exist.
Stopped by Rorschach yesterday and they have a diverse range of great beers. I'm equally a fan of their IPAs, dessert stouts and sours. Right now they have a line of barrel-aged imperial stouts that come in reasonably sized bottles, at 375 ml. It'd be great if more breweries adopted this practice!