What's the deal with fat tire? It sucks.

Yakima 728
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garcia said:
Had fat tire for the first time today. It's bland and boring.
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Meh, I like it.

But then again I'll only order it if it's the only "non-BMC" option available, so I guess I just not like it THAT much. I guess it is a little boring compared to the alternatives.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
*Shrug*

I made a trip over to Indiana (it's not far from me, I just usually don't have a reason to head that direction) to pick some up and see what the fuss was about. It was ok...not offensive or anything but also not really worth going out of my way to get more of.
 
I agree. I thought it tasted like cardboard and was less than average. It was good when not many breweries were around. But, you don't hear much about it anymore because people woke up to better beers.


Great post,
 
It's kind of become the fourth BMC around here. Even places with no craft beer always seem to have fat tire. Like others have said, it's not great, but if it's all they have I'll drink it. But if it's serving as a gateway to craft beer for a lot of people, then I guess I'm all for it.
 
This day and age it's nothing special really. 15 years ago, however ... the selection was much more limited and Fat Tire was relatively appealing compared to other common offerings.

I'd imagine for some, it's also a bit nostalgic from that era.
 
This thread isn't really about how good or bad the beer is. It's about the disappointment of tasting what you keep hearing about, and it didn't meet the expectation.

Anytime a beer has limited distribution and a loyal following, people who can't get it want it. The only thing "special" about it is that you couldn't get it.

We had the same thing with Yeungling. When it got wider distribution, the die hard fans (from PA) got all excited. Like someone said, it's fine and not offensive, but really similar to many other beers.
 
Conestoga said:
This day and age it's nothing special really. 15 years ago, however ... the selection was much more limited and Fat Tire was relatively appealing compared to other common offerings.

I'd imagine for some, it's also a bit nostalgic from that era.
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about 17 years ago, me & some friends would drive from Rapid City, SD to the WY state line to get Fat Tire & doughnuts. that beer was bursting with complexity when you grew up on BMC & their light offerings. now (since about 15 years ago) I'm like many others: I'll drink it if all the other they have is BMC.
 
I tried it for the first time this year. I really liked it. I know I will probably never brew a beer that good. It's delicate balance of flavors.
 
Zuljin said:
This is a new level of beer snobbery here. Now even Fat Tire sucks. Wow. It's not just BMC anymore. Oh no. We're gunning for craft brews now. Ha. You craft brews thought you were safe. No one is safe from two raised pinkies EACs!

Pinkies up!
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Craft-snubbing: it's not just for Sam Adams anymore!
 
Zuljin said:
This is a new level of beer snobbery here. Now even Fat Tire sucks. Wow. It's not just BMC anymore. Oh no. We're gunning for craft brews now. Ha. You craft brews thought you were safe. No one is safe from two raised pinkies EACs!

Pinkies up!
Click to expand...

I ain't gotta like it just because it's "craft".
 
ericbw said:
This thread isn't really about how good or bad the beer is. It's about the disappointment of tasting what you keep hearing about, and it didn't meet the expectation.

Anytime a beer has limited distribution and a loyal following, people who can't get it want it. The only thing "special" about it is that you couldn't get it.

We had the same thing with Yeungling. When it got wider distribution, the die hard fans (from PA) got all excited. Like someone said, it's fine and not offensive, but really similar to many other beers.
Click to expand...

I remember the same thing when Coors started distributing in the East without behind hauled by Burt Reynolds & Jerry Reed.

never had a Fat Tire, so I can't respond to the OP about that. I guess I will, someday, but it's at the bottom of a long list of beers from 2,000 other breweries in this country
 
GrogNerd said:
I remember the same thing when Coors started distributing in the East without behind hauled by Burt Reynolds & Jerry Reed.

never had a Fat Tire, so I can't respond to the OP about that. I guess I will, someday, but it's at the bottom of a long list of beers from 2,000 other breweries in this country
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I thought about that one, too.

But my question is: what puts those other 2,000 beers/breweries ahead of (say) Fat Tire?
 
not trying to be snobby, I've had a Ranger and really liked it, so I have nothing against New Belgium

maybe I'll try to put it higher on my list, but it definitely has to wait until AFTER I've tried at least one from all the breweries in Virginia.
 
GrogNerd said:
not trying to be snobby, I've had a Ranger and really liked it, so I have nothing against New Belgium

maybe I'll try to put it higher on my list, but it definitely has to wait until AFTER I've tried at least one from all the breweries in Virginia.
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oh, you're in VA?
 
oh. sorry. didn't know

my phone is an idiot phone. only function is to make phone calls and it's not very good at that

but it does do very well holding my beer brewing podcasts so I can listen to them during commute to/from work via bluetooth on the car stereo
 
Yeah, the app is pretty good, except that it leaves out some things like seeing the stuff on the side. I suppose it's there somewhere...
 
I like Fat Tire. There's better stuff out there, but WAY worse stuff. :shrug:

I'd put New Belgium above Sam Adams, in most cases.
 
I like Fat Tire. It was my gateway to craft beer and I still consider it a pretty solid amber. There are tons of styles that are far more interesting but if I'm out and about, Fat Tire is still a choice sometimes over some good IPAs on tap. I don't snub it, I'll leave that job to others.
 
Fat Tire (or Flat Tire as it is now known around here) is fine for a standard amber; well balanced and easy to drink. That beer launched New Belgium, so it has really become synonymous with the explosion of craft beer. As NBB distribution expands, the first the people usually see or buy is Fat Tire. The hype of the beer is the NBB name, not the beer itself. It is, by far, not NBB's best offering, and it should not be treated that way. But, it was their first offering, and is responsible for the success of NBB.
 
I enjoy Fat Tire so I guess I'm in the minority here, but the one that pissed me off was people getting absurdly excited for the introduction of Yuengling here in Ohio. I'll have a Fat Tire or even a BMC long before drinking a Yuengling and most people I know agree, but for some reason people went nuts for it here in Ohio
 
PKLehmer said:
I enjoy Fat Tire so I guess I'm in the minority here, but the one that pissed me off was people getting absurdly excited for the introduction of Yuengling here in Ohio. I'll have a Fat Tire or even a BMC long before drinking a Yuengling and most people I know agree, but for some reason people went nuts for it here in Ohio
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I think people who drank it in Pennsylvania and moved were glad to see it come over the line. That's all it can be.
 
I think Fat Tire is OK, but around here, for a long time your could not get it east of the Mississippi. If you thought about going to St. Louis, you had better bring back a case for your friends. Sadly Coors was the same way many years before.
 
New Belgium isn't high on my list. It's definitely better then BMC's, but I rate it about the same as Sam Adams and Pyramid. All 3 have a few really good beers.. maybe even a couple really great ones (especially some of their collaboration stuff), but for the most part it's all just... ok.
 
I don't get why certain beers are up for such contempt on this board? It's like everything else - you like it, you DON'T like it, but why try to make OTHER people feel somehow inferior if THEY like it?

We all have preferences. If yours doesn't run to Fat Tire, that's great, there are a zillion other choices out there. Personally, I can't stand a lot of the beers that some people on here rave on and on about - but I don't make it a point to come in here and start a thread saying "why the hell would anyone drink this crap?" (or that's the gist anyway!)

I'm glad to have so many choices, and even more glad that KOTC and I brew our own now - it's fun and we love the results. But I'll still drink a Fat Tire or some other "lesser" beer when out and about. [shrug]
 
Okay. Time to come clean. All craft beer sucks. It's like that new age music you hear late at night on public radio. It's lousy. No one likes it. They only listen to it so other people will think they're cool.

Go order your micro brew, turn the retro label to the crowd and coyly take a sip, trying not to wince at the seventy-two hundred IBUs and fish tank yeast. But know this, we all know what you're doing because we're doing it too.
 

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