Random Beer Thoughts

[thunderbirdesq]

You guys got anything rare in the back?

A bunch if old Hopslam and Black Ops.

 

[William2]

I've been working at beer places since before I was 21. Every year I get those calls or questions about rare or unavailable stuff. I chuckled the first year, then I realized, most of those calls were for gifts. I'm sure my mom called around for westys. Now when I get those questions I just try to be helpful.

 

[CornAndBeer]

I've been working at beer places since before I was 21. Every year I get those calls or questions about rare or unavailable stuff. I chuckled the first year, then I realized, most of those calls were for gifts. I'm sure my mom called around for westys. Now when I get those questions I just try to be helpful.

I find it is people reading listicles (and my most hated list of all BA's Top 250) and they don't want help unless that help is you putting that specific beer in their hands. They are out the door before you can get half-way through "No, we don't have those beers in our market (Zombie Dust, Heady, and Pliny) but we do have these great IPA's". I'm sure everyone's experience is different though.

 

[LukeAleTime]

I find it is people reading listicles (and my most hated list of all BA's Top 250) and they don't want help unless that help is you putting that specific beer in their hands. They are out the door before you can get half-way through "No, we don't have those beers in our market (Zombie Dust, Heady, and Pliny) but we do have these great IPA's". I'm sure everyone's experience is different though.

Yeah this ^^ - starting out you hear about heaps of amazing beer and the best and generally you aren't aware how deep this whole rabbit hole goes. So you think "man, I'll get me some of them".

 

[William2]

We are the .01% of beer drinkers and we still have questions. I regret being that pompous *******.

 

[thunderbirdesq]

I find it is people reading listicles (and my most hated list of all BA's Top 250) and they don't want help unless that help is you putting that specific beer in their hands. They are out the door before you can get half-way through "No, we don't have those beers in our market (Zombie Dust, Heady, and Pliny) but we do have these great IPA's". I'm sure everyone's experience is different though.

I have had guys bring in the printed off list from BA and ask "Whadaya got from this?" It seems really strange to me to seek out stuff from a random list without doing any research on release dates or whether or not the beer is even available in the state. It is fine to seek out limited and high rated beers, but with so many beer resources online I don't understand how people skip looking into the availability of beers they want to try before they just assume it will be on the shelf. When I offer suggestions or similar beer to what they appear to want they get confused and scared.

 

[archagon]

Do you guys really not remember being beer noobs?

1. Wow, there's so much stuff out there besides Blue Moon and Anchor Steam!
2. There's so much variety, and I want to try some of the best stuff out there. Hmm, what are the definitive beer ranking websites? This one looks nice.
3. Let's go to the nearby booze shop and see what's up.
4. Release dates? Allocations? People actually line up for beer?
5. Acquire new hobby

Seriously though, even my friends who enjoy craft beer don't really know much about "distribution", let alone anything regarding limited releases and all that nonsense. Never forget that you're in the 1% of 1% of beer drinkers.

 

[tennispl]

Do you guys really not remember being beer noobs?

1. Wow, there's so much stuff out there besides Blue Moon and Anchor Steam!
2. There's so much variety, and I want to try some of the best stuff out there. Hmm, what are the definitive beer ranking websites? This one looks nice.
3. Let's go to the nearby booze shop and see what's up.
4. Release dates? Allocations? People actually line up for beer?
5. Acquire new hobby

6. ????
7. Shitlord

 

[tosh1]

Do you guys really not remember being beer noobs?

1. Wow, there's so much stuff out there besides Blue Moon and Anchor Steam!
2. There's so much variety, and I want to try some of the best stuff out there. Hmm, what are the definitive beer ranking websites? This one looks nice.
3. Let's go to the nearby booze shop and see what's up.
4. Release dates? Allocations? People actually line up for beer?
5. Acquire new hobby

But between 2 and 3 you do some research surely? You might go ask for something local and unavailable as a newb. But just throwing out a whale from across the country is dumb as ****.

 

[archagon]

I dunno. An ordinary person might expect something in the BA top-20 to be available at their local beer shop, but you have to get to, like, #108 before you find something that's commonly found on shelves. Sadly, there's no "top 250 beers that aren't whales" list. When I was starting out, it took me weeks of reading forums and writing down beer labels before I got the hang of things; most people don't have that kind of time for something they have a mild interest in. I honestly can't blame them.

 

[sacrelicio]

They are actually useful when a customer wants a keg, case of wine, strange imported liqueur, etc. but occasionally they deliver some laughs I have gotten "Bourbon Batch 9000?" with a phone number by it, as well as Black Tuesday and stuff of that nature. I get about a dozen requests for "Pappy" a week. Just says "Pappy".

When I worked at a liquor store in 2004-2005, erry week we got the dudes asking for Fat Tire. "Oh, you're the biggest store in town! You can get anything *wink*. You sure it's not in back?"

 

[sacrelicio]

I dunno. An ordinary person might expect something in the BA top-20 to be available at their local beer shop, but you have to get to, like, #108 before you find something that's commonly found on shelves. Sadly, there's no "top 250 beers that aren't whales" list. When I was starting out, it took me weeks of reading forums and writing down beer labels before I got the hang of things; most people don't have that kind of time for something they have a mild interest in. I honestly can't blame them.

Somehow I figured out distribution when I was a 21 year old newb.

 

[HenrikO]

I've only met two people from Stone and they were really awesome (Mitch and Denise) but seeing "Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies" signs around bars, and people going absolute batshit crazy for them - like a dude at an event I was at just proclaiming "BEST ****** BREWERY OF ALL TIME. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW BEST BREWERY OF ALL TIME STONE ARE ******* THE ABSOLUTE BEST" makes it really hard to like the brand.

Still tho, would bang Go To on the reg.

Every neckbeard in Sweden loooooves Stone, probably because for a long time it was the only half way decent US hoppy beer you could get.

Still annoying though.

 

[LukeAleTime]

Love this.. turbid mash, not spontaneous but lambic culture and 2 and half years on oak and uncarbonated.

Just dropped it on Australian drinkers with ZFG... then two weeks later released a 9% barrel aged brett-saison as an after thought.



Edit: Guess I should ping SeaWatchman for both the "not calling it lambic" and served-still aspects.

 

[quirk6]

6. ????

 

[thunderbirdesq]

Somehow I figured out distribution when I was a 21 year old newb.

I have been running the bottle shop I'm at since I was 19, had to memorize most of my salespeople's portfolio before I could legally buy because they couldn't keep up with all the new stuff and imports when they focus on Miller/Bud numbers overall.

 

[RedCoffee]

But between 2 and 3 you do some research surely?

NO

 

[furley]

i've been drinking beer for a long time. lots of variety. different settings. different times of year. from the basic **** you drink when you're 16 to some strange one-offs amongst the beer nerdiest of beer nerds.

all this time i never, ever, ever thought "man, this beer tastes so much different from a stange than it did when i had it from a pint glass"

how much difference, really, let's be honest, does glass shape make to flavor?

admittedly i'm not a SUPERTASTER but come on....

 

[trickytunadicky]

i've been drinking beer for a long time. lots of variety. different settings. different times of year. from the basic **** you drink when you're 16 to some strange one-offs amongst the beer nerdiest of beer nerds.

all this time i never, ever, ever thought "man, this beer tastes so much different from a stange than it did when i had it from a pint glass"

how much difference, really, let's be honest, does glass shape make to flavor?

admittedly i'm not a SUPERTASTER but come on....

Stange is a bad example because it also has straight walls and is meant for not terribly aromatic beer. Think of the types of beers that are meant to go in snifters vs a stange. You taste with your sense of smell whether you realize it or not and snifter/tulip shapes capture that better. Straight edges are better for more effervescent styles.

 

[boogercrack]

i've been drinking beer for a long time. lots of variety. different settings. different times of year. from the basic **** you drink when you're 16 to some strange one-offs amongst the beer nerdiest of beer nerds.

all this time i never, ever, ever thought "man, this beer tastes so much different from a stange than it did when i had it from a pint glass"

how much difference, really, let's be honest, does glass shape make to flavor?

admittedly i'm not a SUPERTASTER but come on....

I find it does more to aromatics which in turn affects taste.

It's more dramatic with whiskey.

Or I'm full of ****.

Flower vase or a snifter, a good beer will be good and a bad beer will be bad though.

 

[trickytunadicky]

i've been drinking beer for a long time. lots of variety. different settings. different times of year. from the basic **** you drink when you're 16 to some strange one-offs amongst the beer nerdiest of beer nerds.

all this time i never, ever, ever thought "man, this beer tastes so much different from a stange than it did when i had it from a pint glass"

how much difference, really, let's be honest, does glass shape make to flavor?

admittedly i'm not a SUPERTASTER but come on....

Also, take that noise to the toxic topics thread.

 

[JulianB1]

So an awful SC brewery decided to make a fruity pebbles kolsch. This has to be about the worst idea for a beer I can recall in recent memory.

 

[furley]

Also, take that noise to the toxic topics thread.

the thought that glassware is a toxic topic tells me that "glassware makes beer taste different" is a crock of ****

 

[RyanG1]

Do you guys really not remember being beer noobs?

1. Wow, there's so much stuff out there besides Blue Moon and Anchor Steam!
2. There's so much variety, and I want to try some of the best stuff out there. Hmm, what are the definitive beer ranking websites? This one looks nice.
3. Let's go to the nearby booze shop and see what's up.
4. Release dates? Allocations? People actually line up for beer?
5. Acquire new hobby

Seriously though, even my friends who enjoy craft beer don't really know much about "distribution", let alone anything regarding limited releases and all that nonsense. Never forget that you're in the 1% of 1% of beer drinkers.

I will still drink MD 20/20 and Stone Runiation, zfg.

 

[RedCoffee]

Also, take that noise to the toxic topics thread.

We discuss important world issues and fellatio in that topic. Keep your beer-related toxic topics out.

 

[jivex5k1]

So an awful SC brewery decided to make a fruity pebbles kolsch. This has to be about the worst idea for a beer I can recall in recent memory.

LOL.

Dat HD pebbles picture. #fuckingclassy

 

[BusinessSloth]

I just got the email for the large family Christmas party we do every year. Everyone is asked to bring something. The exact words were "Wine or strange beer". Apparently their definition of strange beer is anything that isn't BMC.

 

[litheum94]

So an awful SC brewery decided to make a fruity pebbles kolsch. This has to be about the worst idea for a beer I can recall in recent memory.

Let me know when there is a Cookie Crisp Bourbon Barrel Stout.

 

[fear0251]

Let me know when there is a Cookie Crisp Bourbon Barrel Stout.

Just add a splash of Bourbon to this, and you've got it: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2097/91339/

 

[Hookemhops13]

I just got the email for the large family Christmas party we do every year. Everyone is asked to bring something. The exact words were "Wine or strange beer". Apparently their definition of strange beer is anything that isn't BMC.

My family goes with "designer" beer, makes me feel classy.