Controversial Beer Opinions Thread

I have to disagree here. First not a fan of Starbucks but do believe they make the best French roast due to their strong smokey flavor. I hate all their other offerings, especially their blonde.

Now as far as coffee goes I been drinking it a long time. I prefer dark roast over anything and I mainly drink local stuff. I'd boycott Starbucks if it weren't for their French roast and my reason to boycott them is not on flavor but rather I hate Starbucks as a whole as I hate most corporations as I believe their motto is pure evilness.

Now back to beer. I love all styles. Have had nearly 90 different styles yet my favorite is still super hoppy west coast IPA's as well as super bourbon forward barrel aged stouts.

And a side note for those who don't believe aging is good for beer here is a list of beers that I seen improve for the greater:

Arbor Brewing Violin Monster
Vivant Paris
Blue Chimmay
DFH Palo Santos
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
SN Maple Scotch Ale
J.W. Lee Harvest
Shorts Goodnight Bodacious
DFH Olde School
DFH 90 Minute
And I'm sure there's more. Sure most beer is best fresh but the ones that age, age gracefully to tasting better fresh. Rule of thumb if it's too hot now push it back toward a later date if you have more bottles.

 

And this is why aging them comes into play. When all that balances out, you get some spectacular beer.

 

what about listening to someone taste a beer?

 

To each their own, but most coffee roasters won't carry a dark roast at all. The rule of thumb is, the less you can do to the bean, the better. Because all of the flavor that needs to be in the green bean, is in there when you receive them. The trick is in roasting and brewing with skill to carefully extract as much flavor as possible out of it. Over roasting and making a dark roast just buries all of the nuances of the bean.

If I have to drink Starbucks black, or if I'm forced to drink coffee at a place that doesn't offer another method aside from the horrific automatic drip maker, then I'll take the dark roast. The flavors are so bold, you won't pick up on the off flavors.

With a light roast? You'll get this overly bitter or sour flavor depending on water temperature and other variables.

I do like their blonde roast, but I also add a splash of skim milk and a splenda to it. A solid locally roasted coffee I'll ALWAYS have black.

But have you experienced 90 different styles? Just drinking them is one thing. But have you traveled to different regions of Germany to taste various local Pilsners, Helles, Rauchbier...etc. from the source? Have you had cask ales in the UK?

I've drank A LOT of craft beer in the last 14 years or so, but I'm far from experienced with most styles. I love Rauchbier, and have had many of them, but I'll save my true judgement of them until I travel to Bamberg.

 

No haven't gone to Germany to have beer there although I'd very much be down to it some day. Have had lots of German beer and do love German beer but can't say I truly have had a real German beer brewed in Germany that was super fresh.

Also to each their own on taste but I drink my coffee black and not a fan of sour coffee taste. Moreso like smokey, dark, robust flavors. Furthermore would never ruin my coffee with a spash of milk and splenda.

 

Barleywine is Life!

 

Barrel aged beers are pre-aged for you, brah.

 

Barrel age beers taste best fresh and I'm a fan of aged beers. To say barrel aged beers tastes better aged usually indicates to me that you don't like the intended barrel flavor.

 

Honestly, quite a few Flanders have been pretty overrated

Also thumbs down to just about anything in nitro

 

Palo Santo turns into nectar of the gods with a few years. Many beers turn into heavenly beverages with proper cellaring.

I do enjoy verticals, though, as it gives a chance to see how beers change and develop. For instance, we have kept a vertical of BCBS going, and we do it every year at our stout tasting. This year there will be eight years. So we get to remember what each year was like last year, if we can, and also taste them next to each other.

 

I guess the dark roast / French roast preferences are consistent with the ultra hoppy / bourbon forward BA preferences

 

I've had so many BA beers, and many of them have Enjoy After dates on them, many have statements of aging encouragement. I've had some vintages of the same beer that were all barrel, and then the next year being super balanced and then the year after it's completely different on release. So it's hard to say what the intended flavour is when each annual release is so different and this is very common in small craft brewing, less common with big barrel blending programs.

People put a lot of sway in "what the brewer intended". Heck, sometimes when you talk to the brewers it's "when marketing needed to or let us release this". Either way, I don't care too much about what was intended, I care for what I enjoy. For example Fremont Brew 1000 was great fresh, it was however amazing and godlike at two years old.

 

Absolutely!!! Perfect example of a beer that get's richer with age and balances out.

 

Well said. And I think a lot depends on the beer and the batch. But my fear in aging a barrel aged beer is I will lose that bourbon barrel flavor. I don't want my bourbon barrel tamed. Everyone enjoys differently and yes drink to what suits you best. My rule of thumb if it's tastes amazing now why the hell are you aging it? An example could be KBS. Fresh it's amazing but I had it 9 months later and it was terrible. Pirate Bomb many will say age but was so good fresh I don't see the point in aging.

BCBS on the other hand I was not a fan on one batch of same year but loved a second bottle I picked up from a different shop. Now that first bottle may have been better to age. So once again batch variation can come into play. I am aging one bottle as many say 3 years flavors really shine so I'm up for the task.

Have to get me a bottle of Fremont 1000, never heard of it. But yes maybe some barrel aged beers can improve as all these rules have exceptions but my fear of aging bourbon barrel stouts is I'd lose the bourbon barrel flavor. But man those are the best beers where they taste good fresh but even better aged.

 

I am sorry for not being 100% accurate and precise with my statements. What I meant was that most IPAs taste to me like what trees smell like, assuming bark and leaves and what not would be much more bitter than they smell.

And yes, I know it's not the most popular style in the world, but it is the most popular craft style. Would you not agree?

And again, I am not saying that all IPAs are bad; some are, in fact, very good. I am just saying that considering how bitter and hoppy most of them are, it's surprising to me how popular the style is. For instance, I think Founders All Day IPA tastes pretty terrible. I am surprised that it's Founders's most consumed beverage, considering how many other fantastic beers they make.

 

This has been debunked many times.

Founder's All Day is a miserable beer.

 

So I was very intrigued by your Fremont 1000 example and so I looked it up and shows it's a barrel aged English barley wine. Well that's not a stout. Besides BCBS what barrel aged stout improves with age? Hell off experience can't say BCBS improves but so many say it's perfect at 3 years so I'm willing to test it. But if Fremont 1000 is a BA English barley wine than that's a poor example.

 

An IPA that tastes like piney tree sap is my favorite IPA.

 

HA! Good luck with that. You might get lucky and find someone willing to trade a bottle of Brew 2000, but I doubt it.

 

Yeah I seen after I posted its retired but hey I didn't know.