Hamm’s Appreciation Thread (2024)

Ok, I thought the car analogy would be simple enough to understand but whatever.

So 1700 craft beer afficionados didn't like it as well as the more expensive beer that they usually drink. Great. Like I mentioned earlier, that's to be expected. That doesn't make it a poor beer. Why not ask the millions of people who do drink it and see what their rating is.

 

Isn't this thread populated by those drinkers -- and BA members as well?

But yes, I'd love to hear what those "millions of people" have to say about the beer they drink. I'd bet they say similar to what John_M is pointing out, "It's thirst quenching, it's what I always drink, and what my dad drank."

Little thought to what beer can really be. It's an attitude that's been around forever and probably won't be swayed by we few -- I've been faced with it since the early 1990s.

 

I'd be pretty sure when I say that 99.9 % of the people that drink Hamm's aren't members here or have read this thread.

What would those people say when asked why they drink Hamm's? Probably a lot of different things, one of them being, "Because I enjoy it". If people didn't enjoy it I'd venture to guess that they wouldn't drink it, because there are plenty of other options out there.

Yes, beer can be better than Hamm's. It can also be worse than Hamm's. But "Better" or "worse" is up for each individual to decide which beer is what, as it pertains to their level of enjoyment.

 

While I hear what you're saying with regards to number of reviews, if you take a look at the 50 AALs with the most reviews, only a handful tick above a 3. Are they all "bad"? I guess it's possible, but I'd suggest that there's a stigma surrounding the style and perhaps an even bigger stigma surrounding the companies that brew the popular ones. Especially among us beer aficionados.

 

Well John, in my opinion it's not so much that there are "good" beers and "bad" beers. There are beers that I enjoy and beers that I don't. Sure, if a beer is well past it's shelf life and starts showing signs of oxidation, has gone flat etc, then I would call that a "bad" beer.

I've probably not done a good job here conveying my thoughts. Davetothe B summed it up much better than I in his previous post.

Cheers!

 

Back in the “HIGH LIFE” again. Post some of the AAL’S you love advocates.

 

Most definitely. And not every individual is as "into" beer as the majority of we geeks.

 

You know, I'd sure love to hear @Todd 's opinion on the typical AAL these days.

 

You lucky boy. I'm going to have to miss out on the Younger this year, but good to hear you're getting your share. Enjoy!

 

This I knew, as am I, but it doesn't make us AAL guys.

 

Lotta chatter in this thread...Actually a lot of solid info and honest discourse. Thanks to all. But now let's get on to appreciating...



Cheers!

 

Here is imo an interesting side x side. This dude is obviously an AAL drinker, and he IDs these beers after one sip in a blind test. So, these beers are not all the same, and, if you ever stopped and watched who is hauling beer out of a store, a segment of the beer drinking public purchase, drink, and enjoy AALs.

 

Brewers can make all malt beers to taste like adjunct beers, and vice versa. High attenuation usually thins out the body, while lower attenuation generally leaves a bigger mouth-feel. In the 70s, a lot of the AALs were 60 to 70% attenuated, so many had a fuller body. Even most of the ales and "prestige" lagers had an adjunct component, maybe lower than the primary beers. The trend toward higher alcohol content in craft beer and emphasis on hops has probably resulted in higher attenuation and a thinner body in many beers, despite the all-malt brewing. At least it seems that way to my taste buds.

 

This is great. It’s important to remember that there are all shades of beer appreciation out there. For this guy, Hamm’s is honestly a 9/10 beer … he’d probably react to my beloved NEIPAs the way I react to fruited smoothie lactose sours .

For me, Hamm’s is more about the memories than it is about the flavor. But memories are an important component too!