Darkness on tap?

I caught one THISSSSS big!

 

I'm sure our paths will cross again and we can enjoy a beer while discussing the good ol' days. You probably don't remember me, but we met briefly at Town Hall during their Barrel Aged week a few years back.

 

I follow, and tend to agree with much of what you're saying, but if "douchey people" are following labels instead of quality, that leaves more quality for you, does it not?
The reality we're in is that supply is lagging behind demand for a lot of beers that we, as a community, have decided are desirable. That does suck for a lot of us in the short term, but supply will eventually catch up, and that means not only increased production from the breweries we love, but the inception of more breweries that provide more variety for our beer dollars. I say the net result is positive, even if we are not able to get more BCBS or KBS or Darkness or Abyss or Abrasive or Wet or Bigfoot or Hopslam than we used to.

If you want to make a positive impact on the community, why not advocate for some of the readily available quality beers you speak of? I'll start with Odell Myrcenary, which I consider a world-class DIPA available in the Twin Cities anywhere, anytime. So y'all can worry less about chasing Abrasive, Hopslam, or whatever might be the flavor of the day, and enjoy the hell out of Myrcenary. Mmm-kay?

 

I KNEW i've met you before, just not where. I'm sure we'll run into each other. I'll have the lawn chairs and the beer pursuit vehicle idling nearby.

I can agree with you're saying. I'm just always wary of the hype trains. Unfortunately, I like bigger, darker beers, which end up being a lot of the hyped and hunted beers. At least I don't have to fight for Commander, Dragon's Milk, Smoke, and most of the Belgians and Belgian styles. I always have some good locals on standby in my fridge.

And interestingly, despite the hype, I haven't really warmed up to Abyss.

You guys can keep the IPA's and sours. More for you guys

 

I agree with pretty much everything you've said in your last few posts. However, I'm a little confused about one thing. Lift Bridge Commander has a score of 3.67 on this site, and its release is getting a lot of talk. If that isn't the very definition of the hype you talk about than I don't know what it. Why are people running out to get a beer that by consensus is mediocre simply because it is a limited release? I can completely understand someone buying it if they had it last year, and liked it. But there seem to be a lot of people rushing out to try it for the first time, because of the hype. If they'd just look at the reviews first they might think twice.

 

You can't just blindly blame hype for everything.

Commander was a terribly polarizing beer, much like Deschutes release of The Stoic. If you liked the gentle barrel aging & have a warm spot for spices, chances are you like it (I loved it). If you don't like spices, well, I know plenty of people who'd rather have a Commander enema than drink any more of it.

Other reasons people are 'running out to get a mediocre beer': (a) it's a local, barrel-aged barleywine in bottles you can age, how many of those exist? (b) Lift Bridge makes good beer, this isn't the equivalent of Lucid barrel-aging a wheat beer. (c) It tastes good to some people...I know that sounds like a weird reason to buy beer, but, hey.

I can think of other reasons, but hopefully you get the point. We all know that reviews around here are grossly inflated, but if you solely go by the top-line score to determine what you buy, you're going to miss out on some damn good beers.

 

This. I couldn't have said it better. I've been "into" good beer for over 25 years, and compared to most people on this website I am an old man, but the beer scene is getting to the point where it's no longer fun.

 

sitting around pointlessly pining for the good old days is as unflattering with a beer hobby as it is with anything else. the farmers market and my co-op are much busier than they used to be, but how can i possibly make an unselfish argument against more and more people paying attention to where their food comes from? i used to watch a friend's band play from right next to the stage at the 7th street entry, but now they are in bigger packed clubs. should i be playing the same woe-is-me card some of you are playing here?

the point of my post about the guy at bar la grassa was to poke fun at a random guy who was in over his head with a big beer. he could've ordered a stella artois, but he thought he'd give the local standout a shot while he had the chance. big deal. if some of you want to sit and blame that guy for ruining your hobby, go right ahead. be sure to mention it to omar next time you see him and see if he agrees.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with this. It's the main reason I've backed off on chasing limited-release beers at bottle shops. Too many things I want to drink/try that are so much easier to get.

 

Completely agree with Myrcenary - a very overlooked beer, perhaps cause it's always available.

Some of my favorite readily-available beers: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, Founders Breakfast Stout, Celebrator (mmm), Goose Island Sofie, Bell's Two Hearted, and of course Rochefort 10.

 

I get your point. But I'd like to add that I'm not advocating for solely purchasing beers based on their scores here. I'm just surprised more people don't take them somewhat into account when deciding on what to purchase. I guess, my reason for putting faith in the scores here is two fold. First, over the years they have proved remarkably accurate when I take into account the style bias that exists here. That is to say I've rarely been burned by a highly rated beer, or blown away by a low rated beer. Second, the reviews here are consumer reviews. They are beer fans saying buy this beer it is good, skip it its bad, or its okay give it a try. On the contrary, most (not all) of the hype around limited release beers is being generated directly from breweries (Twitter, Facebook). This is my bias here, but I'm more likely to believe the hype generated from other consumers saying, "this beer is great I'd wait in line all night to get it" than the hype generated by a brewery for a beer they've never brewed before.

Also, from your description Commander sounds like something I would probably enjoy.

 

Couple more readily available dark beers. Founders Porter and Lions Stout.

 

I'm here. Guy with beard at bar.

 

Kinda early you don't think?

 

Is the cask sitting on the bar yet? Ill be there soon.

 

No cask on bar yet.

 

It's past noon!

 

Wow this is so smooth!

 

Man, I hope to make it over later.

 

All I have to say, is at least you live in the cities to have a shot to get some of this. Damn Rochester...