Style Availability?

12-15 years ago, stores just seems to get a little something of everything and hope it appealed to someone. Breweries seemed to do about the same.

True. Folks talk a lot about splitting hairs on the different IPAs, but I think there is more of a difference between an old-school East coast IPA, WCIPA, modern parlance American IPA and NEIPA than there is between a Dunkelweisse and a Roggenbier, much less a Wheatwine and Barleywine. Are modern interpretations of Grisette really anything more than a lower gravity Saison with a healthy portion of wheat in the grist? Perhaps there are some styles that could be consolidated? Biere de Champagne is just a Belgian Strong Pale on steroids, Gruit and Sahti are pretty much just herb and spice beers, for example.

 

Back when Dogfish Head actually did out there stuff, they're Sahtea was pretty easy to find at a decent store, as well as all of their other beers in 750s. You could usually find Dr. Whoever's gruit in a store with a good German import selection, and DeuS was at places with a good Belgian selection.
There might not have been a big selection of some styles, but they were findable.
Still get a decent selection of Browns around here, probably because of Legend Brown's influence on the Virginia scene. Ambers are all over the place. I do miss 5-7% porters and stouts with out all the extra flavorings, but you can find a few, still.

 

Deus is still around out here.

And I didn't realize DFH made a sahti, but they were definitely a source of all kinds of crazy diverse beers

 

I'll have to look harder the next time I'm at a store with a decent Belgian selection.

I miss all of the different stuff DFH used to do. A lot of it wasn't something I'd drink again, but it was cool that they were trying. You don't see that much anymore.

 

And thats the point I was trying to make. Lots of great stuff if you go to breweries. Not quite as much if you do all of your beer shopping at stores since at least around here, it's mostly some kind of IPA oriented. There's always a better selection of beer styles at breweries.

 

Right on. I love Landmade, but I don't think they have any distro. Big variety of great lagers and mixed fermentation beers. Worth making the trip if you're nearby.

 

I think the styles you and I love are on shelves, it’s just that they are buried under a mound of hazy ipas, desert stouts, and kettle sours with can art designed to make people feel nostalgic for the 90s. I often leave my store with something from jacks abby or schilling (which are awesome breweries), but I’m leaving thinking there’s probably something awesome that I’m passing on because I simply don’t have the time and energy to find it.

 

And if you did make the effort, how old do you think those "buried" beers would be?

Cheers!

 

I’d put my money on them being just a little more than “ancient.”

 

Hmm, does "ancient" mean a new beer style!?!

Cheers!

 

Holy crap. Wallenpaupack? 60 years ago my parents took us to Lake Wallenpaupack for our summer vacation. We loved it. Off topic, but I can't help it.

 

that's the one! only US faro i've seen in package and i'm pretty sure it's been done at least twice in the past 5-10 years

 

All I have left to try is Faro, Roggenbier, Gruit, English Pale Mild Ale, and Happoshu. I can't imagine any of them will be easy to obtain lol. I occasionally check for them on My Beer Collectibles but it's rare to find obscure styles on there

 

Oh shit good call, it looks like they still have some at the brewery! Hmm, a detour to OEC might be in the cards when I go to New Haven on Sunday

 

@dbrauneis Thanks for the heads up, just ticked off another style thanks to you!

 

I'll be in Killingly tomorrow or Weds., on the lookout for EOC Brewing. Very highly rated!
Thanks for the heads up!