A short take on a bad beer.
We've all had bad beer. Beer that was "skunked". Beer that tasted bad even when fresh in the bottle. Mass produced dreck. We've had it all.
This summer however I experienced my first truly bad microbrewed beer.
Oh there have been disappointments, or beers that were too heavy, too light, too bitter, not just right. But that was more a matter of personal taste.
But this is the first beer from a microbrewery that was just plain bad.
I am referring to Magic Hat's HiCu. An ale brewed with Hibiscus and Cucumber.
I mean I suppose it sounded like it had the potential to be a refreshing summer brew as they sat around the office up there in Vermont.
But seriously dudes, next time make sure you've been off the bong at least a couple of hours before actually taking an idea to production.
And did anyone actually taste this stuff before allowing it to ship?
The first exposure was at a party this summer. We had a keg of Sam Adams but some people brought their own and we also had some in reserve in case the keg ran dry (which it did, my family has many prodigious beer consumers).
Among the reserves was a variety 12 pack of Magic Hat Summer brews.
Now I'm usually a fan of Magic Hat offerings. They are intriguingly different. The old standby #9 Ale is one of my go to brews to accompany Oriental food. They had a beer that included beets that was very refreshing and tasteful. But HiCu missed the mark.
The first sign of trouble was my nephew who actually lives in Vermont. He took a few sips, made mention of this brew reporting to have both Hibiscus and Cucumber and could not finish it. Others sampled some from the bottle, or tried one of their own. I mean we like trying different things and a brew with hibiscus and cucumber had to be sampled. However each person who tried ended up declaring it undrinkable.
A few weeks later in a moment of weakness I purchased another summer sampler 12 pack containing some bottles of HiCu. My wife and sons laughed at me. Hadn't I sampled the beer at the family party? Had I not heard and seen all the negative reactions?
I told them I wanted to be fair. Try the beer on its own rather than after drinking Sam Adams lager from a keg and some other brews as well and eating all sorts of grilled food. Maybe it had thrown off my perception of the flavors.
A couple of swallows though and I knew it had not been a mirage. This beer was really bad. A sour unappealing flavor that was just plain strange.
On the bottle the folks at Magic Hat had invited people to write a haiku in praise of this different refreshing summer offering.
Challenge accepted:
Hibiscus flavor.
Cucumber in beer as well.
Your brew really sucks.
Until next time, hoping your best friend doesn't float in the bottom of a glass!
We've all had bad beer. Beer that was "skunked". Beer that tasted bad even when fresh in the bottle. Mass produced dreck. We've had it all.
This summer however I experienced my first truly bad microbrewed beer.
Oh there have been disappointments, or beers that were too heavy, too light, too bitter, not just right. But that was more a matter of personal taste.
But this is the first beer from a microbrewery that was just plain bad.
I am referring to Magic Hat's HiCu. An ale brewed with Hibiscus and Cucumber.
I mean I suppose it sounded like it had the potential to be a refreshing summer brew as they sat around the office up there in Vermont.
But seriously dudes, next time make sure you've been off the bong at least a couple of hours before actually taking an idea to production.
And did anyone actually taste this stuff before allowing it to ship?
The first exposure was at a party this summer. We had a keg of Sam Adams but some people brought their own and we also had some in reserve in case the keg ran dry (which it did, my family has many prodigious beer consumers).
Among the reserves was a variety 12 pack of Magic Hat Summer brews.
Now I'm usually a fan of Magic Hat offerings. They are intriguingly different. The old standby #9 Ale is one of my go to brews to accompany Oriental food. They had a beer that included beets that was very refreshing and tasteful. But HiCu missed the mark.
The first sign of trouble was my nephew who actually lives in Vermont. He took a few sips, made mention of this brew reporting to have both Hibiscus and Cucumber and could not finish it. Others sampled some from the bottle, or tried one of their own. I mean we like trying different things and a brew with hibiscus and cucumber had to be sampled. However each person who tried ended up declaring it undrinkable.
A few weeks later in a moment of weakness I purchased another summer sampler 12 pack containing some bottles of HiCu. My wife and sons laughed at me. Hadn't I sampled the beer at the family party? Had I not heard and seen all the negative reactions?
I told them I wanted to be fair. Try the beer on its own rather than after drinking Sam Adams lager from a keg and some other brews as well and eating all sorts of grilled food. Maybe it had thrown off my perception of the flavors.
A couple of swallows though and I knew it had not been a mirage. This beer was really bad. A sour unappealing flavor that was just plain strange.
On the bottle the folks at Magic Hat had invited people to write a haiku in praise of this different refreshing summer offering.
Challenge accepted:
Hibiscus flavor.
Cucumber in beer as well.
Your brew really sucks.
Until next time, hoping your best friend doesn't float in the bottom of a glass!
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