tired of craft beer

[fredthecat]

@Saccharomyces

I also think beer quality is higher than ever.

It depends on how one defines the word “quality.”  When it comes to beer quality and quality control, AB kicks the crap out of even the biggest craft brewer.  While a lot of people on this forum are not fans of AB’s products, I challenge anyone to brew a beer as delicate as Michelob and do it with the same level of consistency from bottle to bottle as AB.  Now, factor in the reality that AB ferments at an O.G. of 1.080 and dilutes the finished product to maximize fermentation vessel space and no craft brewery can match their level of precision.  It is amazing how well AB can control ester and diketone production while starting with an O.G. of 1.080.  A lot of negative things have been said about AB’s claim to age Bud on beech wood chips, but that technique has been used in U.S. since the nineteenth century.  Bavarian and Bohemian brewmasters brought the use of “chip casks” to America (chip casks are well documented in the Wahl and Henius book entitled “American Handy-Book of the Brewing, Malting and Auxiliary Trades”).  Beechwood chips are a natural clarifying agent because they provide more surface area on which yeast cells can settle.

What craft brewing has done is increase variety; however, that is in danger because businesses are in business to make money, even craft breweries.  I think that I mentioned what I experienced last Friday night on this forum. I stopped at well-stocked beer store.  There was significant variety, but it was warm due to the beer coolers being completely filled with different shades of IPA.  If anyone does not believe that this trend is a problem, they are not paying attention.  What almost killed off craft brewing in the nineties was lack of distribution and self space.  The fact that this very nice beer store dedicated all of its cooler space to IPA should be troubling to anyone who is paying attention.

great two part analysis.

i have been thinking lately that a small operation focusing exclusively on excellently brewed very strong and dark beers sold by the bottle to people who want that product could be a thing of a different type than the current “craft microbrewery - bar and 6 pack” sale.

[Megary]

@Saccharomyces

I also think beer quality is higher than ever.

It depends on how one defines the word “quality.”  When it comes to beer quality and quality control, AB kicks the crap out of even the biggest craft brewer.  While a lot of people on this forum are not fans of AB’s products, I challenge anyone to brew a beer as delicate as Michelob and do it with the same level of consistency from bottle to bottle as AB.  Now, factor in the reality that AB ferments at an O.G. of 1.080 and dilutes the finished product to maximize fermentation vessel space and no craft brewery can match their level of precision.  It is amazing how well AB can control ester and diketone production while starting with an O.G. of 1.080.  A lot of negative things have been said about AB’s claim to age Bud on beech wood chips, but that technique has been used in U.S. since the nineteenth century.  Bavarian and Bohemian brewmasters brought the use of “chip casks” to America (chip casks are well documented in the Wahl and Henius book entitled “American Handy-Book of the Brewing, Malting and Auxiliary Trades”).  Beechwood chips are a natural clarifying agent because they provide more surface area on which yeast cells can settle.

What craft brewing has done is increase variety; however, that is in danger because businesses are in business to make money, even craft breweries.  I think that I mentioned what I experienced last Friday night on this forum. I stopped at well-stocked beer store.  There was significant variety, but it was warm due to the beer coolers being completely filled with different shades of IPA.  If anyone does not believe that this trend is a problem, they are not paying attention.  What almost killed off craft brewing in the nineties was lack of distribution and self space.  The fact that this very nice beer store dedicated all of its cooler space to IPA should be troubling to anyone who is paying attention.

AB sure is top-shelf when it comes to quality control but if I had to drink Bud and Michelob I’d consider joining the Temperance Movement.  Not quite the same, but McDonald’s makes a very consistent Big Mac as well.  I’ll pass.

Denny must be right about location, location, location.  I walked in to my local gas station/convenient store and found at least a dozen different beer styles in the cooler.  Lots of IPA’s for sure, lots of the genetically neutral Big Beers, and quite a few choices of the Stout, Porter, Marzen, Wheat, Nut Brown variety.  There may have been some pumpkin types in there as well, but I mentally block those out.  Many local options as well, which was nice to see.

[corkybstewart]

I wish I had your problem.  I live in beer hell-very little craft beer available here. Sierra Nevada and Fat Tire are considered craft.  There’s a brewpub with pretty good beer, but it’s been closed since March except for growler sales.
Lots of good beer is being produced 200 miles away in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, almost none of it is distributed down here except for a couple of beers each from La Cumbre, Santa Fe and Marble.

[fredthecat]

@corkybstewart

I wish I had your problem.  I live in beer hell-very little craft beer available here. Sierra Nevada and Fat Tire are considered craft.  There’s a brewpub with pretty good beer, but it’s been closed since March except for growler sales.
Lots of good beer is being produced 200 miles away in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, almost none of it is distributed down here except for a couple of beers each from La Cumbre, Santa Fe and Marble.

absolutely, i know that a lot of urban north america definitely has “good” up to incredible availability or craft and quality imports, but there is still a ton of places that do not have good beer. im in that boat as well to a degree.