Consistency is the key to success in beer. For all our bitching and moaning about the big beer companies and their boring beers one thing they are brilliant at is consistency. The lack of this will likely be the downfall of many smaller brewers trying their hand at a somewhat fickle market.
On some occasions this might be a little hard to mitigate, for example when using Brett, but that is the risk you take when you use it.
Let me paint you a picture. Last week I picked up a beer which I had not bought for a while and in this case was looking forward to that lovely horse blanket that only Brett can provide. But imagine my disappointment when, on having my first sip, found those flavours lacking and the beer having a completely different flavour… And one I didn’t enjoy either.
Now I get that for some punters that is part of the appeal; that ones opinion can be drastically different depending on the mood, situation, company, time, season etc but when a beer can’t be depended on to provide a consistent flavour; it doesn’t really encourage repeat purchases. Am I prepared to take a $10 gamble on a beer, that can be really great or, like it was on this occasion, be pretty bad? Or am I more likely to forego that gamble and pick up a beer from a brewer who understands the importance of consistency and quality control?
Quite often I find myself craving a particular flavour (and quite often that’s the spicy hops and caramel backbone of west Coast IPA) so it’s nice to be able to pull a bottle out of the fridge that you know will satisfy those cravings. And if you’re gonna put Brett in a beer, then I want my horse blanket.