The New Pale Ale

Well you don't have to think back that far to recall huge selling craft beers from 20 years ago were Anchor Steam (steam ale / CA common), Pete's Wicked Ale (an amber), Sam Adams (a hoppy amber lager), SNPA (pale ale), Full Sail Amber Ale (amber ale), Celi's White (Belgian Wit which Miller acquired and then killed but which maybe paved way for Blue Moon), Red Hook ESB (extra special bitter), Widmer Hefeweizen (hefeweizen), Brooklyn Lager (a hoppy amber lager). I'm sure I'm missing many and these were mostly the ones I saw in NYC and SF in the 1990s. Those were flagship products of some of the most successful craft breweries in America in the 1990s, not an IPA in sight, many of those did embrace extra hops but no IBU wars, no hop bursting, no imperial and/or barrel aged everything, etc.

 

Probably, and same with Gose, but both I'd be glad to drink more regularly than standard Pale Ales.

For what its worth, I've gotten many people hooked on SN Kellerweis as a go to easy to find inexpensive beer. So SN is killing it with a classic pale ale and one of the best Hefs out there. I'm actually digging it more than Weihenstephaner lately. The Dunkelweisse by Weihenstephaner is still slightly better though IMO.

 

Same thing here- I think it's limited to close to home (PA) these days.

 

A good Irish as well as a balanceddd American Amber would be good all year round.

 

I see it a decent amount, but again I'm local. Speaking of a Helles, I think Sly Fox is the better of the two.

Anyway, a Helles Lager is a good choice, but maybe a Vienna too?

 

While not a mild, I imagine Honker's Ale (an English bitter) sells quite well.

Sierra Nevada Bill said they almost had to kill Kellerweis because it wasn't selling. I believe it has revived enough that they're keeping it for now. Nothing to do with the quality of the beer though.

 

Would be killer if a brewer put out a great mixed 12 pack (call it the Ultimate Session variety pack) and they were solid on all these styles...Pale Ale, Hef, Blonde, Helles, Vienna, German or Czech Pilsner, Gose, Berlinner, Belgian Wit, Session IPA, Amber, ESB, Mild...darn got to drop one, what would it be? Sell it between $15-$17 range and you would have a goldmine. Ultimate party pack quick buy or most finicky craft beer nerds as well...satisfies both.

 

I'd drop the Blonde and Session IPA, and keep both Pilsners.

And, to be a bit pedantic, it would be kind of weird to have only -one- of each 'session' beer .

 

The answer is probably different if you're talking about a brewpub or distributing brewery. For a brew pub I would go with an English bitter or pale ale since they are impossible to find fresh in a store and make a great first or last beer of a session.

 

I want to see more Gose

 

An ESB gets my vote; especially if the ABV is on the low side. Too few good ones of these around on a regular basis.

 

S QUOTE="AugustusRex, post: 2988377, member: 728267"]Helles lager (with proper lagering and decoction)

We need more lager choices, I think this is the 'pale ale' of lager.[/QUOTE]
Agreed for some reason a lot of craft drinkers tend to count this out as a legitimate choice.I think this is partly due to the fact that most craft breweries avoid the style. Why? It takes more time and takes up space in the kettles. Different yeasts and less "over the top ingredients". I due love me some hops also. Its a pure style and seems to be more of a challenge to get to appeal to the masses. For these reasons I must say Jacks Abbey is one of my favorite breweries. Everything is lagered and almost all are unique in their cynacism.

 

I'd but that.

 

I've noticed nearly every local brewer (in multiple states) makes a kolsch or two. It makes me wonder if there's such a thing as a world-class American (or even German) kolsch. The couple that have hinted at excellence have led me to believe that with a slight tweak this style could sell, just maybe not to the average BA.

 

American Brown Ale....for the love of all things malty. It's a great pairing with most foods - especially fried foods which, let's be honest, is a staple at most pubs. IMHO it's the least polarizing style as it doesn't require a metric ton of hops or high ABV. Not enough breweries or brewpubs produce them today which is a damn shame.

 

I've been looking around for those, too. I just picked up this one from Blue Mountain on a whim-
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16352/72847/?ba=TongoRad
and was glad I did. It's probably stronger than you want, but it's a very tasty beer.

 

According to the Victory wikipedia page:
"The brewery's first three beers were Victory Festbier, Brandywine Valley Lager (now Victory Lager), and HopDevil Ale. "

 

Just read your review. Looks tasty and I've liked other brews from Blue Mountain. Thanks.