One Trick Pony

Honestly, I liked them a lot more when they focused on English styles. They had a solid ESB, a good English style porter, etc ...then they pretty much completely redid their core lineup and it's boring. I'd imagine they felt like they had to but in doing so they now have nothing that really separates them anymore

I do like their Oktoberfest though, one of my favorites from the US

 

I'll see you one Guinness and raise you one Bass.

 

It was only one time so I am not the most reliable poster here, but the one time I was at Jester King I had a smoked beer, some wild ales, a farmhouse IPA, an altbier, and a Russian Kvass and they were all good to great.

 

Melvin. Oh, look, another IPA.

 

You didn't say whether you thought it was good, bad, or neutral. I chose to make my feeling about it known, which is it isn't a bad thing.

 

The one trick pony’s depend on that one trick, if it’s a good one it’s not a bad thing. One trick pony hmmmm, maybe Westbrook Gose, imo it’s a nasty beer, I love the individual components but put them together it’s like drinking warheads.

 

Touche, my good sir.

 

Some breweries intend to be this way, right? I'm thinking Cascade, Jolly Pumpkin, Speciation, most Trappist, Veil, etc. Not bad if you do it well and it keeps you in business.

 

I use to see Prairie Ale (AKA Saison) all the time which was one of my favorite American versions of the style. I don't see it at all anymore. I actually buy very little of anything from Prairie anymore, as they use to be more about Belgian Saisons and similar styles. I did like the Bomb beers at first, but quickly got tired of them as they are all too busy for me anymore.

Anyway, the thread title made me think of this ...which is the title track to the Paul Simon movie of the same name. Basically asking what would have happened if only Sound of Silence was a hit

 

I mean Ommegang has been doing many Belgian styles for years, that is basically their identity. Can't blame them for that, and all their beers are legit The Brut IPA specifically is great, that is not part of their Belgian lineup.

 

Jester King first made their imperial stout before they were a "farmhouse" brewery, which they now of coarse use that yeast for it as well. While I respect some things they do, others I just don't get. IE green bottles to specifically get a "funk" aka skunk on some things. Their "farmhouse" Commercial Suicide is a joke now. Their collaborations range from a joke to OMG you actually made some thing good for once. Stuff like Atrial and La Vie En Rose are excellent, but I would very much put them in a hit or miss category, though maybe not a on trick pony category.

 

Ever had a Prairie Okie? It's a kick-ass brown. I picked it up at the same time as Bible Belt and Apple Brandy Noir - and preferred Okie by far. Granted, they do have a LOT of great stouts, and I really like a lot of them.

 

Schlenkerla is a one trick pony. All those bastards are capable of is brewing smoked beers/rauchbiers. The least they could do is barrel age or dry hop one...

 

Lagavulin 16 could give me some Highland honey to offset the peat smoke too. All I get is salty seaweed and peat reek.

 

Controversial but easy, Russian River. Based on my long time experiences with them, great IPAs and Belgian styles, but all the rest is quite mediocre, browns, pils, pale ales, stouts and porters, all meh to ok.

 

That’s two tricks though (ipa and Belgian).

 

Here I LA I wouldn’t call Monkish a 1 trick pony because I have had an amazing Stout and Belgian Ales by them. That being said, 95% of they Brew are Hazy’s (which are world class). So they are some kind of pony. Not sure about 1 trick though.