In October I enjoyed volunteering for a small beer fest near my house. I was pouring for Full Sail and enjoyed the banter with the (increasingly) drunk clientele. I therefore signed up for a much larger venue that happened last week. The beer gods were clearly pissed at me, and rather than pouring for Stone, Green Flash, New Belgium, Terrapin, or some other decent brewery I was assigned Leinenkugal. I ended up pouring five beers that mostly rated poor on BA. I noticed what a different type of customer that came to my booth for Berry Weiss, Honey Weiss, Summer Shandy, and Sunset Wheat. My favorite question/comment of many was: "What's your beer that tastes like Fruity Pebbles?" I'm sure my face showed disgust when I answered "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" The answer was "a great thing!" Sigh... I gritted my teeth and poured thousands of tasters of barley pops that will never cross my lips.
Did you also have people asking for "the one that tastes like Pine Sol"? Summer Shandy is so, so bad.
To be honest, I don't hate any of the Leinie's beers. I actually think that if some of their brews were produced by another brewery they would get more praise. But I do know what you are saying. I'm sure it was definitely a slightly different group of people in the Leinie's line
Oh, that really sucks. I'm not sure what's worse, that you had to pour beer for Leinies or that people actually go to a craft festival to drink Leinies?
Most of the guys in their 50's and older came because they grew up on Leinies long before Miller/Coors was involved. Some were simply in line to get drunk - they'd hand me a tasting cup and say "whatever".
That's a funny story. I usually feel bad for the people working the 'Bud style' tents, they must know!
I didn't have time to finish my response earlier, so... My other thought, besides being amused by the grandeur of that bad luck, is...are we ready for the beer culture to become so mainstream? Most of my friend circle is fairly beer-enlightened. Even if they only like wheats, they would prefer a wheat from our local brewery over a BMC beer. But I have noticed that some people drink Leinies as an alternative to BMC because 1) it's an appeal-to-the-masses kind of beer, as in tasting like fruity pebbles but, to them, it still looks like "trendy" craft beer. Or 2) they genuinely think it is on the same level as craft beer. Like how people get fooled by Blue Moon, Third Shift Lager, and Shock Top and the like. I guess I'm just wondering if that's where the beer culture is headed. People who aren't necessarily passionate about the exacting science of good beer production, the local agriculture, the tradition of brewing, the nuances of each style, etc., but people who are just consuming craft beer to get drunk or because it's trendy or because it's the trendy way to get drunk. I definitely consider myself a beer advocate in the sense that I love to share my knowledge and enthusiasm about beer with anyone who is genuinely interested. But I don't know if I like the idea of it becoming the trendy mainstream thing. Certainly not that it's an exclusive club or anything, I wish craft beer had 90% of the market and BMC had 10%. So perhaps I'm contradicting myself... God, I feel like a pretentious hipster as I type this out (I swear that I don't typically classify myself in any way as hipster)...I just don't want to lose the passion and craft of the beer culture. <steps off soapbox>
Sorry to hear. Leinies is pretty bad. I was actually happy about their Bubblegum beer at Summerfest, thought it was pretty good, but I was also wasted. Anyone try or going to try this years Lakefront Leinie collab? its only 3.2% alc though....
FFS I've been saying similar things on this topic for a few years now. The further back you go, whether early 2000's and especially 90's - the more different it was (and better in some but not all regards). The growth is absolutely a mixed bag of pros and cons. Not everything about growth is good, even though some folks here insist otherwise. I'd re-live and attend those GABF's before I would ever attend a recent one, for example. Festivals is probably one of the most obvious examples of my point.
I don't want to dump on Leinies too hard because buying their variety packs in college was a big push for me to experiment with and take an interest in new and better beer, but Berry Weisse is the worst beer I ever had.
when i go to a festival and see beer nerds slumming for the free admission, i am reminded how fortunate i am that i have a decent job. pouring Blue Moon for a few hundred inebriated housewives is my understanding of hell. say im an elitist i don't care. i'm not pimping the shit for the unwashed masses. not ever. Cheers.
Surprised they didnt pour anything from the Big Eddy Series at a festival, those beers are pretty solid. I think craft 'beer' can go more mainstream without craft beer 'culture' going mainstream. I dont understand why someone drinking a craft beer product, who is not passionate about beer, is doing so to be "trendy". Why cant they just be drinking that craft beer because it tastes better? I have plenty of friends who have zero passion for craft beer, but they know Victory Hop Devil is delicious, and if there going to drink they would much rather enjoy some Hop Devils then force down some macro swill. There are plenty of people out there that are going to enjoy craft beers who are no going to be "passionate about the exacting science of good beer production, the local agriculture, the tradition of brewing, the nuances of each style, etc.", but are going to do so because they taste good. Why is it the "trendy" way to get drunk? Why not the delicious way to get drunk? People here want to poke fun at the "unenlightened" beer drinkers who are forcing down macro swill, but at the same time point fingers at the ones drinking craft, who must be doing so to be "trendy" because they have not met some obligatory full on craft beer geekery prerequisite to enjoy said beverage. I just dont get it.
Confessional: I've been known to purchase berry weiss since my wife enjoys it. I don't hate it either, although it's not something I'd ever buy for strictly personal consumption.
Actually I also poured Big Eddy Baltic Porter. You're right - it was OK. When all the fruity kegs kicked, Big Eddy was the only thing left. It was priceless to see the facial expressions of folks who asked for the fruity beers and had to "settle" for this. They looked like they had just tasted a turd sandwich.
