What is wrong with these beers?

That's Horst Dornbusch's site and is not to be trusted. He has no effing idea what he's talking about.

 

Understand that a Kolsch is an ale based on brewing methods, but its flavor profile is much more closely in line with other German lagers (Pilsner or Helles) than say most any pale ale or IPA.

 

Forgive my crotchetiness.

Yes I think a lot of them are obvious and/or just outdated picks. Since craft beer has become cool there's been a lot of these blog posts and articles about "must try" or "best" beers. Usually they're beers that BA has known about for years, and often they really aren't as great as they used to be when compared to some of the things that have come out since then, or some of the things that really are cutting edge. So lazy, amateur-at-best writers recycle this old, surface-level beer knowledge for click-bait and pass themselves off as experts (telling readers that Raspberry Tart is not available outside of Wisconsin would have been something worth mentioning, for instance).

60 Minute is a great example. It's a fine beer, and it stood out in the market a lot more when it first came out some time in the early 2000's (maybe earlier? I ain't no historian). But when you compare it to the hundreds of IPA's that have come out since, with new hop varietals and such, it's pretty low on the list. It's riding it's old reputation, which the aforementioned writers are passing off as new and relevant.

And Duchess I just think is gross. Way too sweet.

Anyway. Keep drinking and learning what you like, and don't put too much stock in bloggers. Why is Wired writing about beer anyway? : P

 

It was an interesting article even if it was a bit short. I took the suggestions as just that, a example of the various styles. Given that it was written for a different audience than BA I think the intended audience would find the list helpful. While I have only had a few of the listed beers it seems to be an ok list. It was nice to see the graphic on the growth of the craft industry and I was surprised to see that Texas was so high on the list. Another example that size matters.

 

The sours go from mediocre to horrible.

The saisons go from ok to blah.

The other categories go from good to meh.

Overall, the list is meh.

 

Duchess is disgusting.

 

Do it. Be that kinda guy. Teach them a lesson.

 

maybe people who complain that the writer wasn't a beer writer should consider that wired isn't (at least last time I checked) a beer journal, this was clearly written for people who don't know anything about beer but are looking to get into the world, judging it from this standpoint, while the writing still may be a little insubstantial, the list is just fine, and even as insubstantial as it is, do you really think the given readership of wired want to read a 5 page article on the process of creating a fucking sour beer or other such things, give me a fucking break, don't mock neophytes for they are just that, the list is fine, the elitism however, is not

 

How to correctly comment on an internet article in three steps:

1. Don't
2. Just, no
3. Seriously don't

 

Every time I try one of the million hazy, slightly hop forward ales that craft brewers call "Kolsch" for some inexplicable reason, I wonder if they have ever ACTUALLY tasted a Gaffel or a Dom or any other actual Kolsch. If they have, I wonder why the hell the call them Kolsch in the first f&$king place......

Oh, and the reason they chose the beers they chose is easy to figure out. Wired is a big international magazine. Every beer on that list is available in most places with minimal effort. I've had Dogfish 60 minute in Korea for heavens sake. It would do their readership absolutely no good to list regional favorites, no matter how good.

 

The list is perfectly fine for the intended audience. I have few complaints with the list, except perhaps that 60 minute is a pretty heavily malty IPA in my view and that makes it less "summery". Pleased to see Boulevard Wheat and Little Sumpin Sumpin there. Also pleased not to see Leinenkugels Summer Shandy or Shock Top. Narragansett Dels might have been a worthy addition.

 

It's a decent list and I would happily drink any of the beers on the list. One of the nice things about the list is that most of the beers are accessible without having to get on an airplane and fly to both coasts. My dad used to say "why merely be thought a fool when you can open your mouth and remove all doubt." The people quoted by Beachinbrews commenting on the Wired article indicate that the old guy may have been on to something.