The Problem with Turning Beer into Dessert

Supply and demand. (Maybe we need to push some supply-side economics.) With so many breweries today, they have to make what sells the most. I'm sure many of the brewers miss making and drinking the same beers you miss.

Adapt or die.

 

More variety than ever and folks just want things to be like they used to be.

 

I wonder if the charge of lack of artistry made for some beers is the equivalent to the charge of lack of artistry of rock music made when rock was new? Is it a reaction from people who don't like the style of those beers more than a reaction to some failure of concept and intent by the brewer (as it was for rock)?

The example of Other Half was made. When Other Half was in their heyday of less sweet beers they were the best, and one of very few, in NYC doing them. Unless in the last 20 months things have taken a nose dive around here, there are more great NY IPA's of that original OH style "now" than there were back when OH was in its "heyday".

If they have taken a nosedive in NYC, I apologize, my current info is limited by reading here and beer groups on FB as to what's going on.

 

Of all the beers I've had using those hops, never once have I gotten a sense of petroleum from them.

 

I wish there was an easy way to search the text of reviews, I've noted it in some of mine and I've read it in others. Perhaps what some people perceive as a diesel aroma you perceive as something else?

 

I definitely have. In the last 6 months...
SARA, HPB, and ASB come to mind.
Generally IMO Nelson or Riwaka is always involved.
It’s not for everyone. I prefer the dank, vinous, grape, tangerine flavors which those hops sometimes also provide.

(by the way I’m loving this thread. Right up my alley)

 

I may have to think about this some more but my initial impression is that this is a classic one-sided point of view...brewers are denigrated because they are making what is popular instead of what some individual prefers or considers to be representative of a higher skill level or in line with personal preference. Meanwhile, the commenters and OP seem to think that people who LIKE those new weird styles (I'm not one of them) are not equally entitled to decry the scarcity of those weird styles they have become accustomed to, should brewers suddenly return to production of the classic styles that the OP and others deem to be more worthy. There is lots of beer production and I say let creativity flow. Variety is good. No form or style is more worthy of any other. It is all personal preference. For every person decrying the production of some sweet milkshake beer, someone else is shaking their head wondering why anyone would waste good resources making bitter beer or beer reminiscent of diesel. For the record, my preferences include either west coast or hazy IPAs and a good barrel aged stout, with or without other flavors added.

 

Balance can be achieved through avenues that aren't hop meets malt. Most smoothie style ales certainly overdo it and rely too heavily on adjunct additions instead of utilizing the flavors of the ale itself. However when notes from the ale are balanced with adjunct flavor there's ample opportunity for really excellent world-class beers. They're truly dessert beverages and will never match the quaffable nature of ales and lagers that stick to the 4 ingredients but discrediting them for their ubiquity and your personal tastes isn't a fair assessment.

 

I hate it when any given local brewery changes or deletes one of the beers that put them on the map in the first place, and instead cater to the "hazy ipa trend of the day". "Craft beer" has jumped its own shark by becoming a huge industry and using up more ingredients. I'm starting to go back and enjoy the old Euro lagers and regional US macro brands again to give "craft" my own middle fingers. One of the pioneer brewers of NC has ruined themselves with all his hazy peach white bullshit. No more Piney Pale Ale, no brownale, no dark mild or ESB. Meanwhile the local shelves are overcrowded with local peanut butter stouts and jelly donut this and all that crap. So, if they fail to make beer I liked, it's on them. It's not a necessity to even have beer . (gasp!) I will buy what's left of the real (classic/traditional) beer, if they keep making any.

 

News flash: Most breweries are in it to survive, not to make you happy. They adapt to satisfy demand, while to the extent possible, also allowing the brewmaster to satisfy their own creative goals, whether than means brewing the perfect lager or coming up with some previously unconceived mix of ingredients.

 

It’s definitely an opinion piece. I just happen to agree with it.

 

Hops will provide varying flavor profiles for a variety of reasons. Where the hops are grown (i.e., the terroir effect) is commonly discussed but another factor which is even more impactful IMO is when the hops were harvested. For example it is not unusual for some hop varieties to have an onion-like quality if harvested late. It well could be that the petroleum/diesel effect for certain hop varieties could be a harvest timing issue.

Plus we should not lose sight that aroma/flavor perception is subjective so two people could drink the exact same beer but each individual would perceive differing flavors.

Cheers!

 

I suspect this is a factor indeed. My limited experience with hops and more robust experience with its annual cousin leads me to suspect that these diesel/petrol aromas develop later in the maturation process. I also suspect that storage/handling/freshness of the hops could play a role, as well as the timing and temp of the hop additions. Diesley terpenes can fade into a musty earthiness if exposed to too much heat or allowed to oxidize.

 

Brewers have to cater to their customers if they care about staying in business and the truth is that most people don't want piney pale whatever and the same boring brown ale and the brewers see this when product dies on the shelf or in the keg

Of my customers who do like old-school pale ales and west coast IPA's they largely drink the same thing every-fucking-day, Surly Furious, Summit EPA, SN Pale, Lagunitas IPA. When I bring in a new west coast ale its always a fucking gamble if half the case is going to end up getting returned once it's out of date. Frankly there's very little enthusiasm on that side of the fence and a lot of jaded, cheap old-heads who are unwilling to pay the premium for small batch brews. They also tend to stick to AAL's for their light beer instead of supporting local brewers.

On the other hand my juice beer types are always seeking out the newest release, something different, anytime I bring in a new smoothie beer I know that its all going out the door and I know multiple regulars who I can thrust whatever smoothie sour of the day into their hands and they'll buy it without question. These guys are incredibly enthusiastic about the stuff too, to the point some of them travel cross state just to pick up a couple cases at the source. They're also surprisingly versatile and responsible for the majority of our craft lager and blonde ale sales.

So as a brewery who are you going to cater towards because to me it seems like a no-brainer.

 

Nah, that's trivial compared to turning a pan of chocolate brownies into Guinness. WW(I)JD?

 

Probably wait outside the liquor store for the delivery and then gleefully pay $6 a can for an entire case?