Random Beer Thoughts

[danbanana]

local brewery (Scofflaw)

Huh. Never heard of them. Let me jump to their website and see what all the hubub is about!

This juicy IPA was developed in our “underground” basement brewery. Shh…don’t ask about what was happening in the basement, but the beer flows out of the tap a deep persimmon with fluffy khaki foam. The only dank aroma emanating from this basement is one of earthy tones, juicy citrus and a hint of lemongrass all derived from Citra hops. Basement IPA is balanced with a nice malty body that creates a sweet finish and developed hop notes in every sip. There is a hint of alcohol heat on the way down for this hop forward Northeast style IPA. Beer geeks rejoice but you have to leave your parent’s basement because for now Basement IPA is only at your local establishment.

Per the source, that **** was created in a basement where they admit shady things happened and the end result is somehow a boozy, earthy (???) Citra beer. Frankly, anyone who bought this Frankenstein's Monster of a beer after reading that shouldn't be surprised by the end result.

 

[JulianB1]

It's called improvement...ever heard of it?


You forgot "constancy" too.

They are actually synonyms, although I know of no one who uses constancy rather than consistency in that type of situation.

 

[user 312341]

It's called improvement...ever heard of it?

You forgot "constancy" too.

This makes me sad, because I've had some Scofflaw cans and enjoyed them.

I don't know the backstory. But if they can't deal with constructive criticism (or criticism in general), perhaps they should stick to making beer for their friends who will suck them off and tell them how great they are. Five Untappd caps for everything! Win!

 

[WhalezB4Rarez]

If I didn't know any better I would say that a bottle of Arrogant Bastard became sentient and started a brewery.

 

[YungCoolship]

Nothing more experimental than spontaneous infections owing to bad hygiene and process.

Well, you can't spell Scofflaw without Flaw... amirite?!?











I'll see myself out.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Who the **** doesn't have hop contracts?

I get not having contracts for some of the more desirable hop varietals (anything from New Zealand, Australia, and some of the German / American hybrids, very in demand aroma hops is hard to contract for a smaller brewery), but not having contract for your high alpha and a selection of aroma / flavor hops seems absurd no matter how small your brewery. You will be paying a huge premium by buying from the spot market.

Brewing beer is the easy part, juggling fermentation tank space, raw ingredients, estimating when a tank will free up, when a beer will kick, basic logistics, etc... is what separates the the folks who are in business now and the folks who will be in business for years to come.

 

[beerindex]

Scofflaw's response: not true, big guys always trying to smash small guys, small guys always taking **** from people cause they're scared to take up for themselves. not who we are and not who we are gonna be. there is a message here that will be heard. this is not a joke, this is not a playground, we are creating jobs and building families, and we aren't going to be bullied.

This attitude, which comes mostly from ****** breweries and restaurants that deserve to go out of business (and in many cases eventually will) is so ******* annoying. Yes, brewing is your livelihood. No, it doesn't make you immune from criticism. Consumers are reasonably entitled to expect consistency and quality. Alerting other potential consumers to the low quality of product being offered is not bullying, but a net good for society, so that bad businesses don't remain artificially afloat by preying on the ignorance of the masses. It's easy to rip on review sites and reviewers, be it BA, Untappd, or Yelp, but they serve of an actual purpose: informing consumers. If that hurts bad breweries, too damn bad. Not every business can or should succeed. And from the sounds of it, these fuckers deserve to fail. Whether they will or not remains to be seen; plenty of incompetently run, garbage quality breweries seem to be staying afloat even in a market like Grand Rapids, so I have to assume that is equally true in Atlanta.

 

[arren]

If I didn't know any better I would say that a bottle of Arrogant Bastard became sentient and started a brewery.

Maybe the head brewer got bit by Greg Koch and ended up with rabies.

Who the **** doesn't have hop contracts?

I get not having contracts for some of the more desirable hop varietals (anything from New Zealand, Australia, and some of the German / American hybrids, very in demand aroma hops is hard to contract for a smaller brewery), but not having contract for your high alpha and a selection of aroma / flavor hops seems absurd no matter how small your brewery. You will be paying a huge premium by buying from the spot market.

Brewing beer is the easy part, juggling fermentation tank space, raw ingredients, estimating when a tank will free up, when a beer will kick, basic logistics, etc... is what separates the the folks who are in business now and the folks who will be in business for years to come.

Word.

Do we know exactly how small of a setup they have? I'm willing to bet we all know at least one local brewery who has the same, if not similar, setup and capacity that, above everything else, still manages to pump out beer that is consistent.

 

[MooltiPass]

Who the **** doesn't have hop contracts?

I get not having contracts for some of the more desirable hop varietals (anything from New Zealand, Australia, and some of the German / American hybrids, very in demand aroma hops is hard to contract for a smaller brewery), but not having contract for your high alpha and a selection of aroma / flavor hops seems absurd no matter how small your brewery. You will be paying a huge premium by buying from the spot market.

Brewing beer is the easy part, juggling fermentation tank space, raw ingredients, estimating when a tank will free up, when a beer will kick, basic logistics, etc... is what separates the the folks who are in business now and the folks who will be in business for years to come.

I'm no expert, but I'd assume they're talking about the in demand hops that are generally bought three or so years in advance. I know varieties like Citra and Galaxy have to be purchased that far out in the current market. They don't seem like the smartest of folks, but if they're only a year into the brewery they'd still have a couple years to go before they could have contracts starting to kick in for the more in demand hops.

 

[andrewdrinks]

One of my favourite places in London to drink is the pop up bar under Marlborough Bridge, right on the South Bank. 12 taps, a couple of bottles, the chance to see boats go by in the shadow of Big Ben.... and killer taplist (usually).

 

[primebeer]

I'm no expert, but I'd assume they're talking about the in demand hops that are generally bought three or so years in advance. I know varieties like Citra and Galaxy have to be purchased that far out in the current market. They don't seem like the smartest of folks, but if they're only a year into the brewery they'd still have a couple years to go before they could have contracts starting to kick in for the more in demand hops.

Even then, I know some brewers secure hop contracts a year or two (or more) before they even open their doors because they are somewhat well organized. Not saying that everyone can or should have the foresight to get their hop contracts years in advance, but the awareness or need for hop contracts should come far before you ever open.

 

[RedCoffee]

Below is a Facebook post from a local brewery (Scofflaw) about to have their first anniversary. Along with the post there is a picture of the all the employees with their middle fingers in the air.:
This is a small batch brewery. The amount of time a beer spends in a tank, sometimes due to limited human resources, variances in ingredients, and other **** like this affects the beer. We do not have hops contracts this year. We are small so we get the shittiest pick of hops. Grain does not all come from the same field. We tinker with all inputs to work to improve the beer. This is part of what makes small batch brewing and craft brewing what it is. I know there are a lot of experts out there, so to you, if you want to get schooled on this, drop by and speak to Travis or one of our other biologist. On the other hand, if you want more constancy, you can find plenty brands that never try to improve. Brands that have the money and access to gigantic tanks that they can blend into to make more consistent beer. We will gladly give you some recommendations.

BTW, other craft breweries have these issues. Exploding cans, srm/color variances, haze variances...give them a break. Don't think this is professional, well that's good cause I am not a professional, I am a ******* scofflaw.

This is the new hot brewery that all the neckbeards lose their **** over, but their cans are wildly inconsistent, even within the same six-pack.

A Cademon for every state in the union.

 

[MooltiPass]

Even then, I know some brewers secure hop contracts a year or two (or more) before they even open their doors because they are somewhat well organized. Not saying that everyone can or should have the foresight to get their hop contracts years in advance, but the awareness or need for hop contracts should come far before you ever open.

True, but considering the statement they put out I'm not assuming these folks are geniuses when it comes to business and planning.

 

[arren]

True, but considering the statement they put out I'm not assuming these folks are geniuses when it comes to business and planning.

Well yeah, they have biologist.

 

[gregkoko]

Top Hops and Greenport Harbor Brewing are getting together for a small event asking that everyone wear jean shorts.

Neckbeards in jorts, that's what Hell looks like, isn't it?

A ****** bar and a ****** brewery having a ****** event.

Neato


not taking anything away from the people who work at Top Hops and graciously provided their space for TIH shares, but seriously that place has been mediocre/overpriced for a LONG time

 

[gregkoko]

Who the **** doesn't have hop contracts?

I get not having contracts for some of the more desirable hop varietals (anything from New Zealand, Australia, and some of the German / American hybrids, very in demand aroma hops is hard to contract for a smaller brewery), but not having contract for your high alpha and a selection of aroma / flavor hops seems absurd no matter how small your brewery. You will be paying a huge premium by buying from the spot market.

Brewing beer is the easy part, juggling fermentation tank space, raw ingredients, estimating when a tank will free up, when a beer will kick, basic logistics, etc... is what separates the the folks who are in business now and the folks who will be in business for years to come.

Almost sounds like they shouldn't have started a brewery!

 

[Kasher]

A ****** bar and a ****** brewery having a ****** event.

Have to stick up for GHBC as they're my favorite local and the 2 tap rooms always make for a good time. And I think a lot of their beer is pretty good. But other than that..trainwreck.

 

[furley]

Even then, I know some brewers secure hop contracts a year or two (or more) before they even open their doors because they are somewhat well organized.

oh man

*buys hops 2 years out
*1 year later everyone hates that hop varietal
*jokes on you

 

[JulianB1]

What is this now.

 

[wuntrikpony]

What is this now.

herb getting lazy

 

[nanobrew1]

oh man

*buys hops 2 years out
*1 year later everyone hates that hop varietal
*jokes on you

Then don't base your beers on flavors of the month.

 

[JulianB1]

oh man

*buys hops 2 years out
*1 year later everyone hates that hop varietal
*jokes on you

I honestly can't think of a single applicable example of this.

 

[RedCoffee]

I honestly can't think of a single applicable example of this.

Even if you could, **** planning ahead right?

 

[jivex5k1]

I honestly can't think of a single applicable example of this.

Simcoe?

 

[trickytunadicky]

Do you even ERP bro?

 

[wuntrikpony]

Simcoe?

gtfo

 

[JulianB1]

Simcoe?

Drink a can of Dharma Bum and then try to tell me that.

 

[arren]

Then don't base your beers on flavors of the month.

what do you mean? Summit and Sorachi Ace will never be unpopular!

 

[JulianB1]

what do you mean? Summit and Sorachi Ace will never be unpopular!

I'm not sure they were ever popular to begin with. Other than Summit inexplicably getting primetime placement in an Oskar Blues beer, I couldn't name a single specific beer that showcases it.

What's the most well-known beer that's featured Sorichi Ace, that nasty eponymous offering from Brooklyn?

 

[jivex5k1]

Drink a can of Dharma Bum and then try to tell me that.

Is that a fancy way of saying buddha butt?