Are Dogfish Head's Standards Slipping?

Last night I hit up the Dogfish Head Alehouse for a reason entirely unrelated to my brother's birthday tomorrow... I swear (should I have said spoiler alert? maybe ear muffs?). And since my favorite Dogfish Head key chain bottle opener recently broke (though I haven't had the heart to actually take it off of my key ring yet) I decided that since I was there I'd get a new one.

I headed to the host counter, requested a key chain, noted the $4 pricetag, groaned, but decided to purchase one anyway.

Even though I decided to buy one, when I was in the restaurant I had immediately noticed a difference in quality from my first Dogfish Head key chain and this new one. The new key chain is noticeably lighter and much much thinner than the original one. Check out the comparison side by side:

Exhibit 1: My old Dogfish Head key chain. Well worn, and well loved. The bottom part of the shark's mouth recently bent off, rendering my favorite beverage opening device completely useless.



Exhibit 2: My new Dogfish Head key chain. At first glance it looks comparable (and even shinier) than the old key chain.



Exhibit 3: The side comparison (old opener on the left, new opener on the right). The minute you hold both of the key chains you notice a significant weight and quality difference. And here in this picture you can see how much thinner and flimsier this new key chain is. It's what, a third of the width of the old one?



Exhibit 4: The old and the new. The real and the fraud.



I should have gone with my gut in the store and not purchased such a sub-standard bottle opener. But, with my purchase complete, I tried to give the device the benefit of the doubt, and I tried it out in an effort to open a tasty beverage last night. The result?

UTTER FAILURE.

The lower part of the shark's mouth became immediately scratched and chewed up, but, more importantly, I was unable to open my bottle. You know, not a big deal, except for the fact that that one function is the entire reason this item exists.

What's up Dogfish Head? Is it the economy? A run on whatever metal you used in the original shark bottle openers? In someway an attempt at "going green"?

Or is this an indication that your standards are slipping across the board? Will your hosts now ignore customers and apathetically wave them toward open seating when they enter the restaurant? Will your beers utilize less hops, wane in flavor, and drop in quality? Will people soon respond, when asked if they'd like a Dogfish Head brew, "Nah, I'll just have a Bud Light?"

What is the next step in this slippery slope of diminished quality?

I guess that remains to be seen. My next step on the other hand is clear. I'm going to make my way back to tonight or tomorrow to demand a full refund.

Update: I did indeed return to the Dogfish Head Alehouse and request a refund. And while the quality of the bottle openers may be slipping, the quality of their customer service is not. The members of staff that I spoke with were polite and sympathetic and offered me the option of a replacement bottle opener (though one that won't fit on my key chain) or my $4 back. I opted for the bottle opener, cause it was neat, and probably the easiest solution. It's not a key chain, but it has been traveling around with me in my purse (mainly cause I keep forgetting to take it out). Behold the replacement: