← Back To Blog List
Getting It Right
Hi everyone, I wanted to get in touch with you about a small misstep we have encountered with our first batch of Celia Saison.
Unfortunately, we have decided to pull the first batch off of shelves, and have it destroyed.
I got my first bottle last night, and I am just not satisfied with the way it turned out. I have always strived to deliver exceptional beers to my customers, and sadly, this batch is not exceptional. I myself, experienced a learning curve when I started making these gluten-free beers, and we are experiencing the same learning curve as we attempt to brew at another facility.
I lay the blame squarely at my own feet.
When the first two batches were in the kettle, I did not pay enough attention to when it was time to introduce the protein coagulant. This oversight has resulted in a very fizzy head on the beer that disappears almost immediately.
This is not something that I can let go out to our customers that expect a certain level of quality with anything that has our name on it.
To those of you that have already purchased some of this batch, I sincerely apologize.
Yesterday morning, I made a fresh batch at the brewing facility, and it was all done to my previous brewing protocol. I can only hope that this resolves our problems, and we can get it out to you in a timely manner. The new bottling run should occur in about 3 weeks, at which point Celia Saison will return to the market. If I find that it is still not up to my level of quality, we will pull back even further, to reassess our approach to sharing our award-winning beer with a wider audience.
Thank you for understanding our situation, and please give us another chance in a few weeks.
Until then, keep on keeping on.
John
on:
John,
First off, thank you for your efforts to introduce a craft brewed beer for those of us that suffer from Celiac disease. I can’t tell you enough how much I am anticipating the release of this beer. I am sure you already know, there aren’t a lot of good options for high quality gluten-free beers available.
I appreciate the dedication to quality and I am sure it will be worth the wait. My first experience with GF beer was truly disappointing after my wife spent the entire day traveling to VT and back to MA with 4 cases of GF Bards Tale. 90% of the beer turned to foam after opening the bottles. That was 5+ years ago and GF beer has come a long way since then.
I look forward to the availability of a craft brewed GF beer from the Alchemist.
on:
Setting here at the computer playing solitaire with a can of Heady-Topper, relaxing . I will be back for more.
Larry
on:
I thought it was pretty good!
on:
Did the new batch come out yet? I just picked up some today at Julio’s in MA. Any way I can tell which I got?
on:
I just had my first taste last night at Prohibition Pig and liked it fine. How can I get a little for myself to enjoy at home? Or can’t I? This is my first gluten-free summer, and I’d love the occasional chance to open a beer!
on:
First off, my wife and I have been big fans of The Alchemist going back for years now and we were truly saddened when the hurricane/flood hit. I wish you guys nothing but success in the future.
On to my question, I picked up a 4 pack of Celia Saison yesterday and have been reading up on the challenges you’ve faced over the past few months. Besides the issue of the rapidly receding head, were there any other quality issues that you observed in this initial batch that caused you to pull them? The bottle that I had last night did not have any head retention issues; however, the flavors were a bit tough for me to wrap my palate around. Since this is probably the first Sorghum based beer that I’ve tried, I am wondering if this is simply the desired flavors of a Sorghum based Saison or if it is from the initial batch that was pulled. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Pingback: Alchemist Celia Saison « thesapbucket
on:
This week I bought a pack from a Trader Joe’s in NY and tasting it for the first time right now. Definitely a surprise taste. I have tried most of the GF beers you can find in the store, and most of them I found to be a subtle sweet & flowery taste; Drinkable but boring. Your beer is bitter & yeasty tasting. For me, not to my liking. I don’t mind a bit of bitter, but the yeast taste, in my mind, is overpowering.
I totally appreciate the hard work you guys are doing and realize this is the first time producing a GF. I think it is terrific you are trying it. I just wanted to give my imput, whether it means something to you or not.
After having a few sips more it is going down a bit easier.
CHEERS!!!
on:
I too bought a pack from Trader Joe’s in NY and really liked it. Unfortunately I can’t find it anymore. Any way I can get it shipped to me?