Not the trash I was expecting, decent article. This is the money shot though "love these places now that the proverbial party bus has left, and the regulars can look around, exhale, and go back to enjoying their favorite spot now that all the assholes are gone."
“The great dream isn’t to make a beer that panders to Gen Z,” says Other Half’s Richardson. “The great dream is to keep making great beer for the next generation to discover." Word...
Good article Even after the boom, what remains is an improvement over what was before More awareness, more options on tap
A much more well written and thought out article than most of the stuff that gets posted on here. Even though there are a lot of things I miss about beer from 10-20 years ago, it is nice to be in a more mature space. While the author is correct that this is "after the gold rush," as the Russians say "the circus has left but the clowns remain."
“The great dream isn’t to make a beer that panders to Gen Z,” says Other Half’s Richardson. “The great dream is to keep making great beer for the next generation to discover." Hmm...I mean, I might get blasted for this, but Other Half makes and will continue to make the stuff that panders to the new generation (I'm not saying there is really anything wrong with that)...the stuff with longevity is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, North Coast Old Rasputin, Allagash White. Those are the things generations have discovered, if you want to put it that way. The next interchangeable hazy, or something with a ridiculous amount of flavor additives, that you need a social media post to find out about is not that...but I'll see myself out now ha.
I'm just glad that as things have "normalized," things are still quite a bit better than they were 20 years ago. At least overall. My hope is that the commodity-style taplist thing dies sooner than later, though.
From the article: “…the hazy bros have moved on to trendier pastures…” Maybe this is a reflection of where the author lives (Portland)? I have not noticed a decrease in the number of hazy beers available in my area (Philly area). Have any of you witnessed a decrease in hazy beers? Cheers! P.S. One ‘data point’ is that Hazy Little Thing is the top selling brand for Sierra Nevada.
They might be talking about how hazy IPAs have become so popular and mainstream they are seen as normal now and the haze "bro" crowd that used to bring mules and chase every release to trade or resell aren't as prevalent and consuming anymore. Maybe now they make up a larger part of the BIL crowd? Now hazy IPAs are everywhere and even some stuff in stores are pretty good.
“…the hazy bros have moved on to trendier pastures…” That reads to me that the author is stating that the "haze bros" are now, instead drinking (or other?) "trendier" stuff. Cheers!
Barleywines, pastry stouts, fruited sours, smoothie IPAs, lambic, lagers, natural wine? I can't keep up with what's "trendier" anymore, I just enjoy what I like.
If so, the decrease is slight. Every taphouse where I live always has at least one hazy on tap, and often times two or three. On the other hand, interest in them seems to have waned somewhat. 4 or 5 years ago, every other patron, the first thing out of their mouth coming in the door was "what hazies do you have on tap." I still hear that on occasion today, but it's much more rare. Customers seem to have moved on, becoming interested in other things (not just hazy IPA's). Maybe that's what the author was alluding to?
I’d never really thought about this before, but in some ways the craft beer boom of the early 2000s resembled the internet boom of the early 1990s. Having just moved to Seattle back then, I remember so many crazy stories—people my age, who I personally knew, becoming instant millionaires after some big IPO; countless new startups and unpredictable trends; and of course the sense that all of it was unsustainable. It really felt like the Wild West. And then of course what followed was pretty predictable: a period of downsizing, buyouts, consolidation. I just hope beer turns into something better, not worse, since we all know by now how things have worked out for the internet.
Well, what's your impression Jack? Where you live, in the Philly area, do you feel there's as much interest in hazy IPA's as there was 5 years ago? Are customers ordering them as often... drinking them as much?
Best bit of the article for me: “I actually enjoy craft beer far more now that it is decidedly, avowedly no longer cool.” Why? Because the people that are doing things JUST because they want to be seen or because the right people are there is the diametric opposite of what cool is, in my opinion. Cool is decidedly NOT popular. It can be, but popularity comes and goes. Cool is doing what you want and not caring about anyone else. Do I care about what other people think? No. Does that make me cool? Maybe, but I don't give a fuck, so probably.
