Look how far we have come.....

You both have very valid points /

 

I'm with you on hoping people are looking for the independents. I also am of the thinking that Sculpin is pretty overpriced.

 

Both ways....

 

The Ominvore's Dilemma as it applies to beer? Instead of "what's for dinner" it's what beer do I buy/drink. The premise is the driving force has changed, making the question of what's for dinner a dilemma. Modern technology has changed food from a culturally-driven phenomenon to something else entirely. Choices are certainly not seasonally driven or influenced by the region where we live - we can get foodstuffs grown anywhere and virtually any time if we so choose. You could equally argue that technology has changed how beer is made and distributed and that availability seems only limited by capacity to produce or a by choice of the brewer.

Traditional distribution obviously still exists, and I think logistics are better than ever. But there are other means for beers to get to far-flung places. It always amazes me when I see someone from, let's say, California drinking a beer made in Maine that I can't get even though I am three hours from the brewery. Or really narrow it down - people from other parts of the country drinking Alchemist or Tree House or Trillium. Russian River in the reverse mode from my MA perspective. Shelf life arguments aside, beer can get anywhere it wants to go.

But are we now seeing changes? I think "yes" is the answer. And beer is a part of that change , or possibly even a great example. Look at the frequency of discussions on these very message boards where the sentiment is I can get great beer from my local brewery, so why would I buy otherwise. And yes - all the ancillary things click into place. Super fresh, supporting the local economy directly, etc etc etc. (I'd say sometimes questionable quality has to be in that mix). In principle it's all great.

I don't know where @JackHorzempa quoted it from, but "there seems to be a massive interest in all things local" - I'd cut that off right there. The proliferation of farmer's markets, "artisan" bakeries, farm-to-table restaurants and on and on it goes all show that there's kind of a return to forever going on in some respects. There's much more emphasis being placed on locally sourced across the board. That's fine and the underlying concepts are fine, but it is to some extent a reversal in how some people are thinking of the supply chain today (probably not the majority - I think price is a barrier for most people). It might not be a complete reversal, but the wind direction is certainly different. I remember watermelon and cantalope being a HUGE deal when I was a kind - you waited for that season to come and anticipated it like KBS. Now I can get not only a watermelon or cantalope from Chile or Peru for Christmas, I can get about 27 other kinds of melons as well, all far cheaper than I can buy at the farm stand. Omnivore's Dilemma...

So what? Well, for me there are too many choices when standing in the beer store and I'm no different than anybody else - I'll grab something new just because it is there. I'll generally buy something from at least New England. I'll buy from breweries I have a good personal track record with - Stone, SN, Sixpoint, Boulevard. I'll be a little leery of IPAs from outside the area, but I'll take a flyer on local, regional, or national. Local "just because", but the latter two influenced by BA learnings. It all ends up like a mosh pit. I'll certainly try local but I am definitely in prove it to me mode. Pricing (as with outrageously over-priced farm-to-table restaurants and farmers' markets around here) can be an influencing factor. I'd rather spend $12 on a six I know I can count on versus speculating at $18, for example. I think beer is somewhat more competitively priced than other "local" examples, but there are some that are off the deep end.

Bottom line, I guess, is that a lot of beer ends up with growth rings of dust and that is a change I have observed over the years. We've gone from very few choices (and many were imports) to so many it's mind-blowing and beer just sits there, destiny unfulfilled. Now we're throwing Joe's Brewery 'round the corner into the mix. Back when, if I could find Guinness it was a big deal and finding Samuel Smith's was a true feat. Hell, Harp lager was considered a find. Fosters oil cans were a gotta have. Stores had coolers full of cases of beer, and maybe a little plastic shelf near the Cheetos with half a dozen choices of that "fancy stuff". Like it used to be "holy shit...what's a stout? Should I try one...do ya think its good?" and now it's I can pick from dozens all with different flavor profiles. Never mind an "IPA" - that was that weird beer the English used to send to India... So great - we have all this proliferation of distributed brands and the local scene is going strong. The difference between when I started drinking beer and now is immense. The question becomes where is it all going?

 

While selection/distribution has certainly increased dramatically, I've never had any trouble whatsoever getting beer I enjoyed since the early 80s.

 

Larry,

That was from the OP.

Cheers!

 

I think the change in craft beer I am most appreciative of is almost every bar or restaurant now has good craft beer options. 10+ years ago before going to a bar/restaurant I had to search tap lists beforehand, try to politely steer friends/family I go out with to a "better" beer place, or accept the best beer available would probably be Sam Boston Lager/Seasonal.... not anymore, good craft beer is everywhere and I'm surprised when I come across the rare bar/restaurant doesn't.

 

First of all, great post, man.

As to your question, I think that it's going towards maximum proliferation of choice. Even though consumers can get transfixed and at times paralyzed by too many choices, more availability and more variety are always good, in my eyes.

I, too, look at it through the rose-colored glasses of the food industry. However, not so much from the grocery standpoint, but from the restaurant standpoint. Great food, REALLY great food, was difficult to come by when I was growing up. To actually experience a great meal, meant you had to put on a dinner jacket and pay exorbitant prices. Now great meals are to be had casually and with very little effort. It is certainly due to the availability of a vast array of wonderful ingredients, but it is also due to the demand for the highest of quality from the consumer. Just like with beer.

 

I've been a voice for great beer for many years. I've learned that nothing in the beer world is sacred- maybe except for the 12-packs of Torpedo cans I'm getting for $12.99 these days.

 

From my readings is seems to me that the vast majority of BAs prefer what is termed a West Coast style IPA: a beer that features the hops with a very moderate malt backbone in comparison.

I drink more 'balanced' IPAs from time to time; a month+ ago I purchased a 6-pack of Victory Hop Devil. Having stated that I buy waaay more West Coast style IPAs vs. what used to be called East Coast style IPAs (e.g., Hop Devil, DFH 60 Minute IPA,...).

It comes down to personal preferences.

Cheers!

P.S. Last year I bought a fresh case of Jai Alai. I was not a fan of that purchase since the beer was too malty for that beer. It appears they made a recipe change?

 

I find myself more than a little nostalgic towards European beer. I used to drink much more of it when I was first getting into craft. Now I hardly drink any at all. Why? Availability of fresh (local or otherwise) beer and less truly great European beer being on tap.

 

Yeah the Biergarten is a gem. Beers I would have never imaged on tap years ago
show up. When they first opened they had Schneider Weisse Original on tap which
otherwise is never fresh. That's truly a shame as I believe it is the finest example of
the style. The idea of having that Leipziger gose on tap still blows my mind

 

It certainly looks that way.

Agreed.

As it should, my friend. As it should.

 

Do you like it as much today?

 

Honestly, I haven't picked any up. These days I mostly get Proclamation, Trillium, the odd Belgian beer, Sierra Nevada, and Alesmith.

Firestone walker sneaks in as well.

I don't know if it's the wide range of options or the ability to get fresher stuff local. I'd love to try some but either my fridge is full or I have a beer just on the horizon I'm looking forward too.

 

I've never liked Sculpin. To me it's shocking to think that it was at some point the highest rated IPA on this site.

 

What most amazes me is that when I first got into craft beer I had one brewery within an hour and a half drive and I was damn fortunate to have that one living 2 hours from the nearest town over 30,000 people. Now there are at least 10 breweries within that distance, and I say at least because there very well may be more that I don't know about, and at least one more is about to open.

 

Another change I've noticed is that in the early to mid-2000's brewers seemed to be in an IBU arms race to make the most brutally bitter IPAs possible (e.g. Stone Ruination, Green Flash Palate Wrecker, Surly Abrasive, etc.). These sorts of beers have given ground to IPAs with more dry-hopping for the lighter citrusy hop flavors and aromas, like the "New England" style IPA, and now we're even adding fruit flavors to the IPA. The "average" IPA has clearly drifted towards the citrusy, low bitterness, sweet side of the spectrum, and I'm sure this shift has facilitated the recent explosion in new craft beer drinkers. The quintessential american "craft" beer, the IPA, once a bitter-bomb for experienced beer drinkers only, is now an approachable flavor for everyone! What's also interesting [to me] is that if you look at many of the most popular IPAs from 10+ years ago, they tended to be the less bitter, citrusy, dry-hopped types, like Heady Topper, Hopslam, Sculpin, Two-Hearted, Jai Alai.... Which begs the question, why did it take brewers so long to figure out people like those flavors?

 

Yep. The best urban aromatics that I have ever encountered were in Amsterdam and Copenhagen, in areas around the huge Heineken complex and the venerable Carlsberg in Copenhagen. The adjacent areas were brimming with cooking grains, lovely like fresh bread, with bars and restaurants everywhere. Going to the breweries and stopping in local bars made those aromas and beers stay in my mind permanently. I miss those beers as the bottled and canned versions aren't nearly the same.

 

I get to drink Jai Alai for a brief stint once every year when I visit my folks down in Key West. On my most recent visit I also found it very heavy and malty compared to my memory. I generally blame my palate when I notice such things so I'd be interested to know if there was indeed a recipe change.

I did quite enjoy their pale ale (Invasion) in its place though.