A few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of Winter Bourbon Barrel Brown from The Grand Canyon Brewing Company. I was SO excited to try this because I love a good barrel aged beer, and they have been doing a great job with their “Flavor Bomb” concept. They have a lot of good beers including the Pumpkin Springs Porter, Shaggy Bock, Coffee Bean Stout, Starry Night Stout and the Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale.
I got the beer home and couldn’t wait for it to chill down. I actually waited a few days to open it. When I did, I wasn’t very impressed with the aroma. Then I took a sip. I had some pretty big expectations for this beer, and was VERY disappointed in the result. The beer, quite frankly, was terrible. It was flat, didn’t taste like bourbon at all, and had a boring mouthfeel. It was just a bad experience all around. Then Sheryl tried it.
She had a similar experience. We let it warm up, but it didn’t get better. Did we have a bad bottle? Maybe. I went to Twitter and complained about the beer. Of course, I tagged The Grand Canyon Brewing Company just hoping they would see my experience with their latest release. See our conversation below:
@GCBrewery Did you have a bad batch of the Winter Bourbon Barrel Bomber? I'm drinking a bottle and it's terrible… Please assist. #beer
— rickyleepotts (@rickyleepotts) November 24, 2013
@rickyleepotts contact quality control alex@grandcanyonbrewingco.com and he will get you helped out and answer any questions
— Grand Canyon Brewery (@GCBrewery) November 24, 2013
@GCBrewery Thank you so much. Didn't expect a response… Let alone this late!
— rickyleepotts (@rickyleepotts) November 24, 2013
@rickyleepotts here to help
— Grand Canyon Brewery (@GCBrewery) November 24, 2013
@GCBrewery Just sent an email. #cheers
— rickyleepotts (@rickyleepotts) November 24, 2013
To my surprise, I woke up with a response from Alex Phillips, Director of Sales for The Grand Canyon Brewing Company. We went back and forth a few times, and he asked to meet with me at the Whole Foods in Scottsdale. I happily agreed, as I simply wanted to discuss my experience of this beer with him.
When I got to Whole Foods, I was a couple of hours early so I grabbed a seat and started replying to emails. Before I knew it, it was time to meet with Alex. But I didn’t know who he was! We had never met, and he didn’t provide a description of what he looked like in the email. Then I got a phone call from a number in Flagstaff. It wasn’t Alex, but Bryan Young, a Sales Representative for the brewing company.
Bryan was sitting by the bar, drinking a pint, wearing a shirt and jacket from the brewing company. I introduced myself and we hit it off. I sat down and we started talking about craft beer. He offered to buy me a pint, but I was full of beer. We drank so much in San Diego over Thanksgiving, it was hard to justify another pour. Before the night was over, he said he had something in his car for me.
We walked to his car and he handed me a six pack of Black Iron IPA, a six pack of White Water Wheat and 2 bombers of the Winter Bourbon Barrel Brown. This was completely uncalled for. I didn’t complain trying to get free stuff. I complained because I had a bad experience and wanted the brewery to know. They went above and beyond and inspired this blog post.
When I posted that message on Twitter, I never expected to hear from them. I definitely didn’t expect to meet anyone from the brewery or the free beer. I raise my glass to Alex, Bryan and the entire staff at The Grand Canyon Brewing Company. Cheers!
UPDATE: Within minutes of posting this blog, Alex Phillips emailed me saying, “Bottom line is you are happy, and that’s what I want for our customers.” THAT is what craft beer is all about. The Grand Canyon Brewing company just became one of my favorite brewing companies in The Grand Canyon state. Ironic? I think not!
Connect with The Grand Canyon Brewing Company:
Website: http://www.grandcanyonbrewery.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/grandcanyonbrewery
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GCBrewery
