Sierra Nevada "not craft enough"

Don't forget the neck beard.

 

That younger guy is a numbnut...tell him I said so...'I'm too cool for SNPA'...he must have fallen and hurt his head....SNPA is one of the 'original' craft beers!!

 

Half of my beer refrigerator at any given time is Sierra Nevada. They are the real deal!!!

 

In truth, choices were limited as you describe for only a relatively brief period of time from roughly post WWII to mid-60's, depending somewhat on where you lived in the USA and whether it was urban or rural. (And, the choice never really went away; it may have taken more diligence, but you did not HAVE to buy manufactured foods.)

Where I grew up, (South Carolina, and on a farm), such manufactured foods did not become a regular part of our home meals until the late 1950's, and even then, the majority of what we ate at home was grown, baked, produced, canned or preserved within 100 miles, if not within 20 miles, of my house (if not IN my house).

This is just to set the record straight for all those young whippersnappers who think they invented locavore. (We didn't call it "locavore", though; it was just "food".)

 

I share this sentiment. "Local" does NOT equal better. I could name some very mediocre breweries that are three miles from my front door.

 

Wife ran a half marathon Sunday. She gifted me her beer ticket, and with the tickets I had I got some SN Hop Hunter. And it was delicious. Sierra Nevada might be big, but it's craft too.

 

Yes, you've gone back further in history than did I and it has always, even today, depended upon urban vs. rural to some degree. Even today farming is not a high disposable income activity so "home grown" is still qutie common in many rural areas. But it's also worth noting pre 1940s-50s folks in rural areas did not actually have much choice as to whether or not to eat local (If they actually wanted to eat. )

In some ways you've reinforced what I think is a useful parallel to what also has happened with beer over the years.

 

Did the BA invent the word? I thought it was a natural evolution from "microbrewery " when some breweries (like SN) that had been important parts of the micro community became too big to be called micro.

I wonder if Ken Grossman wants to give up the word craft? Of course alternatives like micro and local would be less favorable to SN. AFAICT the only breweries who dislike the word are those excluded from the BA definition (and of course not all of them, since there are different definitions, like IRI).

If there is a reason to retire the word craft it is not because ownership is irrelevant. It is because all the ownership criteria were a way to express what was really a community of brewers. With 5000 breweries, is it really a community the way it was? I'm not sure.

 

As someone who always has a steady supply of Trillium and plenty of other amazing breweries, if you look in my fridge right now you will find at least 15 Pale Ale's and a handful of other SN brews... Probably 50% or so of my entire "active" beerventory.

His loss, honestly... SN does amazing beers, for those who appreciate more than hype. I would pick them over anybody if I could only drink from one brewery.

 

Man, you got that right. And with possibly one exception, most of my 'local' breweries make _really_ shitty beer.

 

I share this sentiment. Mountain State Brewing was the first regional craft brewery in WV to open and stick around, but I find that most of their options are middle of the road. I do like the Almost Heaven Amber Ale and the Coal Miner's Daughter Oatmeal stout, and I will buy those, but everything else I have had by them does nothing for me. I definitely would not choose them while excluding regional beers from around the country because they are not local. Now we have more and better local options, and more distro from other parts of the country and I tend to go with them.

Dismissing older craft mainstays is the ugly side of craft beer. Where would the world of craft be without SN and Ken Grossman? I don't know, and I don't want to know. I get supporting local, and I do it myself but only when the product is deserving. To exclude all of the great stuff out there because its not local seems insane to me, and I would feel that way even if I enjoyed the wealth of local options that many of you do.

To a lesser extent, I also feel the same way about SA. I get it if people are not excited about their brand or think its middle of the road. It may not be cutting edge anymore, but its still a brand that helped build the craft revolution and they still make some solid brews that I think are special. But familiarity and ubiquity seem to breed a lot of contempt in the Craft world. If you don't like Sams don't drink it, but I hate to see people just trash the brewery because its big or available everywhere or "not craft". When I first moved to WV it was my saving grace as it was the only craft option we had. I drank a whole lot of it in those days, and while I don't drink so much of it anymore, I still buy several of each of the variety packs every year. And if the SA Scotch Ale and Cream ale were still available, they'd have a place in my fridge any day.

I guess what I am saying is that the whippersnappers should have some respect for the early pioneers of the movement that helped make craft beer what it is today. And if ever I hear someone say that Stone is "not craft enough," those would be fighting words for me. lol

 

Sierra Nevada is the grandfather of craft
Sam Adams is the estranged cousin
Anchor is the great grandfather.

3 classics that should be respected.

 

Turning down the beer - weak

Implying SN is not craft - weak

Having said that I'd be lying if I said I regularly buy SN in favor of local offerings these days. A few years ago it was a different story, but now NYC, like many parts of the country, has so many great local options. And I'm by no means a "drink local for the sake of buying local" type - the beer is genuinely that good that, combined with the freshness factor, it warrants me spending most of my beer money on it. Especially when it comes to hoppy stuff (where there's a lot of SN overlap)

Waaaay before I moved to the US or heard of the term "craft", whenever I went to other parts of the UK, I would always specifically ask for local cask reccos at any pub I went to. And forgetting beer specifically for a second, whenever I travel anywhere I always like to eat/drink locally produced / local specialty stuff where I can. I don't think this makes me a locavore. And I don't go back a second time in favour of more widely-distributed options if I don't like the taste - that would be a dumb.

I guess what I'm saying is - I'll always accept any beer from someone - for me it's the gesture that matters. And SN will always have my fullest respect for what they've contributed to good beer. But more broadly (just looking at some of the comments in this thread) I don't think people should be compelled to drink SN et al out of respect anymore than they should drink a beer just because it's local.

 

It's the same situation here, and honestly I feel I'm missing out because of this. Every time I try a SN pack or buy a Torpedo can at a bar, it tastes awful due to excessive age and storage issues. I'd love to drink more and enjoy it like everyone else but it's just not an option. Considering it costs just as much here as some very coveted locals do, well, my choice is pretty much made for me by the distributors and retailers.

 

It's his life and opinion. If he wants to cut himself off from certain choices so be it. He's cool with denying himself and will probably miss out on quality brews.

 

I agree with you on all these points. I tend to exhibit more brand loyalty than a lot of BA's, but its really mainly because my options are more limited than most. I get as excited about trying new beers as anybody, and I'd try a whole lot more (and repeat-buy significantly less) if I had more options. People should just drink the staple beers they want to drink and try the beer they want to try. I just find it extremely annoying when people make assinine, douchey, hipster comments about established craft brands not being "craft enough" because they have been around longer and have wider distro or whatever.

 

Also, I never turn down a free beer when its offered by a friend. That's just rude. Even if its macroswill, I won't deny a gesture of friendship extended in good will and will hide my displeasure. And if possible, I will offer something palette-expanding in return. You know, like an advocate.

 

Couple of things stick out to me here:

1. Free beer is always the best beer.
2. I understand supporting local, but saying SN isn't craft enough is nuts.
3. I hate people who have no concept of the history of a subject they spew their thoughts on.
4. This asshat would not have so many local options today if SN wasn't fighting the good fight for all these years.
5. SN is local for me, like 3 hours, is it OK to drink then?
6. If SN started out as a small local brewery all those years ago, why would people hold it against them that they made a good enough product to expand and grow.
7. At what point do we have to not drink the local breweries beer because that got to big?
8. As a youngish guy who strives to know the history of stuff, people like this just reinforce the stereotype that young people are shallow, self-righteous and only know stuff that happened in the last 3 minutes.

 

Buy local exclusively purists mean more Belgians for me.

 

Only if you pick up the slack they leave. :-)

If you don't your stores won't carry them any more and there will be less for you.