What I am fed up with in Craft Beer.

Could you expand on this?

 

I took a look, and saw some lust and greed. However, its impact on the overall scene may be less than it seems to you. How many BAs participate? That was my first visit there, for example. In general your site reeks of simple appreciation for beer.

 

Bottling lines are expensive, brah.

Plus, if you don't bottle then you don't have to deal with idiot tickers/traders/hoarders.

 

Well, you know, you could delete the forum and ban trading on BA. I agree though that trading is dumb, leads directly to over hype (see Cigar City/Heady Topper as recent examples) and is a nusiance on the beer scene in general.

Drink local.

 

The Bros talked about this in an issue of BA mag a few months ago. Basically it takes beer that is currently on tap and takes them off. So you then have to put that beer back on once the takeover is done. Most people who go to a takeover are going for the "rare" or high ABV beers which means the World Wide Stout will kick and the 60 minute IPA will linger for a day or two.

 

2012 really must be the end of the world -- I actually agree with Todd.

 

I believe you, but overall things are still pretty good, and your site is part of that. Relax, have a beer. One of those Jack's Abbys you haven't yet reviewed.

 

The developments in U.S. craft beer I talked about have led to a lack of appreciation for subtler tastes and styles -- such as those found in many German beers. Am I back on the proper "path" now?

 

lol.....raspberry infused rabbit legs.....nice.......and I gotta agree!

Cheers

 

The indiscriminate use of the term "world class" to describe beers.

The term "craft beer" itself.

 

Then why not shut down the trade forum? If it's having an overall negative impact, and it's not driving much traffic in terms of the overall site, then isn't that the obvious and necessary solution? I personally want it to stay, but if I were in your shoes and felt like you apparently feel, I can't see why you'd continue to let it exist.

 

Truth be told, I find myself somewhat put off by (fed up with may be too strong a term) the enormous hauls/trades/tastings. I guess I just don't see the appeal of putting so much stock into such sheer volume all at once. I don't think I can quite articulate the sentiment well, but when I see a picture of the empties from a huge stout tasting, I just see a pyramid of High Life tallboys.

 

honestly, i think < 10% of my trading has resulted from ISO:FT posts. if the ISO:FT forum were shut down, you'd still get

poster in thread: "i'd love to try X beer,"
generous poster via private message: "hey i have some extra bottles. want to trade?"

-type posts, which usually lead to better trading relationships anyway.

then again, without open trading (ISO:FT / general trade forum), i think you'd start getting some exploitation via private messaging.

 

I say burn the whole thing down.

Honestly, can you guys imagine how the beer scene would change if just three websites changed their policies? If eBay sticks with their apparent beer auction ban, and Ratebeer and Beeradvocate were to nuke their trading forums...the entire craft beer culture would change over night.

Trading and after-market sales would still happen to some degree and would eventually regain a strong foothold somewhere else -- but for a period of time, the whole damn thing would get turned on its head.

I think that'd be extremely fun and interesting to watch.

 

yeah, i think the net result would be good. i'd only be worried about what kind of exploitation might take its place in the immediate aftermath. then again, i may be worried over nothing.

 

I have fun trading....I'd hate to see it go away.

Then again I don't go whale hunting...I think that is where most of the BS comes from.