interesting, but sad trend

I liken it to the chile folks. They want hotter and hotter food... until it's totally out of balance. But as their receptors adapt, they sense less and less spice, and correct the issue by adding more.
Balance? no... but it's a taste spiral many experience at some point or another.

 

Cheers! I would welcome a slow and steady trend of brewing more quality beer in traditional styles... but am willing to try new things as well.

 

Had to take you up on this, pulled a 9/20/12 from the Cellar it is indeed drinking excellently right now, cheers!

 

I like strong beers, I like weak beers, I like beer. You're welcome.

 

Craft drinkers are rarely brand loyal. Why should they be, with 2000+ brands available?

That is a really stupid thing to be angry about. And why should weekend drinkers not be able to get good beer?

 

Loyalty to a brand shows character.

 

huh?

 

I find it interesting that balance used to be the mantra of craft brewers. Admitting to it now is like you are admitting that your beer is boring and automatically puts you on ignore with the 20 something y.o. craft drinker. "Why would you drink pale ale when impy stout has more flava dood and it gets you wrecked?"

Makes you wonder if any new brewer can ever reach the size of say SA, SN, NB these days without some kind of balanced, drinkable (gasp!, another dirty word in craftbeer today) flagship. I guess "summer" beers are the great equalizer in that equation....

 

Don't know about where you are, but that is exactly the issue I have been experiencing in the last few years in the Boston area. Affordable non-adjunct lagers are harder and harder to find (craft and imports) at stores as well as avg abv pale ales/porters/stouts. Many quality local/regional beers are getting squeezed out in favor of trendy brands/styles of the day from across the country. Seems like craft centric (and now 2nd and 3rd tier) stores are putting more effort in aquiring/stocking high priced, high abv singles/bombers/750's than craft six packs, 12 packs and cases.

 

That's because high ABV beers are better platforms for quadruple whiskey cask aging with cacao nibs, ghost peppers and gummy bears. People are losing the ability to appreciate subtlety and balance.

 

What store do you work at? I am looking for some wake up dead as long as it is not the ba version. I am also looking for a new beer store after my experience (aka straight up being lied to twice) at Smyrna world of beverage when they got their KBS. Will not go there anymore and am looking for a new beer store.

 

Same here. It's too damn hot for imperial stouts and such imo, but I live in Texas so....

 

I know what you mean. I was a manager at a liquor store here in TX and we had a killer beer selection, but I would encounter those booze hounds from time to time and not really "get it". I seriously never look at ABV...like, never. I typically choose by style, what my budget will allow, and whatever looks/sounds interesting.

 

Ditto on the "huh?" comment.

That makes no sense at all.

 

I used to buy for abv all the time. Hell that what got me into craft, buying a six pack of Brooklyn Choco stout for $9.99 was a steal and got me wasted in college. Even up to a year or two ago I would do price/abv math at the store. Since then things have changed and I buy what I feel is right at the time, i.e. ST Live for tailgaiting (I brought one 90 min and spilt it with a friend halfway through bc I didn't want to be white boy wasted in the stadium)

For the newer craft drinkers that are younger in age, I notice the trend of gravitating toward higher abv beers for the sake of getting wasted. I work in a liquor store and have had a few come up asking me what the best buy for the price is.

Answer (still craft) - Thomas Creek xtreme IPA 12.5% abv 4 pack under $10

 

I agree with the "Imperial palate syndrome" part. As I branch out and continuously try new things, I've subconsciously adopted a "bigger is better" mentality when it comes to flavor. More hops, more barley, barrel aged? OK! One of the best beers I've had recently was a 3.9% APA from Berryessa Brewing called Foot Path. It is simply amazing and at such a low ABV, I think I am able to enjoy it even more.

 

Or lack of imagination? Or adventure?

 

Abv has absolutely no effect on my purchases. One of the best "new" beers I had last year was Ommegang's Scythe and Sickle (5.8% abv).

 

this is the correct answer

 

I've got a couple of regulars -- whom I actually like very much -- that think anything below 7% is basically trash. They just want to get bombed off of the biggest, booziest beers I've got. They'll go for standard stouts and IPAs on occasion, but I think they would always go for imperials as long as there were some good ones on the shelf. I think it's unfortunate, considering that there are plenty of great beers under 7%, but it's their livers, not mine.

That said, it certainly doesn't seem to be a widespread trend at our store. The bulk of my regulars want and appreciate good beer regardless of abv.