Beer snobs SUCK!!! (rant)

[northernlad]

One time I sat at the bar I worked and had a number of the beers I would not drink mostly because I like to be challenged by things. What I found was Coors Original is not horrible, MGD should be illegal, and Bud would do If there was not water to drink.

 

[Zamial]

The best thing about this country is a guy is free to express opinions that have no relationship to fact, sense or logic.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to "group" individuals here on this forum nor am meaning to, this is a discussion of my "flawed logic" so let's have at...

BMC is a mega huge brewery that contributes very heavily to politics. While they make their beer taste VERY much the same, maybe slightly different to equipment, but over all tastes the same. Is the product horrible? I am going to guess and say no, it is not or people would not buy as much of it as they do. This has even been called the "American beer taste". Habit and conformity are the friends of BMC. They also have the cheapest products on the selves, usually.

So, then who is next in line after BMC? Why, its good ole SA. What is SA doing now? Advertising on TV, check. Expanding the brewery at the expense of taste? check. Has a "freshness date" like BMC? check. BUT still offers a wide variety micro brew/crafted beer flavors to be different than the BMC. I have nothing against SA but they are the next in line to become a mega 1/2ey and they act like it. Can't really fault the business model as we can see "what works." The prices are normally in between the BMC and microbreweries.

But let's not forget the 1/2ies here, those companies that are partially owned by the BMC, these seem VERY close to SA...I can easily fire off a bunch here if you require it.

Then we have the microbreweries, as I stated before I am not trying to single any of them out because every time I walk down the beer isle, I spot another one. There are so many that they are creating white noise and it is numbing to pick one out. Oh and they are usually really expensive. Dare I say the most expensive???

Just because I feel they need a mention we also have IMPORTS all falling into various categories as above.

Now we have home brewers, the folks that want the most bang for the buck, to have some fun, to control what they are ingesting, what ever the reason it is, is just fine. We make our own brews and some turn out bad, some ok and some out of this world fantastic! Is it marketable? I don't care. Do other people like it? If they do that is great but if not, I still don't care. I am not trying to impress or please anyone else but me. As long as number 1 is happy then it is all win. I will continue to haunt these forums while I learn from the mistakes of others and pick up super helpful awesome tips and tricks.

 

[munche]

Pliny The Elder has a freshness date on it, does that make it like BMC to you too? The older a beer is, the more it loses it's hop character and the more light can get into it to make it taste stale and funky. I had a Pliny bottled 7 days before I drank it, it was magical.

Maltier beers tend to age well, light/crisp/hoppy tasting beers do not. I had a BrewDog IPA that was 3 months past it's "drink by" date and it had lost most if not all of it's hop character. Total bummer.

I'm not a fan of AB's politics, but otherwise the only thing I give a **** about in a beer is if it's good or not. It's nice if it's local or supporting a brewer I otherwise think is cool (like Dogfish), but if it's not good, I won't buy it. If it's good, I will buy it. Who gives a **** if the beer has a commercial on TV? Or if it costs less than some other microbrews (???). People don't like BMC (AB especially) due to the fact that they're typically making a very limited product line and engaging in anti competitive practices.

SA, like them or not, puts out over a dozen different beers in a year (more like 20, actually)....during the hop shortage they were supplying other craft brewers with hops from their own supply. They are generally friendly to the craft community, and the homebrew community. How is this in any way like BMC?

Your "expanding the brewery at the expense of taste" also boggles my mind. How has BMC expanded at the expense of taste? You may not like their style of lager, but it's pretty much the most consistent tasting beer out there. Also, Sam Adams tastes the same to me these days as any time I've had it. Maybe if you stopped looking for beers well past their freshness dates you wouldn't think they tasted worse

The mindset of "oh, something is popular so i don't like it" seems to be what the OP was griping about, and it's just as silly in the beer scene as it is in the music scene.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Your "expanding the brewery at the expense of taste" also boggles my mind. How has BMC expanded at the expense of taste? You may not like their style of lager, but it's pretty much the most consistent tasting beer out there. Also, Sam Adams tastes the same to me these days as any time I've had it. Maybe if you stopped looking for beers well past their freshness dates you wouldn't think they tasted worse

Thank you. Bigger does not always mean worse. I don't think Sam Adams or evven Budweiser would release product that they did not intend on releasing. They have strict guidelines and have major sensory evaluation panels to make sure that their product is consistent and what they expect it to be.

Just because you don't like doesn't mean they are sacrificing taste.

 

[Zamial]

Ok, I was trying to prove a point using generalizations and now I seem to have kicked the hornets nest on this obvious rezzed troll thread. I realize we are on the “same team” or at least would try to think so. As such, this is my last reply on this subject in this thread.

I read the OP and we have now degenerated down to specific things I actually edited out of my last post as it was getting pretty long but now realize that I should not have…*sigh

Having a freshness date on a specific beer does not make a brewery a BMC or stepping towards that, but having one on every beer that is made by them…mmmhhmmmmmmm…

The fact revolving around advertising on TV defiantly steps them closer to BMC levels.

And to the heart of the matter taste. I actually posted up a ways that I actually do like some SA products. Hell BMC have 3/5ths of the population convinced that they have the best taste, I disagree. I have sampled many of these beers, I see quality slipping in a product that should NEVER allow that to happen and I say they are getting closer to being a BMC and it is like I pissed on a bible. Ya BMC used to taste way different than it does today. Look, I would truly hate to see SA sell out to BMC but from where I am sitting it is looking like they are prepping to do just that.

As for the SA expanding at the cost of taste, I encourage you to try this years SA Summer Ale and compare it to years past versions of it…nuf said. (again there is a specific thread just for this...)

I certainly hope SA continues to aid with micro/home brewers in the future. It would be a tragic loss if they did not. I am also going to point out…again… that the breweries in question now, were NOT brought up by me. I am not trying to "rally the troops”.

Am I a beer snob?…**** yes I am. I would rather poor a BMC on the ground than to drink it, as stated before I use “leftover” BMC to cook with. It took a 6 pack of B.L. to cook my last 10 brats because I was trying to get some beer flavor in them. I hate all that is BMC and if I choose to hate another brewery for whatever reason then I am OK with that, I am sorry that you are not.

As for a beer snob following/liking/disliking trends…I care less about trends. I was a trend setter years ago and have never skipped a beat, lost sleep or been otherwise distressed over what the masses are doing. That still does not declassify me as a beer snob. I will only drink certain types/styles/brands of beer and that sounds like a beer snob to me…which the OP has kindly stated that these types of people suck…I do suck but only good beer! (BTW that is more of my opinion)

So, I leave you now in this worthless thread to go and drink beer, beer that I made that is unbuyable in a store, more potent and delicious. I wish all a wonderful weekend and many wonderful beers….cheers!

 

[ChrisS68]

So, I leave you now in this worthless thread to go and drink beer, beer that I made that is unbuyable in a store, more potent and delicious. I wish all a wonderful weekend and many wonderful beers….cheers!

classic, and oh so typical

 

[MVKTR2]

I didn't and won't be reading all 16 pages of this thread, so sorry if reposting a point.

First I find it funny when people put down SNPA. Really? It literally defines the style in the bjcp style guidelines. People will complain it's not hoppy enough or some such, perhaps bland. REALLY? Perhaps the problem is that other breweries are making what's traditionally been known as an IPA and calling it APA.

Secondly and the more important point to me. I've seen Rate Beer & Brewers Advocate people downgrade some of these breweries/brews we're talking about. The next rating however will be a Paulaner, Hoegardden, or some such which they'll praise not realizing most of those brews are 'less exclusive' than the craft brewery they're railing against.

BTW I have a ratebeer account & consider myself something of a beer snob, I'm just open to the flavor inside the package and the only preconceived notions I hope I have are based on unfair business practices etc.

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[Runyanka]

Just have these so called "beer snobs" watch beer wars and they will see how Sam Adams and Dogfish Head have helped the craft beer world more than they will ever know. I am a huge fan of Dogfish Head, I will drink their 90 min IPA over any beer on earth, no joke. Just because they don't use coffee beans that have been digested by monkeys, **** out, then steeped, doesn't mean their not pure beer genius! :rockin:

 

[ChshreCat]

Holy crap! This thread was ice cold dead and it suddenly assploded! :rockin:

 

[Pivot]

Holy crap! This thread was ice cold dead and it suddenly assploded! :rockin:

haha yeah i think I did this

 

[Sea]

If PBR in a can is wrong I don't want to be right.

Although I've also been known to enjoy a fine sipping Mickey's Malt Liquor in a Tito Ortiz commemorative can...

couldn't have said it better.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Eye of the beholder, imo. I love DFH's Aprihop to no end, and absolutely despise their Palo Santo Marron. Does it mean they've lost their way because they made something I didn't enjoy? Absolutely not. Bigger craft brewers (and even BMC brewers to a point) are still brewers no matter how you look at it. They make products they enjoy and let the public decide whether or not they'll continue to buy them.

 

[kfoxpt]

This is a society problem. A snob is one who knows what he likes and thinks that everyone else should like the same thing or else they are idiots, and then lets them know that they are idiots. This applies to clothes, cars, schools, music, ...... and beer. What happened to being a civil society and expressing your likes and interests without demeaning others? Is this b/c of a severe inferiority complex that you need to make yourself feel better by making others feel worse?

I'm sorry, I prefer my beer, like some made by others, have a few OTC beers I like, but will drink just about anything to be able to enjoy the company of my friends as we enjoy life. No snobbery allowed.

 

[boo boo]

I'm sorry, I prefer my beer, like some made by others, have a few OTC beers I like, but will drink just about anything to be able to enjoy the company of my friends as we enjoy life. No snobbery allowed.

The way I feel too.
Cheers

 

[bovineblitz]

Eye of the beholder, imo. I love DFH's Aprihop to no end, and absolutely despise their Palo Santo Marron. Does it mean they've lost their way because they made something I didn't enjoy? Absolutely not. Bigger craft brewers (and even BMC brewers to a point) are still brewers no matter how you look at it. They make products they enjoy and let the public decide whether or not they'll continue to buy them.

Age the Palo Santo for at least a year and get back to me

 

[goose1873]

I actually love bud light...but would take a pliny over it in a heartbeat. i love beer...all beer...(except shlitz)

--

 

[Mermaid]

LOL I will admit to being a beer snob (and music snob.. oh don't get me started!) ... BUT...

I drink Leffe when I'm too cheap and lazy to go to the snobby beer store
I drink Presidente on hot summer days when I don't want to be passed out and dehydrated by 8:00
Not all mass produced beer is yuck water.

I just know what I like, and if I'm going to consume beer calories I figure I might as well do it on "Vosges" vs. "Hersheys".

I don't diss my hipster friends for diggin their PBR - it's their choice.

 

[FalmouthBrewmeister]

As for the SA expanding at the cost of taste, I encourage you to try this years SA Summer Ale and compare it to years past versions of it…nuf said. (again there is a specific thread just for this...)

I have noticed this very phenomenon and just thought it was my palate expanding to newer flavors out there. I have friends who I have introduced to some bigger flavors as of late, and this beer has slipped from a favorite to "comfort food" status, An old "stand-by" among us all. We were all talking about it, but just thought it was a personal thing.

Glad to see We're not alone!

That being said, SA has really done a ton to grow the Craft Beer in America, whether by inspiring people or actually sponsoring contests, etc. to get peoples creative juices flowing.

Not trying to build them up, I rarely but SA, but I'm just sayin'.

 

[ak40kush]

You are still missing what he was saying. It has nothing to do with beer. It could be any person who shuns anything because it is "cool" to like something nobody knows about. It gives a person a sense of superiority and makes them look like an ass.
It would be like hating on Built to Spill because the signed with Warner.

not exactly i didn't miss the point i was only augmenting it with my thoughts and if anyone else agrees thats cool and if they dont thats fine to. just voicing my opinion like everyone else. hopefully someone knows what i mean and that none of these points gets lost in translation/interpretation.

 

[davesrose]

Meh...the OP tried using Dunkin Donuts vs Starbucks (or Krispy Kreme for that matter) as an analogy. Especially when you look at demographics, it's interesting to see donut preferences. Boston seems saturated with Dunkin Donuts. I'm originally from NC, so I see Krispy Kreme as having the best donuts. With coffee, I think both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are expensive: I go with Kroger coffee.

It all boils down to personal preference....whether that has been tainted by advertising or not. I personally like some Sam Adams products....I like their lager, but their black lager isn't as good as McSorley's. I personally feel that Dogfish's IPAs are over-rated, but that's me. I realize everyone has their own preference.

 

[northernlad]

I'm originally from NC, so I see Krispy Kreme as having the best donuts.

Man, is your mind going to be blown when you have a real donut.

If there was ever a perfect BMC/Craft Beer comparison it would be Krispy Kreme vs any other donut maker in the world.

 

[davesrose]

If there was ever a perfect BMC/Craft Beer comparison it would be Krispy Kreme vs any other donut maker in the world.

eh....ok, I give....what's a better donut over the usual bigger donut franchizes that everyone knows(Donkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, etc)??

 

[StAnthonyB]

I seriously mean it guys and gals. Dont get me wrong, I crack a joke at people who drink BMC all the time. I usually mean it as a joke though and not a shot at someone to be mean or rude. I am not talking about BMC drinkers though.
I am talking about people who wont even drink beer from great beer companies anymore because they are on tv, or advertise or they are growing all over.

Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Harpoon, Stone, Rouge, Dogfish, ect...
So many people here talk about this beer and that beer but when it comes from one of the big brewereis out there they turn there head and talk like they are better beer drinkers then me or you because we like the brews that come from most of those companies. Hahahahahaha, that is the biggest load of bull$hit I have ever heard. To me these "beer snobs" will only drink dark brews with labels on them you have never heard of before because they want to feel different.

I was talking to someone the other day and he told me that he felt that Sam Adams is just one step up from BMC. You have to be kidding me right???
Another person told me that Sierra Nevada puts out very weak brews and they are just not enough for his taste. WHAT??!! The last guy told me that Dogfish Head has no idea what they are doing and are not a real brewery. Hahahahahahahaha what a moron!!!

I as others do buy all those brews that we see in our fine stores that I have never seen or heard of before. I for one though will never put down the bigger craft brewers out there. Mose of the big craft brewers still make wonderful beer and will keep doing this.

Example...
I live outside of Boston. I like Dunkin Donuts coffee. When you talk to someone who will only drink Starbucks about Dunkin Donuts you gotta here the crap coming out of there mouth. Its as if they drink Starbucks because they want to be different and spend an extra dollar on some coffee. This is how I feel when I talk to a fellow beer drinker about a good beer I had from one of the big craft brewers and they start to go down the line of how this craft brewer has lost there way and how they wont drink the beer they make because its not "different" anymore.

Beer snobs SUCK, yes you do.

- Brian

p.s. sorry about the long rant just had to get it out

There are A LOT of beer snobs around. I could only imagine what it must be like to live in the Action-Concord area with the great number of yuppies. For the record wine snobs are a royal pain as well.

When with the fellas after we get out of work, if I still dressed like a human safety cone (neon green and workboots) I'll hammer down the Coors Lights. When out with the crew, I'll drink Amstel Light. When out for Fish & Chips, I'll usually accompany it with Guinness or Bass Ale or any other semi-decent ale. When visiting family we'll do a tasting session a lot of times: Buying a whole slew of different commercial beers and drink them side by side. When I am at home it's homebrew of course!

I remember a few years ago all of the fellas in the trade unions were boycotting Budweiser because they were apparently "anti-union". I don't know much about that but what I can say about Samuel Adams is that there is a HUGE number of people who refuse to touch the stuff. And, not because it isn't good beer. Quite frankly it is a very, very-well made (much better on draft than in the insipid bottled versions).

The reason why many folks won't touch Sam Adams anymore is because of a little advertising stunt, called the "Sex for Sam Contest," they participated in a couple years back. Where a Virginia couple was awarded a free-trip to the Boston Brewery after having intercourse in St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City.

No matter how good the flavours of their beers, their methods of advertising is about as tasteless as it gets. It doesn't help I suppose that their advertising department using key-word advertising rather than good, down-to-earth, honest methods as well.

 

[cenla]

The reason why many folks won't touch Sam Adams anymore is because of a little advertising stunt, called the "Sex for Sam Contest," they participated in a couple years back. Where a Virginia couple was awarded a free-trip to the Boston Brewery after having intercourse in St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City.

No matter how good the flavours of their beers, their methods of advertising is about as tasteless as it gets. It doesn't help I suppose that their advertising department using key-word advertising rather than good, down-to-earth, honest methods as well.

yep. this specific stunt is why I won't buy SA products.

 

[z987k]

And, not because it isn't good beer. Quite frankly it is a very, very-well made (much better on draft than in the insipid bottled versions).

You know we were discussing this the other day, and I almost disagree that it is well made. It is consistent yes, but if you don't know what the off flavor acetaldehyde tastes like, let a bud warm up to 45 or so and taste it. It's in every damn one. It actually is a result of the beechwood chips they use for aging that pull the yeast too quick and don't let it clean up entirely. Yes their super awesome industrial process that turns out a light lager in a handful of days has faults. However at uber cold temps, the flavor is masked so it's technically not an issue, since you're supposed to drink it 1F above it's freezing point. But let it warm up, it's there.

 

[eddie]

Does BMC= Bud Miller Coors?

Yes, it does.

 

[bovineblitz]

yep. this specific stunt is why I won't buy SA products.

I think it's kind of amusing. It was really the stunt of a talk radio show and SA just provided the prizes for advertising.

 

[northernlad]

eh....ok, I give....what's a better donut over the usual bigger donut franchizes that everyone knows(Donkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, etc)??

ANY local donut maker and most grocery stores that have their own bakery.

 

[Mermaid]

I suppose I can't be that much of a beer snob, Boyfriend just came home from the store with a 6 of Corona Light, a lime, and offered me one (not realizing I'm still drinking my coffee).
When you live with someone who more or less buys and drinks nothing but Bud Light, Blue Moon, budget priced vodka, and on occasion, SA, it's really hard to be a hardass beer snob. (He seems to like Leffe, but because you can't really just slam those back, they seem to evade his radar).

We'll see what happens when my first bactch of homebrew is done

Oh.. and on the Krispy Kreme thing - I think that when they became "famous", hyped the heck out of their product, and expanded like mad, they lost their magic. I used to bring KK to my friends in Boston when I lived in the DC Metro area (there was, at least at the time, a shop off the highway near Baltimore).

When they expanded to Boston, there was a line out the door their opening day. A year or so later, they were closing stores. Unfortunately, in Boston, it takes a lot to pry "Dunks" out of the hands of the locals. I don't even think Dunkin Donuts is about the donuts anymore - people just love their coffee.

It's so strange to me, still, after living in this area fo 10 years, how people are so devoted to this product. When I lived in Chicago I used to walk to a Polish bakery down the block from my apartment and buy fresh pastries.... that's some good stuff right there

If I find myself in an area where there's an older Krispy Kreme franchise, I will most likely stop in for a glazed and a cup of coffee... I do love their glazed donuts right out of the fryer.

 

[pacebrew]

BMC beer sucks. Sam Adams sucks, purely and absolutely. I really, really do not like Sam Adams, and i'm a beer snob, sure. However, their beer is not that good. IMO it is only one step up from BMC. After all doesn't it get brewed in a miller facility? (could be wrong on that, but i heard they were contract brewed.)

Maybe at one time Sam Adams was good, but it sucks. Plain and simple.

Rogue. Rogue is what got me into brewing in the first place. I have made the trip up there from CA, and I loved the brewery its the best one i have been to, i had a great time. But lets be honest, Rogue makes some awesome brews. But compared to other breweries, they are surpassed in both quality and taste. I'm not knocking on Rogue here, i love rogue beer, however, there are some other breweries i like more (RR, jolly pumpkin, Ale smith).

Dogfish Head.. I kind of lump this into the same category as rogue. Good beer, crazy recipes, and a real passionate brewer testing the limits of feasibility. However, i have only had one or two DFH brews where i was like WOW, this is AMAZING. (world wide stout). However, in practically every style possible, they are surpassed by other breweries(except the crazy stuff).

in response to the original rant, i believe others share my tastes and opinions regarding these breweries, and I at least dont knock them i just realize there are better alternatives out there. And i wont ever turn my nose at them.

Oh yea ... STONE. IMO, the Vertical Epics are just not that good. And Stone beer in general, is probably lumped into Rogue and DFH. To me its just gone down hill or my tastes have changed. But the last time i had an Arrogant Bastard i was looking for the drain. their IPA's have been somewhat rough (though i could have had old bottles), and their RIS is a bit like soy sauce.

So i think the larger breweries who once headed up the craftbeer movement, have just inspired others to do it better.

Just my opinion.