Look how far we have come.....

I got into craft in 2013 and the scene has changed a lot in 4 years even. I could jealously look at wild and sour ales on here and search them out to no luck, but now I can get a ton of them at my store.

 

I've only been in craft a couple of years, and missed much of the history you mention, but have noted the push further towards IPA (bitterness for the sake of bitterness?), haziness, and drinking local while admitting it isn't wonderful.

 

Interesting you reference jai alai. Just last night I picked up a 4 pack of white oak jai alai. While enjoying one, I couldnt help but remember a few years ago on a work trip, going way out of my way to get to CCB by taxi so I could try Jai Alai. When they had an oak aged version I thought for sure it would be a once in a lifetime expirience. Never in a million years did I think it would be available at a gas station in TN.

 

It's a wacky weird world we live in indeed ... I get why it struck you so.

It's a love/hate thing for me. Obviously we all love being able to get so much good beer so easily. But my hate part ... it's more fear than hate really ... is at what point is fast too fast and how many great breweries are going to die because they can't keep up with the marketing pace that seems to be necessary to continue making money in this environment?

The good news, it appears, is that we as beer drinkers are living in the best time any of us have experienced and it should stay that way for many, many years.

 

Don't be so dramatic. Geez, you even almost spelled out the word "shit".

When I first had Jai Alai I thought it was amazing, had it again this year and thought it was average. If anything, it's pretty dark and somewhat malty. Sculpin is good but nothing special; it's also overpriced compared to the other beers I could pull off the shelf that are just as good if not better.

The selection is fantastic, and ever improving, but I have to watch out for bottled/canned on dates. So much quantity means beers sit on the shelves longer than desired.

Until Pliny or Heady are camped out on my shelves I won't shit my pants with excitement.

 

If heady and Pliny are camped out on the shelf it will likely meet the same fate to you as Jai Alai did. Amazing to average.

 

I like to think that Sculpin is collecting dust on shelves because people have decided to spend their money on independently owned craft beers. But in reality, they are probably just making so much of it now that they can't sell it all fast enough.

 

I used to live in San Diego and I remember having to drive to Alpine or race to local liquor stores to get a hold of Duet.

Now it's sitting on the shelf here in Rhode Island.

 

When I first had Jai Alai I thought it was average, now that I'm getting it fresh I think it's still a fabulous beer. Sculpin? Just the opposite. I always loved Sculpin and two weeks ago I picked up some of the Unfiltered Sculpin and thought it was average....unfiltered no less, it should have been a whole lot better.

Wow, hard to excite you. I'm pretty damn excited that all these beers that I used to trade for are now on my shelves, it has been a huge transformation in just a few years.

 

As long as they're fresh I'll take my chances

 

Local breweries in my town are coming out with some of the best IPAs I've ever had. Add on the fact they're super fresh, I can get them weekly and I'm supporting a local business makes it even better.

I've tried a good amount of different beers in my young life and really only about 10% of them standout and make me want to enjoy them again. I could live off of a handful of my favorites. When NJ gets Bell's and Deschutes I'll be happier, Two Hearted is one of my favorites.

I'm easy to excite and make happy, just keep fresh Union Jack on the shelves and give me Fat Head's Head Hunter every so often; if you wanna mix in some Sole and Surly cans all the better.

 

I view the craft scene from a longer perspective. I started with imports moved to
micro brews and now craft beer (whatever that is). In the mid 90's I used to drink
in a bar in Saratoga, NY that had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap and they switched
to Celebration when it was in season. You where lucky to be able to buy a 6 pack
of Celebration in my area till 2005 or so.

Now my supermarket has two aisles for beer, one for craft and one for everything
else. I just noticed that SNPA is available in 18 packs of 16oz cans. With very little
effort I can get most of the brews I want without trading or waiting in line.

With regard to Cigar City Jai Alai, it shows up occasionally in my area and I buy it.
Ballast Point became widely available within the last few years and I always thought
it was over priced. My local bar has a Ballast Point beer on tap pretty much all the
time, but there are usually better options available, like Hill Farmstead.

With regard to imports, the scene has also changed. In Albany, NY the biergarden
regularly has Adventinus on tap and has recently had Leipziger gose and Köstritzer
pale ale on tap as well. The schwarzbier is regularly on tap.

So yes, we have come a long way.

 

“…there seems to be a massive interest in all things local, hoppy and hazy,” That is a pretty good summary for the beer scene in my area (Philly). Having stated that it is good to know that old favorites are still around. I still remember my first Stoudts Gold (a Munich Helles beer) back in the 80’s. That beer was a revelation back then. I still enjoy drinking that beer and it is readily available on my local beer retailers’ shelves.

The more things change the more they stay the same?

Cheers!

 

Yes, it's a good thing that ABI's plan to destroy the craft beer movement is the least successful plan in the history of plans. I think they could have had the same effect as their evil plot has had if they instead donated free advertising time to craft breweries, and went door to door telling folks how great craft beer is.

 

Instead of buying a beer partially owned by INBEV or the like buying another beer that was distributed by INBEV. Brilliant.

 

You youngins are SO adorable.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, craft beer was not only not widely distributed, but the selection of beer styles to choose from was pretty narrow.

Today we live in a fucking candyland.

 

And we had to walk miles uphill in the rain to get that beer

 

There is nothing wrong with being dark and/or malty. I just didn't think the beer was as good. It reminded me of Nugget Nectar, it left me with a weird aftertaste. I found it somewhat yeasty as well.

No i don't think a solid malt backbone in an IPA makes it inferior, it just isn't my preference.