What I am fed up with in Craft Beer.

Post of the year.

 

No. He's Super Hans in training.
And the secret ingredient is crime.

 

The subject has seen many different roads here. But in many ways I see where herrburgess comes from. In a manner of speaking many of the beers that are taking the American craft beer by storm are beers made from the European base with the innovation of the American spirit. And nothing is wrong with this. But it is the same topic of Italian cuisine is. Many people and even me, had to study the breadth of Italian regional cuisine that many people do not even know. So it is not far fetched to say that many may not have experience the foundation of the beer we have come to love here in America.

It is really hard for me to explain the love and respect I have for the American innovation and and at the same time, the love and passion I have for the European tradition. Many will love the European tradition and many will not... Some care and some don't.

Also to naysayers of Italian craft beer: I said it! When it gets big tell em Giovanni knew it heheh

Cheers and here is to some great beers!

 

I'm fed up with all these nanobreweries opening in my state, gettin' me all excited about "ooh, are they the next big thing?" and then 95% of them/their beers are total meh. Don't know how much more disappointment I can take.

 

I hear ya. I guess I give it a pass because I know the quality of the products Batali and Calgione put out are excellent.

 

Just realize nano's are glorified homebrews that are legal to sell to the public. Now also realize that every brewery should be given a year to get their act together. After a year if they're cranking out meh, just don't buy and the market will sort 'em out.

 

Disagree completely that the ratings on RB/BA haven't had any impact. My proof?

Anchor Our Barrel Ale
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
Widmer Brothers Alchemy Project/W' Series
Bell's Black Note
Fill in your list of BA/Highly hopped brews from venerable breweries.

Then, there's the proliferation of breweries centered around Belgian styles, particularly sours. Maybe it's not as obvious in Texas, but here in Portland, where both I and maltmaster are from, it's pretty obvious that to succeed, you need to have more than a few wow beers. Hence why Block 15 is on the state radar and Boneyard is expanding production. Meanwhile, more than a couple breweries in PDX are mostly just existing.

 

Nastro Azzuro in my avi (girl's and boy's size)

 

Agreed, I'm just getting caught up in this renaissance.

 

Black Note was a by product of BA/RB influence? I am pretty sure you have never talked with Larry or have any idea of his intentions surrounding his beers.

BA/RB user and under the illusion that there represent the thoughts and feeling of the entire craft customer base. The fact of the matter is we are the vocal minority, we may make the most noise but we only represent a small portion of the market. While breweries do pay attention to what we have to say to some extent they are not basing their business solely off of our opinions.

 

I ain't fed up with nuthin'. Maybe you guys are gettin' burnt out, but I'm just gettin' started.

 

Special release brews that you have to go crazy to get. Why isn't FBS a year around brew? I can get Ten Fidy anywhere, and Founders can't match that? Founders is a pain in the ass who happens to makes great stouts.

 

I am fed up with-

1, people who love a certain beer when it was "underground", and then hate it when everybody has access to it

2, breweries that are trying too hard to make something really different just for the sake of being creative- the reason why I haven't tried any of DFH's newer products.

3, hoarders that stock up on whales and sell them at some ridiculous price. (i still remember people hoarding on beatification at RR and sold them for $80 a piece. Seriously?)

4, just the atmosphere or the "bubbles" of the craft brewing business these days. I've heard waaay too many stories that all sound familiar- Mr Numbnuts from the Click Clack country who thinks that he finally got some serious DIPA recipe down this time. With that recipe, he should be opening his own nanobrewery and thats one step closer to become the next Jim Koch/Greg Koch/Sam Calagione.

 

I'm not arguing they make all their decisions revolve solely around the RB/BA crowd, but they're clearly making an effort to cater to them at this point. That was what I was getting at: You're seeing the well established companies making the beers us geeks want. Does that have to be the sole reason behind Black Note? Of course not; I'm not suggesting it was. But I think it's one piece of excellent evidence that business models are assuming bigger and bolder sell well and sell out, and that is our market segment. Who else would something like Black Note be for? Similarly, we can agree to disagree, but I don't think Sierra Nevada makes a DIPA if there wasn't a huge clamoring for it, and I don't think it's unfair to say that the lust for hugely hopped DIPAs originated on sites like RB/BA. Widmer very clearly saw they were losing sales and brought out on a brewer from Walking Man and started releasing BA specialties. In Bev bought Goose Island - creator of a couple of the most hugely hyped beers on this site as well as a beer which many people believe(d) to be the best bourbon barrel stout out there. Likely one of the reasons is because people are who are new to craft beer want stuff like BCS or Pliny the Elder. Where do they get those recommendations? From people off the street?

Furthermore, smartphones make it easy for people to check scores. Where are they going to do that? Information has a way of worming its way into a lot of corners. Maybe you think I was being overly presumptuous with what's going on in breweries, but I personally think the evidence points to a larger impact than people are willing to admit. I'm not arguing it's a good thing; I'm just pointing out that is one of the forces. It's not an ego thing where I want the rating sites to laud their control over an industry. But I do think the argument that we're a minority of a minority is pretty flawed. Portland is filled with craft beer lovers not on BA/RB - just look at the success of the OBF - but yet new breweries in this town and the surrounding regions are built on different styles besides APA, IPA, and Dry Stout.

 

I'm sick of breweries that cut financial corners on thier beers with respect to hopping in the boil. 50 IBUs from your bittering addition DOES NOT EQUAL 50 IBUs from late hopping. Yeah it's cheaper, but wouldn't you rather I buy more of your beer rather than just 1 and then move on to something better?

 

hot peppers in beer is the worst idea ever. Ill take a glass of heartburn please...

 

Seriously, when will this 1000 year old fad end? It's time to bring back the days of widespread gruit.

 

I find most canned craft beer to be flat as all hell.

Open a dales pale ale or a Maui sobrehumano and tell me that shit isn't half-carbed.

I agree with OP on everything but brett. I love brett.

I'm also fed up with the lack of mention non-US brewers get on these boards.

Also, someone said Stone was an example of collaborations that suck, I disagree completely, I think in the disappointing universe of collaborations, Stone's stand out as being not particularly bad.

I'm fed up with IIPAs. They don't have much character besides a mess of hops, and 90% of them taste exactly the same. The 10% that don't taste about the same as the 90%, but slightly better.

 

Hot vomit.

 

I am fed up with the whole entitlement thing.