The Local

[lob]

I hate my local, you know the IGA or whatever, that's just down the road. I want to support my local, but, you know, they're clueless. I also hate Fat Yak, and yet that's what I'm currently drinking...onto my last. (Yeah I know lot's of people rave about it, but I reckon it's got that "mass-produced chemical aftertaste" thing happening. I'm only drinking it because it was the 'best' they had available under $20. Previously, and despite the AU being way higher than the Kiwi dollar, they were gracious enough to sell Macs Hop Rocker for $20. They're been completely out of Macs for the past 3 weeks, and only a few 6-packs of Gold left (which I don't really like.) - And they don't stock Sassy Red either.

This is depressing, I may have to drive all the way to Dans at Woden this evening and get some more of those 4 Pines from Manly.

[lob]

Ok Macs Hop rocker is back. Just as well too because I was fed up with driving to Dans at Woden. Yeah I like 4 Pines, but jez, every single 6 pack of Pale has come with 3 Pales, one Stout, and 2 Hefs. They really should check their stock properly...

[RUM57L]

Put in a complaint.. you might get some free beer.....

[lob]

I could almost swear there's some unscrupulous moron whose wife probably likes wheat beers, and he doesn't mind the odd stout, swapping the beers around so he can get a "sample pack"... I'll be more careful next time. (And 4 Pines - if you're reading this - you need better - ie different - labels around the bottle neck to prevent this. <burp>)

[RUM57L]

I'm pretty sure i read something on here a while ago.. someone was going to Dan's and "manipulationg" the 6 packs to better suit themselves.. i guess if i was grabbing a sixer i wouldnt really check to see if they were all the same.
4 pines -- I wasnt that fussed Lob.. the ones i got a while back were kind of light on flavour

[earle]

I must confess that last time I was in Dan's I was keen to try some Stoke, both the amber and the dark. As they only sell 6 packs and at $20 a pop, I couldn't get both so took out 3 ambers and replaced them with darks so I could buy a mixed 6. I didn't reconstruct the 6er that I left though, so hopefully someone won't get a mixed six without knowing it. They'll have to come up with a price for singles.

As a side note the Stoke amber was great, much better than our Aussie now-dumbed-down squires amber ale. The dark is also as it should be for a NZ dark, much more roast barley than we have in darks in Oz.

[RUM57L]

The culprit has identified himself..

Nah thats the point though.. if you had swapped over the remaining bottles on the shelf for some other bloke to stumble upon then he could either be happily suprised or gravely annoyed.

I have no issue with looking after number 1 when it comes to my $ vs corporate entities

[lob]

Oh well, Macs Hop Rocker disappears for awhile and then returns with a new label [gone is the quote regarding the accountants being unhappy about bucket-loads of expensive hops being added to each batch] and now it's brewed in Auckland..rather than Wellington. I have a cold at the moment, so maybe it's just me, but I tell ya, I'm pretty sure the bite/the aroma/the flavour, everything, has been reduced by two thirds. Macs was bought out by Lion Nathan about 10 years ago...Guess it was always only going to be a matter of time before they ruined a good thing.

[lob]

...I've carried this on into the original Hop Rocker thread.