Enough with the hops already!

Hops Rule!!!

 

How about a Fresca?

 

You don't like, you don't buy. Is it not that simple?

 

I'm very tired of hoppy beers, pizza and hot girls with big tits.

 

I don't like pumpkin beers or brown ales, so I don't buy them, simple enough. US brewers are mostly hopheads, that is a good thing. Try some belgians or some British stuff.

 

Just stop. You've stated that "most brewers are getting their hops from New Zealand" and that the Midwest and Italy are some of the best places for growing hops. You've inferred that PNW and west coast IPAs are not to your liking because of the overuse of Cascade hops!?!

And, reading your other posts, you're trying to come off as some expert on IPAs. Get it together, man.

 

That's exactly what a multiple personality would say...

 

Eh, I like hops enough but am starting to gravitate toward sours and oaks.

 

I worked a whole 5 mins on that photoshop picture only to see it get deleted, there goes my proof I accomplished something at work today

 

Some great points in there and I've been particularly bothered by the tap migration over the last decade or so. I remember in the early 00's or 90's when traveling the U.S. and hitting top beer bars I would often find a few top Germans and several Belgians, for example, and now that is much less common today. Same for a few favorite British Pale Ales. Now it's rare if I find Aventinus or Celebrator on tap, and instead there's a Peach IPA or a Black Tea IPA (or other "innovative" hoppy creation) or even worse a long list of local IPA's that are mediocre at best.

Also I don't think we should overestimate how effectively distributors and retail shops respond to demand. Just because IPA's might have the most growth as a style doesn't mean that one will maximize sales by adding as many IPA's as possible, and sometimes it seems like this is what is taking place. My local grocery store expanded their IPA selection and on the whole it actually resulted in me buying less total beer from them. I'll buy one sixpack of IPA now like always, with more choices of course, but now I'm having to go to Total Wine for some of my favorite Germans.

 

I just now am able to buy Spaten again for my bar after about a year hiatus. Common belief in the distributor's world is that InBev cut off the supply chain from Europe to brew it here in North America. Not sure if the latter is true (anyone confirm?), but I can reasonably ascertain that your local store wasn't able to get Spaten and filled the shelves with something that they could sell.

 

Me too.

Oh wait, I thought you said you admired hoppy beers, pizza, and hot girls with big tits. Never mind.

 

Mas hops please!!!!

 

I got over that. I had just left Mons Venus and the pizza place next door where they serve Jai Alai.

 

I agree. But us non-hop lovers are not the center of the beer universe.

 

Whatever we get by way of hops is simply what the market will bear. I fear that overdoing it will burn the trend out, but it's up to the consumer. I like the widest choice so hope that the bitter wars don't sweep away the other styles. Trends changed and tastes evolve, there are few fixed points. It's like the way that the crazily boozy, jammy flavor profile came to dominate a big part of the wine segment. I'd just add that from what I've seen of the Belgian breweries getting into it, it's aimed at the American market.

 

Even though Spaten was long InBev owned, it had its own US importer, Spaten North America ----- until late last year, when ABInBev took over US importation via it's wholly owned subsidiary, Import Brands Alliance (same division that [once] imported Bass and Beck, and the rest of the InBev portfolio from Europe.).

Changing importers often entails also changing local distributors (where allowed by law) - in this case it'll mean winding up at the AB house.

Still brewed in Germany----- so far.

(Examples of old and new keg labels below. Bottle labels will be similar).

 

Simple, don't like hoppy brews don't drink them, there are 100's of malty brews, go for it. Don't like IPA threads skip them.

 

They are getting the NZ hops for unique flavors. I think there are less than 1000 acres in NZ. Not much.

 

I've started doing 30 minute boils on my homebrew because I don't want the bitterness, but I want a ton of hop flavors. And the flameout + dry hop additions are key.

I love the over the top bitter beers as well, but like the hop flavors more.