Craft Beer Challenges

Initially it was simply knowing craft beer was out there at all. One day I was offered a beer and all they had was Troeg's Trogenator. After that beer I was a believer. (But then I didn't drink any beer in the US at all for many years so I had already given up mass market beers, so I guess accepting that Troeg's beer was an obstacle.) Then I found sites like this one and the wallet drain began. :-)

 

I think it was the need to tick every AAL I could find, and then proceed to craft beer.

 

Giving up the cheap beer was no problem, but giving up the cheap price took some getting used to. Honestly, I'm still not entirely used to it.

 

IMO quite easily its the glut and sheer numbers of beers being offered up by damn near everyone. So that equals a freshness issue, the staggering amount of old stale past dated beer is enormous. Equals lousy beer.

 

Switching? Never had a taste for beer before craft beer. Macro beer was never for me. I've always liked flavor. It's always lacked flavor.

 

The biggest challenge is wanting to drink every beer on the market that you think could be good. There are so many breweries and beers that it's a losing battle.
Also, I became a little 'snobbier' when it comes to beer. Knowledge is power, but it's also annoying. Now I see an APA on the shelf that is 4 months old and won't buy it. Previously I wouldn't have known to look at the date, drunk it and probably would've been fine with it.
There is so much goodness though, so it's worth it.

 

Price point. But I've come to terms with it.

 

This is exactly my challenge. My fridge is full of AMAZING BEER right now, and my dumb ass is still orchestrating trades (with a fellow Rams fan in Austin, TX)

 

The price definitely took a while, still not used to $10 bottles. Other than that it'd be not sticking to beers I like and actually expanding my palate.

 

Never really drank much macro, was always a wine guy. The biggest hurdle for craft with me- calories. You knock back 2-3 high ABV IPA's or stouts 4-5 times a week, you're adding the equivalent of a pound worth of calories weekly. Craft can make you fat quick!

 

Not really a challenge...........but.........my palate and taste got a little shock when I had a "real" beer. Quickly, though, I overcame the shock and have enjoyed the finer beers in life ever since, Cheers !!

 

A big challenge for me was choosing which craft beers to try. Lets face it there are a lot of styles and brewers out there to choose from.Luckily I found this awesome site so I could do a little research. Thanks BA

 

My biggest hurdle is one I'm still overcoming (and one I'm struggling with outside beer): keeping up with everything. I'm only 24, but I feel incredibly old given how hard it is for me to keep up with the new things that are seeming coming out every day, beer or otherwise.

 

Trying to pronounce half of them.

 

Learning how fast (as in SLOW) to drink a 22 oz. bomber of 10% ABV beer. That has been a process ...

 

Getting tired of a lot of hype/whales/aged/sour beers...maybe I'm just an old geezer. Hey punk, get off of my lawn!!

 

Biggest challenge has been drinking enough beer to develop my palate to taste some of the more complex beers. One of the first beers I had was bourbon county and I couldn't really taste anything but the booze (which I loved at the time). Now I can taste some of the more subtle flavors but I still have a ways to go. It's very interesting reading reviews of certain beers where people describe all these flavors and I still can only pick a few. I guess ill just have to keep drinking.

Cheers!

 

If you think about price for a minute, the difference is really not big- an extra $3/ six pack is 50 cents a beer, for product that is an entirely different class than macro beer, for so many good reasons.
My best advice is to start trying different styles. You will immediately gravitate towards some, and will not like others right away. Some require easing into- I used to hate hoppy beers, and now most IPAs aren't hoppy enough, need the double! I would also recommend starting out with established brands- you may try a style from the new local brewery that is totally botched, and you will think it is the style, not the brewer. Once you find a style you like, learn what it is about that style- do you like the malt taste, the hoppiness, the sweetness, the dryness? You will then find that you can leap into similar styles that have those same traits. You may find a certain hop that you love, and can then find it in different styles of beer. Approach it as if you are learning about a new world. Craft is a never ending, always changing journey, and that is the beauty of it.
Now, what NOT to do-
Don't become a beer snob.
Don't start chasing trucks
Don't think you are entitled to rare releases
Don't be rude to a bartender or waitstaff if they dare serve you a beer that you deem unworthy
Don't be an entitled ass to the people that work at the liquor store- just because you are now into craft beer does not mean you deserve whatever rarity comes their way this week. And if you are lucky enough to get it, take your one bottle and say thank you. Don't ask for more, don't send your friends in for more.
Learn it, live it, love it, but remember, ITS JUST BEER!