Controversial Beer Opinions (Round Two)

@unlikelyspiderperson Sushi may have been a bad analogy because you're right, a sushi enthusiast very likely would get the chef's special. My complaint stands with people who come off uninformed, smug, and even uninterested in what they order. Like the dark beer guy that came in today, he seemed like he couldn't be bothered to even pick what he's drinking. And yet here he was at a craft brewery. Just seems odd to me.

 

I also wouldn’t exactly put a high-end sushi chef on the same level as an average bartender either. I’d obviously trust the chef 1,000,000% more. I’ve seen bartenders at craft-focused (but still full-bar service) joints not even know how to make someone an old fashioned. Literally looking it up on their phone. OTOH I’d probably trust that sushi chef to remove my appendix.

 

Interesting, CDave. i quit smoking 17 years ago, after puffing for 38 years. What returned was my sense of smell and taste, and they are what I fear most to lose to Covid-19. I swear I can smell salt and pepper as I sprinkle them on my food, and as a result I use them more than I used to. OTOH, I almost never consume sugar and dairy, and consume baked fish and fresh produce daily. Along with Belgian ales, or wild and Brett, etc.

 

I feel ya, I've definitely witnessed jackasses seeming like they are just aiming to give the bartender a hard time

Haha, and while I agree with your trust and respect of sushi chefs, I would say that in a very real way, the response I get to, "I'll have a pint of your favorite" goes a long way to determining my opinion of a bar/brewery. If you don't care enough to ensure your foh staff can competently engage a curious consumer then my opinion of your whole operation is diminished a bit. What I love about craft beer is the passion and if that can't be commucated by your front line representatives then it leaves me questioning the totality of your operation

 

Maybe you got the rona....

 

Well, in the '70s and early 80s, we did have some help...

... wasn't all passed down "word of mouth" and, while not every book was 100% accurate they sure came a lot closer than the multitude of websites which now exist which copy/paste (usually with citing any original source) all sorts of nonsense and misinformation, over and over, and pass along opinions and guesswork as fact.

 

I haven't seen beta copies of BeerAdvocate in years!

 

I still have many of the books above. The World Guide to Beer - Christmas gift 1977 from my parents

 

ERRATUM

I was working at a Waldenbooks. Early one morning, armed with my trusty box-cutter, I went about opening the pile of new release cartons delivery by the UPS guy. Popped open a Prentice-Hall box and saw a small stack of The World Guide to Beer. "What the !@#$ is This!"

(Can never remember if Weiner's A Tasters Guide to Beer hit the shelves before or after WGB - both ©1977. Hey, just realized I left it out of my collage I created this morning after trying to re-organize the beer library when I couldn't find Bert Grant's The Ale Master last night!)

Luckily, I was able to buy Jackson's $19.95 book with my employee discount - around 1/3 off, IIRC. I mean, c'mon Twenty bucks (2020 = $93!) After taxes and other deductions, probably a full day's pay after wage-slavin' at retail.

 

Yeah, but I like mayo and cheese!

Be honest, that’s just an excuse. You really went for the strip clubs.

“Give me the coldest beer you have.”

In Boston they’d be out $12.

 

Plan bee eh

 

Nicely done, that was a controversial list with nice variety.

1. Not an expert, but I do like most Dragon's Milk varieties. 'Barrel Aged Mil Stout' sounded awful to me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Curious if you have tried any of those.

2. The very best imperial stouts (2016 KBS, 2019 BCBS, 2018? Avery TWEAK) were barrel-aged, but I have had lots of mediocre (or worse) barrel-aged imperials and lots of almost-as-great (IMO) non barrel-aged (e.g., TEN FIDY, 2018 Expedition, 2016 Narwhal).

3. Never had a lambic or wild ale. I will correct that. I am almost exclusively an imperial stout guy, but broadening ones horizons is a noble goal.

4. Not the ones I have had . . . so a recommendation would be nice.

5. I am not qualified to comment here.

 

Maybe you were his gateway into this scene. Maybe he was hoping you’d help him make a choice and explain the beer to him. Maybe not.

I do research places when I have the chance, but sometimes I don’t get that chance.

I guess there may be more to the story because it seems like this guy really bothered you.

 

WTF? Beer is beer. Beer does not need to be "culturally relevant! If people like beer, fine. If people don't like beer fine. Why in the HELL would beer need to follow any program that was based on "color"? This might be the dumbest thing I have heard during this time of racial unrest moving to the forefront of the news cycle! ....... It is also possible that this is the alcohol and weed talking, and I am off my nut! We'll see what comments tomorrow brings!

 

Well...because the movement itself kind of is about “color”. How does this not fit or seem appopriate? I feel like I’m taking fuckin crazy pills; a bunch of white males complaining about a collaborative stout recipe that raises awareness for social injustice being released in summertime? Damn. I don’t got any words for that!

 

Hey, whatever works for you. My preference is no cheese and mayo, but if that's what you enjoy then more power to you.

 

He was not. He said "the darkest beer you have". I realized that we had a wide range of dark beers so asked if he wanted to try our imperial stout. I often offer small sample tastes before taking orders and I love discussing what kind of beer people like. This man simply rolled his eyes when I asked a follow up question and repeated verbatim "the darkest beer you have".

Actually I think I bothered him more than he bothered me.

 

I'll go further with this and make a controversial statement...

Lagers are MORE worth trading for than the more popular styles. Because you can likely find stellar examples of New England IPAs and pastry stouts in your back yard. There might be an excellent Maibock for example that you want to trade for because the style isn't as widely brewed as a New England IPA.

Ha, I was just making a tongue-in-cheek comment. I totally agree with you, adding every ingredient under the sun is a very "America" type thing to do, and can certainly muddle the key components of any meal.

 

Tweak was not originally a barrel aged offering. It suffered greatly by being barrel aged.