What I am fed up with in Craft Beer.

Could it be the beer geeks were noticing you instead of her?

 

I indeed do not know her(was referring to the collabs comment as truth), but you mentioned sexual dissatisfaction so I giggity'ed. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

 

Do you know that part of the BJCP tasting portion is to correctly identity off flavors and how to remidy those in the process? They offer a kit to spike beers for training purposes.

There are some BJCP judges that are better than others, just like craft brewers.

 

I think RB/BA over estimates itself. Most breweries aren't brewing for the fanatics, but what their local economy will support and what their tastes are. A brewery focusing on IPA's in Texas will probably fail, the locals aren't into that...yet. Trading is a small fraction of sales, less than a percent. Likewise I doubt people anywhere would turn out in droves for a mild.

 

You are making my point. He could have said past fagioli goes great with an IPA/DIPA. He could have said Pasta Fagioli goes great with Union Jack, Tordepo... Instead, he said pasta fagioli goes great with my partner's product. A shameless plug for his partner is suspect in my eyes.

 

Agreed. The people here are a small percentage of craft beer purchasers as a whole. These communities think they are the driving factor behind every decision a craft brewery makes.

A brewery doesn't 'need' to reinvent a beer unless the beer is not selling. Not because of 1% of craft beer drinkers are too beer geeked out to buy it anymore.

 

So what you are saying is a person cannot say a beer is good unless they can afford to go to Europe?

 

In a BJCP-judged competition (the original context I was talking about), many people brew at the far upper end of the style guidelines. When not constrained by BJCP guidelines, many U.S. craft brewers even brew beyond those guidelines. As far has the ways in which they overdo it: too many IBUs, too high ABV, too high OG, too high/low FG.

Perhaps. I was talking about a certain subset of judges, not all BJCP judges. And to be fair, the "Pepsi Challenge Effect" is real and influences/alters any judge's palate during judging, so brewing to the top end of the style guidelines is, in a sense, wise, in order to not have your beer get lost in the shuffle. The problem is that before any weeding-out process had a chance to take place, the abovementioned quantitative changes have become qualitative changes, and those beers that were at the top end of the stylistic spectrum begin to seem understated in the face of their "bigger/bolder" brothers.

Exactly nothing. Those are not the brewers/beers I'm talking about. I'm talking primarily about U.S. takes on German, Czech, and even (some) Belgian styles.

 

I get what you guys are saying and don't disagree. But it reminded me of when Greg Koch got so much backlash on BA against alternating odd/even years with Belgo/regular versions of Old Guardian and IRS that the company switched to just offering both versions together instead of one or the other.
Ha, that was cool.

I don't know - maybe he had more backlash elsewhere from people in person or complaining to the brewery and I'm giving BA too much credit here? Either way, I miss seeing Greg Koch on the BA forums.

 

Maybe not iconic brands that sell on name alone - not quite yet anyway. By flagships I guess I mean their core lineup of everyday beer - offereed in 6, 12, 24 packs for the most part - no all are best sellers and many could use some upgrading to more modern flavor profiles - I mean how many SNPA knockoffs do we really need? Torpedo IPA has been a huge success and is quickly approaching SNPA as SN's best seller (and I think the stout and porter are in desperate need of a revamp) - and it seems Widmer is doing well with Drifter and Rotator while Hefeweizen is in decline. Too many regional/smaller breweries seem happy to rest on thier laurels while craft growth keeps outpacing itself - those days will turn eventually, and if you don't do something to excite your core customers you're just going to be left with a dying brand.

 

I was saying that back around 1995 -- about the time Beers Across America sent me a 12 pack of American Pales Ales... for the third time in a row! Sad few of them being anything to compare with SNPA.

 

Didn't say they can't say it's "good," I said they can't say it's "the best in the world."

 

It is his partner's product...He is supposed to promote it. In the end we are talking about business people...There is money behind this.

Partner's promote other partner's products that is always going to happen. But as someone else already stated you can easily look beyond the specific brand mentioned as assume that the recommendation would stand for the style.

 

Balance and drinkability. Subtlety and depth of flavor.

 

It's in his best interest to promote his business. That's what people do when they invest in a business. They promote it. Do you go to a Ford dealer and get pissed when they don't tell you about a Chevy or Toyota? It's not like he made a terrible suggestion. But he's invested in the product probably because he stands behind it. If he was heavily invested in Kool Aid and suggesting Tropical Punch Kool Aid goes great with his spaghetti, then sure... otherwise I don't see the problem with suggesting your product goes well with another product you have interest in. As long as he's not making up some bullshit just to sell crap.

 

No kidding. My original point was that his recomendation has to be taken with a grain of salt because he is promoting his partner's product. The recomendation would be more trustworthy if there wasn't a financial benefits involved.

 

I'm sure so few US breweries make balanced and drinkable beer that the entire sector is suffering.

 

Is this guy Ding in disguise?

 

I think you're mostly referring to older breweries from the 90's still using the same yeast strains that were imported from Europe. Mainly english yeasts in american APA's. Time to start using the chico strain to clean the beer up and give it new life, hell, you may not even have to change the recipe, just the yeast.

 

who gives a shit?