Controversial Beer Opinions Thread

I really do like Shiner Bock. But I prefer it out of the bottle instead of in a glass. I have felt that it lets me focus on more of the malty flavors.

Brown ales, amber lagers, and other light-medium malt forward beers I like trying in both the bottle and glasses.

It's not beer, but durian smoothies are DEFINITELY something that I enjoy drinking when the aromas are severely limited. They taste great but smell horrible.

 

Folks in the Northeast who complain that they can't find styles besides for NEIPA, or that there aren't so many styles they like being made, really ought to get out more, since there isn't a state in this part of the country that doesn't have many more styles made better than at any point in their state's history. Compared to even ten years ago, let alone twenty, it is like an entire world of beer has opened up in this part of the country, and it is hard for me not to burst out laughing when I read these comments.

 

Beer doesn't exist unless it's sold in limited quantities and you have to wait in long lines for it. Maybe that's why they can't find other styles

 

While I agree that Notch and Allagash are two examples of breweries with great brand identities, I think you are being a little too generous to use them as your examples. Notch brews “NE” pale ales but keeps them no higher than 5% ABV. Allagash no longer packages their dubbel in 12oz 4 packs and they brew things like bourbon barrel aged strawberry beer.

@cavedave mentioned a bunch of his locals that have a strong identity, but I’ll ask a genuine question:

How many US breweries are there that package their beer for off-premise consumption and out of state distribution that do not brew at least one of the following: a) IPAs, b) adjunct (as in the brewing term) lagers, c) adjunt (as in the craft drinker appropriation of the term) and/or barrel aged beers, d) sour beers? Can anybody think of some?

 

if i'm wearing a hat, i put it over the beer, michael jackson style. i have also been known to use menus and tabletop lucite to to create a sun blind.

 

I'll go you one better. How many breweries move into an area and don't consider what niche to fill in that area, and don't consider what beers to brew that will "keep the lights on", don't barrel age, and pay no attention to what their customers desire to drink but only to what they desire to brew, and are still in business?

 

You should check out this place sometime: http://chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com/

 

Sounds like something you should trademark!

There's plenty of good beer out there, I agree. But for my palate, I'm not sure I can just stroll into my local liquor store, brewery, or bar and find German beer as good as what I have had in Germany.

And I just went last month.

I also go to multiple breweries and bars, and the liquor store each month. I have also been to Vermont and Maine on beer specific trips in the last year, and I live in Boston.

I'm not going to suggest there are no amazing examples in the Northeast. But for my personal tastes, in those areas, I can't just go find something as good as what I had last month in Germany. Not as easily as you suggest at least.

I did travel to St. Louis directly after Germany and hit up Urban Chestnut. They do a damn fine job, specifically their Zwickel. But I had to go to St. Louis...they used to distribute to MA...and guess what, that failed.

But some of us have different tastes, and we do live in different areas. I'd love to try Suarez for example.

Fair enough. But Notch doesn't even package those, and they are far from the focus of their tap list. Same with Allagash (the part about their focus at least).

I thought everything Notch did was 4.5% or less? (with the exception of their Festbier brewed this year)

 

I don't know if this qualifies as an opinion or not.

I have a shit ton of trade "ammunition". I was gonna post a trade thread or two, then I realized how content I am with what I have locally. I don't feel like going through the trouble, at least not that often.

 

Although I tagged you, I wasn’t venturing the question due to your other post. I am not trying to infer anything from your post above, but I’ll add that it was a genuine question and had nothing to do with judgement about what a brewery should produce.

 

Controversial post:

I’m not really a fan of St. Bernardus.

 

I'd say von Trapp, but they do have an IPL.
Schilling, but they do have the offshoot Resilience that makes hoppy Pale/IPA
Suarez have any of your a, b, c above?
Dovetail in Chicago
Live Oak is pretty close, but I think they have at least one IPA

 

As far as I know, Suarez only self distributes in their state... or at least their bottles and cans aren’t available in normal beer stores.

 

I'd say Franconia Brewing from Mckinney, TX would be an example of a brewery focusing on traditional styles. They are just now releasing a NEIPA for their anniversary though but before now the only non traditional style they had was a beer blending a Belgian Tripel and a Dunkel.

But I have always thought they made some of the worst examples of the styles.

Their Munich Dunkel tastes more like a chocolate stout.
Over years of drinking it the hefeweizen was always flat and underattenuated.
I had their Kolsch last year again and it tasted like a glass of melted butter.
A couple of years ago a local bar had 4 Oktoberfest beers including the Franconia. But the Franconia version was below 5" ABV and cloyingly sweet. I'm sure the fermentation halted halfway through and they released it anyways even though it was obviously completely wrong.

 

I'm not trying to draw attention to this for any reason, but since you asked - they currently have a 5% Pilsner that they describe as "not a session beer" (not that this is the norm there - but you know that already).

 

Shade or sun, that beer cubby on the table is a great image, in miniature. I'm still giggling a bit..

 

New England-style IPA's are the crowning glory, culminating achievement and cultural apex of western society. Anyone who disagrees with this totally objective, self-evident and irrefutable statement must be banned.

Also, queen's guard shack beer coozies should be mandatory fixtures at all establishments with outdoor seating.

 

Dilly dilly, mate!

 

'FOMO' is the only thing that gets me to change out of my jammies from one week to the next.

 

Great threat. here's my opinion:

I hate beer, period.





...

Just kidding.
My honest get-this-off-your-chest thought is that i hate beer trends. I hate them, I cannot stand how black ipa's hit the market and all the breweries decide they need to brew one just because. new england ipa, yes, good, so lets all brew one. because we all want a piece of the pie. i guess i'd make a bad businessman, that's why i'm not one. trends come and go, all cash grabs. don't let your local brewer convince you otherwise