The "Sell the People what they Want" thread, which featured an article essentially saying that the vast majority of consumers want familiar, approachable styles, got me thinking about what actually fits into that category. How do you define what some call "Beer Flavored Beer"? To most, it generally means some sort of pale lager. Either an AAL or Pilsner of some sort. But, as someone mentioned in the other thread, New Glarus Spotted Cow is a very approachable beer that has a similar flavor profile to a lager, but it's technically a Cream Ale. To some who only drink dark beer, it could be a Guinness. It could be an Amber Lager like Yuengling. Hell, to some, it could even be a Red Lager like Killian's. My point is, mild and approachable flavor profiles can be found across dozens of different styles, each with their own nuances. Kolsch, Oktoberfest, Helles and so on and so forth. And I think craft breweries that know their stuff and can brew these different styles with their subtle differences well are indeed highlighting them along with everything else. Because guess what? I, like many others, got into craft beer for the very thing that article was criticizing the current craft landscape for: VARIETY! Not the status quo. Anyways, rant over. What does beer flavored beer mean to you?
I read more often than not people on BA over the years stating they wanted “beer that taste like beer.” While I scratched my head a bit about this assessment I’ve come to the conclusion, to me anyway that, many if not every of us didn’t start off drinking BBA stouts or TIPA. What I’m trying to point out is maybe going back to the “roots”, as a Euro I grew up drinking Heineken, Stella, 1664 as a young adult and it tasted great… then.
It's an AAL. My dad was letting me have sips of his Bud or PBR before there was a "craft beer scene" and well before I was of legal drinking age. So "beer flavored beer" for me isn't just a simple approachable brew. It carries some great memories.
Is it brand specific? Meaning, do you find Modelo, Hamm's or High Life brings you the same nostalgia? Or is it just Bud and PBR?
Great question. There is a "samey-ness" to most AALs for me, but I have my favorites. So it's more the taste than the brand.
@DavetotheB already beat me to it. A "beer flavored beer" is an American Adjunct Lager. He made mention of his Dad giving him sips of beers like Bud or PBR. My Dad was a Piels man and he would give me "swigs" of his beer. Worldwide the most popular beer by far is the American Adjunct Lager. In China it would be beers like Snow, etc. I the UK it would be beers like Carling Lager. In Brazil it would be beers like Brahma, etc. In.... There is likely to be some 'push back' from a number of BAs here since they view the AAL beers style in negative terms. Words like "insipid" or "piss" or...will be used. If this question was 'debated' on a non-BA site it might be treated with a tad more respect? Cheers!
Why define "beer flavored beer" to be an AAL? I'd say malt/grain and hop character, along with yeast fermentation, could define beer flavored beer. The definition should include more fully flavored beer as well as less flavorful brews -- to be charitable include those AALs with minimal malt and hop character. Sour beers, malternatives, flavored and barrel aged beers could be excluded. Or maybe "beer flavored beer" is pretty meaningless.
I also forgot to mention Japanese Rice Lager. I'd love to do a blind tasting of Asahi vs. Spotted Cow vs. (insert AAL here). I feel like it'd be tough to pick each one out
In honor of our dearly departed, @cavedave, I'll carry forward his excellent metaphor. Saying "beer flavored beer" is like saying "ice cream flavored ice cream", these are food/beverage categories that are defined by their ingredients and have long been celebrated for our capacity to creatively introduce a wide range of flavors within them. If you aren't making spontaneously fermented Mesopotamian barley water then you aren't adhering to the original beer, so maybe it's time to recognize that "traditional" beer flavors include all sorts of herb and fruit and sweetener additions. Is Kriek not "beer flavored"? Is Heather Ale out since it doesn't have hops? That said, I think that most people mean AAL, pilsner, helles, or a pale/blonde/cream ale that doesn't feature a super prominent hop component. And I also think that once a brewer is openly stating that their intent is to emulate the flavor of something else, "Chocolate Cake Stout" or "Pina Colada Smoothie Sour" etc, then it's fair to say they have left the realm of "beer flavored beer".
It’s easier to describe what beer flavored beer isn’t than what it is. I can tell you that it’s not a stout flavored with breakfast cereal or marshmallows and it’s also not a hazy IPA that’s “bursting with tropical flavors.” I picked up a six pack of Pivo Pils years back and the guy at the checkout said that he and another customer were just saying how Pivo is a beer that only people who like beer flavored beef would enjoy.
“Beer flavored beer” tastes best ice cold and tastes worse the warmer it gets. “Beer flavored beer” usually has a coarse, grainy flavor/texture from the adjuncts (rice etc.) used to supplement the malt. “Beer flavored beer” tastes like a fraternity house smells on Sunday morning, or how a dive bar smells permanently.
Now we're getting more toward my point, at least in the negative connotation. If beer flavored beer is just AALs, then that's beer that is lacking - or some may even say void of - character. Someone thinks that craft should move toward industrial lagers for the sake of market share? The very thing that the movement built its identity on was not conforming to that. Now someone thinks the industry should conform? GTFO
I wouldn’t go so far as to say beer flavored beer lacks character—it’s just not a character I personally appreciate when looking for something interesting or enjoyable to drink. But I also know plenty of people who do. I have no issue with them continuing to drink what they like and I don’t see how that threatens my ability to drink what I like—so long as craft breweries don’t all try to compete with the macros on the playing field those behemoths created. They’ll never win at that game.
With all due respect, have you ever had Spotted Cow? There’s no way anyone that pays attention to beer could mistake it for Asahi. I jokingly refer to Spotted Cow as the lazy person’s craft beer here in Wisconsin. You don’t want a macro-brew? Spotted Cow! You’re a poser? Spotted Cow! We are so spoiled we take Spotted Cow for granted. And never once has a Wisconsinite thought “They don’t have Asahi. I’ll take a Spotted Cow instead.” I’m sorry for the snark, but seriously?!? As far as beer flavor, I agree with most that AAL is what beer flavor is in the US. I personally don’t love adjuncts, so I search out alternatives and have found plenty. And they all basically taste like “beer.” And “beer” is what I drink when I don’t know what other style I’m in the mood for.
