Covering a beer up with a lot of hops and malts isn't so much to hide the off-flavors. Rather, some producers like to weave together complex malts and hops into a balanced product.
And the off-flavors aren't a by-product of the size of the producer. I work in the industry doing quality control at the same company[1] as another commenter, and we see inconsistencies with producers the size of a local brewpub to large producers that sell to 7+ states.
Using technology can help reduce inconsistencies, but the end goal it to never let the consumer taste a bad batch. It is cheaper to dump a bad batch than to ship it, as this may result in loss of customers.
Bigger producers know this and will more readily dump a bad batch than a smaller producer.
Lastly, I have seen a producer that ships to 3 states have a manual brewing system, while a small neighborhood brewpub that just started distributing uses a fully automated system.
And the off-flavors aren't a by-product of the size of the producer. I work in the industry doing quality control at the same company[1] as another commenter, and we see inconsistencies with producers the size of a local brewpub to large producers that sell to 7+ states.
Using technology can help reduce inconsistencies, but the end goal it to never let the consumer taste a bad batch. It is cheaper to dump a bad batch than to ship it, as this may result in loss of customers.
Bigger producers know this and will more readily dump a bad batch than a smaller producer.
Lastly, I have seen a producer that ships to 3 states have a manual brewing system, while a small neighborhood brewpub that just started distributing uses a fully automated system.
[1] www.gastrograph.com