Are We Killing Beer?

Except for the proliferation of Murkbro beers, thankfully most of this fad seems to have bypassed the PNW.

 

Not sure how to answer this.

While I am generally not on the pastry stout/IPA train, I will say that there are many beers the US does well. Never really had very many European styles in the US that really hold a candle to European classics though. (A great expection is Live Oak - Hefeweizen.) American breweries had to find something to be good at, and that has been made clear. We soar above the clouds in several styles, most notably BA stouts and IPAs (of various styles, but especially NE style).

If you want us to be a country of old European styles. That will never happen. Change is here to stay.

If, on the other hand, you are just wondering if we can seperate popular culture from beer - which those of us on BA highly value and respect, well...I don't know the answer. I don't do social media, but I have read enough about all the beer craziness on it. A bit unfortunate. Without beer going so mainstream though, it might not be as cool as it used to be, and without that kick in the rear, so many people might not hve been driven to invest in their beer ventures. We are a better beer community for the uptick in interest. But, maybe not a better society with all the social media nonsense, secondary reselling, and whaleBro shitlording.

 

It may seem like a long way in a short time but its pretty simple. Basically 10 years ago we made the biggest most bitter IPA (IBU wars). 5 years ago the IPA was 'perfected' hence the soft hazy non bitter IPA maybe originally brewed in New England. Today IPAs have become the canvas for any and all adjuncts, twas previously mentioned lactose, vanilla, coffee, every fruit under the sun thrown into the IPA. Now looking back in hindsight it may seem ruined because there is nowhere to vertically progress but the answer was always in the basics..

 

The only thing that really bothers me in the modern beer scene is the expense. I absolutely love the creativity and diversity of the modern beer scene. In fact, I still believe that we're living in the best era for beer ever. However, the continuing presence of $20+ four packs of beer worries me. The $9-$12 six packs still available from larger breweries are becoming increasingly more appealing than $30 milkshake IPAs.

 

Here here. I bought an organic Samuel Smith Pale Ale the other day for $4. One would think that an imported, organic product would be expensive; meanwhile my local brewery down the street (I’m looking at you, Chapman Crafted), sells 16 ounce cans for $6.99!

As for the experimentation in beer goes, I like it, it keeps things new. And being a serial ticker, I like trying new and interesting things. That being said, I commonly find myself going back to old standbys because of price, but more importantly flavor.

 

Yes and no. No, because there are plenty of good breweries that make classic styles. Yes, because it seems like there is a growing trend of new and old good breweries gravitating toward brewing beer that tastes like anything other than malt, hops and yeast. I saw an IG post from a brewery making a blue birthday cake beer and people freaking out on how good that sounds. Hope that’s more of an isolated instance and not the growing norm.

 

Even ticking is starting to become no longer feasible for me. The standard brew model for most new breweries to release a constant series of one-offs every few weeks, and when each of those are $16-$25, I feel like I have to buy every one for FOMO. I can't keep up with it anymore. I prefer breweries that make a reliable flagship beer that I can buy at any time. Or seasonals.

 

Competition and variety are creating incredible new beer options and tributary styles....and reinvigorating interest in tradition at the same time. I think the notion that we are “killing beer” is preposterous. Cheers.

 

I think that's the growing norm, bud.

 

About the only brewery I go to anymore pretty much focuses on the classics. They do a good job with English and Belgian styles and almost always have something on cask. They do tend to have a NEIPA on tap, but you have to now days to pay the bills. They have an outstanding pilsner and use that base beer for a series of lagers with new world hops and they are all pretty damned good. I think things are changing, and have been for the past year. There will be the wild shit, but I think we are going to start seeing more lagers and traditional styles, probably bastardized, but still not to the extreme that a lot of IPA's and Stouts are.

 

Huh, I can only speak for four or five states in my area, but the plain fact is there has never been a time in the history of this area or this country where there have been as many different styles of beer made excellently as there are now.

If this is what "dying" for the industry is like, maybe it'll "die" some more. I would love to have more than the thirty or so styles done amazingly I can buy easily here now.

 

Haha shoulda read through the posts before I made mine. You said it better and shorter, preposterous sums up this thread's theme perfectly.

 

I think this is why we are seeing an uptick in interest from the BA community in consumption of AALs recently. BA's need a break from alot of flavor and spending alot of money.

 

What?

Care to explain? That's a seemingly ridiculous statement. Why would anyone want and/or need a "break from a lot of flavor"????

 

I stopped adding styles when I hit 30 easily available in my area. This is dying?
Imp. Stout
Hefeweizen
Pilsner
Wheat Ale
Gose
Baltic Porter
Helles
Saison
Dunkel
Bock Beer
Kolsch Style
American Pale Ale
Blond Ale
Schwarzbier
Milk Stout
Amber Ale
IIPA
IPA
NEIIPA
NEIPA
American Stout
India Pale lager
Quadrupel
Old ale
Scotch ale
Berliner Weisse
Altbier
Porter
Fruited Sour ale
Sour IPA

 

Exactly. We have similar issues here in CO, with every style have great to amazing representation it seems. I am hung up on a locally produced kellerbier right now that I crave in the summer months. Five years ago this wasn't an option.

 

Just not enough money to buy em, or time in the day to drink em.

While this thread is about our hobby dying, most of the time when I am out to get beer I feel like a kid in a candy shop I dreamed about. Only the one I find myself in has even better selection and better quality than the one I dreamed about.

 

To be honest, this is why I am a homer. When I reintroduced myself to craft beer I made myself a promise to try all the local beers I can before buying most of what gets distro from out of state. Obviously I don't hold true to that whole heartedly, however I haven't and will never be able to try everything local to me. Ever. On a macro level (meaning breweries like Deschutes and new belgium) there is little difference in freshness, but these small breweries can really get things on the shelf quickly. It makes it really easy to say "should I grab this 5 month old mirror pond? Or this 5 day old Sticks pale ale?". It's a great time to be a Beer drinker, probably a questionable time to be a brewer based on the birthday beer theme.