Controversial Beer Opinions Thread

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You don’t have to review or rate every beer you drink though. Maybe some reviewers follow the mom’s maxim of “if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.”

 

How about never in a million years? Deleware is where we all go to make big purchases

Yep, right on the money. The state will come for every penny that is theirs, regardless of changes in "emphasis" for policing. Jay walking in center city philly has been deemed "not a priority" forever, but in order to meet their quota's they will bust your ass anyway.

I've seen the undercovers first hand, back in my illegal buying youth they didn't give two shits about individual underage citations. They wanted their $10 bucks a can fine for crossing state lines, or to show a pattern of negligence on the beer store's end for a big fine. Anyone who thinks traffic violations are done out of safety is kidding themselves, their whole jobs are entrapment.

 

No beer in gas stations in Pennsylvania. That blew my mind the first time I drove through.

 

But, though uncommon, there were and still are NJ municipalities* that allowed grocery stores (and drug stores) to have liquor licenses and sell on the grocery floor (as opposed to the stand-alone or attached w/separate register grocery-store branded liquor stores).

I used to pick up a sixpack after work at a little grocery store (think it was a Foodtown) - the beer was kept behind little wooden doors under the produce section. That was in what was then upper/middle-class East Brunswick - they also sold sporting goods, including rifles. And, of course, a drug store in Highland Park (once a Drug Fair, now some other chain IIRC?) once had one of the better selection of imports, right across the street from Pino's (another once good beer location).

Today, both the Wegmans and the Trader Joes on Rt.1 outside of Princeton (whatever !@#$ town that is) both sell beer on their floor and at the same registers.

*Two negative factors in NJ's liquor laws are the power of the municipality to limit/control licenses AND the two-license limit for off-premise licensees. (The grocery stores and discount chains like Buy-Rite get around the law by having the license in another name with the chain a 'dba'.)

 

I miss me some EMJ... He kept the thoughts flowing. Man was definitely dedicated to the game love him or hate him

 

Alcohol sales on Sundays were illegal in Indiana until just over a year ago!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.indystar.com/amp/3017326002

 

I'm throughly underwhelmed by most English style beers, especially those made in the UK. The only real exception is JW lee harvest ale.

 

Wawa is experimenting with selling beer in select stores, may move across the state. Legit grocery stores are the best place to buy beer, it's ridiculous

 

When's the last time you were there? Coincidentally, I went yesterday for the first time in probably at least a year or two - it was moved from the right side of the main grocery section to the left, no separation from the grocery aisles and is now huge (I was pretty surprised) and there's no separate "liquor" register (which is kinda annoying, to have to wait behind a "week's worth of groceries" customers to buy two sixes...). Still lots of old beer and I shop much more often at Joe Canal's (better selection and parking! ) and often don't even bother hitting Wegmans if I'm satisfied with my haul.

Been that way for as long as I remember (have no idea when they opened or got the license but it was a COMPACT DISC WORLD at one time around 2001).

 

Now I feel like it’s the other way around - all the good and cheaper beer is in VA. More variety too - DC distro is the wonkiest thing when brands that are available in VA and MD skip DC entirely.

That was a slight diatribe and derail...oops.

 

Unless you're visiting outside the US and it isn't one of England, Germany or Belgium, then your only hope is to rely on threads (most of them old and with very few replies) to know what there is to drink.

For example, when I visited Portugal, the vast majority of beers there had no ratings/reviews on BeerAdvocate, other than the large macros like Sagres or Super Bock. So at this point you're either relying on RateBeer (yuck) or Untappd.

Similarly, this also applied to when I visited Japan as well as the Czech Republic.

In fact, given the distribution of ratings, I would even say this becomes harder in the US if you don't live on the coasts or a big metro area. For example, other than Prairie, I couldn't tell you which other breweries in Oklahoma are good off the top of my head.

Not to say that BeerAdvocate isn't useful, but it has its limits.

 

Apart from the stout, these beers are basically intended to be drunk from the cask. Bottling and/or canning dumbs them down tragically. Even though they are sometimes stronger than the cask version.

 

@EvenBoresJesus may be less gone than you think. Ahhh, it's good to see "Ignored Member" advisory again posted on almost every page I visit here.

 

Agreed, it definitely has its limits, as you point out.

I wish it was perfect, but I try to keep the attitude to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and we have it damn good. Damn good beer to drink, and a damn good resource, BA, to help us track it down. Cheers!

 

From Tales of Arcadia:
“They thought Killahead could stop me, this cage has only hardened me. When I bring forth the Eternal Night, Trolls will reclaim the surfacelands and take what’s rightfully ours.”
―Gunmar to Dictatious in "Skullcrusher"

 

I recommend this book even if the tone and depth might seem unappealing:
"Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance"

Take a look through the preview pages on the you-know-who giant internet marketplace. It's also available as an audiobook.

After you've given that a read, try exploring what brewers call gruit. Personally, I am not a fan of how the term gruit is now being used to describe any beer made without hops (or the minimum amount legally required)... but once you start looking at the history of beer you'll see how all terminology is constantly changing (including the term "ale" - which used to signify a brew made without hops, and at one point did not included things like porter/stout, but now typically signifies any beer made with "top-fermenting" yeast).

Enjoy the ride. There's a lot out there to experience and think about.

 

My controversial opinion is that I now miss seeing all the "ignored member" advisories, and reading all the replies (without being able to see the quoted posts) to EMJ, or whatever name he used on his latest sock account. It was kind of like watching a terrible thunderstorm that you knew couldn't strike you, but which provided excellent rumbles of thunder, and when things are quiet again you sort of miss the random energy expended angrily upon nearby areas.

I predict his next sock account will be as user name GrimaW, and his fake location will be Utah.

 

So, Gunmar was Evenmorejesus? Or am I dense?