What are your contrarian/"unpopular" beer opinions?

[Randomnoob]

Visiting breweries is overrated. I went to New Glarus this past weekend and while it was lovely outside and it was great to have a beer in their beer garden, it was a complete waste of time. Their self guided tour was pointless and while I enjoyed the beer, $8 for a 12 ounce beer was a total rip off. It seems like a lot of other breweries in recent years have really gotten rid of or shrunk the tours or started charging for it. Instead of breweries inviting people to visit as part of its marketing and out reach, it's now all about making money off us. Besides brew pubs, I'm never going out of my way to visit breweries that aren't in people's homes from here on out.

 

[TheHairyHop]

As an engineering researcher who uses statistics, I cannot talk enough crap about Brulosophy. I can't even bring it up in public without ranting. Sigh, one day I will learn to control myself

 

[TheHairyHop]

Visiting breweries is overrated. I went to New Glarus this past weekend and while it was lovely outside and it was great to have a beer in their beer garden, it was a complete waste of time. Their self guided tour was pointless and while I enjoyed the beer, $8 for a 12 ounce beer was a total rip off. It seems like a lot of other breweries in recent years have really gotten rid of or shrunk the tours or started charging for it. Instead of breweries inviting people to visit as part of its marketing and out reach, it's now all about making money off us. Besides brew pubs, I'm never going out of my way to visit breweries that aren't in people's homes from here on out.

my counter point would be, how many tours do you really need to see? many of them are the same.

 

[Bosh]

As an engineering researcher who uses statistics, I cannot talk enough crap about Brulosophy. I can't even bring it up in public without ranting. Sigh, one day I will learn to control myself

I've had results that have directly contradicted some of their articles and I trust my tongue more than them but at least they've gotten people asking some of the right questions.

 

[TheHairyHop]

I've had results that have directly contradicted some of their articles and I trust my tongue more than them but at least they've gotten people asking some of the right questions.

they have directly contradicted themselves

http://brulosophy.com/2017/03/06/hop-comparison-galaxy-vs-mosaic-exbeeriment-results/

insist on using the P-Value even though statistics experts emphasize that its use is limited and over used

http://www.amstat.org/asa/files/pdfs/P-ValueStatement.pdf

and continue to put together shoddy experiments with absurdly small sample sizes

http://brulosophy.com/2017/09/04/fe...p940-mexican-lager-yeast-exbeeriment-results/

It's an insult to the scientific method, and their pop-sci approach has people believing them far more than they would believe the average blogger.

Hop Chronicles is their greatest contribution to the field of homebrewing. Not these "experiments".

well see, I can rant online just as well as offline

 

[bilder]

I cannot stand hoppy beer. With all the hop madness these days it can be difficult to find a good beer that does not have 15 pounds of hops dumped in it.

 

[r4dyce]

I cannot stand hoppy beer. With all the hop madness these days it can be difficult to find a good beer that does not have 15 pounds of hops dumped in it.

While I do like some hoppy beers I agree it's gotten a little absurd, and it's very hard to find a well balanced beer or a malty beer done right

 

[schematix]

Most IPAs just aren't bitter enough. The juicy IPA fad needs fade away. Bring back the thick danky resinous pine!

 

[r4dyce]

I cannot stand hoppy beer. With all the hop madness these days it can be difficult to find a good beer that does not have 15 pounds of hops dumped in it.

While I do like some hoppy beers I agree it's gotten a little absurd, and it's very hard to find a well balanced beer or a malty beer done right

 

[jalc6927]

Blue moon is my favorite beer poured over two muddled orange slices

I do brew my own to keep it real

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

As an engineering researcher who uses statistics, I cannot talk enough crap about Brulosophy. I can't even bring it up in public without ranting. Sigh, one day I will learn to control myself

I know you're probably just a guy, but I can't help reading your post with the voice of the comic book guy from the Simpsons. It's really not meant as a slight, but its sort of fun to do.

 

[TheHairyHop]

I know you're probably just a guy, but I can't help reading your post with the voice of the comic book guy from the Simpsons. It's really not meant as a slight, but its sort of fun to do.

it was not written to be devoid of character. I am fully aware of and embrace tropes. If anything, instinctively leaning towards Comic Book Guy is a compliment

 

[cmac62]

As an engineering researcher who uses statistics, I cannot talk enough crap about Brulosophy. I can't even bring it up in public without ranting. Sigh, one day I will learn to control myself

You should check out the "Do "professional" brewers consider brulosophy to be a load of bs?" thread. It sounds like that would be right up your alley :rockin:

 

[ericbw]

You should check out the "Do "professional" brewers consider brulosophy to be a load of bs?" thread. It sounds like that would be right up your alley :rockin:

Yes, plenty to rant about over there.

 

[TheHairyHop]

You should check out the "Do "professional" brewers consider brulosophy to be a load of bs?" thread. It sounds like that would be right up your alley :rockin:

I don't know if I should be encouraged that much

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

[rant]
this turbid "NorthEast IPA" fad that's the latest stampede ... stupid.

I overheard a brewer recently that said, "my latest NEIPA came out clear, I was so disappointed!"

And another thing, there is NO such style as NEIPA, so you northerners need to get over yourselves. The only appropriate style is 21B where the appearance may be "slightly hazy", not turbid and/or muddy.
[/rant]

That IS a contrarian opinion; even the BJCP doesn't agree with you. (See, like, all of page "v")

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

"Hop flavors other than 'grapefruit peel' exist." *watches 90% of breweries, especially on the West Coast, melt like it's the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark*

 

[cmac62]

I don't know if I should be encouraged that much

It is amazing how zealous some engineer types can be about their stats. The thread has explored more about triangle tests than I believed possible. But it is a fun read as long as you take it as that

 

[TheHairyHop]

It is amazing how zealous some engineer types can be about their stats. The thread has explored more about triangle tests than I believed possible. But it is a fun read as long as you take it as that

My work involves not letting things that cost hundreds of millions of dollars hit something. Zealotry is basically mandatory

 

[Turkeyshot]

My contrarian/unpopular opinion, is that there is to much worrying about boil times and DMS. Short or long boils never had an issue.

 

[cmac62]

My contrarian/unpopular opinion, is that there is to much worrying about boil times and DMS. Short or long boils never had an issue.

Usually I boil for an hour (or more when I want the Kettle carmalization), but I occasionally will cheat by 15 mins or so and haven't noticed anything off. Of course I usually cheat on the third batch of the day and this is usually a party gayle and I have no idea what it is supposed to taste like anyway.

By the way, what does DMS taste like? :rockin:

 

[cmac62]

That IS a contrarian opinion; even the BJCP doesn't agree with you. (See, like, all of page "v")

"Specialty IPA isn’t a distinct style, but is more appropriately
thought of as a competition entry category. Beers entered as
this style are not experimental beers; they are a collection of
currently produced types of beer that may or may not have
any market longevity. This category also allows for
expansion, so potential future IPA variants (St. Patrick’s Day
Green IPA, Romulan Blue IPA, Zima Clear IPA, etc.) have a
place to be entered without redoing the style guidelines. The
only common element is that they have the balance and
overall impression of an IPA (typically, an American IPA) but
with some minor tweak.
The term ‘IPA’ is used as a singular descriptor of a type of
hoppy, bitter beer. It is not meant to be spelled out as ‘India
Pale Ale’ when used in the context of a Specialty IPA. None of
these beers ever historically went to India, and many aren’t
pale. But the craft beer market knows what to expect in
balance when a beer is described as an ‘IPA’ – so the modifiers
used to differentiate them are based on that concept alone."

This is quoted from the BJCP IPA entry. So, as I read it, NEIPA is a thing if enough people say it is. I would get at this time NEIPA is officially a "thing" So there!! :rockin:

 

[cmac62]

My work involves not letting things that cost hundreds of millions of dollars hit something. Zealotry is basically mandatory

Are you a rocket scientist? I always wanted to meet one, then I met my father in law, a great guy, but can be a little dry.

 

[cmac62]

I know you're probably just a guy, but I can't help reading your post with the voice of the comic book guy from the Simpsons. It's really not meant as a slight, but its sort of fun to do.

Doh

 

[dyqik]

My contrarian/unpopular opinion, is that there is to much worrying about boil times and DMS. Short or long boils never had an issue.

Just so long as you get enough boil off, the time doesn't matter. And the amount of boil off required (>7-8%) is smaller than almost everyone uses.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Are you a rocket scientist? I always wanted to meet one, then I met my father in law, a great guy, but can be a little dry.

I am, and they are. Aside from rants about statistics, I don't fit in

 

[ShareBrewing]

I believe sours will become the next big fad in beer (if they haven't already). Just within the past year they've really made presence on store shelves and in taprooms.

I'm not talking about crazy mixed-fermentation sours aged over god-knows-what for eons. I can mock them because I make them and mine certainly lie on the "that's interesting" side of things.

I'm more so talking about Berliner Weiss beers, gose beers, 100% Brett-fermented beers, and other abnormal beer styles being kettle-soured. The tart beers allow brewers to use virtually any specialty ingredient and compliment them well. And this allows them a different avenue with which to experiment, rather than "hey let's just add more hops..."

A year ago you couldn't find a tart or sour beer on tap most places you went, but now a lot of places have 1-3 of em on! I think it'll be more about tartness than sour/funky flavors. Now sour IPAs are making an entrance. I mean cmon... hops AND sour? It's only a matter of time before they try everything else in-between the two flavor spectrums.

 

[bleme]

I believe sours will become the next big fad in beer (if they haven't already). Just within the past year they've really made presence on store shelves and in taprooms.

A friend of mine does kettle soured IPA's pretty regularly and I like all those. I like Lagunitas Aunt Sally now and then. I had 5 different sours at Barrelhouse a few weeks ago and uggGhhHh... Lemon juice has more appeal...

 

[AZBeer]

I love a good bitter, west coast IPA. That seems to be a contrarian opinion these days.

 

[grampamark]

I've recently joined this board, and I haven't read this entire thread, so some of this ground may have been previously plowed. So I'll post my contrarian opinion: IPAs. They have become to craft brewing what fizzy yellow beers are to BMC brewing.

IPAs are ubiquitous, they're everywhere, and most of them aren't in any way remarkable. Newcomers to craft beer, most of whom are younger Millenials, seem to equate craft beer with hops. As most of the members of this board are aware, there are a multitude of beer styles out there, most of which don't require extrapolating the IBU scale to somewhere north of 120.

I understand that craft brewers have to make a buck to stay in business, and if there is a demand for hops, hops, and more hops, the customer has to be kept satisfied. But, is it really necessary for a brewpub or gastropub with 20 taps to have 17 of them dedicated to brews which are north of 50 IBUs?

Should we, as homebrewers, stay in our basements or garages, cranking out the brown ales, kolschs, Scottish ales, Dunkelweizens, Altbiers, Saisons, etc., that we enjoy, and let the unwashed masses march, lemming-like and unimpeded, to their ultimate, hop-filled destiny? Or, should we try, one hop head at a time, to convert the newcomers to craft brewing to an appreciation of the many fine, traditional beer styles which are available?

Discuss.

Mark