How has discussion on BA changed over the years?

I always chalked this up to people being really inebriated while posting, including myself in my early BA days. People posting six or seven high-gravity beers in a session on WBAYDN seemed to kind of be the norm, and I remember a lot more unhinged rants.

 

I guess I’m an old timer myself at this point, 14 years on BA and 52 years old. I think you hit the nail on the head for the most part. I’d add that more IPA threads in recent years. I’d say way fewer threads go off the rails these days. Unhinged rants can be immensely entertaining, but I do enjoy the basic respectful beer talk.

 

I'm thinking back to 2012-14 . . . it's a different vibe now, for sure.

 

I’ve definitely had my share of inebriated posts I was more active from 2010-2014ish and then was on here very infrequently until about two years ago but I’ve never really felt a whole lot of hostility going on. Maybe I was just too drunk though

 

founders was worshipped. bells was worshipped.

kbs was a sacred cow. so was hopslam.

i still dig these beers although i've backed off a little bit on hopslam.

i still miss clear clean ipa like ruination every once in a while.

i do enjoy the diversity of styles and the quality of beers from places like hill farmstead and more recently (and more locally) like drowned lands.

this site is definitely fickle which is why i would never be led around by the nose by consensus opinions on here at any given time.

let's go rangers.

 

I've been here going on 10 years. I never drank to the point of inebriation, but I did drink a lot more often back when we were doing stuff like GotD, Day of the Dark, and whatnot on. WBAYDN. I still enjoy hanging out and discussing beer topics, and I love the Off-Topic forum.

I sometimes wish we had an "Ignore Thread" function. (If there is a way to do this already, I'm not aware of it.)

 

• People talk a lot less about “whales,” chasing the latest hyped beers, standing in line for some exclusive release etc.

This, along with more civil discourse and more emphasis on IPA’s across the board, especially NEIPA’s. I think one reason there is less whale chasing is that distribution has greatly expanded. I can go pickup KBS on the shelf right now. Many quality regional beers are now available that negate the need to hunt whales.
Not related to discussions, per se, but a major change is the dearth of trading. Guess with the expanded availability of beers, there’s not as much need to trade. And no more beer giveaways, freebies, etc.

 

Specifically to the more social threads - I think the oft-noted fact that there are more breweries that make more individual[ly named] beers has something to do with the reduced amount of whales in discussion.

I also think this change in the beer world has led to another difference - commenting on other poster's beers as a part of the conversation. It's a more nuanced change, but I feel there used to be more queries about how one person felt about a beer. Whether this was to compare notes or gather information for a BA that was deciding what to do if they chanced across the posted beer in the near future, my impression is it was a more regular thing.

 

The “ignore thread” function is just to not click on it. Easy peasy.

 

So I went back in time through my posts to 2012 (seems that was the cutoff) and here’s some examples I found that seemed to capture the timeperiod to take us down memory lane:
2018 -
“What’s a larger threat, Big Beer or Independent Craft Itself”
“Controversial Beer Opinions Thread”

2017
“The first beer that you loved”
“Why no love for Stone?”
“Early Craft Beer that’s not so great now”
“Seasonal Beers that Decline once being upgraded to Year-Around”
“Next Hyped Beer Style”
“Things your non-craft beer friends just don’t get about your hobby”

2016
“Trouble Brewing at Boston Beer facing dry spell for key brands”
“Replication of authentic European styles”
“Do Beer Stores hate cans?”
“How has your beer budget changed over the last 3 years?
“Home brewer to commercial brewer success stories”
“People who seem to collect beer vs drink beer”
“4000 breweries = stale beer on shelves?”
“What was the catalyst of the craft beer revolution?”
“Is there a widely distributed NEIPA?”
“What do you want to see next from craft brewers?”
“Cultural differences from US local craft brewery scene and Europe?
“Tolerance for Beer Release, waiting in line”
“Distribution Envy”

2015
“What’s the best beer that No one knows about?”
“Is there decent craft beer sold at BMC prices?”
“5 Whales that you caught recently”
“Best 5 pilsners/lagers widely sold”
“Craft beer can be a lonely hobby”
“Has American craft beer hit its peak?”
“Does anyone buy mediocre beer just because it’s local?”
“What is it about Vermont?”
“Is craft beer responsible for the decline in neighborhood bars?”
“Goodbye Bombers?”
“The 14 phases of every beer nerds life”
“Poll: Future number of craft breweries in US”
“When is the bubble going to burst?”
“2015: Summer of Gose, what are your winners?”
“Anyone starting to feel an oversaturation of microbreweries?”
“Poll: Is the draft beer movement growing too big, too fast?”

2014
“9 small beer cities that deserve national attention”
“If you had to move to one state for beer”
“Who or What got you into craft beer?”
“IPA freshness hype”
“Here’s how a 6-pack of craft beer ends up costing $12.”
“What will be the new trend ingredient in craft beer?”
“What do you think has finally made craft beer boom?”
“What’s up with the Gose craze?”
“US brewery count tops 3000”
“Thoughts on Firestone Walker and why they sit on shelves?”
“How many people have you successfully converted to craft beer? How many stubborn failures?”
“Can the small brewery phenomenon sustain itself?”
“What breweries get credit for starting the session IPA craze?”
“What is the new FRESH?”
“Defining American Craft Beer Culture”
“Most improved breweries and those losing their shine”
“Is this going to be the craft beer summer of love…I mean cans?”

2013
“What is the next style to explode and why?”
“Are beer nerds ruining craft beer?”
“Dogfish Head, Method to the Madness”
“Best off-the-shelf sours”
“Calling bottle shops to ask for whales”
“Why do Americans shun traditional beer styles?”
“Your beer predictions for 2014”
“What craft brewer is the king of the 12 pack sampler?”
“Discontinuation of Sierra Nevada Tumbler”
“Saranac fans, let’s discuss the winter variety pack”
“If all beer was the same price, would craft beer outsell macro?
“Are rural farm breweries the big craft beer cultural shift coming?”
“American craft beer driving me back to imports”
“Everybody is opening a brewery”
“Why craft beer will never catch on tot he BMC crowd”

2012
“So what do our foreign friend think about American hopped ales?”
“Best up and coming beer city in the US”
“Craft beer in 10 years”
“What happened to the Noble Pils?”
“Oh where, oh where has Noble Pilsner gone?”
“When was “micro beer renamed craft beer?”
“Sierra Nevada is stealing the show”

 

Nice job!
I still miss that SA Noble Pils. Why would they stop that one??

 

I feel like you're little historical document there really points to an inflection point in 2016

 

Well kudos to Beer Advocate! While most social media (yes, I consider BA social media) is essentially a cesspool, I agree, the discourse on BA is generally very civil-even when folks are posting stuff that I disagree with It's a much appreciated feature of the site.

I haven't been around as long as most, so I can't comment on how discussion has changed. But a question: How do you think moderation (as in moderators) on the site has changed? And has the moderation contributed to any of the changes over time? (I think the moderators do a top-notch job BTW)