All about those BU's no wilds/hoses/petits?

I have the answer but you have to send me your Bu's for it.

 

For some reason people only want the bu's it seems. I'll flat out tell someone that a non-bu beer is better, but they turn it down and opt for the bu.

Fine with me, I'll just dome the better beer. No regrets.

 

I've drank a lot of De Garde and I love them all. The Bu's and Fruited Wilds are espesially delicious. The Saison Premiere was also phenominal... and I can't wait to try the Necterine Premiere, which I currently have.

 

Agreed. dG makes amazing other beers. My goodness Special Rouge is lovely. Petit Azzaca tastes like a pineapple saison and is great.

The Bu's are good, but I definitely encourage folks out there to try some of the less desired offerings because they are stellar.

 

The bu's are great, but the wild's are magical

I think it comes from there being so many bu variants available and people generally loving fruited sours. But I honestly have no idea why something like biere violet doesn't have the same demand as beers like imperial purple raz or imp stone.

 

Herd mentality? Ego? Fomo?

I'll also say that some of the other beers are more "challenging" from a taste perspective. Look at so many ratings, comments, trends, and there's a pretty strong bias towards the "obvious." If a stout is good a stout in barrels is better. If a stout in barrels is better, a stout with cocoa nibs and coconut is better. If a slightly sour beer is good, an intensely sour beer is better. When you read comments on IPAs that say stuff like "OMG it tastes just like orange juice 5 STARS" or "NYFRB tastes just like Mug Root Beer - WHERE IS THE ALCOHOL - 8 stars!!" you can see where things are going.

Compare something like Lee Kriek, which is absolutely phenomenal - leathery, tannic, maybe a bit smokey, dark cherry skins and pits, red wine, oaky - to Imperial Nectarine Bu - OMG this tastes like pureeed NECTARINE. Both are great, one is distinctly more challenging.

And take the bottle share angle. Is a beer that impresses and pretty much reveals everything it has to offer in a 2 - 3 ounce pour going to be more sought out than one that is subtle, complex, difficult / odd? I'd argue that big ass bottle shares lead to the dumbing down + intensification of beer (or at least beer ratings). A dry, roasty, low abv stout no matter how incredible it is will taste weak and ashy after a shot of Life is Like alcho-pudding. De Garde's darker beers, likewise, will just seem unimpressive / unvaried in a small does compared to the rainbow of bu flavors.

 

In regards to the "who cares" statement I'm guessing cosmicevan is taking an "advocate" approach. If you think something is awesome and others overlook it ... understanding why helps you advocate, right?

 

<------ Wants all the less desirable de Garde beers.

 

FTFY

 

I agree with everything you said, but I think branding also probably plays in. Just look at how everyone went gaga for (Imperial) Stone Bu / Orchard Bu, but no one cares about Beaucoup Desay. Under the usual "more is better" rule, that beer ought to be in huge demand, but it doesn't have the recognizable Bu brand.

 

I think a lot of it is just that de Garde makes a lot of different beers and people outside the Northwest just don't keep up with them all. A lot of ISO's you see with people looking for de Garde specifically say that they are trying to try some of their stuff for the first time. These people recognize the Bu moniker and know that they are supposed to be good. But with something like Petit Azzaca, a lot of people don't even know what the hell kind of beer that is.

Plus, people just like getting "sets" or multiple variants of the same thing at one time.

 

All I know is that after a month or so of trying to land Bu's, I opted to focus on some of the other beers dG has put out.

Ended up getting an assortment that did include Berry Bu, Bu Weisse and Currant Gin Bu. The other 4 bottles are not Bu's and I look forward to sharing them all with a few of my friends.

 

I personally prefer the BU's over AWA's, as I like the light tartness instead of the full on Sour. However my buddy in Portland swears the wilds we opened together when he was here were not nearly as sour at the brewery.

 

I'm not really sure that distinction holds... acidity levels (or perceived acidity levels) have varied substantially across both bu and all their beers, although there's almost certainly a wider range in the "wilds" given how much more diverse they are.

 

Tickers gotta tick , Look at the NG R&D series, the fruits have traded much higher than the bitter and gueze. I think the Adjunct fruit adds perceived value. But really its all subjective, a group of MN BA's did a peach tasting, for instance Schell's Starkeller Peach was ranked 3rd and West Ashley was 5th, No doubt that West Ashley trades way higher than Schell's... again, Tickers gotta Tick

FWIW when I visited deGarde in May, I thought Petite Lee and Mosaic hose held their own against the Fruited Bu's, minus Imperial Purple, that was fantastic

 

I actually just finalized a deal with a guy for some de Garde stuff (only had Oude English before), only Bu out of the 6 bottles he is sending is Bu Weisse. I was open to whatever he was able to send, actually wanted/preferred to try a variety of their stuff. Very much looking forward to trying them all when they arrive.

 

I apologize if this is slighty off topic but I didn't want to start another de garde thread with this one going on currently. I've never had any de garde beers and would like to trade for some. However I'm not too sure where to start. Looking for any info on what level some of their beers usually trade for and which are easiest or most difficult to acquire. Would also love any recommendations of ones to seek out.

Cheers!

 

I agree, just a theory.