Are you exhausted with the constant hype?

Honestly, no. I get more tired of hearing people constantly complaining about it. It's true I've had to forgo some breweries I used to love, but there is still quality local beer available in my area (including several lagers).

Also worth noting, a local brewer told me he's had to shift what he produces for to-go sales, as the to-go and on-site sales differ. People want easy to drink, session-able beers on-site, but want to pay for the heavy hitters to take home. To compound on that restriction, he has to brew his lagers in larger quantity than his IPAs to keep pricing competitive, meaning less variety for lagers vs. the ale options. Perhaps the combination of these variables makes things feel a little lousy right now in other markets. Of course, we're not seeing lagers created at the same rates as IPAs, but so long as quality options still remain in the market, I have no reason to be upset (more lager variety would be nice, but not a reason to be exhausted or upset at this time).

Last part is based off the area in my market. YMMV.

 

To this point, I can't possibly drink all the beer available to me in styles I'm interested in. If the shelf space taken up by styles I'm not at all interested in were dedicated to styles I am, it would just mean a bunch more beer I could never make time to drink

 

I pretty much get a desire for a beer styles and I can 90% of the time find something “to style”

 

There has been a number of comments along the lines of in my area I can find the beer styles/brands that I want.

Needless to say but not all areas are the same in terms of beer choices and not all individuals have the same list of beer styles/brands that meet their desires.

Cheers!

 

Hype, or whatever you want to call it, it helps get butts in seats and buying their product.

 

I'd love to hear from people who can't find beer styles that they want. Do you have a problem finding styles that you want in your area?

 

No Czech Dark Lagers on my local beer retailers' shelves.

 

This is exactly my point of view. Additionally my thinking is: if I really like beer xyz in a particular style so much, do I really need 10-15-20 new beers in the same style? What am I really hunting for in that case? Or conversely, if I don't, is it really rational to look forward to 10-15-20 new beers in the same style, trying to find the one that lives up to my expectations? I personally think it's wise to temper one's "the grass is greener" mentality, and instead focus on what is already available.

 

Could you imagine going to your local pizza shop and complaining they have too many toppings, and you're upset that they are trying to maximize their profits?

 

Ya I can relate to that. I just had my first example of the style (Owl Theory - from the generally excellent brewers at Fieldwork) and it was definitely a beer I'd like more of. In general, I could use more dark lagers that aren't super roasty. I've tried a couple bocks and found them all a bit floral/perfumey in a way that put me off. These are all styles I'm so unfamiliar with that I don't know how representative my examples were.

The other perennial lament I hear in these discussions is.the loss/lack of English ale styles. I see that locally but I do have one local brewer.that has an ESB and dry Irish stout regularly available, and another that does a dark mild and a bitter regularly. We also see Samuel Smith stuff, but I don't know about freshness.

 

Likewise, it's difficult to tell when people are insistently complaining and not appreciating what is offered to them, vs. legitimately unable to obtain various styles. It sounds like you have addressed the latter in an a subsequent comment. Without people coming forward to point out the specifics of their claim, it comes off as poorly as "I don't get what I want, and it's your fault."

Thanks for substantiating your claim.

 

FWIW, a local brewer put this style out last month. If they do a re-release, I will try to notify both you and @JackHorzempa .

We had a couple consistent English Dark Milds on tap locally, but with the COVID market change and one brewery changing ownership, both of those seem to be on hiatus right now. I'm not worried about it though considering a local brewer's description of his to-go vs. on-site beer sales. Once on-site consumption returns, these beers should follow suit. Only time will tell.

 

If I went to my favorite family owned Italian restaurant and the majority of their menu was comprised of trendy Tex-Mex tacos that were put on there because the profit margin is higher on $7 a pop tacos than it is on their authentic family recipe Italian dishes than yes I would complain about that bastardization of their culinary craft in an effort to solely increase their bottom line.

 

This has happened at the local Giant Eagle grocery store where craft looks to be down by 25%.

 

Where in PA are you located if you don't mind me asking? The Giant Eagle Market Districts around the Pittsburgh area get new releases from a lot of the locals(Cinderlands, Four Points, Insurrection, Grist House, Hitchhiker, etc.) every week and they sell pretty well. I made a comment to one of the cashiers about the size of their local section and her response was "that's what everybody is asking for."

 

I sympathize with you. My concern is that these are pushing the selection of craft beer down in retailers and probably taps too. Personally, I will never buy a hard seltzer because I see it as a fad and for those who just can't make there own hard drink. If I want something light and hard, I will make my own drink with seltzer. Of course, I do recognize that some may want the ease and desirability of something portable for beach and pool. But, not my cup of tea.

 

Without even complaining yourself I think you touched on several of the reasons why people are concerned about the trend.

 

Alas, I am in the more rural area of Indiana, PA. The store is not a Market District model. When this store first opened, there seemed to be many more craft beers available than today. We do have Hitchhiker, a local brewery, Noble Stein and a couple of others. And, today for the first time, I saw Prairie. But overall, the shelf space has been encroached on by wine and now seltzer. Don't get me wrong, I still appreciate this store and now that you mention it, I will try to get to a Market District store. I am just sad that seltzers are taking over shelf space.

 

Or you could just find an Italian restaurant that better suits your preference. It’s a choice to complain

 

I think you maybe missed the point. Any one persons definition of “real beer” will vary. And everyone’s preference are going to vary even further. Luckily nobody is forcing anyone to drink what they don’t want