Q &A: What Makes a "Good" Brewery?

Hey all,
I've been asked this question time and time again, be it at a pub, a tasting, or a store. People are constantly wondering what makes a brewery "good".

I'm sure you all know a friend who rants and raves about a specific brewery - "they're the best!" and "they don't make a bad beer!" When you, yourself know that that brewery does, in fact, have a few less than desirable brews offered.

In the terms of this discussion, we're gonna be discussing breweries in terms of a distributional entity, not taking into consideration their taproom offerings. The taproom is the most thorough place that you can evaluate the merits of a brewery, but we must recognize the possibility that not everyone will be able to visit the taproom of said brewery. So, for this explanation of defining a "good" brewery will be kept in terms of distribution and attainable bottles (generally referring to the Great Lakes region).

WHAT MAKES A BREWERY A GOOD BREWERY?


This question can be answered in a great many ways. But, I will attempt to bring it down to a personally applicable evaluative process, and will propose the core idea first: A "good" brewery is one that produces "good" beer across the board. In the simplest form, you can have any beer from this brewery, and you know it's at least going to be "good".

Now, everyone's definition of "good" is different, depending on exposure, tasting experience, a brewing background, or a firm understanding of your regional market's offerings. For a relative notion of understanding, so we can progress together, I will generally say that my idea of a "good beer" is one that would rank in the C+ to B range.

So now, think about a local brewery you like, that you have explored a majority of their brews. Think of the beers you like in particular, then the beers you like, and the ones you don't particularly care for, or return to regularly. How are they? These are the brews that will show you the mettle of the brewery in your eyes. If you think of a brew that you like least, and it's still a killer brew, then - in my opinion - you've found yourself a solid brewery.

Think of the brewery's beers laterally. With a glistening glass bottle of every one of their brews sitting in a line for you. How did you rate each one? Think about the average outcome of your ratings and that will tell you how the brewery does in your eyes.

So I figure we'll get into it. I'll just do a couple for me, and leave the rest to you!

So, I figure i'll do one local and one distant Michigan brewery.

FAR AWAY BREWERY: Short's Brewing Co.


Well here we go. Perfect. I'm down here in Grand Rapids, and Short's is all the way upstate in Bellaire. There's no way I can get there, so all I have to judge the brewery on is the bottles I can get down this way.

The brewery has a few outstanding offerings, including PANDEMONIUM PALE ALE (A-) and BELLAIRE BROWN (B+). Their seasonal fare offers a few standouts, including GOOD HUMANS (A), and Imperial Brown, and THE LIBERATOR IPA (A).

Overall, Short's falls somewhere in the high C range. They definately have some good brews, but, upon exploring, you find yourself wanting for more with the experimentals. Some turn out wonderfully (like SPRUCE PILSNER), but others leave your mouth overwhelmed with sweet adjunct additions (Strawberry Shortscake, Key Lime Pie, Funkin Punkin).

This particular brewery releases tons of bottles yearly, in a very wide variety. Unfortunately for me, many of them tend to fall into the "less-impressive" category, although their standards do, indeed, shine.

SHORTS BREWING CO: C+


CLOSE TO HOME: FOUNDERS BREWING CO


This is an interesting one, as many people have Founders regionally available. Being from Grand Rapids, Founders is our hometown brewery. So, hometown favoritism set aside, let's talk about the beer.

Let's look at their standard line: Pale Ale, Centennial IPA, Red's Rye, Porter, and Dirty Bastard. You can find these most anywhere in the region these days. But we shall start here. And guys, don't forget this is just my opinion, I'm just hoping to help you understand le process!

The Pale Ale (C) is a pleasant brew, but hardly impressive. Red's (B) is a solid contender and a great pint, Dirty Bastard (B) is a Scotch Ale on steroids, while IPA (A) and Porter (A) are world-class styles.

So, right off the bat we can see that Founders is doing very well. As we drift into their seasonal releases, we get some Double Trouble IPA (A), and some Cerise (B-), and then some of my favorite darker brews around, Breakfast Stout (A), Imperial Stout (A) and KBS (A).

Well, here we can see that Founders is doing really well for me. Across the board, they're averaging a low A.

So now, I could confidently say, if someone asked me what I thought of founders, that they're an "excellent" brewery.

FOUNDERS BREWING CO: A-






So, when your'e thinking about how good a brewery is, don't forget to think of it as an entire entity. Not just one beer you like, but how they do overall is what matters. Consistency!

For the love of beer,
Cheers,
BD