Beer lessons learned in 2023

Nope, if it's on the shelf, it's reviewable. Breweries need to keep on top of distributors, who need to keep on top of retailers. If they don't, it's all fair game.

 

Focal and Heady have differing flavor profiles. For my palate Heady has a notable flavor of dank. I guess that there are lots of folks who prefer what Heady provides?

Cheers!

 

when some excellent beers go on sale for half price just because they are nearing or just passed their best by date, don’t hesitate.go for it. They can excel on a cost/benefit basis.

 

This year I found two beers at local microbreweries that worked perfectly for my palate.

This in itself isn't really a lesson learned. The lesson is that it was worth going back to try as many of their offerings as possible, even though I didn't especially like most of what I tasted, and actually disliked a few (partly because I'm still learning the basic styles, and don't always know what to order).

Benefits:

• Freshness "for days" as my kids would say. Not that my kids drink beer
• It's kind of a low-stress version of the "hunt for the whales" thing that I read about on BA. What I'm doing here is more like rock collecting - just keep looking until you find something fun.
• By asking the bartender about the beers I'm enjoying, I am learning what to look for in other beers. For example, I have found that I really like Mosaic hops. I wouldn't have learned that in a bottle shop.
• When going back for these delightful finds, I made a point to let the bartender know I had come in for that specific beer, and that I would be back regularly to have it again until it went off the tap list. In one case, the bartender was also the assistant brewer, so I'm sure my feedback was taken back to the owner/brewer. There is a rumor that this selection might end up on their list of regular offerings. I sure hope so.

So as not to leave you in the dark: My most recent infatuation is "Distant Pale" (a pale ale) from Ozone's Brewhouse in Lansing. Call me a newb, but to me this beer holds its own against Zombie Dust. I know I should add it to BA, but I'm still feeling a bit timid about this - I'll just have to do it.

 

I learned that I have a slight allergy to ale yeast. Still drink the occasional pale ale or SIPA, but I definitely stopped going out of my way to procure them and I focus more on lagers from smaller breweries. More energy the next day and more money in my bank account.

 

That was my weekly SOP from 2010 til about 2021…then all the stores that used to let me break 6ers or 4 packs to make a mixed/matched 6 pack all stoped doing that. Now I’m forced to buy 4 packs and 6ers only. I find myself buying a lot more 12 pack mixers from Breweies (Von Trappe gets my most repeat buys) than before because I like variety (and high quality and great value as well).

 

That's just bad parenting.

 

I respectfully disagree and say...Yup.
I saw this fine example of a non-fruited Berliner Weisse for sale yesterday, unfortunately White Birch Brewing closed down two years ago.



I agree that retailers should purge expired/old products but many don't.
Responsibility belongs to me. If I'm disappointed buy a beer purchase, I can't blame the guy who sold it to because he came out ahead...that prick. Cheers.

 

I’m almost at the point to abandon retail beer buying altogether and just go to breweries to pick up 4 packs. Even the store in my area that historically has been know for keeping fresh beer on the floors and cooler is really slipping on fresh product. Last night I really wanted to go with a new IPA. I looked at 10+ options, 4-5 had no date codes so they went back, the others ranged from April 2023 to October 2023. Very discouraged after 15 min in the store I settled for a 6er of Arrogant Bastard, and a Lagunitas DIPA I had not tried before. Even though no dates on Lagunitas it was lower cost, and I was fed up. Surprisingly it was quite tasty. But the shopping experience left me sour. Getting worse nearly every visit.

 

Yeah, I’ll do it!

 

Our adult daughter isn’t interested, but I’ve been looking forward to our son’s 21st next summer!

 

Same here. I try to go when I have time to sort through offerings and look at dates.

 

Sounds like another reason for me to stay out of Maryland. You need to move westward where Trader Joe's operates. They encourage people to break apart 6-pks and 4-pks to get singles and they don't add a premium to the cost per can for that luxury (are you listening, Total Wines & More???) They even provide empty six packs for the purpose of carting away several singles. My local Trader Joes gets very fresh to reasonably fresh beers in a decent range of styles and the selections always change.

 

I like trying new beers, trouble is I don't pay enough attention to the labels and buy too many crappy beers, NE IPA's and added junk laden stouts, my bad!

 

I’ve been to Cali many times and love their beer culture, wide open beer laws etc. You aren’t missing much at all if you just skip Maryland. There’s a lot of breweries now for such a small state, some making decent stuff but nothing worth chasing after. Beer laws, sin taxes etc really stink as well.

 

I learned to always start with the breweries flagship going somewhere for the first time. I’ve wasted too much money asking for whatever looked the most interesting. A lot of times it’s a one off production and doesn’t fully represent the quality of the brewery. Going for the flagship first tells me if I should stick around for a few more

 

READ SHELF LIFE DATES… so many places don’t check the stock. Picked up at 12 pack two years past self life last January. Spent $20 bucks on it and could not even drink it.

 

All beers are sipping beers.

Early this year I was at a social occasion where I was served a Two Hearted, in the bottle, far too cold to drink. Soon I was engaged in a conversation during which it wouldn’t have been appropriate to drink quickly.

As a result, I probably spent twenty or thirty minutes sipping on the bottle.

That beer was so much better than the Two Hearteds I had sipped a bit more - earnestly? - after double-digit-mile winter mountain bike rides.

It wasn’t until much later that I connected the mysterious superiority of this particular bottle, with the pace of consumption.

This month, as I have been making my way through a list of low to moderate ABV dark beers, I am finding that the best ones are the ones to which I pay the most attention.

The other day I heard a really silly, shallow pop song and had an overwhelming emotional response. I knew exactly why: I had heard that song at a very important time in my personal life thirty-five years ago, which involved some focused attention paid a very special young lady.

These observations point to the same lesson: Joy comes only with patience. Now that many of life’s milestones are behind me, and our children are grown (yes, same lady, still young!) I have been seeking out hobbies like biking, coffee and beer. In all of them, little joy comes from hurry, and real satisfaction comes from savoring. Seasons change, but the lessons are the same.