The “Perfect” Brewery - A Thought By Raul

thanks for the call-out, @zid

there's been a ton of talk about this type of thing over the years (and probaby centuries). having gotten into the commercial game myself, ive seen just how hard it is to get not only the recipes/ingredients and processes for our german beers as close to "perfect" as we can manage, but to also try to replicate tank geometry/time/transfer specs; serving method (gravity kegs; authentic glassware; faucet/tap type); and production scheduling and sizing so that the beer moves as fast and fresh as it does in the best/most "perfect" german places.

in short, it's fucking tough.

to think a place could do all of that for german beers (not just franconian ones; but berliner weisse, bavarian bottle-conditioned weizen; slightly saline gose like in goslar)...and then do the same for czech lagers; belgian lambics, trappists; UK cask-conditioned and -served milds that oxidize perfectly but not too fast....

well, if they wanna give it a shot...go for it. ain't gonna be me, is all I can say. too much still to learn about our little franconian lagers.

prost(erchen)!

 

I was going to post a witty comment but then i googled Candice Swanepoe and got distracted, now I have no clue what I was going to say.

 

HF, Jester King, Sante Adarius, RR, Tree House and Alchmist. There are you tier 1 undisputed perfect Brewers now let’s talk about the breweries on the bubble that might belong in this elite group. Looking at the BA review listing, Side Project, deGarde and Anchorage are right there in the mix as well.

 

So a consumer wants a line of beers from one brewery tailored for him/her self? I once told a local craft brewer that I loved his ESB (highly rated on BA), and would like to see it available more often. He said it was a favorite of his, too, but it didn't sell well. He wasn't able to justify brewing it. Homebrewing might be an option for the demanding consumer. But what do you do with the trials that don't come out exactly right?

 

I agree the best restaurants that I’ve been might have 6-7 entrees, always a chicken, steak, lamb, fish if it’s Continental, the chef and the restaurant probably has a super specialty. You go to Capital Grill in Philly your looking for steaks or prime rib, but they obviously offer up other things. Hate 3-4 plus page menus, then I’m thinking some pre prepared foods, no one can maintain a huge menu and keep it fresh and well done, there has to be shortcuts taken to turn tables.

 

homebrewers don't talk about those. every batch is "perfect." I call such "breweries" MINE'S BETTER BREWING CO. employees of such places are frequently found/active on Untappd

seriously, tho: it's a major major advantage not having to hit production numbers/scheduled/sizes.

 

What's with all this talk using absolutes in a conversation about imagined perfection?

 

It's like the punch line to the old Vaudeville joke: practice, practice, practice.

One of the benefits of homebrewing is that you get to produce the beer styles you like (e.g., I will be homebrewing an ESB in another month or so) and you get to tailor those batches to suit your individual tastes. If you prefer your ESB to have a pronounced crystal/caramel malt flavor use a fair bit of it as part of the grain bill. If you prefer your ESB to have reduced crystal/caramel malt flavor perhaps just brew using Maris Otter Pale Malt.

The world is your oyster!

Cheers!

 

A buddy and I flew in several years ago and backpacked in a couple of the parks. That inspired him to drive from NY to AK in ‘18 I think. He described the experience as incredible/life changing....just pure beauty once your closing in on and throughout the AK Hwy.

Hope you get to experience that one day!

 

I too would describe my one (and hopefully first of many) trip to AK as life changing. Climbed Denali, backpacked in Denali State Park, boat trip to Kenai Fjords, scenery driving the Cook Inlet, fresh Halibut fish n chips off the boats in Homer Spit...just amazing in every facet. My only regret is not getting some turns on my splitboard, which I aim to remedy on a future trip.

 

I was going to use @JackHorzempa's example of HF as the one brewery that meets this criteria personally. As @rozzom said, it's really unrealistic for the majority of us because either we're not close or we don't have the time to constantly stock with Hill's wares.

I think that this is a good thread topic and @RaulMondesi brings up a good point. I often see people expressing their desire for a brewery to be a catch all for everything, to brew all sorts of different styles. I see, for example, folks expressing a desire to see Tree House brew more lagers. To which, I say...why? While I am sure that TH could brew good lagers if more attention was given to those styles of beers, you have Jack's Abby right there. If you live in Eastern MA, you can probably get your hands on Notch or Idle Hands. My point being that people often fixate on singular breweries when so much more is around them.

Most breweries have limited capacity. That is to say, they can only fill so many tanks per period. I think that a lot of the catch all breweries suffer in terms of trying to do too many things (heck, some of the IPA factories suffer at this too). They don't get to brew the same beer over and over again, chasing perfection through iteration. For me, I'd rather have a brewery that specializes, versus one that is trying to do everything. I guess that gets to the restaurant analogy as well. I'd rather have the option of getting food from many restaurants that specialize in a specific cuisine versus one that tries to do everything with a Cheesecake Factory sized menu.

I like the ability to get the best from the breweries around me to make my fridge as great as possible. A la carte.

 

Permit me to answer that question but in the context of Tired Hands. While Tired Hands receives the most 'love' for the Juicy/Hazy IPAs (including Milkshake IPAs) they have been brewing high quality lagers (Helles, Pilsner, etc.) for several years and I personally appreciate that. From my perspective this provides to the brewery (and customers) a number of benefits:

• It provides the brewers the ability to produce other styles of beers and lagers are a bit more complicated due to the extra phase of cold conditioning.
• With this 'practice' their brewing staff will be more experienced to brew the next 'new thing' once if/when the Juicy/Hazy craze diminishes.
• I get to drink tasty Tired Hands beers that are non-Juicy/Hazy beers

I have personally enjoyed drinking the non-Juicy/Hazy beers that Tired Hands has produced. Not only their lagers but also their Farmhouse/Saison beers plus a plethora of other beer styles (including their Hefeweizen).

With all of that stated: Spoiler Alert! In the upcoming New Beer Weekend thread I will be discussing Tired Hands DDH Weedeater – A Double Dry Hopped Weedeater Inspired Double India Pale Ale. I do enjoy drinking their Juicy/Hazy beers too.

Cheers!

 

Yeah (me too), but how often do you purchase 16oz 4 packs of canned lager from Tired Hands (or similar brewers who are known for their IPAs) compared to lager options from brewers who don't fit that packaging/pricing mold?

 

I think @Sheppard per usual has hit this right on the head.

I get a text message often from a friend who lives in NYC and swears by a certain breweries beers. Once every other month or so he will add a four pack of “lager” to his case of IPAs and text, “You would love this!”

Now, I’m sure it’s good, but why wouldnt that brewery just stay in its lane to make the beer style they do best?

I will never, ever go there and spend $17 on their “lager” when I can buy a Czech Pilsner or Helles or Altbier from Notch (or another lager-centric brewery).

 

We talking Other Half? If so agreed - no idea why they bother.

 

Chris, I will explicitly answer your question with the BIG CAVEAT that I am not a typical beer consumer.

OK with that out of the way, the short answer is I never "purchase" Tired Hands beers. I am fortunate that I know somebody who has regular access to Tired Hands beers and we barter. In our last exchange I gave that person a six-pack of homebrewed Tmavý Ležák (Czech Dark Lager), 3 bottles of homebrewed Altbier (Sticke version) and 3 bottles of homebrewed Bohemian Pilsner. In kind I received a number of cans of Tired Hands beers (of varying brands). Frankly I think my buddy got the better part of the deal here but I enjoy drinking Tired Hands beers so....

If I was not getting Tired Hands via barter would I be buying four-packs of their beers? Hmm, I will need to further cogitate here. Maybe now I would since I just received my stimulus check yesterday!?!

Cheers!

P.S. Tired Hands has Trendler Kölsch for sale right now. If not for that fact I recently bought some Von Trapp Kölsch I might be tempted to purchase this new (to me) beer.

 

Man that's definitely a special trip! We did some of the same...backpacked in Denali, hiked The Goat Trail down in Wrangell St. Elias, and spent time drinking a couple beers taking in Exit Glacier in Kenai.

Now that I'm married want to go back so badly so my wife can enjoy the scenery, fresh fish and breweries (Anchorage & 49th State).

 

If Trendler Kolsch is $15 a four pack like their Helles and the Von Trapp Kolsch is in a 6 pack, then I'll take a wild guess and assume that the Tired Hands Kolsch might be a rare treat rather than a permanent replacement for the Von Trapp for you. Cheers.

 

Chris, I like the way you think!

Except, what could be 'better' - homebrew!

I just got done brewing a beer for my wife who is a HUGE hophead and she has a birthday coming up - an Idaho 7 & Citra IPA.

Living in my own Private Idaho (7)!



Cheers!