Okay, I get it; most beers are quite versatile in their use and occasion. However, some beers are more versatile with any occasion than others. Think about any occasion you could pop open a beer and pair it; after work, yard work, tailgating, barbecuing outdoors, cooking indoors, friends over, night on the town. Christmas, Independence Day, New Years. Burger and fries, surf and turf, caesar salad, apératif, night cap. Below zero (F) wind chill, one hundred degrees (F) outside, weddings, gastropubs, dive bars, fine dining, or drinking on its own at home. One of my friends made the case for Duchesse de Bourgogne being that beer. He praised of its versatility; drink it warm or cold, goes with any occasion. He stood by that beer so much that he helped legally import the beer to where he lived. I'm going to select Spotted Cow from New Glarus. It isn't necessarily the best beer out there, but I can't think of any pairing which it doesn't go well with. Okay, so drinking and driving may be one of them. What does BA think?
I see this as a "What is your go to beer", forgive me if that is not what you intended. Either way, I could drink Zombie Dust in all the scenarios you listed.
I’m not sure demand for Utopias is all that high. Most people have never heard of it and would not consider it to be beer.
My experience at the recent GABF would appear to support your first sentence. On the final day of the event, it was available all session long at the Samuel Adams booth. Yet there was no line. I thought perhaps I had misinterpreted the beer list sign, but they confirmed it was available for anyone who wanted some. It's a very strong beer and a little bit goes a long way. I'm glad I got to try it, but have no interest in trying it again any time soon. I can absolutely see why many would not enjoy it. Your second sentence is likely accurate as well, but I have nothing to back up my opinion.
I thought that was obvious. That sentence was based on my perception of what most people who I know (even those who love beer) know about beer and consider to be good beer. Utopias is viewed as pretty exotic even among the beer geek community, so presumably most random folks out there know absolutely nothing about it. I’ve generally found my presumptions about such matters to be pretty accurate. But no, I can’t empirically back that up either.
