The Beer Thread

[Popeye_Card]

The craft beer movement has passed me by. Way too many IPA's on the market, which is a style I just don't really enjoy. Too many brewers trying to create some funky new blends with weird ingredients, most of which just suck. I wish more brewers would be like Schlafly. Brew established styles of beer. Call them what they are, for the most part, instead of trying to come up with a funny name. Experiment around the edges if you want. And cut your stupid [expletive] beards.

I love beer. But I've come to dislike beer shopping because of all this [expletive]. I don't want to have to read every label and box to try to figure out what your funny named beer is (and by the way, at least tell me what the [expletive] it is supposed to be). I hate when limited shelf space makes yet another boring IPA push established delicious beers (like, say, Salvator) off the shelves. I hate having to look down the beer list at a restaurant, not know what half of them are, and having to rely on the waiter to have any clue as to what the hell they are. It makes me feel like an idiot to have to ask, "Is it dark?", have the waiter answer "Yes", then he brings out some [expletive] IPA that tastes like hop tea. "Well you're going to the wrong restaurant then." Oh, I'm sorry--I didn't have 3 [expletive] hours to sort through Yelp reviews to find a decent place with decent beer and semi-intelligent waiters to eat dinner.

[expletive]. Now I'm pissed. At beer.

Reversing course, the last couple of times I've been home I've grabbed some Urban Chestnut Erlkonig, which I find tasty though apparently not everyone on beeradvocate agrees. This goes against my rant above about mixing styles and weird names, but at least they tell me up front that it is a hoppier weizenbock. Though I'm not a fan of super hoppy beers, and I'm not a huge fan of wheat beers anymore, somehow both are applied in moderation here and the overall taste is very satisfying. I recommend as a dinner companion or a evening treat. I don't recommend on a sunny afternoon.

[Freed Roger]

Great great rant, Popeye. However, I don't mind the hunt, sifting through alternatives, as much as you do. Agreed -it's taking way too long to get past a lot of crap to find what you want -especially at a grocery store. When I have time, I will pay extra atCraft Beer Cellar to seek out a new beer, while re-stocking some good standard craft beers.

Lately I'm also big fan of Urban Chestnut -especially since they are bottling more types. Funny names, but they tell you what to expect on the bottle. A big plus to a brewer for me, is when they seem to maintain a common core amongst their beers -even when they hop it up or do something else to it. 33rd can probably tell us how they do that - yeast strain or something - but when you have an Urban Chestnut, you can tell it's theirs. Rogue, and even Lagunitas, come to mind for this distinctiveness.

[Jocephus]

i definitely agree with the too many choices aspect but i'd say that with just about everything. i don't mind strolling thru the aisle looking for something new/different. but i also admit i'm bad about being sold by the "cover".

[33anda3rd]

when you have an Urban Chestnut, you can tell it's theirs.

I've had some, but not a ton, of the UCs. It's prob a combo of yeast/hops/barley. They're doing traditional German styles so I'd assume most everything is noble hops, German yeast, traditional types of German malt--lots of Eurpoean Pilsner and Munich malt.

Popeye, I really like your rant. Here's a brewery I like in Chicago:

[SHOW]

Those really stand out at the bottle shop, and I think the labels are brilliant. The brewery, the beer name, the style, the ABV. Easy. Amidst all the overdone bottles with colorful weird labels these jump out and they tell you all you need to know. Also they taste good. Firestone Walker makes it easy too. Their beers have the same label, so you know it's theirs, and they're called stuff like "Pivo Pils", "Union Jack IPA", "Easy Jack Session IPA," "DBA." They're immediately identifiable by brand and style and you know what you're getting. That's stuff on the brewers end, for both retail and on-premise consumption, that works for the consumer. On the other hand, what exactly is Evil Twin Mosaic Single Hopped Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager? Which, believe it or not, is not a made up beer. How do you explain that to someone who's not a beer geek in under 20 words?

From the bar/restaurant owners perspective, if we're going to offer non-traditional beer then we owe it to our guests to train our staff so they can describe them in under 20 words. "It's light and finishes dry, with a bit of yeasty funk, and some citrus notes." The staff should taste the beer and get some info on the style, the brewer, everything that's relevant, so they can talk about it with guests. If your server can't describe a beer it's either because the manager doesn't do their job or the server is lazy and inattentive.

[33anda3rd]

I thought the backlash against IPAs had been going on for some time- and bad ones aren't as prevalent/more of the good ones remain. I really like Deschutes Fresh Squeezed.

I like that beer too. I like pretty much everything Deschutes does, esp the Black Butte porter.

Filtering through is rough, especially because we keep getting more and more new breweries. I think there are more bad ones on the market now than ever before. There are also more good ones. The problem from the consumer standpoint is that you have to invest your $ to find out which is which, either by purchasing one in a bar or purchasing a 4-, 6-pack, or bomber at the shop.

[cardinalkarp]

I've tried enough of them (both bad and good) and I pretty much stick to the one's I know and like at this point.

If something new looks interesting (and comes from a brewery that I've already established makes other beers I like) I'll give it a shot, but even then I've been burned.

[Jocephus]

I'm gonna take some cold bud lights, have them sit in my truck for the next 3 hours while I'm at work on a warm Kansas day. Then when I arrive home I will drink them

[JackofDiamonds]

I'm gonna take some cold bud lights, have them sit in my truck for the next 3 hours while I'm at work on a warm Kansas day. Then when I arrive home I will drink them

I'm going to buy a fancy four pack, probably at room temperature, have them sit in my rental car for 20 minutes while I'm on my way to the hotel on a warm New Jersey evening. Then when I arrive at the hotel I will flash chill them and drink them while watching baseball.

[Jocephus]

I'm gonna take some cold bud lights, have them sit in my truck for the next 3 hours while I'm at work on a warm Kansas day. Then when I arrive home I will drink them

I'm going to buy a fancy four pack, probably at room temperature, have them sit in my rental car for 20 minutes while I'm on my way to the hotel on a warm New Jersey evening. Then when I arrive at the hotel I will flash chill them and drink them while watching baseball.

ELITIST

[JackofDiamonds]

I'm gonna take some cold bud lights, have them sit in my truck for the next 3 hours while I'm at work on a warm Kansas day. Then when I arrive home I will drink them

I'm going to buy a fancy four pack, probably at room temperature, have them sit in my rental car for 20 minutes while I'm on my way to the hotel on a warm New Jersey evening. Then when I arrive at the hotel I will flash chill them and drink them while watching baseball.

ELITIST

PHILISTINE