Supporting craft breweries

Torc Brewing website is down. I noticed that their stock was limited recently, perhaps some new beers are coming on stream for the Xmas rush

A new low with the latest White Hag Clann box. The single 330 guest beer from Croatia was nice. Two Atlantean 440s, I like. Two 440 Magic Mist are OK. Rest of the dozen was filled with bland low ABV core range crap 330s - Little Fawn is overpriced at 2.50 a can in the local offy but I'm paying well over €3 each for this. If I never see a can of 4% taste-lacking Phantom again it'll be too soon. A (surprisingly taste-free compared to previous batches, and super-low ABV) Puca and two decent, but overpriced, Ninth Waves made up the box.

Not even a crappy bad stout they couldn't flog 🤣 ffs even last month's underwhelming selection was leavened by an excellent Black Boar.

I feel like a right mug. Support craft beer - I gladly will but they're not supporting me, they're ripping the piss to be honest.

I certainly will not be renewing and this exploitation of their most loyal customers puts me right off buying even the beers I like from them.

How can you be disappointed when this is what you should expect from them. 🤣

I’m done gambling with the crap- Kinnegar all the way for me now- Scraggy on tap is nectar

Same as that, I don't get the appeal at all. The potential for lots of styles I don't want and the cost is usually off putting too. Had a friend who was gifted a subscription and he had loads he didn't bother with as they were sours, gose etc which he'd never drink. For me, White Hags quality has dropped a fair bit in the last few years too. However, I did like the two sours they had last year all the same.

How does it hit the pocket?

Bran and Sceolan (in seriously short supply) and Fionn are the 2 White Hag Brews I really like. Atlantean and Ninth Wave are fine. Little Fawn too if I'm in the mood.

But yeah, Phantom and Magic Mist are very disappointing.

I've never bought any of there subscriptions or surprise boxes.

During lockdown they were brilliant. I'll still buy a box of my favourites when in stock. Especially during bank holiday promotions.

Ok, that's a use-case all right, but I'm drinking craft beer long enough now to know yes, I like stouts but not milk stouts, I love IPAs but not ones so cloudy they're as murky as custard, I enjoy the occasional sour or geuze but only the one in a night, and I still never want to drink lager unless I've been very active and/or it's over 28 degrees outside, so getting a few in a box is a complete waste for me.

Personally I'd always contact the brewers privately to give them a chance to reply, doing so publicly just puts them on the back foot as they're unlikely to satisfy you when you've already taken the nuclear option.

Recently I had a few issues with a delivery from another Irish Brewery, only half delivery arrived, other half was smashed in transit apparently. I emailed and there was still a long delay but when it did arrive there were 8 free cans and a bottle opener in the box. Doubt that would have happened if I'd gone on twitter to complain.

I’ve had a very good customer service experience with an incorrect delivery from White Hag (24 regular Bran and Sceolan delivered instead of the Brett special). Their email response was immediate and the situation was resolved, I kept the 24 regular and they sent out 12 Brett for next day delivery.

This is obviously completely different from being disappointed with the contents of a subscription box, but I’d definitely fire them an email. As a small business owner, I’d much rather hear when a customer is unhappy.

Best thing can ever happen is to get the wrong beer. It's cheaper to let you keep it than take it back.

Now I don't want to see a craft brewery out of pocket but loved when the big breweries made this mistake.

Theres always one amateur out there who knows better sure!

Guiness Foreign Extra Stout is fine, but no, out of the dozens I've tried, they're poor.

Sorry but true.

I just realized I've been drinking beer for fifty years. I don't like hops such as Cascade & Liberty, much prefer Goldings, Fuggles & Challenger.

Trying to explain to young lads is like telling them modern curries aren't a patch on what was available in the seventies, a Vindaloo then is not the same as what is available now. I can only state the Irish craft beers I've had are horrible. When you open the crown cap on a pale ale & it froths up out of the bottle, that's caused by bottling when it wasn't ready, no excuse. And it wasn't bottle conditioned.

I can buy Old Speckled Hen in Dunnes for €2.10, always good, consistent, that's a lot cheaper than my son paid for the beers in the subscription.

Take Shepherd & Neame's IPA, a real quality beer.

Taste is a personal thing & I guess if people are happy with what is being sold then carry on buying it.

So what beers were you getting in the subscription? Sounds a bit odd that all craft beer is horrible, and you're the only one who has actually noticed.