Has James Squire Ruined The Golden Ale?

[floppinab]

Brewed at SAB now I believe, and everyone ran out of Amarillo so I would say substitutes were made ...

Yeah I'd heard that too but and they were using a Tooheys yeast but...

Please note that all James squire and Craft beer continues to be brewed at the Malt Shovel Brewery.

Hmmmmmm, trying to pull the wool???

 

[DJR]

The pilsner was brewed at Lidcombe (Tooheys) for a while and suffered, then came back and it was awesome again, it's actually pretty good now. Brewed with Urquell D-Strain (ie WLP800) as far as i can remember and real Czech Saaz.

I had JSGA the other day on a Melb-Syd Qantas flight (from a can) and i didn't think it was that bad, but it might have been an older batch. It wasn't as hoppy as i remember but still wasn't that bad considering the alternatives...

 

[hazard]

I have noticed that the Golden Ale has been terrible for a long time, over a year. - watery, no hop aroma and that awful taste of carlton and piss.

As for the Amber ale I think it is slowly following down a similar path... its becoming more and more like a slightly darker megaswill with very little hop presence and becoming sweeter, more watery and pissy.

It seems the way good commercial brews go.... Sad but true.

I think what these breweries do is create a nice beer that appeal to both mainstream as well as those who like a good micro beer then slowly take short cuts to cut costs once they have a bit of a customer following.

I used to really enjoy Amber Ale and always had some in the fridge before I started home brewing.
I was out with some mates last week, and bought a 6 pack, and wondered where the magic had gone. Is it worse? Or are my expectations higher because of the "Higher" standard of beer I make for myself.

 

[crundle]

Is James Squire Golden Ale based on Dr Smurto's Golden Ale? :lol:

I haven't touched a JSGA since making my first DSGA - I don't think my palette could handle it!

Crundle

 

[beerbrewer76543]

@Caleb

That reply seemed like a bog standard "customer has issues with beer quality" reply as opposed to a "customer has cottoned on to us making big changes to our recipe and will no longer be purchasing it as a result" reply

Damn lazy PR people

 

[neonmeate]

The pilsner was brewed at Lidcombe (Tooheys) for a while and suffered, then came back and it was awesome again, it's actually pretty good now. Brewed with Urquell D-Strain (ie WLP800) as far as i can remember and real Czech Saaz.

yeah i was shocked the other day when i had one - i gave up on JSP for years, but this was genuinely saazy and czech tasting! when it first came out it did used to be really really good, like back in 1999 or whenever it was. then it turned into tooheys pilz.

everyone knows James Squire are fully capable of making great beers, the frustrating thing is they often seem to actively choose not to. with the local micro scene coming of age now there's no reason to think that more than 5% ABV or 25IBUs is going to scare anyone anymore.

 

[c0z]

my replacement for JSGA

 

[eamonnfoley]

If the powers that be (Lion Nathan) want to cheapen the JS products, they will lose customers and may as well not bother with craft beer. I happen to have some Golden Ales in the fridge, and while they arent "bad', I remember them being much better. The hops taste a bit harsher. I would guess a greater chunk of the hop schedule is not US amarillo.

 

[Renegade]

For me, now that the Golden Ale has gone to the dogs, I'm finding that the Wicked Elf Pale Ale is a superb substitute as a beer in a similar style (but BETTER IMO!). Although I think they use Cascade instead of Amarillo.

This is about the third time I have praised the WEPA on this site, I should start asking the brewery for a liquid commission.

Anyway for anyone loathing the death of GA as we know it, it's quite easy to whip something up at home, even as an extract. As long as youve got Amarillo hops of course.

 

[benny_bjc]

What I find is frustrating... more then the fact that its gone downhill and taste so bad.... is that it is commonly available on tap. We already have enough megaswill on tap and the few alternatives we have are not only going down but are more expensive!

I can live with out Golden Ale, but I need good beer!

I think we should all write emails and inundate the brewery with our feedback.
After all it takes many to make changes!

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Of the JS range I've had over the last year or so the Pilsner is the only one I reckon is passable

The IPA, Hop Thief, AA, and GA have all been pretty ordinary

Cheers

 

[BitterBulldog]

yep, i bought a 6er of JSGA last night & was disappointed.

i wasn't sure if it was the product that had gone downhill or if it was because i've been drinking too much lately & need to move to something harder!

luckily it's the product & i can delay being a hard liquor alcoholic.

 

[AndrewQLD]

I've deleted about 25 OFF TOPIC posts, can we please keep to the subject.
ta

Andrew

 

[manticle]

Bottle still claims amarillo on the side and allowed to warm to room temp, it still tastes to me like an inferior version of smurto's GA (amarillo and all). Last one I had had a slight metallic twang towards the very bottom of the glass but I wouldn't put it anywhere near the region of 3/4 Carlton.

Maybe there are some different batches out there? As I said earlier - the on tap ones I've had have been much blander than expected. Good for an after work pint when you feel like a cold beer but not a beer geek's gloaty drop.

 

[Katherine]

The last time I tried it was at James Squire in Melbourne, it was better then I have had it in Perth for a long time. But not the original Summer Release back in 2002 (im guessing).... Gee I loved that beer!

Doing NB All amarillo on Sunday with Pistol Patch, the first time I tried that Malty Cultural brewed it and gee it was good!

 

[Renegade]

Phew, back on topic. If that's OK for us to talk about this subject again.

I often wonder if the JS range on-tap is brewed under the same conditions as the bottled range. For example the Hop Thief (a very uneventful bottled beer) has a dinstinctly better taste at teh JS Brewpub down in Cockle Bay. Not sure if its impy the 'draught' delivery or whether they reserve the good stuff for their own bar. Doesn't make sense to me, but who knows what the big corporation's motives are ?

 

[Katherine]

Phew, back on topic. If that's OK for us to talk about this subject again.

I often wonder if the JS range on-tap is brewed under the same conditions as the bottled range. For example the Hop Thief (a very uneventful bottled beer) has a dinstinctly better taste at teh JS Brewpub down in Cockle Bay. Not sure if its impy the 'draught' delivery or whether they reserve the good stuff for their own bar. Doesn't make sense to me, but who knows what the big corporation's motives are ?

Who knows has the beer in Melbourne was slightly better, fresher, a tiny bit hoppier. I have not tried the hop thief in a bottle but I loved it on tap. James Squire is opening in Perth soon so looking forward to seeing what the golden ale is like on tap there. its a shame I dont understand why they would DUMB a beer down.

 

[dig]

everyone knows James Squire are fully capable of making great beers, the frustrating thing is they often seem to actively choose not to.

That's a very good assessment. Imagine the frustration of the brewers that work there? Indeed, every brewer from the early days with any 'get up and go' promptly got up and left.

 

[BitterBulldog]

thanks for contacting us regarding your complaint. We will pass on your complaint to our Customer Service centre who will follow up to you to gain further detail & replace your faulty beer. Please retain any bottles & be ready to provide info from the bottle on the production date of the batch involved. You will find this printed in white ink near the shoulder of the bottle as a Best Before Date. It is possible that the lack of flavour may be due to the beer being very old, that is close to or past its recommended shelf Life (too long in store or lack of stock rotation) or exposed to non desirable storage conditions. As beer ages it does loose both hop aroma & bitterness & appears thinner in flavour. If that is the case we'd be keen to know the store you purchased from so we can follow up.
I do note that pre- Christmas a shortage of the Amarillo hops which are imported from the US (not currently grown in Australia) meant we needed to reduce our use of these hops & substitute about 20% of a locally grown variety. The usual characteristic Golden aroma was slightly lower at this time but we felt still typical of the beer, so I dont believe this would have been the cause of your low flavour comment. Anyway you'll be pleased to hear that new seasons Amarillo hops were secured in January & Golden Ale is now back to its usual hop loading & characteristic fruity aroma & taste.
I do hope this recent experience wont put you off trying another Golden Ale in the near future. Thanks again for taking the time to communicate to us & should you not hear from Customer Service within the next few days please get back to us.
Cheers Tony Jones
Chief Brewer - MSB

 

[WitWonder]

I used to buy JSGA at the pub before the footy as it was pretty much the only decent beer on tap (amongst about a dozen mega-swill type beers) and quite enjoyed it. I believe it was last year when I started noticing it tasting very similar to the standard mainstreem lagers and got quite turned off by it. Glad to see it's not just my homebrew educated taste buds that have noticed the change.