Sorry if this is a killed topic, I tried a few searches and scanned a few pages and didn't see it. So, I'd spent some time in Cork years back (2004) and really enjoyed Beamish. After coming back to I struggled to find it, but managed from time to time. The last couple years I noticed I couldn't find it anywhere. Looks like they got taken over by Heineken and don't distribute to the US any more. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I miss this beer and feel it was taken from me too soon. What other beers have you enjoyed that departed before their time? Not one offs or anything like that, but breweries that just couldn't hang on or suffered a distribution foul.
One of my first beer loves was Bert Grant's Perfect Porter. I was introduced to it while attending school in Montana and have fond memories associated with a few other Grant's beers. I can still picture my dad's face when I asked him to pick me up a six pack of Perfect Porter when I was home on Christmas break. He payed over ten bucks for the six pack and may have shat his britches in the process. Ah Burt Grant, I miss your Perfect Porter.
My Grandpa fell back on that this weekend. Let him try Old Chub. "Tastes like Guiness" Say whaaaaaaaaat?
So agree with you man...I loved Berts Perfect Porter...Such a tasty beer. Man, that sure brings back some great memories, 94-95-ish? Damn...
For me the original Young's brewery in England started me down the path. Young's oatmeal stout, Old Nick & RamRod are sorely missed after Well's bought them the only thing 'round here is the Young's Dbl. Choc. which sadly isn't the same.
Try this recent thread for more opinions: http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/which-closed-brewery-did-you-wish-was-still-around.45193/
Grants, absolutely. The Perfect Porter was the, you know, perfect porter. Peaty craziness love. Pete's Wicked Ale was my American Brown Ale of the early 90's (that and the Brooklyn Brown). But Pete sold the company and Gambrinus tweaked and tweaked unmercifully. I remember their press release about the rebranding from short snubby bottles to tall boys with the new 'trident' logo (ooh, how wicked). They said they were going to tweak the recipe but not an outright change, no. They were going to tweak the recipe incrementally with each batch to 'acclimate the consumer'. Goodnight.
I was introduced to Beamish when I went to Dublin and Cork back in 2009. Found it a few times after i got back, but not after 2010, if I recall. Great beer and hope that it makes its way back to the US or i make it back to Ireland. Anyway, Hoptimus Prime by Legacy Brewing comes to mind, but I think that they lost the battle in 2010/11.
Orchard Street brewing here in Bellingham. They were around for the first couple years I lived here, but an over-assertive expansion plan did them in. I still miss their Stock Ale quite a bit.
Pete's Wicked Ale was the first Craft Beer I ever had back in 1989-ish. Small place in Georgetown(DC) called the Rathskeller that had like 300 beers on their menu back then. I think this beer is still around but is contract brewed by one of the larger breweries.
Pete's never had a brewery (tho' one was promised, before selling out to Gambrinus in '98). It was always contract-brewed, by (in order) Palo Alto, Schell's, Minnesota (a Heileman spin-off, in the old Schmidt brewery in St. Paul) and finally by Stroh. Stroh (the fourth largest brewery in the country at the time with close to 20m bbl. in sales) also owned a minority share of Pete's in the end and had a Stroh exec sitting on their board. After Gambrinus bought the brand and then Stroh folded, Pete's was brewed first by Miller and then by F. X. Matt until Gambrinus pulled the plug on the brand in 2011.
I used to work at a bike shop in the warehouse, and on Fridays we'd shoot to the Rite-Aid across the street for a few sixers, that we'd drink on the loading dock. My friend Bernie was (and remains) a die-hard Bud man, but every week he'd drink 2-3 of my Pete's, before jumping into the Buds. It was the only craft option at the time that he liked. I'd drink a few, and always buy some dark chocolate to snack on. It was a nice pairing. I miss that beer.
Yeah, they apparently moved the contract from The Lion to Cooperstown Brewing Co. (after initially getting approvals for having it brewed by Appalachian in Harrisburg, PA) and the labels read "Ruckus Brewing Co., Milford, NY".
I worked for Catamount Brewing Company in Norwich, VT, for a short while back in 1999 just before they went bust. That was a good brewery and a great place to work. They did an excellent Porter, and their Amber was solid as well. They also contract-brewed a delicious beer called Martha's Vineyard Pub Draft Ale, which was one of the tastiest beers I ever had off the assembly line. After Catamount went under, I think Harpoon eventually bought the brewing facility, which was quite nice at the time.
Yeah, Harpoon now owns the facility in Vermont. Great place to visit for a meal and a Growler fill. They actually brew a few of the old Catamount recipes now and then for the 100 barrel series.
I miss having Pennichuck in the area between Pompier and Pozharnik I was a happy newbie to craft beer, and a drunk one if I tried to kill a bottle by myself.
Caffrey's is still brewed by MolsonCoors in the UK (Coors bought several of the old Carling brands from InBev when they bought the former Bass brewery in Burton-on-Trent). It's not exported to the US but still available in Canada, the UK and Sweden according to MolsonCoors' Caffrey's page.
HC Berger and Rhino Chasers were among my first micros along with Oasis also and Petes I miss Niagara Falls Brewing too,the Eisbock was amazing
Rhino Chasers (another contract-brew, they even used one of the same contract breweries as Pete's - Minnesota) supposedly has been revived by a DC area brewery, M.A. Hagerman Brewing Company, which also had a line of beers confusingly called "Lost Rhino" and uses that name as their 'dba'. Don't know if they're claiming to use the original recipe, etc.
I never got the obession with some people and Bavarian Barbarian, if you could explain to me, then I might understand some peoples passion for that brewery. I had several of their beers a couple of years ago when I was working in Williamsport and just thought they were mediocre at best. Then the classy way the head brewer went out was just the icing on the cake.... +1 Thomas Hardys...I still have several bottles of 06 and 07 that I hoard.
Bardo Rodeo in Arlington, VA. A truly unique location and decent beers....and Sacramento Brewing, too.
