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FreelanceSocialist posted:This is my biggest complaint about all the new breweries popping up, at least in my neck of the woods. They're doing it wrong. Everyone is putting out wacky poo poo. Barrel-aging everything under the sun. Charging $10+ a bomber. $7+ a pint. And a lot of it isn't that good. It doesn't come close to poo poo that Sierra Nevada puts out all day long, and for cheaper. loving sit down and show me that the beer that went into the barrels was decent start with. Produce a consistent, solid witbier. Put out a good amber. Show me you can make a stout that I am willing to pay $2+ more a pint for. Then you can start dabbling with sours and imperial stouts, and bourbon barrel whatever-the-gently caress. Because, honestly, we both know you're banking on local-beer fetishism to make your sales, and that's not how you build a brewery that lasts. Ken and Paul didn't start with 10% abv monster messes. They knocked a pale ale out of the park. As much poo poo as we like to dish out to Widmer, they established themselves with a killer hefe. Founders didn't cut the ribbon with KBS. You want to put out good beer? Master the styles that give you nothing to hide behind - the kolschs, the pilsners, the pale ales. Master balance and subtlety and consistency and then go make crazy poo poo for fun. You might think you're a hot-poo poo homebrewer, but that doesn't always translate well. Oh, and get a backstage tour of your nearby macro brewery. You'll learn a poo poo-ton if you ask the right questions. Seconding the hell out of this. Most of the new tiny-rear end all-special-releases-all-the-time breweries in Chicago barely show up on my radar, but you bet your rear end I go to Revolution on a regular basis and pick up their beers in the stores. A lot of people turn up their noses at the traditional "[X] flagships, [Y] regulars, [Z] seasonals and some special releases" model, but it's honestly one that will bring me back more than anything else. A one-off IIPA that's excellent won't keep me giving you money if everything is haphazard, inconsistent and fleeting; an excellent IPA, stout, pilsner, etc., that's consistent and readily available will get a lot more of my attention and return business. And if you make spectacular one-off releases, so much the better! The "homebrewer-plus" model might work for a while, but I don't see it building lasting institutions, or producing such iconic beers as Old Rasputin, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the like. Consistency in quality and flavor is harder to achieve than a lot of people realize, and it's especially difficult when you're working on a tiny 2-10BBL scale. I imagine that, if and when the craft beer industry experiences another bubble, it'll largely be because of tiny homebrew-plus breweries hitting the wall.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:49
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Winter is Cuming posted:Oh my god you people make me hate Ontario and all of you so very, very much. This province needs to burn the LCBO and Beer Store to the loving ground. I was pretty surprised to see someone unpacking some cases of Founders Centennial when I was in an LCBO a month-ish ago. There definitely was a lack of beer in the two I visited in Toronto, but I'm having a Dupont Cervesia tonight and its amazing, I really wish I had grabbed more bottles. I guess its called Posca Rustica in the states but I've never seen it around here. I've only read reviews for Muskoka Spring Oddity but they're getting me pretty excited to pop that one and I've definitely never seen that around, and I can see Ontario across the lake (if there's good weather). Also bottles of Olvisholt Lava. So ya definitely a lot of really boring beers that I saw, but also a decent selection of stuff that would be hard to find in the US.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:54
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On the bright side, the number of craft breweries failing and auctioning poo poo has gone up, which has pumped more used equipment into the market to counteract the crazy prices on stainless and copper that have driven up the initial cost of constructing an operation. This seems to be feeding the quiet expansion of patient, talented, and resourceful brewers which is leading to some interesting developments - a local bar switching their Coors tap to a nano-brewed pale, for instance, because it tastes better, sells for near the same price, and is just as consistent. Pretty cool stuff.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:02
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FreelanceSocialist posted:I am sitting on a 2012 bottle of it that someone here sent me awhile back - can't get Boulevard locally. I'm waiting for a nice, warm weekend. Hopefully soon. Honestly, with the higher level of carbonation the beer has, I'd almost suggest letting it sit for a little while to mellow out, but I'm not convinced that this theory isn't bull poo poo. Also, the carbonation is kind of an integral part of Saison-Brett's weird-and-amazing balance. As a huge fan and regular drinker of Tank 7, Boulevard is a fine brewery for the mid-west to have.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:12
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Wow good job Rustico, Ballston. I had all of the big whammies from the month: Stone 5-17-24, Stone Espresso RIS, Founders Doom. MMmmmmMm. Thank you random person at the bar that gave me a sample of Doom. Smelled like KBS. I also discovered that Greg Engert (beer director for Rustico, Churchkey, etc) gets Sierra Nevada Pale Ale almost every time he buys beer at store. Munkaboo fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 04:20
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Ubik posted:Seconding the hell out of this. Most of the new tiny-rear end all-special-releases-all-the-time breweries in Chicago barely show up on my radar, but you bet your rear end I go to Revolution on a regular basis and pick up their beers in the stores. A lot of people turn up their noses at the traditional "[X] flagships, [Y] regulars, [Z] seasonals and some special releases" model, but it's honestly one that will bring me back more than anything else. A one-off IIPA that's excellent won't keep me giving you money if everything is haphazard, inconsistent and fleeting; an excellent IPA, stout, pilsner, etc., that's consistent and readily available will get a lot more of my attention and return business. And if you make spectacular one-off releases, so much the better! The "homebrewer-plus" model might work for a while, but I don't see it building lasting institutions, or producing such iconic beers as Old Rasputin, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the like. Consistency in quality and flavor is harder to achieve than a lot of people realize, and it's especially difficult when you're working on a tiny 2-10BBL scale. I imagine that, if and when the craft beer industry experiences another bubble, it'll largely be because of tiny homebrew-plus breweries hitting the wall. Between you and FreelanceSocialist I think you've effectively summed up exactly the bubble I was imagining, albeit in much more eloquent terms than I. Pipeworks I think has a business plan out of it (apparently their new, larger brewhouse should be ready soon and they plan on canning in the future), but I just don't see any of the other "homebrew plus" breweries (I really like this term) getting the kind of following they did. Revolution did things right. I hope Off Color does a product as great and consistent as Revolution does, even if not all of Rev's products are home runs.
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Apr 25, 2013 04:51
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Am I crazy for enjoying Shiner Ruby Redbird? This stuff is drat refreshing. It's like drinking a grapefruit flavored ginger ale.
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Apr 25, 2013 05:01
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Ubik posted:Seconding the hell out of this. Most of the new tiny-rear end all-special-releases-all-the-time breweries in Chicago barely show up on my radar, but you bet your rear end I go to Revolution on a regular basis and pick up their beers in the stores. A lot of people turn up their noses at the traditional "[X] flagships, [Y] regulars, [Z] seasonals and some special releases" model, but it's honestly one that will bring me back more than anything else. I want to make it clear that if you're a great brewery with this model, I will support you by drinking a gently caress-ton of your beers. Revolution does this. Eugene is an ideal porter that may be the best on the planet. But... If I started a brewery today that put out "standard stuff" on par or better with Revolution, I wouldn't survive the bubble pop. They would. They got there first, built a loyal base, and have a marketing aspect on name alone that gives them more power than me. And that's the business issue with saying "if I brew good beer, I'll survive." I wish that were true but I have a feeling it won't be. There's only so many dollars, so much shelf space that is available. When things get tight, the distributors and POS places are going to invest in proven brands. Revolution got in just before the boom; They're not seen as also-rans so there is- to borrow a lovely music term- cred there. Someone like Laffler can take his personal cred and hopefully make it. I don't hold hope for- say- Begyle (though their stuff isn't very good anyway). Again, I want to believe that quality will overcome marketing, time, and the economy. But it's hard to believe that. Remember that this isn't the first U.S. craft beer boom and I'm sure a lot of breweries that started in '97 or '88 or whenever made good beers that you can't get any more. This is why I think Pipeworks is so interesting. I think they've realized that they can't compete locally with Half Acre or Revolution, so they've decided on a completely different model that- thus far- has worked out pretty well for them. RE: Tap vs. Bottles. Here in Chicago, it seems like most breweries started in the last couple years are production facilities (bottling/canning) first and distribute to bars second. It didn't hit me until this came up that that strategy does seem backwards. Now for actual beer talk: had Sour In the Rye on tap tonight and now- finally- I feel justified in buying a bottle. Excellent sour. Reminds me a lot of Love Child without the barrel complexity.
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Apr 25, 2013 05:02
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FreelanceSocialist posted:This is my biggest complaint about all the new breweries popping up, at least in my neck of the woods. They're doing it wrong. Everyone is putting out wacky poo poo. Barrel-aging everything under the sun. Charging $10+ a bomber. $7+ a pint. And a lot of it isn't that good. It doesn't come close to poo poo that Sierra Nevada puts out all day long, and for cheaper. loving sit down and show me that the beer that went into the barrels was decent start with. Produce a consistent, solid witbier. Put out a good amber. Show me you can make a stout that I am willing to pay $2+ more a pint for. Then you can start dabbling with sours and imperial stouts, and bourbon barrel whatever-the-gently caress. Because, honestly, we both know you're banking on local-beer fetishism to make your sales, and that's not how you build a brewery that lasts. Ken and Paul didn't start with 10% abv monster messes. They knocked a pale ale out of the park. As much poo poo as we like to dish out to Widmer, they established themselves with a killer hefe. Founders didn't cut the ribbon with KBS. You want to put out good beer? Master the styles that give you nothing to hide behind - the kolschs, the pilsners, the pale ales. Master balance and subtlety and consistency and then go make crazy poo poo for fun. You might think you're a hot-poo poo homebrewer, but that doesn't always translate well. Oh, and get a backstage tour of your nearby macro brewery. You'll learn a poo poo-ton if you ask the right questions. I was sort of thinking about the exact opposite point today (partially because I watched Firestone-Walker's Beer Gestapo laying out a liquor store owner in public). Why is it that every brewery has to have 5 mainline beers when they're only good at one of them? The amount of shelf space that say, Ballast Point (a local example that has six regular beers, all of which are on shelves at practically every location that sells BP) consumes is rather enormous, but I doubt that all of them sell equally well. I don't feel like I've got the answer to the best model of brewery, but I can see why both regular distribution craft brewers and special-shops like the Bruery choose to exist the way they do. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 05:32
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SUPER HASSLER posted:Just saw a piece of trivia that 25% of all beer consumed in Oregon is IPAs. I believe it because it's reflected in the selection you see in stores; even the shittiest gas station gets in Red Chair or whatever. And then you think of the hoppy pale ales, hoppy red ales, CDA, ISA, IPL, and all of the other ridiculous hoppy non-IPAs out there and our hop obsession seems even worse. I love hops, but it is a double-edged sword. I was drinking a really good dry Irish stout at Hopworks that they brewed for St Patrick's day. I told the bartender there that they make really good stouts (their regular coffee stout is also excellent) and I wished they'd make more of them. He just shrugged and said that they'd like to, but people mostly just drink the hoppy stuff. I believe they had 2 IPAs, a hoppy red, a hoppy imperial red, and a CDA out of a total of 10 different beers on tap.
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Apr 25, 2013 05:51
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Full Sail's Berliner Weisse is pretty mediocre. I'd put it maybe a notch below Oarsman. It is super carbonated, when I popped the cap, it sounded like a cork from a super carbonated bottle, which I've never actually had happen while opening a bottle with a cap. It's not quite as tart as I expected, which is the main reason it's disappointing. It's also not quite as flavorful, and the aroma is a bit dull. This was my 3rd berliner weisse, and I can't wait to try more. I really enjoy this style, so far Fritz Briem's 1809 is my favorite. I'll probably buy another bottle of this, mostly because it was $2/bomber.
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Apr 25, 2013 05:55
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Kudosx posted:Full Sail's Berliner Weisse is pretty mediocre. I'd put it maybe a notch below Oarsman. It is super carbonated, when I popped the cap, it sounded like a cork from a super carbonated bottle, which I've never actually had happen while opening a bottle with a cap. It's not quite as tart as I expected, which is the main reason it's disappointing. It's also not quite as flavorful, and the aroma is a bit dull. Bear Republic makes a Berliner Weisse that isn't bottled but shows up on draft in their distribution zones called Tartare. It is bracingly sour, like a lemonhead.
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Apr 25, 2013 07:03
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 Decided to crack open a Brux as I last cracked a Brux not long after it was released and thought it was ok but kind of boring and definitely not ready yet. Now it is nicely funky, with the developed brett B character found in Orval, GI Matilda and Boulevard Saison Brett. Its a little lighter in body and malt sweetness than Matilda, less hoppy than Orval but not quite as light and dry as Saison Brett. Drank pretty great, kind of sad I only have one left.
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Apr 25, 2013 08:28
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rage-saq posted:Brux chat Am I mistaken or were there reports of a later release? I wonder if they have the same age on them.
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Apr 25, 2013 09:05
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Captain Shortbus posted:Am I mistaken or were there reports of a later release? I wonder if they have the same age on them. I think they're all the same age. It sits on shelves here. Given that review, I may crack mine open and buy another off the shelf if it's good for further aging.
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Apr 25, 2013 13:50
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danbanana posted:This is why I think Pipeworks is so interesting. I think they've realized that they can't compete locally with Half Acre or Revolution, so they've decided on a completely different model that- thus far- has worked out pretty well for them. I get the feeling that, and this is mostly due to their limited distribution / quantity, they haven't been really picked up by the mainstream yet. Which at this point, is fine by me since I don't feel like having to deal with the hell that is getting sought after beer in Chicago with yet another brewery that I enjoy. It's bad enough I'm hounding stores for Parabola right now. Honestly, do people actually like Half Acre past Daisy Cutter? No one that I know really drinks anything else from them. I tried some of their newish beers in bombers that had goofy names but didn't find anything that appealing. I ended up drinking that Perennial Chocolate Mint Stout last night and it pretty much tasted as advertised. Though, I had to drink the whole 750 by myself and that was challenging. Any more than a pint of that stuff is pushing it. I'm happy I tried but at $18 it's not worth it. I also picked up a Chocolate Yeti yesterday from Binny's in River north which I've heard some good things about.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:41
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Compusaurus posted:I get the feeling that, and this is mostly due to their limited distribution / quantity, they haven't been really picked up by the mainstream yet. Which at this point, is fine by me since I don't feel like having to deal with the hell that is getting sought after beer in Chicago with yet another brewery that I enjoy. It's bad enough I'm hounding stores for Parabola right now. They were Ratebeer's top new brewery of last year. edit: Doesn't mean they have anywhere near the notoriety of, say, Tired Hands or Hill Farmstead, but they're not exactly slunk in the shadows.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:44
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Compusaurus posted:I get the feeling that, and this is mostly due to their limited distribution / quantity, they haven't been really picked up by the mainstream yet. Which at this point, is fine by me since I don't feel like having to deal with the hell that is getting sought after beer in Chicago with yet another brewery that I enjoy. It's bad enough I'm hounding stores for Parabola right now. All of the latest Ninja v. Unicorn Battle Series releases were as tough to get as any of the big releases so far this year, unless you are/were friends and family. I lucked into a Simcoe Ninja, really bummed I missed out on Citra and Cascade though. Edit: I think we are really spoiled when it comes to beer in Chicago in general. My wife and I are mulling a move and i'm worried about losing access to all these amazing beers! Quarterroys fucked around with this message at 14:50 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 14:48
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Cervixalot posted:All of the latest Ninja v. Unicorn Battle Series releases were as tough to get as any of the big releases so far this year, unless you are/were friends and family. I lucked into a Simcoe Ninja, really bummed I missed out on Citra and Cascade though. That's right. Raspberry Truffle Abduction sold out in an hour or less at a few spots.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:49
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Compusaurus posted:I also picked up a Chocolate Yeti yesterday from Binny's in River north which I've heard some good things about. All of the varieties of Yeti are pretty great. I really like the espresso oak aged yeti, but all of them are good.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:09
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HatfulOfHollow posted:All of the varieties of Yeti are pretty great. I really like the espresso oak aged yeti, but all of them are good. Yeah, that one and Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti are my favorites. It's a little obnoxious having to endure all the Yeti stickers and promos and poo poo out here, but it's a good stout, not much to really complain about.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:35
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Yeti is one of the only beers I've ever liked oaked, if you don't count boiler makers. It was just some unholy perfect combination that tasted exactly like the best cookie you've ever had.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:36
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Belgian Yeti all day long. Its extremely hard to make Yeti better than it already is but they somehow managed to do it with the Belgian version
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Apr 25, 2013 15:45
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I like Belgian Yeti quite a bit too. It's a shame they discontinued it, but I know of a gas station that has like 48 bottles that sit around, soI can get my fix when I need it. Priced at $6.99 too.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:47
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lazerwolf posted:Belgian Yeti all day long. Its extremely hard to make Yeti better than it already is but they somehow managed to do it with the Belgian version Oh drat, that sounds good. I was just at the store yesterday and didn't notice any, might have to go back and check. e: cryme posted:I like Belgian Yeti quite a bit too. It's a shame they discontinued it, but I know of a gas station that has like 48 bottles that sit around, soI can get my fix when I need it. Priced at $6.99 too. Nooooo, permanently?
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Apr 25, 2013 15:48
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Munkaboo posted:Wow good job Rustico, Ballston. I had all of the big whammies from the month: Stone 5-17-24, Stone Espresso RIS, Founders Doom. MMmmmmMm. Thank you random person at the bar that gave me a sample of Doom. Smelled like KBS. I love the bar area, plus it's a healthy walk to get there which makes me thing I can get away with drinking more beer to make up for the exercise. Sadly, I have a feeling I'll miss Doom wherever else it may go on tap. Also I hope I never meet Engert. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I really enjoy bitching about Churchkey and blaming him and assuming he is a mega-hipster.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:36
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Eejit posted:Nooooo, permanently? It's not on their site anymore, and they are debuting a new variant this year in its place...
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Apr 25, 2013 16:39
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Kudosx posted:Am I crazy for enjoying Shiner Ruby Redbird? This stuff is drat refreshing. It's like drinking a grapefruit flavored ginger ale. Hell no. That stuff is the jam of the summer as far I am concerned.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:43
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Never be ashamed of the beer you enjoy. I will keep drinking Leinenkugel Summer Shandy because it tastes like summer and comes in cans. Between that, Lancaster Kolsch, and Sly Fox Pikeland Pils I'm set for hot summer days. Put your summer beer in cans and I will drink it forever. If Bell's Oberon came in cans I'd buy that instead. Same with Victory Prima Pils. But there's just something about beer in cans that screams summer to me. And if you make a nice light summer beer in cans I will unashamedly drink it. Until I find something better to replace it with. tl;dr put your summer beers in cans and I will buy them.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:57
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HatfulOfHollow posted:Never be ashamed of the beer you enjoy. I will keep drinking Leinenkugel Summer Shandy because it tastes like summer and comes in cans. Between that, Lancaster Kolsch, and Sly Fox Pikeland Pils I'm set for hot summer days. Put your summer beer in cans and I will drink it forever. Sierra Nevada is releasing their Summerfest in cans this year. I can't loving wait!
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Apr 25, 2013 17:13
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drat, this week is getting expensive. First Lovechild at $20/bottle, and now ODell's Imperial Peach IPA and Bell's Java Stout are showing up. Who needs a to pay a mortgage anyway?
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Apr 25, 2013 17:38
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HatfulOfHollow posted:If Bell's Oberon came in cans I'd buy that instead. In a year I guess you will be!
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Apr 25, 2013 17:42
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Sirotan posted:In a year I guess you will be! As soon as Oberon in cans hits Philadelphia it will be in my fridge. I also forgot to mention my other favorite canned beer: 21st Amendment Bitter American, which we affectionately refer to as "Space Monkey." No barbecue or other outdoor gathering is complete without the space monkey.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:56
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Compusaurus posted:Honestly, do people actually like Half Acre past Daisy Cutter? No one that I know really drinks anything else from them. I tried some of their newish beers in bombers that had goofy names but didn't find anything that appealing. Half Acre is delicious, they just need to stay away from anything resembling a dark malt.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:18
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Looking forward to the Avery Big rear end Tap Takeover at Parry's this Saturday. They've said 30 beers / location, but not every beer will be at every spot, so it will be interesting to see what ends up at the Castle Rock location. I've had most of their regular stuff at this point, so hopefully they have a good amount of less seen beers that I can taste. At least if it sucks it'll be the one event I don't have to drive 20-40 miles for.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:20
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Captain Shortbus posted:Am I mistaken or were there reports of a later release? I wonder if they have the same age on them. They've only done one release so far and it was about a year ago iirc. Pretty good beer just released too young before the brett is able to do its thing (like Orval). Should be brewed and released more regularly like Rayon Vert, Matilda, etc.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:21
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Paul Proteus posted:Half Acre is delicious, they just need to stay away from anything resembling a dark malt. I like Big Hugs a lot, but tend to agree that their pale stuff is their best.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:27
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Is there any actual science that supports that beer should be stored at 55° vs. say the 35° inside a refrigerator or even room temperature? I started thinking about this because Firestone instructs customers to store all of their beer including the limited strong ales sub-40°. The best I have to go on is anecdotal evidence, which showed me that there was no apparent difference between some Victory at Sea I left in the closet for a year vs. bottles kept at the back of my fridge. I'm wondering if the whole "cellar temperature" thing is just a historical tradition based on the fact that was the temperature of the cellar where some medieval brewer kept all his casks of ale.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:33
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Suburban Binny's got Parabola today if anyone feels like making the effort. Looks like Chicago city proper is next week.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:40
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Angry Grimace posted:I was sort of thinking about the exact opposite point today (partially because I watched Firestone-Walker's Beer Gestapo laying out a liquor store owner in public). Why is it that every brewery has to have 5 mainline beers when they're only good at one of them? The amount of shelf space that say, Ballast Point (a local example that has six regular beers, all of which are on shelves at practically every location that sells BP) consumes is rather enormous, but I doubt that all of them sell equally well. Honestly, very rarely do I buy bottles of beers that are year-round - there's too many seasonal/one-offs being released for my money to go toward a Founders Centennial IPA or Bell's Best Brown. If a new brewery wants to catch my attention, they need to be brewing something a little more interesting than your standard porter, pale, or brown.
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Apr 25, 2013 19:34
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