点评:I am not the type to leave a bad review - can't say I've ever done it before. Ten years in the beer industry and a lifelong NE IPA fan — I really wanted to like this place over the years.
I don't say this lightly: the beer is bad. Most batches carry a harsh, aggressive hop burn that signals they haven't dialed in the right yeast strain — basic stuff for a brewery charging these prices. Several beers also carry a distinct plastic/rubber off-flavor, the kind you get from worn or poorly-maintained transfer lines. For a working professional in this industry, that's not a nitpick — it's a sign of a brewery that isn't paying attention to the basics.
But the beer isn't even the main problem. It's how this business treats families — and how it responds when you call them on it.
At their Christmas Market last December, a manager was taking photos for their Instagram with a professional camera — fine, no issue there. But members of our group noticed him separately pull out his personal phone and secretly photograph my young daughter, seated in her wagon, without asking us. When I confronted him, he had multiple photos of her on his phone. He rolled his eyes when asked to delete them. No apology, no acknowledgment that this was inappropriate. There were multiple witnesses. Parents: watch your kids and watch the staff with cameras here. At BEST, this guy is an inconsiderate moron. At worst...well.
I recently was invited to their "Raise the Barn" event by a family member. I explained that I didn't want to go based on the above, but was talked into it, vowing to keep an eye on all staff. He purchased tickets purchased in advance and we paid him directly. At the door, we were told, rather rudely, it was a 21+ event — something disclosed nowhere except in small print on the final booking page.
I called and spoke with the taproom manager, Heidi, who was condescending, insisted the restriction was "all over the website," and when I asked for nothing more than a gift card — not a refund — for tickets they'd already been paid for, she said she'd "circle up with her team" and get back to me.
I then heard from the owner directly, who refused the gift card outright and told me I should be "nicer to people." I never raised my voice, used profanity, or asked for anything beyond store credit for services not rendered. Faced with a legitimate safety concern about a staff member and a straightforward billing dispute, ownership's response was to lecture the customer on manners. I have all of these conversations well documented.
Bad, overhyped beer, an employee who thought it was fine to secretly photograph a child, and ownership that responds to accountability with deflection. This is not a business that deserves your money, or anyone else's.
翻译:我并不是那种会随便留下差评的人——说实话,我以前从未写过差评。我在啤酒行业工作了十年,也是新英格兰IPA的忠实粉丝;这些年来,我一直希望能喜欢上这家酒厂。
我可不是随口一说:这里的啤酒确实很难喝。大多数酒款都带有一种刺鼻、强烈的啤酒花苦味,这显然说明他们还没找到合适的酵母菌株——对于一家定价如此之高的酒厂来说,这可是最基础的要求啊。此外,有几款啤酒还带有明显的塑料或橡胶般的异味。这种情况通常出现在使用时间较长或维护不善的输送管道中。对于这个行业的专业人士来说,这可不是什么小问题——这恰恰说明这家啤酒厂根本没把基本事项放在心上。
不过啤酒本身甚至算不上主要问题。真正的问题在于这家企业如何对待家庭顾客,以及当你指出这些问题时他们的反应如何。
去年12月的圣诞市集上,一位经理正在用专业相机为Instagram拍摄照片——这倒没什么问题。不过,我们小组的成员注意到他偷偷拿出自己的手机,未经我们允许就偷偷拍摄坐在婴儿车里的我的小女儿。当我质问他时,发现他的手机里存着好几张女儿的照片。当我要求他删除这些照片时,他翻了个白眼。既没有道歉,也丝毫没有意识到自己的行为不妥。当时有很多目击者。各位家长:请看好自己的孩子,同时也要留意那些携带相机的工作人员。往好了说,这家伙就是个不顾及他人感受的笨蛋;往坏了说……唉。最近,一位家人邀请我参加他们的“Raise the Barn”活动。我以上述理由表示不想去,但最终还是被说服了,还发誓会密切留意所有工作人员的言行。他提前购买了门票,我们则直接把钱付给了他。到了活动现场,我们却被相当无礼地告知:这是一场仅限21岁以上人士参加的活动——而这一信息除了在预订页面底部的细小字体中提及外,其他地方均未说明。
我打电话给酒吧的经理海蒂,她的态度十分傲慢。她坚称这一限制措施“在整个网站上都有说明”;当我只要求为他们已付款的门票提供礼品卡——而非退款时,她则表示会“与团队商量后”再回复我。
后来我直接收到了店主的回复,他断然拒绝了礼品卡的请求,还说我应该“对人友善一点”。我始终没有提高嗓门、也没有说脏话,更没有要求除未提供服务的店面抵用券之外的任何东西。面对员工行为可能引发的安全隐患以及一项简单的账单纠纷,老板们的回应竟是教训顾客要懂礼貌。所有这些对话我都有完整记录。
劣质且被过度吹嘘的啤酒、一个认为偷偷拍摄儿童照片没什么大不了的员工,还有遇事就推卸责任的老板。这样的企业根本不配得到你或任何其他人的钱。