Endangered Species List

That's why I don't blame breweries for this state of affairs.
I lament the difficulty to find beers I find interesting but I blame the consumers.

I realize that breweries are discontinuing their Schwarzbiers among others because they don't sell as well as the IPAs, big stouts and others but I'm still upset when they leave.

Edit:
That said I did have a local brewery where the owner always said he wanted some lower abv English ales in the area but he never worked to provide them.
He also complained when fairly early in his business how few people were drinking IPAs. But then before to long he jumped onto the bandwagon and the taplist was often almost entirely hazy IPAs, big stouts, and saisons.

Who knows if the local patrons would have accepted the more sessionable beers because he never really made them.

 

Yup!

 

Definitely part of the equation but drilling down a few more layers some breweries made mediocre/bad versions of a style and that is why they didn't sell. In some cases consumers just flocked to what was available and when looking at tap handles and shelves and nine out of ten were IPAs they said hey, let me try a few of the IPAs.

 

No shit right.

 

Yeah, some things may not be plentiful but I'd rather have just a few if they are quality examples anyway.

 

There are way more breweries that I wish I could get in Texas.

I wish I could get Old Mecklenburg stuff as one example.
Live Oak or Old Mecklenburg?

(I can't even get Live Oak normally. I have to go visit family for that.)

 

I wish there were some readily available craft Eisbocks.

 

Up until recently the only way to get OMB beers was to drive to Charlotte. NC distro laws were insane, but they’ve relaxed the numbers it’s out of Charlotte once again. Very small footprint right now at that, it’s not everywhere, but at least I can get the Copper Alt and Captain Jack Pils. I don’t think I’ve ever had Live Oak, most of any trading I did was into Cali, Chicago, or the Northeast.

 

Yes, that is also a consideration.

But the opposite is true as well. One of my favorite beers of the past (and today when it is being poured at the taproom) is Yards ESA (especially on cask). That used to be the best selling beer for Yards but sometime in the fairly recent past their best selling beer became:

“Philadelphia Pale Ale

CITRUSY, REFRESHING, ORIGINAL

Not to be boastful, but we believe that all other ales pale in comparison to this Philadelphia favorite. Dry-hopped with an abundance of distinctive Simcoe hops, this straw-colored pale ale is more drinkable than bitter, more aromatic than aggressive.”

The craft beer masses want their hops!?!

Now Yards ESA is no longer packaged and is only available on draft (or cask) at a few venues; I have only had it at the Yards Taproom in the past couple of years.

I spoke to Tom Kehoe last spring at the Yards Real Ale event on the topic of ESA. I asked if they may ever reconsider producing this beer in greater quantities. He just shrugged his shoulders and stated: People won't buy this beer.

Oh well?

Cheers!

 

Ah yeah I miss ESA also, have many fond memories of drinking that beer and turning family/friends on to it.

 

I can't tell you what a pain in the ass it's been to get my hands on an English Pale Mild so I can tick the last beer style. It's my Everest, guys.. My Everest..

 

I know it seems strange but where I live SNPA is the only American Pale Ale you can expect to find at places Meijer and Kroger and smaller liquor stores. Some places have Dale's pale ale, although at 6.5% abv and very hoppy I consider it more of an IPA labeled as a pale ale. Whole Foods used to carry Great Lakes Burning River pale ale but I haven't seen it in a while now and of course none of these are brewed in Michigan. Among Michigan brews, the only one I can think of that is locally available in stores is Dawn Street Pale Ale, which at 6.75% abv, hazy and extremely bitter/hoppy is just another IPA labeled as a pale ale. Most stores will have 30-40 different IPAs but one or maybe two APAs.

In Michigan we do have a lot of amber ales many of which are not hop forward, american golden ales as well as a plethora of brown ales and a few Belgian style ales. I just don't think a lot of these are that good though. The amber ales tend to taste one dimensional, sweet and syrupy. The golden ales are just meh and a few of the brown ales are good.

 

The problem is that the process used to make Eisbock requires the brewery to own a distillery license in most states. That isn’t worth doing for most brewers who just want to make a very niche style (indeed, a niche of a niche of yet another niche: normal-strength Hefeweißbier), unless the brewery is adjoined onto a distillery business as well.

 

This is true however scraping ice off beer shouldn't be considered distilling. There are many beers at a higher ABV that are beers (WW Stout, Black Tuesday, Utopias to name a few) the process shouldn't change the fact that it is just beer.

 

I don't make the state laws, but they are, what they are. They recognize that the act of removing some water from the product after fermentation, with the purpose of increasing its alcohol content, is a form of distilling. Similarly, Whiskey and Vodka are made by brewing a beer first, and then evaporating most of the water off of the brew. It is the addition of that extra step to intensify the drink's strength, rather than selling the finished product as-is once fermentation is concluded, that makes it legally considered distilling.

 

Always ‘make’ my brother take me to OMB whenever I’m visiting him in Charlotte

 

I see them shits now more than i did 10 years ago.
And I would kill if I could see more fresh German beers.

 

Strong ales...hoppy AND rich in malt. Mmmm...

 

English strong ales in particular might as well not exist retail wise.

 

Literally never heard of the style. I'd say its extinct