Random Beer Thoughts

[litheum94]

When's the last time you went to a restaurant and were served food that was completely inedible? I can't say that's ever happened to me. And yet there are brewers that release completely terrible, irrecoverably flawed beers. I'm still convinced that if you sent a bottle of Bully Guppy to the FDA they'd declare it unfit for human consumption.

I'd say that the number of breweries who make actual undrinkable beers (as opposed to beers that aren't as wicked awesome as Tree House and therefore sucks) is pretty damn close to the same number as restaurants that make inedible food. Maybe you've just lucked out on your restaurants/had bad luck with beer.

 

[arren]

I'd say that the number of breweries who make actual undrinkable beers (as opposed to beers that aren't as wicked awesome as Tree House and therefore sucks) is pretty damn close to the same number as restaurants that make inedible food. Maybe you've just lucked out on your restaurants/had bad luck with beer.

Yeah, bad breweries are only more visible because you're actively seeking them. Terrible restaurants open and close everyday, but you wouldn't know because it's not on your radar.

 

[yamar68]

 

[LukeAleTime]

Previous record smashed...

Broken img?

 

[stupac2]

I'd say that the number of breweries who make actual undrinkable beers (as opposed to beers that aren't as wicked awesome as Tree House and therefore sucks) is pretty damn close to the same number as restaurants that make inedible food. Maybe you've just lucked out on your restaurants/had bad luck with beer.

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

 

[ant880]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

There is no such thing as infected beer. Obviously, you are not refined enough to realize that the brewer purposely used unsanitized equipment to keep the recipe "real", imparting the flavor of local micro-bacteria. Do you even terroir bro?

 

[litheum94]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

Because the majority of beer drinkers are from Florida and have unrefined palates. They don't know any better.

 

[sacrelicio]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

Even if I were served such a thing I wouldn't take a dump on their lawn.

 

[furley]

can't remember the last time i had a **** beer that i didn't buy with the intentions of finding out how truly bad it was

the tyranny of choice, i guess

 

[sacrelicio]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

Beer is oddly different.

If I were served a horrible meal, I'd say something right away and likely be compensated for it somehow. If not, I'm not going back. Even if I am compensated, I'll stop going to the restaurant if it happens more than once.

Beer people won't say anything in person if a beer is clearly garbage, but will post a slanderous video, rage on forums, poison the brewer's dog, and then line up for the next release.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Kind of a tangent here but he was on the last Sour Hour and went on some little rants about how a lot of big breweries don't have 100% pure yeast when scoped ("you wouldn't BELIEVE how many"). Also, how the ideal new-hire candidate is someone with a college degree and work experience (not beer related) but who is dedicated enough and wants to break into the beer industry soooo bad that they'll work for minimum wage. All I could think was "so your ideal candidate is someone who's clearly a ******* idiot?" If this thinking is industry standard I'd hazard to guess that's a good part of the reason why so many homebrewers are going straight to trying to open their own place rather than getting to know the ropes first.

Not exactly the same thing, but the wages for brewers / brewery workers who don't have a stake in the company is laughable for the most part.

I remember when Tom Koerder & John Laffler (now with Penrose and Off Color respectively) were working at Goose Island running the barrel program they were making right around $40,000 while working insane hours, running teams, and basically running the innovation / barrel aging group at Goose Island. When I heard that I knew that I needed to keep brewing as a hobby and not a profession.

 

[Sage1]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

I think part of the problem is scale. If a cook were to char a hamburger completely black, it would only set the restaurant back some number of minutes, a couple bucks, and a handful of ground meat. If a beer gets ****** up though, the brewery is looking at weeks of lost time and thousands of dollars gone due to the fact that it’s a homogenous mixture and you can’t parcel it off like you can a piece of meat.

Not to defend them on this practice, but I’m just guessing this is a significant part of the difference between the two industries.

 

[dvelcich1]

The only place worse than BA is Yelp. I don't say that lightly. **** Yelp.

One of our actual yelp reviews (2 stars) summed up, "Yes, they have great burgers and a nice cocktail menu. And I was excited about trying the place after reading the reviews, but I could not enjoy the food since the artwork is placed at a very odd and extreme height. The result is an uninviting atmosphere that for me could not be overcome by the great burgers. Fix the atmosphere!"

 

[CITC3120327]

is Hoof Hearted Brewing supposed sounds like Who Farted Brewing?

Yes sir

 

[steimie]

All this Yelp discussion gonna make Alextricity sad.

 

[jedwards]

Not exactly the same thing, but the wages for brewers / brewery workers who don't have a stake in the company is laughable for the most part.

I remember when Tom Koerder & John Laffler (now with Penrose and Off Color respectively) were working at Goose Island running the barrel program they were making right around $40,000 while working insane hours, running teams, and basically running the innovation / barrel aging group at Goose Island. When I heard that I knew that I needed to keep brewing as a hobby and not a profession.

Yeah, it shouldn't be at all surprising that there's a fair bit bad beer out there given how poorly even extremely experienced, qualified brewers are compensated. I love beer and I love brewing, but there's no way in hell I'd ever even consider working in the industry (except if I lived in a state where I could run a hobby brewery commercially, like the early days of Lawson's).

 

[archagon]

There are lots of good breweries that have made horrible beers. The one I named was from 3 Floyds. Idiot's Drool is another good example. I think of selling an obviously infected beer, which is not uncommon at all, would basically be like serving pasta at 50% cooked, or a hamburger charred completely black. Does it happen? Probably! But I've never seen it and someone doing it would get absolutely slaughtered in any kind of review. That doesn't happen in the same way with beer and I don't really know why.

It's really quite simple. Beer is an acquired taste. This is another way of saying it tastes really bad to those who haven't been drinking it for a while. It also means that even styles adjascent to the ones you're used to might taste bad at first. (Hello, gueuze!) The only reason you wouldn't say "eww, this sucks!" when you first try something unfamiliar is because you know that beer is strange and takes time to get used to.

I remember feeling this way about practically every new style I tried when I was starting out! The only thing keeping me drinking was the idea that someone, somewhere thought this stuff was good. Sounds stupid, but taste is basically a social construct anyway. You just have to get it through your thick skill that this particular form of decay and decomposition is OK to eat, while this one is not.

You can't expect an ordinary beer drinker — or even your average beer geek, for that matter! — to tell the difference between an infected beer and a stylistic choice. Beer fanatics know what an infected beer tastes like. Most people don't. Most people think your average shelf sour is just as strange as a beer that has been unintentionally infected.

Hence, no one complains except the crazy people on beer forums. (And even there, it's often for political reasons — greed and poor craftsmanship — and not necessarily actual taste. Many infected beers get reviewed well.)

 

[RyanG1]

 

[JulianB1]

Aren't there some breweries/brewpubs that get -REALLY- butthurt over bad Yelp reviews? Like, I seem to recall someone who posted here got banned for life from Alpine because of a negative Yelp review.

 

[Sage1]

Aren't there some breweries/brewpubs that get -REALLY- butthurt over bad Yelp reviews? Like, I seem to recall someone who posted here got banned for life from Alpine because of a negative Yelp review.

I won’t get into details because I personally know both parties involved, but that particular exchange involved wayyyyyy more than a Yelp review.

 

[trickytunadicky]

It's really quite simple. Beer is an acquired taste. This is another way of saying it tastes really bad to those who haven't been drinking it for a while. It also means that even styles adjascent to the ones you're used to might taste bad at first. (Hello, gueuze!) The only reason you wouldn't say "eww, this sucks!" when you first try something unfamiliar is because you know that beer is strange and takes time to get used to.

I remember feeling this way about practically every new style I tried when I was starting out! The only thing keeping me drinking was the idea that someone, somewhere thought this stuff was good. Sounds stupid, but taste is basically a social construct anyway. You just have to get it through your thick skill that this particular form of decay and decomposition is OK to eat, while this one is not.

You can't expect an ordinary beer drinker — or even your average beer geek, for that matter! — to tell the difference between an infected beer and a stylistic choice. Beer fanatics know what an infected beer tastes like. Most people don't. Most people think your average shelf sour is just as strange as a beer that has been unintentionally infected.

Hence, no one complains except the crazy people on beer forums. (And even there, it's often for political reasons — greed and poor craftsmanship — and not necessarily actual taste. Many infected beers get reviewed well.)

I believe Gratzer is the hipster beer style to make/keep drinking until you like it for the moment.

 

[mrk_d]

So does Anchor Christmas age decently? I think I've seen trade posts involving old bottles, and a local shop has 2012 mags for $20...

 

[Gonzoillini1]

So does Anchor Christmas age decently? I think I've seen trade posts involving old bottles, and a local shop has 2012 mags for $20...

In my opinion it ages amazingly, but storage conditions are of the utmost importance. If those magnums were aged in case boxes out of the light / cold they should be great, if they've been on the shelf since 2012 not so much.

I opened a 2002 with some folks recently (including duckyboycantfly) that we all thought would be garbage, and everyone was pleasantly surprised by it.

 

[mrk_d]

In my opinion it ages amazingly, but storage conditions are of the utmost importance. If those magnums were aged in case boxes out of the light / cold they should be great, if they've been on the shelf since 2012 not so much.

I opened a 2002 with some folks recently (including duckyboycantfly) that we all thought would be garbage, and everyone was pleasantly surprised by it.

They've definitely been sitting under fluorescent light for a while. Given that it *could* be decent, I think I'll buy it for an upcoming tasting. Thanks!

 

[Gonzoillini1]

They've definitely been sitting under fluorescent light for a while. Given that it *could* be decent, I think I'll buy it for an upcoming tasting. Thanks!

Yea I'd buy one, see if you enjoy it, and then go back and lowball the owner / manager of the rest of them if they are good. It's certainly worked for me in the past when it came to stuff that was aging on the shelf.

Last epic vertical we took down which was 1998 - 2013.

 

[mrk_d]

Yea I'd buy one, see if you enjoy it, and then go back and lowball the owner / manager of the rest of them if they are good. It's certainly worked for me in the past when it came to stuff that was aging on the shelf.

Last epic vertical we took down which was 1998 - 2013.

Wow - so when was the approx. 'peak' for these in your opinion? I always just assumed these wouldn't age well, but I guess they do decently!

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Wow - so when was the approx. 'peak' for these in your opinion? I always just assumed these wouldn't age well, but I guess they do decently!

It's tough as they do change the spicing / recipe slightly year to year, but we found the 04-2010 to be the best of this tasting. I typically buy a 6 pack every year, drink one fresh, and then drink some from 4-7 years ago come wintertime. The 1998 - 2002 were mostly a novelty in 2014 as a reference point.

 

[mrk_d]

It's tough as they do change the spicing / recipe slightly year to year, but we found the 04-2010 to be the best of this tasting. I typically buy a 6 pack every year, drink one fresh, and then drink some from 4-7 years ago come wintertime. The 1998 - 2002 were mostly a novelty in 2014 as a reference point.

Awesome man, thanks for the help!

I ******* love this website...

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Awesome man, thanks for the help!

I ******* love this website...

I blame folks like jedwards and hannydawg for getting me into aging / cellaring and taking some relatively detailed notes to determine exactly where I like a beer. For example I think Bells Expedition is sublime at 3-7 years of age and Rochefort 10 is perfect at about 3-5 years.

Not all aged beer is bad, you just have to (correctly) age the right beers.

 

[drgarage1]

jedwards cracked a... 2004? With me. It was like sucking potpourri.