BA Group Think or Clueless Masses?

Drink what you like and Don't Drink What you Don't Like. It's that easy.[/QUOTE]

I will add-Don't think someone is inadequate, stupid, ill-informed or ugly because they like something you don't

 

People pack bars to drink BMC, why would it be any different for people packing a brewery they like even if beer is not up to beer geeks standards?

 

What made the beer average or sub par? Where there actual flaws with the beer, or was it just something that you didn't like? This is actually similar to a conversation I had with the head brewer at a local place Thursday night. We discussed how taste is so subjective. Most people can not or will not differentiate from a beer that actually is bad (not talking infection, but off flavors) and from a beer they don't like, and use the same adjectives to describe both. I know personally for a long time, I was in the habit of saying beers I did not like were "bad" or "sub par" and other things like that. I have come to understand it is much more accurate to say that "this beer isn't for me" but that's just my $0.02

 

I think what @bubseymour is getting at is - is his own perception of these beers being affected by being on BA? He's not so much interested in how these places stay afloat.

 

Going to a local brewery is part having fun at a brewery and supporting a local craft beer business. If the food is good but the beer is average, people will come. A lot of beer drinkers aren't versed in amazing beers, so drinking an average IPA offering is probably better than the bud light they usually drink.

If you are the guy who drinks hard to find beers like Pliny, zombie dust, etc. you are going to be disapointed by most local breweries. But just relax and have fun. Just don't take home a growler of it.

 

Think of all the people at a 'regular' bar...I doubt they left home and said "I'm gonna go get me some Budweiser!"...They just want to go out and have a beer and be social. Now if you spent time at each table at this brewpub engaged with these people and there was a consensus that every beer there was awesome that would one of two things-they're crazy or maybe it's you....YES BA does 'tell us' what's good and what's bad but it's still up to the individual...maybe next time be a little more social and find out what people are drinking there,why,and if they like it. I've ordered crappy beers before and still had a great time mostly laughing about how crappy this beer is and how I won't order it again!

 

I drink and enjoy beer all across the 'quality' spectrum, from my own home-brew, local breweries and brew pubs, larger breweries with national distribution, and the occasional rare beer. Are they all equal in quality? Hell no, but as others here have mentioned, not every beer related activity is strictly about the beer. Sometimes it's about friends, family and a good time. The beer doesn't have to be world class, just good enough (and cheap helps too!).

 

I would tend to agree that though the place has average/mediocre beer, there may be other reasons for repeat patronage. There was a place that I used to frequent whose beer was average at best, relatively inconsistent, and uninspired; but the food was great, and the atmosphere was terrific, and it was close to alot of other places we liked to go. Plus, several of my friends liked to go to the place, so visiting a place more than once doesn't necessarily mean that you like the beers they produce, there are lots of other reasons to keep coming back to a place...

 

Most breweries are going to have offerings that are enjoyable to the masses, no matter what a seasoned BA thinks of the place. In the current craft beer/brewery growth trend, most brewpubs are not populated with savvy BA-style drinkers, but a blend of everyone, some of whom have high expectations, and some who are just happy to be at a new spot, or somewhere local, regardless of the perceived quality of the product. All the fleeced dummies who couldn't possibly know what good beer tastes like, who are buying growlers of the swill you wouldn't dare purchase, are helping the place grow. More cash in drawers means more resources to make better beer. Hopefully they will evolve to your expectation someday.

 

Gotta know where. My old stomping ground too.

 

Manrock Brewing, Grover Beach Ca.

 

Sometime the least bad option is the best option. My fridge smokes the tap list of any bar or pub within 50 miles of my house. But, sometimes it is nice to see and be seen.

 

As I mentioned in another post today, mediocre craft is likely better than the usual AAL fare. That folks are trying local brews of all quality standards means that they are not buying Bud and Miller (Light and Lite). This bodes well for the continued growth of "craft" beer, and surely a number of these patrons will become mesmerized by the Top 250 beers!

 

I could get out more but would then have to spend time talking that could be better spent drinking.

 

To expound upon this topic a bit:

General question to the BA community: Why does every beer you drink need to be the 'bestest' (e.g., top 250) beer in order for you to enjoy drinking it?

To utilize the food analogy of hamburger vs. steak. While I personally greatly enjoy eating a fine steak I eat a lot more hamburgers than steak. I am not taking McDonald's hamburgers but the ones I make and grill at home.

@bubseymour intimates that there is perhaps something 'wrong' about the regulars at his local brewery consistently drinking those beers (including growler fills). The answer seems pretty simple to me: they enjoy drinking those beers. Those 'regulars' are drinking the functional equivalent of hamburgers and they do not feel compelled to drink steak all of the time.

To repeat what @Rback posted: "Drink what you like and Don't Drink What you Don't Like. It's that easy."

Cheers!

 

I was thinking a restaurant analogy as well. No, we don't dine every night at the best place in town nor do we feel deprived because of that.

 

why do you need other people to validate your own opinions is a better question....

 

I don't need them but it's nice if they do.

 

Our local brewery is also like that. The beer is "okay", but their variety is really lackluster. They'll come out with a special something-or-other once in a while, but mostly it's just the same 6 or 7 beers on tap all the time. While, as you said, I've had beers of the same styles that were much better than said brewer's, I enjoy going there for a couple reasons. One, it's nice to drink in a social setting that isn't a honky tonk bar or Applebees, in the company of others who also have an interest in beer other than the stuff you can buy at the local Sunoco. Secondly, I do enjoy supporting them because I really do believe they are trying. The economy in this area is pretty bad, and most trends are slow to become popular. In short, we're behind the curve in pretty much everything, including beer. Because of this, at least in part, this brewery doesn't see a large volume of patrons - at least in comparison to most other breweries. If they had the same setup, with the same beers, 100 miles north of their current location, they'd be booming.

But at the end of the day, they're a fun place to visit. The staff are nice, the food is good, and it's better than drinking alone in your garage. Not that I'd know anything about that..cough.

Your local guys probably aren't in the same position as mine. These guys, they're the only brewery within a 70 mile radius of my house. So if you want to go to a brewpub, unless you're packing the kids up and driving for an hour and a half, you've got no choice, haha.

 

Beer should be enjoyed more and scrutinized less. Someone else's opinion shouldn't stop you from enjoying the beer. When you see a bar full of people enjoying beers guess what their having fun. Atmosphere and company also come into play. I can drink a mediocre beer and still have the time of my life.