Dans, The craft beer experts..NOT

[Florian]

Dont know where you get that info from, but a few breweries I know insist on it, especially the one I work for. Once it hits the retailer though, it becomes a massive issue, as you have no control other than to try and educate them. One of the main reasons we don't deal with the majors.

You're right that some breweries do insist on cold transport, some might even push for cold storage as good as they can, but still, most so called craft beers available at Dan's and similar outlets are getting shipped warm around the world and within Australia.

EDIT: added quote

 

[jaypes]

Just a bit off topic, I was looking for a nice bottle of vodka for a mates birthday in Dans

I was suggested to a bottle of Belvedere Black by the 17 year old* Store Employee packing shelves nearby

Me: Is it any good? (extra $30 more expensive than the norm Belvedere)

17 Year old: Fucken blew my head off


* Age was not actually known but the appearance of teenage acne and high pitched voice lead me to the approximation of 17 years old - that and the comment

 

[Mardoo]

Beer isn't transported refrigerated, not refrigerated after bottling at the brewery. Nor refrigerated in the bottlo warehouse.
I dunno where people get the idea that their craft beer has been whisped around by refrigeration fairies.

You're right Nick, that's certainly the case most of the time here in Oz, but not always and, particularly with craft brews, not in the States. Not all the pissin' and moanin' on here about beers arriving in poor condition is just grumpy old *******s . Some, but not all.

That's a great idea for an ANHB costume next year though - the whispering refrigeration fairy.

 

[Bizier]

Beer isn't transported refrigerated, not refrigerated after bottling at the brewery. Nor refrigerated in the bottlo warehouse.

I dunno where people get the idea that their craft beer has been whisped around by refrigeration fairies.

This is a major issue and some breweries both here and in the US won't sell unless the logistics are refridgerated, they are just in the minority.

The rest of the pack put 12 (maybe 9) months as a BBE date to satisfy retailers and then have many pallets spread through trade, misrepresenting their abilities at brewhouse and fermentation. Seriously, so many breweries should reassess their decision to move into small pack format. 1ppm O2 tastes fine at bottling, so do small micro counts before getting into the retail incubator. Since moving to WA, I have heard people give blanket statements about east coast breweries, purely because their only exposure is wrecked 330ml small packs in retail.

My effective brother in law said to me the other night that a local store is advertising discount imports. I know them to have heinously priced top end imports stored warm. Summer just ended. I don't care what the discount is. Good beer is fresh beer. With all due respect to the good folk at Murrays, I made the decision to store their barleywines refridgerated against their advice, they might stand a fighting chance at least this way.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

This is a major issue and some breweries both here and in the US won't sell unless the logistics are refridgerated, they are just in the minority.

The rest of the pack put 12 (maybe 9) months as a BBE date to satisfy retailers and then have many pallets spread through trade, misrepresenting their abilities at brewhouse and fermentation. Seriously, so many breweries should reassess their decision to move into small pack format. 1ppm O2 tastes fine at bottling, so do small micro counts before getting into the retail incubator. Since moving to WA, I have heard people give blanket statements about east coast breweries, purely because their only exposure is wrecked 330ml small packs in retail.

My effective brother in law said to me the other night that a local store is advertising discount imports. I know them to have heinously priced top end imports stored warm. Summer just ended. I don't care what the discount is. Good beer is fresh beer. With all due respect to the good folk at Murrays, I made the decision to store their barleywines refridgerated against their advice, they might stand a fighting chance at least this way.

Joe Public wouldnt know what oxidised beer is, other than its imported so it must taste like that.
We are talking on this forum to the aware minority, we effectivly live in our own community with brewers blinkers on.
Store your B wine as you like , you paid for it.
Nev

 

[Bizier]

I have seen one instance of Joe Public returning a carton of craft beer to DM's because it tasted 'wrong'. I can guarantee you it was not the more subtle stale flavours of a well-packaged import. This person probably swore never to buy anything other than Heineken again. The brewery clearly is not in a position to bring their product to the retail market (as it exists) and have the product viewed favourably by the public, initiated or not.

ED: grandmar

 

[Edak]

I bought a bottle of beer from my closest Dans (it was Sleeping Giant IPA, which they had a nice little advertisment on the shelf claiming it had won several awards) and when I opened the first it tasted like old socks. I looked the bottle over and it was nearly a year passed use by, so I called the store and they said that they would remove the old stock and give me a sixer in return. I went back and got my sixer but to me it still tasted like ****, must have been a "rave review" by someone who doesn't like beer...

Never been keen to try it again and never returned to that DM.

 

[barls]

guys there is only one way they will change and thats only going to happy after hearing from you all.
so email away telling them you would like better care of the product so it reaches you in the best condition.

 

[Dave70]

Just a bit off topic, I was looking for a nice bottle of vodka for a mates birthday in Dans

I was suggested to a bottle of Belvedere Black by the 17 year old* Store Employee packing shelves nearby

Me: Is it any good? (extra $30 more expensive than the norm Belvedere)

17 Year old: Fucken blew my head off


* Age was not actually known but the appearance of teenage acne and high pitched voice lead me to the approximation of 17 years old - that and the comment

Vodka is distilled, filtered and bottled. makes fcuk all difference if its aged 17 or 70 years.
If you payed extra for aged vodka, you got reamed.


That young man will be senior marketing manager in a few years.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I miss Dan's

Overpriced booze is a pain, when you aren't yet brewing.

 

[doon]

I think he was referring to age of dans employee not vodka

 

[Florian]

You almost fooled me into reading the same as you did when quickly looking over it again, Dave.

'17 year old' in combination with 'store' and 'vodka' could indeed give you that impression if you don't care to actually read.

 

[Truman42]

I bought a bottle of beer from my closest Dans (it was Sleeping Giant IPA, which they had a nice little advertisment on the shelf claiming it had won several awards) and when I opened the first it tasted like old socks. I looked the bottle over and it was nearly a year passed use by, so I called the store and they said that they would remove the old stock and give me a sixer in return. I went back and got my sixer but to me it still tasted like ****, must have been a "rave review" by someone who doesn't like beer...

Never been keen to try it again and never returned to that DM.

Same thing happened to me with a Stone and wood Pacific Ale, 6 months past use by on a carton. I took it back to Dans and said I would get something else. When I looked I noticed a lot of their craft beers wee out of date so I mentioned this to the front counter staff.

Her reply had me standing their gob smacked. She says..."You will have to ask the manager about those, I cant offer discounts".....true story..

This was Doveton though so I should have expected their craft beer to be out of date.

 

[Nick JD]

I had a funny Dans episode once with me and a staff member trying to work out if the use by date on the SN Torpedos was in US format or Aussie.

The bottle was either slightly under it's BBD or miles over.

In the end I got a sixpack of something pasteurised.

 

[Bribie G]

Actually grog shops are quite good employers of mature age workers, they prefer not to hire people under the age of early 20s as an image thing I guess. I was even approached to work at 1st choice on Bribie Island (Edit: Liquorland, Bribie ain't that big yet) up the end of my own street, but wasn't too keen on stacking pallets and humping endless cartons of Blonde dry supalite and ruining my pwetty fingernails. Would have been handy but I'd probably have been sacked anyway if I'd revealed a knowledge of beer.

 

[Dave70]

You almost fooled me into reading the same as you did when quickly looking over it again, Dave.

'17 year old' in combination with 'store' and 'vodka' could indeed give you that impression if you don't care to actually read.

Oh dear..My apologies, jaypes.

You know those word puzzles where they jumble the letters and your brain fills in the gaps to form a sentence?.......yeah, well...
Or I may need glasses. Or Ritalin.

Anyhoo, people do believe this. I had a mate inform me that Smirnoff is **** because it's not aged.

So he was actually 100% correct and 100% incorrect all at once.

 

[stakka82]

A friend of mine work's at a bayside Dan's in Melbourne and THAT one is pretty good judging by the samples he has brought home from work.

But, he's the stock manager, AND a brewer.

If something's out of date or even close to, it's immediately put on 'clearance'. Beer is handled correctly cause the guy that's moving it understands aging and oxidation/handling.

I think it depends a lot on the clientele's thirst for quality, and the attitudes of management within a particular store.

Logistics/supply chain is another issue altogether obviously.

 

[mikec]

Yeah, we were looking at taking our car over on that boat. Ended up saving more than I spent in Crown Cellars (two visits) by buying two plane tickets and hiring a car.

Yep!
Only time I took the boat was when I was touring on a motorbike, which made the rough journey entirely worth it.
Last time I went to Launie I flew. Packed light, came home heavy.

A good portion of this came from, you guessed it, Crown Cellars. And yes, that is a Hop Zombie right there.
The rest came straight from the brewery/cidery.

 

[JDW81]

Good turn out of soldiers on the parade ground there. Well done drill Sergeant.

 

[jaypes]

Oh dear..My apologies, jaypes.

You know those word puzzles where they jumble the letters and your brain fills in the gaps to form a sentence?.......yeah, well...
Or I may need glasses. Or Ritalin.

Anyhoo, people do believe this. I had a mate inform me that Smirnoff is **** because it's not aged.

So he was actually 100% correct and 100% incorrect all at once.

No hard feelings Dave, he's my best mate so I got him something a little more 'premium' than the rest of the common stuff.

He loved it, and I still dont know the difference in the vodka (except for the price and ABV!)