Beers that were "better" last year

Until you have had it, and by it. I mean, THAT SPECIFIC BEER yourself for multiple years. Don't get involved in this meta-level of beer wankery, which is entirely subjective and completely susceptible to, and distracted by a melange of variables ranging from the end user and consumers own palate, the temperature the beer was served at, the ambient temperature, their own predilections, moods and what was already in the gullet and in competition with said suds. Which all have no say nor pull on the brewers side with its own cornucopia of whimsy where they might have missed one detail or added another during brew day to the cellarman tweaking it in fermentation, on down to the suppliers side where this years hops have more acids, or have less, or it was a bountiful year in the hops field, or it wasn't, which repeats itself to a degree as well with the grains being used.
Honestly, it was all better next year. So kcuf 'em anyways.

 

The only difference being you can listen to an album over and over again and it will be the exact same sound hitting your ears every time so you can compare and analyze two different albums fairly. You can't drink a '13 Hopslam and a '14 Hopslam side-by-side to compare them because the '13 is super faded.

 

Right...

 

Beer wankery is the perfect term for this phenomenon.

 

I'm going to "be that guy" and say that I find it remarkable how consistent most offerings have been (that aren't the very small production limited items).

I believe the body of work by brewers has evolved so radically over the last 20 years that I have enjoyed this hobby (especially the last 5-7 years) such that what stood out as so different and "radical" has been fairly well and frequently mimicked. Accordingly, it is less unique and loses some luster for standing out. I offer Hopslam as a prime example. Still a great brew but lots out there like it.

 

Right on.

 

Touche'

 

The 2013 batch of Wake-n-Bake - though still great, mind - to me was the recipient of an unnecessary ABV boost from 2012 to 2013 (8.1% to 9.4%), and all it really did was make WnB boozier than it needed to be.

I'm not the kind of person to go "NUGGT NECATR SUXXX THIS YEAR", but '13 WnB was one of the few times I genuinely thought a batch was better the year before, rather my palate simply being stricken with lupulin threshold shift.

 

Tastes are constantly changing. I for one really liked Zywiec's Porter when I first tried, and though it's still a really good value and very easy to drink, it now comes across as a bit bland to my palate. Unless you try both years side-by-side, it's hard to judge your feelings from one year to the next. ...Unless you have spectacular notes!

 

If you are speaking about recipe changes, I'd say I liked the 2012 version of anchor steams Christmas much better than the 2013.

I'd also say some of the beers that got me hooked on good beer I find close to undrinkable now.

 

Hopslam has been pretty consistent for the last three years. The two years prior to that though it was more pungent. Opened in the same truck windows closed, two people sniffin'. Nose not Palate.

 

This years Founders FBS has to be the poster child for this. It's been a solid 5 for at least the last 3 years, ever since Founders did the expansion of the brewery and distributing it's been a 3. Maybe batch size accounts for the difference?

 

very interesting comments on this unusual phenomena that revolves around perception. I believe everyone looks forward to the current release of there favorite beers as I do and some times those expectations are not met when we crack open that first bottle but not to worry there are 3-5 more bottles left to try and solve that. I have never had a beer year to year that has changed so much that I would write it off entirely, in fact some of the beers I drink actually tasted as good as previous years. personally I would rather not analyze all the variables and instead just enjoy the craft goodness in front of me.

 

FBS = breakfast stout ?

 

Yes what else does Founders make with those letters?

 

Taste is subjective, and we are all changing the range of our tastes by eating and drinking new things. Until someone comes up with a time machine and we can take a 2014 Hopslam back to 2013 and drink them side by side, we may never know (turn up reverb on the last four words).

 

Drink your Brown Shugga' fresh. It tastes like asses molasses after a year.

 

Alot of Lagunitas beers, seems like they're having issues with water source.. it has changed and the beer is suffering because of it (thats the rumor anyways) Brown Shugga and Sucks.. meh...

 

White Chocolate. They even fessed up and admitted it themselves. Props to Rue for doing so.

 

just checking because I don't want to comment on a the wrong beer and you are right founders does not make any other beer with the acronym fbs. that being said, I thought 2013 breakfast stout was getting back to what it was before and that 2012 was just a little less than. still finished the four pack though, I just did not reload as I had in the past. definitely drinking more of it this year.
cheers