I don't care where you went

[duckredbeard]

I can't stand when coworkers brag about going to a Bud Miller or Coors brewery. I am NOT impressed by mass production of a product that lacks flavor or character. Going on a tour does not make you a beer aficionado and we still have nothing in common. Come back and talk to me when you know what hops are.

 

[Homercidal]

They have some pretty cool facilities, though. I'd love to go see one of those places Then stop by a craft brewer on the way home for some beer.

 

[Yooper]

I am NOT impressed by mass production of a product that lacks flavor or character.

Oh, I am! They are state-of-the-art facilities and well run businesses. They also have the ability to make the same exact product over and over- great quality control.

 

[aiptasia]

Agreed. I love touring all kinds of breweries just to get a look at their gear and play, "stump the tour guide" with questions about grain bills, hops choices and yeast strains.

 

[JonM]

And they have tons of history. Most craft breweries have only been around since the 70s or 80s. I like seeing the old caves cut into the rock under the Miller brewery from before refrigeration, old black and white photos of people working, old wood barrels, horse-drawn delivery carts, etc.

 

[unionrdr]

I'd like to taste the original recipis from the big breweries as compared to now. That'd be enlightening.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I can't stand it when naive beer afficianados try to dawg down one of the hardest beer styles to brew properly. Much less repetitively consistent.

So you don't like the product. This does not make it's difficulty to produce and it's popularity in the market any less remarkable.

 

[HollisBT]

Oh, I am! They are state-of-the-art facilities and well run businesses. They also have the ability to make the same exact product over and over- great quality control.

This. While their product may or may not be impressive, it IS impressive that they can make the exact same product hundreds of thousands of times.

 

[PseudoChef]

Nothin' like some beer snobbery to start the day off, eh?

 

[neosapien]

they like beer enough to go see a brewery, you like beer enough to brew it. sounds like something in common to me...

 

[Airborneguy]

Yeah I just can't stand when co-workers, friends, neighbors, or family members start to get interested enough in beer to go find out where and how it's made. Hell, imagine what might happen next!?! They might actually become fascinated with beer, how crazy is that!

 

[gcdowd]

We have a large Budweiser brewery in my hometown. A neighbor of my in-laws used to work there but recently retired. I asked him once if he thought I could do a tour and kind of shadow them when they brew, only because I was curious of their process and what not. He knows I'm a homebrewer and he basically said "You could probably call and ask but I'd guess you wouldn't be that impressed. They basically hit some buttons and the beer makes itself". Now I'm not sure if that is entirely true or if he was exaggerating but I think i'm still interested in doing it one of these days.

 

[Airborneguy]

I stopped at that brewery in December of 2010 during an Upstate trip of brewery visits. They don't do tours at that particular brewery. An employee should have been able to get you in though, jeez. Beautiful area by the way!

 

[gcdowd]

Maybe I'll see if he can get me in. I'm sure he still has some contacts there.

 

[skibumdc]

Any manufacturing plant is awesome to see. The amount of engineering needed to create an identical product in Gargantuan quantities is something to be marveled at.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Any manufacturing plant is awesome to see. The amount of engineering needed to create an identical product in Gargantuan quantities is something to be marveled at.

This is one of the reasons I love the show "How It's Made." Not only are the products they're producing incredible, but looking at the intricate machines that are able to streamline the production process and almost eliminate deviations, making each product almost identical. There's some amazing engineering that goes into those machines. It really blows my mind.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

C+

Don't feel bad, someone gave one of my misplaced rants a C- once.

 

[Bulls Beers]

This is one of the reasons I love the show "How It's Made." Not only are the products they're producing incredible, but looking at the intricate machines that are able to streamline the production process and almost eliminate deviations, making each product almost identical. There's some amazing engineering that goes into those machines. It really blows my mind.

Love that program...Ultimate factories are very cool too. They show two breweries, Budweiser and Heineken..Both shows are great and you can find them on youtube. I've watched them many times. To be able to brew a light beer that consistent is very hard to do. I've been trying to do it for years, with some of my lighter lagers... I may not drink that beer, but I give them props...

 

[45_70sharps]

So they enjoyed the tour and maybe learned something about making beer. Why would that bother you?
Lots of people enjoy things that I'm not interested in. Doesn't bother me.
If everyone were into hotrods the prices would be higher and if everyone liked to bow hunt the woods would be more crowded.
Live and let live.
Relax and have a beer.

 

[JonM]

Love that program...Ultimate factories are very cool too. They show two breweries, Budweiser and Heineken..Both shows are great and you can find them on youtube. I've watched them many times. To be able to brew a light beer that consistent is very hard to do. I've been trying to do it for years, with some of my lighter lagers... I may not drink that beer, but I give them props...

I saw one episode at a Trappist brewery and one at the Jack Daniel's distillery. And i think one was at Glenfiddich. Cool stuff. "Factory Made" is another good one.

 

[wubears71]

I love going on Brewery Tours. The size of equipment, the cleanliness of the brewery and the manner in which they achieve precision control batch-to-batch is so fascinating.

 

[wubears71]

This is one of the reasons I love the show "How It's Made." Not only are the products they're producing incredible, but looking at the intricate machines that are able to streamline the production process and almost eliminate deviations, making each product almost identical. There's some amazing engineering that goes into those machines. It really blows my mind.

Being an engineer, I often take it for granted that a lot of manufacturing is common knowledge. My new favorite technology are the Robots that are replacing palletizers in the packaging areas. I can watch these things pick and pack cases in perfectly symmetrical pallets all day long. It even amazes me more how some can be "taught" a new packing pattern simply by showing it how to do with with some reflective do-hickeys. Also, un-manned fork lifts are a sight to see. I still never get use to seeing forklifts flying around the floor without any drivers and going in and out of 50' tall raw material and finished goods racks with total precision!

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Being an engineer, I often take it for granted that a lot of manufacturing is common knowledge. My new favorite technology are the Robots that are replacing palletizers in the packaging areas. I can watch these things pick and pack cases in perfectly symmetrical pallets all day long. It even amazes me more how some can be "taught" a new packing pattern simply by showing it how to do with with some reflective do-hickeys. Also, un-manned fork lifts are a sight to see. I still never get use to seeing forklifts flying around the floor without any drivers and going in and out of 50' tall raw material and finished goods racks with total precision!

Yup. Unmanned material handling is neat.

 

[mcwilcr]

Pesky coworkers trying to come up with some common ground to have a meaningful conversation, the nerve of those guys.

If you have never been to one of these large breweries, it's definitely worth a look, they are very interesting and believe it or not quite informative even to an elite homebrewer such as yourself.

 

[duckredbeard]

My issue is when they learned nothing about the product or process, but try to talk about brewing like they do it. No idea what malt is, why hops are added. If you want to talk about brewing, don't argue with me about the differences between ales and lagers. Insisting you know more because you went to a factory doesn't make you an expert. Hops are not fermented, dark doesn't mean lager, and thre is nothing proprietary about "triple hopping" in the brewing process.

 

[Zuljin]

I went to a home brew competition once. It was at the Miller plant.

 

[TheZymurgist]

My issue is when they learned nothing about the product or process, but try to talk about brewing like they do it. No idea what malt is, why hops are added. If you want to talk about brewing, don't argue with me about the differences between ales and lagers. Insisting you know more because you went to a factory doesn't make you an expert. Hops are not fermented, dark doesn't mean lager, and thre is nothing proprietary about "triple hopping" in the brewing process.

That makes a little more sense, but it can be applied to anything. Basically you're saying you don't like people speaking authoritatively about something they know nothing about. I think we can all agree on that. But your first post just made it sound like you hated when people tour a large brewery and try to strike up a conversation about brewing. That just seems pious and arrogant.

I do get what you're saying. I get that all day, every day in my line of work. Someone calls me up and says their buddy heard something from a brother's co-worker's uncle's accountant about a change in the tax code and try to tell me they know more about taxes than I do. It's definitely frustrating.

 

[HollisBT]

My issue is when they learned nothing about the product or process, but try to talk about brewing like they do it. No idea what malt is, why hops are added. If you want to talk about brewing, don't argue with me about the differences between ales and lagers. Insisting you know more because you went to a factory doesn't make you an expert. Hops are not fermented, dark doesn't mean lager, and thre is nothing proprietary about "triple hopping" in the brewing process.

Use it as a chance to educate them. If they don't want to learn, then use it as a chance to mock them.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

The local homebrew club meets at the Coors brewery nearby. I guess they are not real homebrewers?

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I've heard the Coors R&D lab (at a ballpark?) gets pretty much free reign and turns out some neat stuff.

 

[TheZymurgist]

I've heard the Coors R&D lab (at a ballpark?) gets pretty much free reign and turns out some neat stuff.

That ballpark is most likely Coors Field in Denver.