Ballast Point becoming gimmicky?

So why is pineapple sculpin a gimmick but grapefruit sculpin is not?

 

There were those (probably myself included) who made similar comments when Grapefruit Sculpin was first distributed. There's simply more clamoring this time around because of the sheer volume of these types of beers being distributed in a short period of time.

I've likely mentioned this in past threads, but this reminds me of world renowned coffee roaster George Howell inventing the frappuccino to boost sales and keep his business running. He also would always have a dark roast available to cater to the Starbucks crowd (and still does today).

No self-respecting coffee aficionado would ever consider a frappuccino coffee. Moreover, the majority of artisan coffee roasters/cafes do not carry dark roasts, as these beans are over-roasted and do not have the range of flavors a properly brewed medium/light roast can attain. But the flavors are so prominent and bold in a dark roast, and as a result are more forgiving if you don't brew your coffee properly, that many who are new to gourmet coffee mistaken it for "strong" and "good" coffee. But you have to pay the bills somehow.

The frappuccino would be akin to Ballast Point's fruity/flavor added versions of their regular beers referenced in this thread. And your local brewery having at least one IPA in their rotation is similar to George Howell always carrying a dark roast because it's the most popular, even if it's not what he actually enjoys/drinks himself.

 

Can we please stop repeating this same thread over and over

 

I like your analogy.

I think it also helps illustrate what I was mentioning earlier about the use of "gimmick" having changed from its original context.

"Gimmick" was originally introduced to mean something done only to gain attention but which added no customer value to the product or product line. So what Howell did was to increase the value of his product line in a way that at least some customers find value added even though the aficionados don't want it.

 

Peppermint victory at sea is a fantastic beer. They took an already fantastic base beer and, in my opinion, made it even better. Given the size of BP and the fact that the flavoring is peppermint, I assumed they used extract flavoring before I even tried it. Although disappointing to think that I am drinking a less than all natural beer, I have yet to find a good, all natural alternative.

On top of all of that, you can easily find 22ox bottles for $7.99 in Chicago so anyone bitching about sky high BP prices can take a seat on this one.

 

Let's be honest here....they are all "gimmicky" and people fall for it.

-intentional scarcity, mediocre beers in wax dipped bottles, hand numbering bottles, release parties...the list goes on.
These are all marketing gimmicks designed to not only make you buy, but overpay for beer.

 

As beer fans, we are the ones ultimately creating the demand for variants of standard beers. I don't work at a brewery, but I assume there's also a certain amount of creativity and experimentation a brewer/brewery enjoys when coming up with some of these beers..but it's also a business decision as well, when they see so many of us creaming our pants because that stout we buy now has chili peppers in it or that IPA has a version made with honey and so on. In the end, one man's gimmick is another man's new favorite.

 

Maybe Ballast Point knows that you tickers just gotta tick.

 

If you want to avoid "less than all natural," you'll want to avoid those less than all natural beers Pliny the Elder and Younger if you get a chance at them.

They both include extract (hop extract) in the brewing process.

 

I agree with this.
Actually, truth be told, it seems that much of the 'craft' segment of the brewing industry has become firmly based in gimmickry and now even the big brewers are beginning to follow that trend.

Not my cup of tea either, but there is certainly a market for it and it makes money...and that's why brewers (big or small) are in business----to make money.

Aren't they still considered gimmicky????

 

I'm really not a fan of this analogy since it creates the illusion that there's only one way to go about things in a particular craft, which is false.
Correct me if I'm wrong that you're equating a frappuccino's relation to coffee with a flavored beer's relation to just beer. The more appropriate way to look at this would be a beer cocktail versus the beer itself. Maybe that's the distinction that some are already making, but I don't see these flavored beers to be equivalent to a shandy or some other beer mixer.

When you get to the point of describing why a dark roasted coffee would even be carried, then you're starting to derail the thread a bit. Ballast Point had already established its brand to make some really solid offerings. Sculpin itself had already been well respected and rated before the flavored ones were being distributed. What I mean by this is that Sculpin didn't need grapefruit or pineapple to make a "more forgiving" drink, and many that are new or old to craft beer could recognize regular Sculpin as a really nice IPA.

In the end, get off your purity high horse. If a brewer really nails a flavor with tasty brew, then they did a good job. There's plenty of flavored beers that you can tell a brewer is covering up a bad product, but I'd argue that Ballast Point isn't one of them.

 

Sort of, it's not a direct analogy, because a frappuccino is created differently, with flavor added after the brewing process. But it wasn't meant to be an exact analogy, simply highlighting the point that in a craft, sometimes you create something purely for sales. You may not agree that beers like Pineapple Sculpin and Mango Even Keel are brewed for this purpose, neither of us will truly know.

I'm implying the IPA itself is a more forgiving drink, not the flavored ones. And your favorite brewer is likely not drinking these flavored IPAs too often, or even IPAs in general. Not to say they dislike them or don't drink them, but the majority I find will go for a nice pilsner or simple pale ale. This is highlighted in this excellent piece on Sierra Nevada and their pale ale, which I've linked below, and there is also a thread discussing it.

http://firstwefeast.com/drink/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-brewers-beer/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=First We Feast - Daily 2016-02-09&utm_term=Daily

Perhaps I was misleading somewhere in my post, implying that I only drink beer that is "pure". But, I have multiple posts in this thread, in which I discuss not having an issue with Ballast Point brewing these flavored beers. I said earlier, they've earned it, they know how to brew. Their more basic beers/styles are spot-on in my opinion, my issue is that the sheer volume of these flavored offerings are locally pushing my favorite "regular" Ballast Point beers off the shelves.

 

Fair enough, I always viewed Sculpin differently since it was the IPA that was more accessible to my friends where other IPAs were considered too harsh to them. That being said I can see what you mean by saying that the style can be forgiving, if you mean that their flavors are bold enough to mask imperfections. Now I'd be more curious to hear your thoughts on stouts...but that's for another thread.

 

They see that the grapefruit sculpin is taking off so they're experimenting with their other styles to appease the fruit beer people. I personally think they do a good job at it. From what I've heard, everything is staying the same, Constellation just makes it easier for them to distribute, I do wish they went public instead because that would give craft beer fans the opportunity to buy a stake in the company.