/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.4738722]

>go to new specialty beer and alcohol store in town
>wander to craft brew section for some new and exciting beer
>go to the american craft section, because Murrica proud. They also sell imported beer
>almost every beer is an IPA, double IPA, or some variant of pale ale
>thankfully I enjoy IPA so I get a sixer
>leave wondering why it is so overrepresented though

Has anyone else noticed this? American craft brewers make so much IPA. I get that it's popular, I like it too. Can't we brew and drink some other stuff though? It's getting a bit out of hand.

[Anonymous No.4738729]

>>4738722
i agree.


ive just started having more stouts

[Anonymous No.4738730]

>go to hipster faggot store
>complain it's filled with hipster faggot merchandise

[Anonymous No.4738731]

It's because IPA's are incredibly easy to brew. The better brewers are branching out into czech-style lagers, but it'll be a few years before we see that trend emerge on a big scale.

[Anonymous No.4738735]

i have a theory that IPAs are so popular because of our stupid american "i'm better than you are at drinking" mentality. people view drinking as an obstacle rather than an enjoyable experience. so breweries brew up the bitterest, hoppiest IPAs they can to please these retards.

fortunately for those of us who enjoy beer, some good beers come out of that.

>>4738729
respect. stouts are fucking great, if a bit heavy for my climate (summer in FL is brutal)

[Anonymous No.4738737]

>>4738729
I'm working on getting into stouts. Lately I've been trying to try more amber ales, brown ales, red ales etc. Also it's Oktoberfest season already, gonna be drinking those. I just find it odd that these beers aren't so popular with American craft brew drinkers and there aren't nearly as many of them. Then I realized how much IPA I actually drink, I'm part of the problem lol. Gonna start supporting non-IPA American brew.

[Anonymous No.4738748]

>>4738735
I sort of agree, sort of not though. IPA's go down very easy for me, I struggle when drinking some really heavy Imperial stout or something very dark and malty. I actually enjoy the bitterness and don't drink them to show off, can't say I've ever met anyone who drank hoppy beers just to show off either.

>>4738731
This makes more sense to me. They are easy to brew and quite tasty compared to other tasty beers that are much harder to brew. From a brewers point of view I could understand why they'd want to brew and market IPA instead of say lagers or Imperial stouts.

[Anonymous No.4738757]

>>4738748
>drank hoppy beers just to show off either.
you're lucky then. i've seen people buy an IPA, take a sip, make a disgusted face, and then choke the entire thing down while clearly hating it. multiple times, actually. i understand that it might be about not wasting money, but if i hate something THAT much, i'll cut my losses..

also, upon further inspection, i agree with the post above mine about IPAs being easy to brew. makes sense for them to continue brewing IPAs especially, if it's easy and makes profits.

[Anonymous No.4738768]

>>4738757
Yea, I've seen people wince when I've given them a sip of my IPA or shared a bottle with them, it isn't something for everyone. It's not like they started chugging pints of the stuff to look cool after that though, they all avoided it if they didn't like. Shit I've finished beers I didn't like too, but because I didn't want to waste it not because I was trying to show off.

Like I said earlier, I have trouble drinking imperial stouts. They give me a stomach ache and don't sit well with me so I simply don't buy them.

[Anonymous No.4738775]

>>4738748

My dad is this way. He LOVES IPAs but he never drinks in public so there's certainly no "showing off" involved. He simply likes the bitterness.

Of course there are some people who do seem to get into a pissing match over who can drink the hoppiest beer but that's not all IPA drinkers.....likewise there are some people who enjoy beer while there are others who only care about how many they can drink in one sitting. There are some people who like to drink fine Scotch or Cognac...and others who compete to see who can do the most shots in 1 hour. Not everyone who drinks (insert name of liquor or beer here) does so for some silly fratboy pissing contest.

[Anonymous No.4738796]

>>4738775
Both of my parents are like that, possibly why I inherited my love of hops and bitter tasting things. My mom and dad strictly drink miller light, bud light lime, Michelob ultra, and Corona. I guess you'd call them "plebs". When drinking with them I give them a sip of whatever I'm drinking just to get their reaction, it amuses me. They can't stand any beer with flavor, no ales, no stouts, no wheat beers, and nothing that's darker than light yellow. They really like IPA's though, say it tastes like grapefruit juice, not beer. One time I gave my mom some fucking ridiculous double IPA hop bomb just to see what she'd do, she pounded that shit in 15 minutes and wanted another. This is a woman who can't stomach a Sam Adams.

Just saying, even though you might not like hops some people really do like the taste and we aren't all drinking them to show off or be trendy.

[Anonymous No.4738800]

>>4738768
>Yea, I've seen people wince when I've given them a sip of my IPA or shared a bottle with them, it isn't something for everyone.
People sometimes tend to either really like hops or really not like hops. If you aren't a fan, an IPA will turn you off in a hurry. I brew a very basic blonde ale at home and use Amarillo hops in it, but not nearly to the hop level of a pale or IPA. Using a reasonably well-known brand as an example, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is about where I like my hops level. The Tornado is a bit too much.

[Anonymous No.4738801]

I think IPA's are so trendy right now in craft brew because 'murica has been hop-starved for the last century. We are basically binging on what we've been missing out of for so long.

My favorite style is a good porter, and those are like finding a needle in a hop-stack

[Anonymous No.4738813]

>>4738801
Any good porter recommendations? American brewed, preferably.

[Anonymous No.4738816]

>>4738801
>>4738813
Second the request. I haven't tried a porter and I'd like to start with a good one.

[Anonymous No.4738818]

>>4738813
That you can find most places? The only one I can think of is Sierra Nevada Porter. It's breddy gud. I would also suggest looking around for any local breweries that make one.

Porter might be the least popular distributed beer style (even though it kicks Stout's ass)

[Anonymous No.4738831]

>>4738813
>>4738816
Think of Porter's as what stouts look like they should be. Similar, but they usually have more of a coffee flavor to them. People are turned off because it looks dark, but I find them surprisingly light and drinkable.

Oh, and stay away from any "Imperial" porter's if you've never had a porter before, since those are heavy hitter's.

[Anonymous No.4738833]

>>4738816
Can't say I've had one either. I've heard of them but never see them anywhere.

>>4738818
Will give a try, I don't think I've ever been really disappointed with stuff I've had from Sierra.

[Anonymous No.4738836]

>>4738833
Sierra is a bro-tier brewery. I've never disliked a beer of theirs.

There are some porters that are shipped from across the pond, but I find the american ones to be better.

[Anonymous No.4738839]

Do people drink Stella Artois in Ameristan?

[Anonymous No.4738841]

>>4738831
I see. I might not like them then, will seek out still. I don't care that much for stouts and really dark and roasty beers, I tend to favor the wheaty, yeasty, and hoppy flavors. Strangely I love black coffee, go figure. Any recommendations other than Sierra Nevada porter?

[Anonymous No.4738843]

Really? I'm seeing less IPA's and more stouts in my area. There are still quite a few, but it seems like stouts and porters are taking over sorta. And a couple different types of ales.

[Anonymous No.4738845]

>>4738839
Yeah, it's here. It's on par socially with Heineken: A beer wine drinkers order to seem sophisticated but doesn't taste much better than your typical lager.

[Anonymous No.4738846]

>>4738839
Hopefully not

[Anonymous No.4738848]

As long as we're on porters, isn't "stout" really just short for "stout porter?"

[Anonymous No.4738849]

>>4738839

Sure, but it's usually one of the more expensive lagers you can get, so most people would rather spring for an IPA or something craft brewed at the same price.

[Anonymous No.4738857]

>>4738845
Heineken is fucking vile. All I taste is metallic alcohol.

[Anonymous No.4738865]

>>4738722
when doing something different, it's "easy" to just add in more hops.
MOAR HOPS = NEW GREAT BEER!
its lazy. etc.

[Anonymous No.4738867]

>>4738839
I've seen it here and there, but never been tempted. I prefer ales to lagers (in general) with a bit of a soft spot for bocks.

[Anonymous No.4738869]

>>4738841
For Porters? It's hard to say because you don't see a lot of them shipped nationally. Really depends on where you live. Give the Sierra Nevada Porter a shot, you might be surprised. It definitely feels lighter than a typical stout. Overall, I just feel porter's have a more balanced and complete flavor.

>>4738848
Here's a good history on Porters, and how they fell out of fashion this last century:
http://beeradvocate.com/articles/305

And you're right. Stouts were historically a stronger porter. Nowadays the roles have kind of switched, with a lot of lighter stouts than porters on the market.

[Anonymous No.4738877]

>>4738841
Oh and Anchor Porter is good to and you might find that. I like the Sierra one better however.

[Anonymous No.4738885]

>>4738845
>Stella
>A beer wine drinkers order to seem sophisticated

They don't call it wife beater for nothing. It has a strange effect on British people of causing aggression.

[Anonymous No.4738893]

>>4738885
U WOT

[Anonymous No.4738900]

>>4738877
I've seen anchor beer around so I'm sure I can find that one. Going to seek the Sierra porter first though because I like their beers.

And you guys talking about stella and heineken, I don't understand how those are so popular? Heineken tastes like bad weed and skunks ass, stella just tastes like any other cheap beer, but it isn't cheap. Who buys that stuff?

[Anonymous No.4738911]

>>4738900
see
>>4738845

Usually the people you see buying this are white collar professionals during happy hour after work downtown- yuppies who think they are drinking a "classy" beer

>if it's imported, it must be good!

[Anonymous No.4738916]

>>4738900
People who think they're above High Life and Coor's, but are actually worse because of that mindset.

[Anonymous No.4738926]

>>4738916
Lel. I'd rather just drink a high life if I wanted that kind of beer. Heineken actually manages to taste fouler than the cheapest beers, and stella tastes almost identical to the cheap beers.

[Anonymous No.4738974]

The trend in making hop bombs in brewing is the same thing as making big, heavy handed cabs in winemaking. A trend. It'll go away once people figure out that you can have a good IPA without it being non-stop-hops, and we'll all move on to enjoying a wider variety of small batch beers that don't totally blow out your palate. Don't get me wrong, I love IPAs and have for years, but this whole trend gets me shitty on account of how everyone and their dog is like 'hurr, naw man, I don't drink coors anymore, check out this awesome IPA' and then proceeds to rattle off a beer without any balance and the bitterest finish imaginable.

[Anonymous No.4738979]

>>4738974
I know that feel bro.

The two bars in my town that have a great number of craft beers on tap are both nearly identical:
>hoppy ipa, hoppy ipa, ok ipa, lager, hoppy ipa, wheat beer, hoppy ipa, guinness

[Anonymous No.4738992]

>>4738979
i-i'd like the OK IPA p-p-please.......

[Anonymous No.4738998]

>>4738979

I know, right? I enjoy guiness as well, but as far as stouts go it lacks teeth. Yet beerplebs are always like 'oh, you like beer? you should try guiness, it's the best stout'. Then the jimmies rustle softly in the night air.

[Anonymous No.4738999]

>>4738992

Sure thing pal! Here's our xtreme hopalanche double-dougie IPA! Brewed with over 4 TONS of hops! It goes great with our mouth-blasting chili-con-corn dawgs!

[Anonymous No.4739004]

>>4738999

[Anonymous No.4739005]

>>4738998
>mfw beer plebs say guinness is the best stout
>mfw they've never known that wonder of Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout, Lefthand's Milk Stout, or Rogue's Shakespeare Stout

[Anonymous No.4739025]

>>4739005
I dare say that Guinness in the Netherlands, which uses far higher quality grains than that sold in the United States, is superior to two of the three you have named. Haven't had Lefthand's, so I can't say with regards to it.

[Anonymous No.4739031]

>>4739025
I'm sure the guinness overseas is far better than the guinness we get here. Their extra stout isn't bad either. But the guinness we get on draft here is pretty bland. It's not terrible, a good light session beer, but I wouldn't put it in my top 5 fav. stouts.

[Anonymous No.4739037]

This is largely because the craft beer industry has not yet realized that not everyone has hopgasms the second an overly hopped beer touches their tongue. Some smaller breweries in the Northeast are figuring it out though- New England Brewing Company and City Steam Brewery make some decent beers that aren't hopped to death.

[Anonymous No.4739039]

>>4738999
t-thanks triple trips guy........

this beer sure tastes b-b-b-very bitter......i mean it's g-good! boy o boy I like those hops......

>forces small sips down, dies internally

do you have anything lighter than ch-ch-chili con c-corn dawgs? maybe some peanuts? i-it's just my ulcers, and I get very irritable bowels......

[Anonymous No.4739046]

>>4739031
Friend of mine went to Ireland and was talking about how they had like seven different types of guiness on draught there, said they were bretty good compared to the stuff in the states.

[Anonymous No.4739061]

>>4739046
I'm sure it was. I would love to try the different kinds

[Anonymous No.4739071]

So does anyone have any good Murrican Oktoberfest recommendations? I really like the German stuff and also quite like the one done by my local brewery. The Oktoberfest they make is actually an ale though, not a lager. Is this pleb? They claim they settled on their lager recipe and decided to make it with ale yeast for shits and giggles, it actually tasted better that way and people preferred it in taste tests. I still think it tastes good.

So, Murrican Oktoberfest recommendations. Tis the season.

[Anonymous No.4739086]

>>4739071
>Is this pleb?
It may not be the "traditional" style, but if it works, fuck it why not.

To be honest, I haven't had a ton of american oktoberfests other than what I can find locally. It's usually the only time of year I get that glorious amber german perfection in my mouth so I always stock up on the german ones.

[Anonymous No.4739092]

I've never seen anyone ever try to show off by drinking a hoppy beer. In fact most people I know hate them, and only a few people actually like them. Me, i love a well balanced and crisp IPA, i can't stand the overpowering ones. a mediocre IPA I can drink but after a while the taste begins to bother me. As for why IPA's are so popular, i don't really know, i guess like everyone said it's easy to brew and Americans are proud they have beer that doesn't taste like water.

[Anonymous No.4739095]

>>4739086
Oh, it works. Drinking my second bottle of that sweet maltish amber goodness as we speak. It doesn't really taste so much like the German ones I've had though.....the flavor is stronger, maltier, sweeter, yeastier I guess. Pretty much what you'd imagine a Marzen ale would taste like. Delicious.

[Anonymous No.4739105]

>>4739095
That sounds about how I would guess it would be. Lagers are typically crisper in body and texture than ales, so I imagine it is a bit heavier than traditional marzens. Sounds good though.

[Anonymous No.4739108]

>>4739092
Ya I know, people show off by taking straight shots of expensive yet bad tasting liquor. I didn't realize that IPA's were relatively easy to brew until I started researching beer types for my first homebrew. The shit's really not that hard to make.

[Anonymous No.4739115]

Why do I have to hate IPAs? Good thing there's a local nut brown ale made.

[Anonymous No.4739116]

>>4739105
Very nice. Higher alcohol content too, 6%. It's like the Murrican take on the traditional Oktoberfest and I'm liking it, that's why I was asking about other American Oktoberfest recommendations. The style really makes a nice ale. I almost got the Sam Adams one earlier today out of curiosity but decided to just get another six of my local variety. As for German ones I really like Spaten.

[Anonymous No.4739120]

>>4739108
Most beer styles aren't, tbh. Well it depends on if you have all the equipment you need to do an all-grain brew I guess.

>>4739116
The sam adams one is OK. It won't blow you away, but its not bad. I feel like a lot of their "seasonal" beers are watered down versions of what you can find from other craft brewers. Understandable, since they are catering to a much larger market even if it is unfortunate

[Anonymous No.4739132]

>>4739116
>Sam Adams one
It's the only Sam Adams beer that I like.

[Anonymous No.4739133]

>>4739120
Agree. I don't really buy Sam Adams for drinking at home but if I'm at a restaurant alot of times that's the best thing they have, and I have no problem with them. Its decent enough beer thats trying to appeal to as many people as possible without being completely tasteless. No big fan but I'm glad they exist, it beats drinking Budwieser with my dinner.

[Anonymous No.4739137]

>>4739133
For sure. That's the one thing I like about them. Most bars even chains now have at least boston lager on draft, which is head above tails better than a bud or a coors.

[Anonymous No.4739156]

>>4739137
Yes sir, I like the boston lager with a meal. It'd be great if your regular run-of-the-mill restaurant would stock at least a few decent local beers or craft beer but most don't. I'm actually relieved when I see that Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada is an option, I've been to too many restaurants where my options are miller, bud, coors, corona, or Heineken for the fancy folk. I suck it up and drink a Bud heavy. Hell, it's still beer and tastes better than any soda they're serving.

[Anonymous No.4739165]

>>4739156
I've literally started to vote with my wallet when it comes to where I eat out/drink. If they don't carry at least one Florida beer (where I live), I generally don't go there.

But if you have a place that you like, ask to talk to the manager and request that they start ordering some different beers. Most managers use something like Southern Eagle (budweiser) for their beers, which also distributes a shit tone of craft brew.

>mfw I wanted a porter but couldn't find any
>mfw I asked the bro-tier manager at my favorite bar to get sierra nevada porter on draft
>mfw two weeks later I was drinking fresh porter on draft

[Anonymous No.4739194]

>>4739165
That's rad that he'd do that. Luckily for me craft beer is huge in my area and continues to grow, so damn near every bar downtown has a good selection. MN bro here.
Also, most bar food is better than those shit chain restaurants. I don't even know why people still go to Olive Garden.

[Anonymous No.4739197]

>>4739132
I'm in this boat.

[Anonymous No.4739198]

>>4738735
>i have a theory that IPAs are so popular because of our stupid american "i'm better than you are at drinking"
i honestly want to fucking slap you right now

i don't think any brewery, or at least any brewery i'd drink from, has ever thought of anything more than 'hope this beer tastes gud'

[Anonymous No.4739205]

>>4739165
Good on ya, not only are you now getting good beer with your dinners but hopefully the clientele will take notice and try some out of curiosity. They might even like it.

These days I have zero problem getting excellent beer at bars and restaurants, at least in my current neighborhood. It's when I'm traveling or have to go back home to visit family that I realize how lacking the beer selection is at "normal" restaurants. Not even kidding, when I go back home to visit my parents the best beer selection in a 30 mile radius by far is at the shitty Buffalo Wild Wings up the street. It's also worth noting that they don't stock any of the excellent local brews from the big as fuck city that's 1.5 hours away, I think they might have a couple in bottles.

The worst is when I'm in a really small town shopping for beer in the only store in town and the best thing available is Foster's and Guiness. It's then that I truly feel bad for all those people who will never know good food and drink, then I start thinking and feel even worse that I'm judging an entire community on the quality of beer, foods, and recreational options that they have access to. Those places are truly depressing.

[Anonymous No.4739207]

>>4739205
Are you me?

[Anonymous No.4739208]

>>4739205
I know that feel bro.

Florida is starting to catch on, but it's taken some time. I've always wanted to move out to a place like Colorado but I hear its been getting more and more liberal/progressive. Although I heard a rumor that some counties want to form a North Colorado so if that happens (we can only hope) I'm booking my ticket

[Anonymous No.4739209]

>>4739207
>that poster
>those sheets
>that mask
am i looking at a future serial killer

[Anonymous No.4739211]

>>4739209
That would imply him leaving his parents house. Although I could see a scenario where he lures in the pizza delivery guy

[Anonymous No.4739218]

>>4739207
Other than the awful MLP sheets, I am exactly as you are.

[Anonymous No.4739219]

>>4738731
And I'll be happy as a clam when it does. There are a lot of outstanding efforts out there, but for some reason even the better Czech and German style lagers brewed in the US seem to have a certain "gummy" quality that ruins the sublime experience of a light, crisp, delicately balanced pilsner or kolsch. They're often over-hopped, too. I don't want my lagers to be IPA-lite.

I also can't wait for American brewers to discover that stouts and porters don't always have to be extremely toasty and robust. We could learn a thing or two from the Brits.

[Anonymous No.4739223]

>>4739219
I think it has a lot to do with the water. Hard to copy that classic alpine taste.

[Anonymous No.4739231]

>>4739219

A brewery near me seems to feel the same way, fortunately. Coincidentally the area is has harder water - lots of limestone - and their top seller so far has been a brown ale. I enjoy hoppy beers from time to time but I really want to see more darker beers. Deschutes is one of the better ones so far that I've had coming from a US source.

[Anonymous No.4739242]

>>4739208

Colorado is pretty weird, from a traveler's perspective. On one hand Boulder is the whitest, most hipster town I've ever seen (and that's coming from someone from one of the last places in the US to have a public lynching), yet the East may as well be deep Kansas. Not to mention the huge military presence.

[Anonymous No.4739250]

>>4739219
I can see where you're coming from. Compared to American craft brew, most European beer is more subdued and I guess quiet. American craft brew has become loud, thick, intense, flavor packed, exxxtreme flavortown etc. I think it's because we've spent the last 100 or so years drinking watered down swill and now that we've finally learned to make beer again we're taking it to the other opposite extreme. We've gone from flavorless to overflavored. Europe didn't deal with prohibition so they've had good beer for a long time now. They also have a bunch of asinine and dated purity laws that prohibit putting anything other than carefully specified ingredients into beer (laws made with good intent for quality control issues back in the day), these old laws now stifle any sort of change and creativity in European beer.

American beer is in that awkward sort of post-adolescent stage right now. It's been loud, creative, edgy, etc etc but we're coming out of that. I expect great things from American brew in the next ten years. I think we're finally coming out of that extreme flavor faze and will start seeing more balanced and more thought out beers, we'll also see more creativity and hybrid styles. American beer is young, considering prohibition killed it and it had to be reborn. And already I'd say we've surpassed European beer, which never changes. Give it a little more time, this is just our beginning.

[Anonymous No.4739298]

>>4739250

>we've already surpassed European beer

10/10 impending shitstorm would troll agaib

[Anonymous No.4739301]

>>4739250
>And already I'd say we've surpassed European beer


oh youve done it now son

[Anonymous No.4739306]

>>4739298
I mentioned america had decent beer now (not even that it surpassed it) on /pol/ and it derailed the thread so hard we ended up in /lgbt/

[Anonymous No.4739310]

>>4739250
8/10

Europe is sleeping right now, you guys just wait.

[Anonymous No.4739314]

>>4738722
>Has anyone else noticed this
no, maybe its a regional thing, but here in the upper midwest there is an extraordinarily wide selection of diverse styles

[Anonymous No.4739316]

>>4739298
America surpassed Europe almost a decade ago, its not even close right now. You guys will probably catch up one day though once you let go to a few antiquated traditions and more importantly your consumers start demanding better product once they stop being ignorant and see how much better americans have it now

[Anonymous No.4739318]

I still enjoy good IPAs, especially the one our local brewery, Swamp Head, produces. I'm starting to get a little jaded with them though, so I'm happy the weather is finally starting to cool down a bit in FL so I can switch to dark beers again. Probably going to pick up a bottle of Ballast Point's Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter this weekend and hope it lives up to the reviews.

[Anonymous No.4739319]

Do europeans really think they can compare to america in beer these days? Thats just delusional.

Also its funny to see english people (or even funnier italian and spanish people) talk about how good european beer is when almost all of europes good beer comes from Belgium

[Anonymous No.4739326]

>>4739318
Florida fag here, you ever get to try Orlando Brewing? I grew up there and it was always my hang out

[Anonymous No.4739331]

>>4739316
This. Take (insert common beer style here), add 1/4 part sparkling water, and you have a classic European beer.

[Anonymous No.4739337]

>>4739326
No, I don't really ever make it to Orlando, especially after I "moved" to Gainesville for college. Outside of what my friend and I brew, Swamp Head, CCB, Mile Marker, and stuff we taste at our local Homebrew Club, my tasting of Florida beer is close to none :|

[Anonymous No.4739339]

I'm from Québec and I'm in the US for the summer. I've noticed a big difference in the local brews here compared to Qc. In Québec you have a lot of belgian style beers. Unibroue is a good exemple of that. In the US I've noticed that there's 2 shelves of IPAs for one shelf of others. Don't get me wrong, I like a good IPA once in a while but I'd rather see the brewer try to make red ales, porters, stouts, etc than see a pissing contest of who can make the hoppiest beer on earth.

[Anonymous No.4739344]

>>4739339
pretty much every american craft brewer makes at least a red and/or amber ale and a stout/porter

[Anonymous No.4739350]

>>4739339
What's the general opinion on Unibroue in Québec? I've only had La fin du monde, but I thought it was pretty good. Would like to try some of their other stuff since it looks like I've seen most of it available around here.

[Anonymous No.4739351]

>>4739337
Orlando has started shipping to gainesville and tallahasee area. Not sure where, but do some sniffing I'll be you can find it. Its good stuff

[Anonymous No.4739355]

>>4739339
Does unibroue cost more in Canada than america like pretty much every other kind of beer?

[Anonymous No.4739356]

>>4739339

I think this is due to the west coast and Colorado currently dominating the beer market in the US. Younger people discovering that beer can be more than just awful macrobrews, and IPAs are the furthest from.

As >>4739250 said, I think it's basically growing pains.

[Anonymous No.4739357]

>>4739351
I was looking at their website a little while ago but it still looked like they weren't distributing in Gainesville yet. Fucking three tier distribution style in Florida fucks everything up.

[Anonymous No.4739364]

>>4739356
Its pretty much california

The best beer is made in the northwest and upper midwest, but some california brewers have really good distribution network

[Anonymous No.4739371]

it probably cuz if they made beer that had flavor. the flavor will go bad very fast

[Anonymous No.4739373]

>>4739357
That website isn't updated. I'm down in Vero and we started getting here (I nearly shit my pants with joy).

I would call the brewery maybe, or check some of your local bars that have lots of microbrews.

Also, you can request it from the manager and if the distributor has it they'll put it on tap

[Anonymous No.4739376]

>>4739373
Hm. Alrighty then. I'll check for it in some of the more "outstanding" beer bars in town for it then.

[Anonymous No.4739380]

>>4739376
Good Beer Hunting anon

[Anonymous No.4739386]

>>4739350
It's a very well known brewery with products available almost everywhere. They make a lot of different kinds of beer and most of them are really enjoyable. You could pick a beer from any style you like from them and you would probably like it.

>>4739355
I don't know, probably. Everything is more expensive in Canada especially alcohol

[Anonymous No.4739387]

What the fuck is an IPA

[Anonymous No.4739394]

>>4739387
What the fuck is google

[Anonymous No.4739395]

>>4738998
It's the best stout for people who don't know much about stouts. (that is not an insult by any means; it's a very good beer, and highly accessible)

[Anonymous No.4739398]

So OP's post was basically, "I like IPAs and know they are really popular so why are brewers making so many IPAs".

Seriously?

[Anonymous No.4739401]

>>4739387
Imperial Philter of Augmentation.

[Anonymous No.4739402]

>>4739398
>go to grocery store
>nothing but oranges in the fruit department
>i like oranges so i guess that's okay but
>why so many oranges? why not some other fruits?

[Anonymous No.4739412]

>>4739402
I seriously doubt you have ever gone to a beer store and they only had IPAs.

[Anonymous No.4739413]

>>4739398
Just look at the op pic, more like hop troll.

[Anonymous No.4739418]

>>4738735
I can agree with some good beers coming out of it. Surly Furious is pretty glorious due to it having a lot of hops, but being very balanced in taste, not overwhelmingly bitter.

[Anonymous No.4739428]

>>4739316

I'm an American, bro, and I work in a brewery. You need to take a fucking trip to Belgium before you start making sweeping pronouncements about how much better American beer is.

Better yet, go to Germany or the Czech Republic and see just how far Americans have to go before we can craft a drinkable lager.

>>4739350

Unibroue is godtier. All of their beers are fucking incredible, and I don't know how they do it.

[Anonymous No.4739438]

>>4739412
I was trying to clarify OP's question for you, since you seemed to have a hard time understanding it. He's wondering why styles prevalent, which has been answered pretty well in this thread so I'm not going into it again

[Anonymous No.4739440]

>>4739318

It's delicious, bro. As for this thread..there are plenty of breweries pumping out good porters and stouts. I live in craft beer purgatory here in Texas and I still manage to get some decent stuff.

[Anonymous No.4739443]

>>4739438
It's prevalent because it is popular.

[Anonymous No.4739447]

>>4739428
I'm not a huge Unibroue fan. Not sure why they are so popular tbh.

[Anonymous No.4739450]

>>4739440
I've said it once, and I'll say again. That label, it looks like it could be the cover for the next goddamn Iron Maiden record. Love American beers, but some of the labels have gotten ridiculous.

[Anonymous No.4739453]

>>4739316
>America surpassed Europe almost a decade ago, its not even close right now.
As mentioned already, you should actually go to Belgium (for example). You can't base your opinion on the popular brands that make their way to America.

Corona is the most popular imported beer in America. Don't necessarily believe that we have an adequate selection in our stores.

[Anonymous No.4739466]

>>4738816
>>4738813
Deschutes Black Butte Porter from Oregon

[Anonymous No.4739484]

>>4739395
>It's the best stout for people who don't know much about stout
i completely disagree

if someone is unfamiliar with stouts you would not want to direct them to a dry irish style stout, much better off going with something like left hand's milk stout

[Anonymous No.4739491]

>>4739428
Belgium is good at beer, but that does not make up for the rest of europe

and America can make belgian style beers just fine, but belgium isn't very advanced at making anything besides their traditional styles for the most part

[Anonymous No.4739492]

Not really an IPA person. Give me a good pilsner.

[Anonymous No.4739496]

>>4739450
thats the point

[Anonymous No.4739499]

>>4739491
>and America can make belgian style beers just fine
err, no.

[Anonymous No.4739504]

>>4739428
>go to Germany or the Czech Republic and see just how far Americans have to go before we can craft a drinkable lager
id guess about 3/4 of american craft breweries make a lager at least as well as the ones widely available in german speaking areas. Having said that, there is a very good reason lagers aren't a growing style right now, Germany's sticking to outdated traditions is part of why they have fallen so far behind

[Anonymous No.4739506]

>>4739453
As a counterpoint, YOU should go to America. West Coast (for example). You can't base your opinion of American beers on the popular brands that make their way to Europe. The #1 import for most of Europe is probably Guiness, which is shite and is actually still made in Europe. How about leaving that side of the world before dismissing American beer as inferior. Trust me, we have better access to your beers than you have to ours. Our good ones I mean.

[Anonymous No.4739509]

Where do you people go for your beer?

Fuck, even most gas stations have a respectable variety of different styles these days

[Anonymous No.4739512]

because trendy assholes buy anything with ipa marked on it at the moment.

[Anonymous No.4739519]

>>4739453
>Don't necessarily believe that we have an adequate selection in our stores.
Americans have a nuch larger selection of europe's good beer than vice versa

It is pretty easy to get some of belgium's bbest exports

Remember, it wasn't that long ago that america sucked at beer, so anyone looking for good stuff had to go with imports. This lead toa lot of good beers establishing consumer bases in america and easy availability

Now in europe, the vast majority of america's good brewers don't even sell their beer

[Anonymous No.4739523]

>>4739509
Here. Imageflood.

[Anonymous No.4739524]

>>4739509
i have a total wine down the street. its neat.

[Anonymous No.4739526]

>>4739523

[Anonymous No.4739529]

>>4739526

[Anonymous No.4739531]

>>4739529

[Anonymous No.4739532]

>>4739523
lel. Your Wal-Mart sure looks nice.

[Anonymous No.4739536]

>>4739499
Not every one, but a whole lot of american breweries make excellent belgian style beers

How many belgian breweries make beers that are great in more american styles ?
Very few european breweries are into experimentation, they have their traditional market and they are content there. While this is improving as they try and catch up to america, there is a striking difference, and this is likely the primary reason for american superiority at making beer these days (probably started by the fact that american beer was so bad in the 70s and 80s driving a llot of people toward homebrewing)

[Anonymous No.4739537]

>>4739531

[Anonymous No.4739543]

>>4739526
buy the sprecher black bavarian at the top of your image if you think you don't have a good selection on american non-IPAs

Excellent black lager, nothing like an IPA

[Anonymous No.4739548]

I like this place

[Anonymous No.4739551]

>>4739536

So, America is a jack of all trades and master of none?

[Anonymous No.4739554]

The thing about IPA is when it's great, it's sublime. The problem with IPA is that 19 times out of 20, it's mediocre to terrible.

It's kind of like the problem with Zinfandel, I guess.

[Anonymous No.4739556]

>>4739536
>but a whole lot of american breweries make excellent belgian style beers
by who's standards?

>How many belgian breweries make beers that are great in more american styles
probably none because american styles suck ass.
>muh hops.

[Anonymous No.4739557]

>>4739551
But america is the master of the trade in general.

Where did you get that idea? America is the master of the vast majority of beer styles, and still pretty respectable in the ones it hasn't mastered

[Anonymous No.4739561]

>>4739556
>by who's standards?
msot people who drink good beer?

Why do you believe otherwise? Just trying to be a contrarian?

[Anonymous No.4739562]

>>4739551
Not that anon but most breweries will have a minimum of 4-5 different styles they produce. They usually have a flagship beer, but they are always making/experimenting with others

[Anonymous No.4739569]

>>4739556
>muh hops

lemme fix that for you, dick wrinkle

>muh butthurt

[Anonymous No.4739573]

>>4739556
>probably none because american styles suck ass.
Thats just ignorant
You are really missing out

[Anonymous No.4739577]

>>4739557

America hasn't even mastered the adjunct lager; Mexicans make better stuff.

I would contend that they've mastered
1) American-style IPA
2) Porter
3) Steam beer

Seriously, go talk to your favorite brewer and not the neckbeards behind the counter at your beer store. American brewers have an unwavering admiration for European craftsman and all understand that the beer scene has a long, long way to go. I work in a brewery that took home a gold medal at the GABF a few years ago. I talk to all the brewers all over town and all over the country a few times a year. I'm good friends with the guys at Stone, Green Flash and Coronado. They're all proud of what they do, but you'd get laughed out of the room if you came in and said that American beer was the best in the world.

[Anonymous No.4739582]

>>4739577
>America hasn't even mastered the adjunct lager; Mexicans make better stuff.
The adjunct lager is quite possibly the toughest to master. At its best its not very good, but any imperfection is easily tasted

and High Life is better than any mexican mass produced lager by a long shot

[Anonymous No.4739584]

>>4739573
he has a point though. we just can't do subtlety. it comes out as just weak shit which is why Americans think everything must have as much hops and residual sugar as possible. your example is good beer but it's representative of the general pattern.

[Anonymous No.4739585]

>>4739577
All of the most popular beers in the country are adjunct lagers. None of which are particularly great, but that's what you get when you use rice and corn to make beer.

>adjunct lagers
>good

Not trying to be a dick though, can you point me in a direction of some good examples?

[Anonymous No.4739587]

>>4739582

What are you, white trash? High life is swill, man. Coors is better than high life, and that's saying something.

[Anonymous No.4739590]

>>4739577
>but you'd get laughed out of the room if you came in and said that American beer was the best in the world.
Well it looks like being in California is your problem. California lags behind places like Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan etc.

Your region along does not make better beer than europe, but combined, these areas clearly do

[Anonymous No.4739591]

>>4739582
>High Life is better than

[Anonymous No.4739592]

>>4739584
That's not true, though. Subtlety may not sell in this country, but it doesn't mean we can't do it. There are plenty of beers I've tried that are very reserved. I think you have a point in the fact that American's in general tend to be "bold" people (culturally)

[Anonymous No.4739593]

>>4739590

I'm not in California.

[Anonymous No.4739594]

>>4739587
>>4739591

Not that anon but I'll take a nice ice cold high life on a hot summer day after mowing the lawn over any other adjunct lager on the mass market.

[Anonymous No.4739595]

>>4739587
High Life is the best of the common adjunct lagers. Coors and PBR are probably 2nd and 3rd

MGD and Bud are pretty bad, the mexican ones are usually even worse

[Anonymous No.4739596]

>>4739587
I'd take High Life over Corona. I'd prefer Michelob as far as mass produced beer goes. Labatt's when the shithole bars don't carry Michelob.

[Anonymous No.4739600]

>>4739594
>>4739595
>>4739596
dat highmind

[Anonymous No.4739601]

>>4739592
I'm not saying it doesn't exist but you're delusional if you think it's anything but needles in a haystack. I think it's a chicken and egg problem, plus the most vocal evangelists for a new brand tend to be younger inexperienced drinkers who favor loud, extreme sensations.

[Anonymous No.4739606]

>>4739601
Oh I completely agree. I just think its more of a "there's currently no market for it" kind of a thing, not that we couldn't or don't do it.

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the major adjunct beers kind of fulfill that role, so maybe that's why?

[Anonymous No.4739607]

>>4739601
>plus the most vocal evangelists for a new brand tend to be younger inexperienced drinkers
thats because old people didn't have this stuff available, and people generate loyalty when they drink the same thing for 30 years

[Anonymous No.4739609]

>>4739005
You need to get your hands on some Duck Rabbit Milk Stout bro, it's pretty delicious

[Anonymous No.4739612]

>>4739607
also true.

>>4739609
>made in NC

I might be able to swing that. My sis lives in Atlanta, do they distribute that far?

[Anonymous No.4739615]

>>4739601
you have no clue what you are talking about

and there is nothing inherently good about being subtle, why would you want them to water down your beer?

[Anonymous No.4739617]

>>4739615
not the anon you're talking to but

subtle =/= watered down

I make a killer blonde ale that is full bodied yet very drinkable/subtle.

[Anonymous No.4739623]

>>4739607
I'm not taking about old people set in their ways. I'm taking about people in their 30s and 40s who know what's out there and don't run around making threads about "just had my first imperial IPA, I'm ONLY DRINKING THIS FROM NOW ON OMG ENJOY YOUR INBEV SWILL"

most people grow out of that after early 20s. unfortunately this means they don't post loud opinions anymore and beer companies don't hear from them as clearly.

[Anonymous No.4739628]

>>4739617
full bodied is the opposite of subtle

I think the guy I was respnding too was confusing balance with subtlety, a lot of the big California craft brewers can't fucking figure out balance at all, thats why midwestern IPAs like Surly Furious, New Glarus IIPA, Bell's Two Hearted etc, are better, because they don't just throw more hops in for the hell of it without regard to the overall balance of the beer

[Anonymous No.4739630]

>>4739623
most people grow out of 4chan after their early 20s

people do not grow out of good beer, and good beer is rapidly increasing in popularity in that age group

[Anonymous No.4739635]

>>4739628
Sorry, I used the wrong word.

What I meant was my Blonde Ale has a full mouthfeel, and it is very subtle in taste with a just the right hop presence.

It's a perfect 4%er session day drinker.

Although if forced, I would pick my APA hands down.

[Anonymous No.4739639]

>>4739635
so you mean to say the hop presence itself is subtle, not the beer itself?

Having fewer hops doesn't make a beer subtle, having less taste makes it subtle (having less hops is of course part of the taste, but a hell of a lot more is involved in that)

[Anonymous No.4739640]

>>473963
not sure what you're getting at here. are you one of those 20 year olds who yells about his first non macro and holds beer marketers in thrall?

you'll grow out of it. your palate is still exploring. enjoy it but don't assume it's done.

[Anonymous No.4739651]

>>4739573
Oh sweet holy fuck, we finally got this in town and I'm dying to try it.

[Anonymous No.4739653]

>>4739639
>it is very subtle in taste
>with just the right hop presence

It's a beer that you could give to a redneck who's never known anything other than bud, and not only would he like it he'd probably switch over for it.

[Anonymous No.4739654]

>>4739640
>re you one of those 20 year olds who yells about his first non macro
are you fucking 35?

Most people grow up with at least trying the occasional craft beer. Most kids can't afford to buy it exclusively of course and primarily drink cheap beer, but they are familier with good beer at least a little bit, there aren't many 22 year olds just getting around to trying their first craft beer

[Anonymous No.4739655]

Is there such a thing as a beer that doesn't leave the acidic taste of chewing on tree bark in my mouth?

I'm really trying to give it a chance, but the only thing that seems to go down well is cider.

[Anonymous No.4739661]

>>4739651
definitely worth it. Breakfast Stout is my go to Winter beer (and this is my go to summer beer)

[Anonymous No.4739662]

>>4739655
>beer that doesn't leave the acidic taste
well carbonation is carbonic acid, so not unless its flat

[Anonymous No.4739663]

>>4739655
I think you are referring to the bitter taste that can come from hops. Have you tried maltier beers?

Be more descriptive

[Anonymous No.4739664]

>>4739663
i associate bitter with basic, and sour with acidic

is this not what other people do?

[Anonymous No.4739668]

>>4739655
You could try Leinenkugel's Summer Shanty. Although in all honesty what you describe as tree bark (bitter) is the taste of hops. Beer is generally an acquired taste.

[Anonymous No.4739670]

>>4739655
try some wheat beers

[Anonymous No.4739671]

>>4739661
Damn, doesn't look like they distribute in FL. A porter my friend and I did recently took 2nd in a homebrew competition, so I'm hoping we can find time to brew more of that so it'll be ready while it's still cold. If not, stocking up on Founders.

[Anonymous No.4739672]

>>4739506
uhhh I am America. Re-read my post.

[Anonymous No.4739674]

>>4739654
yes, I know you're invincible and know everything and all that jazz, but ha ha just kidding, you're not and you don't.

we had craft brew when I was a teen too, maybe it's a new thing in your area but it's not new. as you said, children can't be discerning customers for many reasons, this is why real brand awareness starts close to the legal drinking age.

[Anonymous No.4739678]

>>4739506
>Trust me, we have better access to your beers than you have to ours.
Nope. We don't have access to god-tier Euro microbrews. Don't delude yourself into thinking this and try leaving the country once in a while.

[Anonymous No.4739683]

so if we're better for having all of our local beer that doesnt make it to europe, what about all of their beer that doesnt make it here?

[Anonymous No.4739684]

>>4739674
>this is why real brand awareness starts close to the legal drinking age.
sure, but people aren't completely ignorant of good beer up until that point. Its more of a "now I can buy the good stuff" feeling rather than a "holy shit, what is this, this is delicious?"

[Anonymous No.4739686]

>>4739683
good european beer is much more widely available in american than american beer in europe. Most good european brewers have been around a long time, and were selling in america in a time when good american beer was near impossible to find. The vast majoirty of good american brewers didn't even exist 20 years ago, and most can't even keep up with local growth and cannot even think about exporting, especially while a lot of european markets are pretty stagnant

[Anonymous No.4739687]

>>4739664
I don't know mang, it's hard to know anything anymore.

[Anonymous No.4739688]

>>4739684
When I was a teen I drank Bud Ice. That penguin made me do it. When I turned 21 I switched to the hard shit.
Now I almost exclusivity drink gin n tonic. On occasion I'll drink beer, usually craft beer but not always.

[Anonymous No.4739690]

>>4739684
how many underage kids are spending their time picking out good beer?

[Anonymous No.4739693]

>>4739690
0. you take what you can get.

source: I used to be one (holy shit that was over 7 years ago)

[Anonymous No.4739695]

>>4739678
no u

[Anonymous No.4739697]

>>4739686
Very true. That also serves the misconception that America has no good beer to be found. I spent a solid hour debating yuropoors on /pol/ about American beer

[Anonymous No.4739698]

>>4739686
that's really not true, unless by good European beer you mean the five or six most popular Belgian, Czech, and German beers. those are still macros and just because they're better than american macros doesn't reflect on actual small local beers that never make it out.

[Anonymous No.4739708]

>>4739698
small local craft beer is barely even a thing in europe

[Anonymous No.4739713]

>>4739708
lies

[Anonymous No.4739716]

Nope. Americans just know hops.

Hops, hops, hops.

Oh gee, beer has flavor? Gotta put as MUCH IN AS POSSIBLE.

GET DEM HOPS IN BOYS.

Pic related. Every pint of American Microbrew contains this amount of hops.

[Anonymous No.4739718]

>>4739713
there are a lot of small breweries in german speaking areas, that make one or two beers and all almost identical the the small breweries near them

This really is not the same thing as craft beer.

[Anonymous No.4739719]

>>4739716
>dat field of glorious hops
all of my HNNNNGGGGG

[Anonymous No.4739720]

>>4739708
>The lies Americans tell themselves

http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/

Pic related. Used to be right around the corner from me. Still miss it...

[Anonymous No.4739721]

>>4739716
it also helps that american hop strains are superior to the antiquated ones popular in european recipies that haven't changed since before these strains were even grown.

Europe needs more citra hops

[Anonymous No.4739725]

>>4739721
>Citra
>Cascade
>Centennial

yuropoors don't even know what they are missing.

[Anonymous No.4739726]

>>4739721
No thanks. Not a fan of lager and lime.

[Anonymous No.4739727]

>>4739718
>it isn't supercharged with too much hops
>it doesn't meet my definition of craft beer

murrka

[Anonymous No.4739729]

>>4739708
is that so

[Anonymous No.4739730]

>>4739726
>lime

you what?

[Anonymous No.4739733]

>>4738813

Maui Coconut Porter from Kona brewing

[Anonymous No.4739734]

>>4739727
No, the key to craft beer is experimentation, not sticking to antiquated ways for the sake of tradition. They need to make and try new things

Thats why most of these don't fit the definition, it has absolutely nothing to do with hops

[Anonymous No.4739738]

>>4739734
http://www.redwellbrewing.com/

Bam. Small brewery doing microbrews run by hipsters.

Plenty of 'em. They mostly go out of business though.

Anyway, come back to me when the US starts making decent cider.

[Anonymous No.4739744]

>>4739738
They even have the beards.

[Anonymous No.4739751]

>>4739738
>come back to me when the US starts making decent cider.
Nothing wrong with cider, but what the hell does that have to do with the topic?

>They mostly go out of business though.

Thats exactly the problem. Europe's beer market is not in a good place. Its not the people making the beer's fault that their beer isn't that good, its that people aren't willing to pay a little more for a better beer, and don't like trying new beers like americans do right now (also the overall beer market there has been shrinking for a while

[Anonymous No.4739754]

>>4739751
They pay plenty of money for good beer. People like Black Sheep have been around for twenty odd years now.

And there's plenty of pub/breweries across the country as well. I can't speak for the Continent, but there's plenty of decent beer made locally that tastes great.

Here's another. http://www.andwells.com/

[Anonymous No.4739759]

>>4739754
there is some, but its not on the scale that it is in america yet (but moving in the right direction, and faster than the rest of europe)

[Anonymous No.4739760]

>>4739734

Goddamn, this thread is a prime example of American Exceptionalism at its worst. Only ONE fucking country in the entire world could actually believe that they've mastered a craft that everyone has been practicing for centuries in TWO DECADES. Must be that old American ingenuity, eh?

[Anonymous No.4739766]

I like the US microbrews - they're fun. But they always taste a bit primitive next to a decent, well kept, real ale. A bit aggressive and one-dimensional.
Sadly I rarely taste a decent real ale these days. Here in Germany the local beer (wherever you are in the country) is excellent, but just not the same. The Germans look on this sort of flavoured beer with bemused wonder - that anyone would even consider putting so much non-beer stuff into beer.

[Anonymous No.4739767]

>>4739760
yes im glad you understand it now

[Anonymous No.4739771]

>>4739760
remember, america did not spontaneously generate

All of the brewing knowledge of europe was transferred to it when it was settled

Also remember than more germans settled america than any other group

A big part of europe's problem is rigid adherence to the old ways, and outdated hop varieties still used because no one wants to change a long-standing recipe

[Anonymous No.4739773]

>>4739766
>that anyone would even consider putting so much non-beer stuff into beer.
hops are non-beer stuff?

[Anonymous No.4739779]

>American owned brewing companies decimate local breweries.
>Lol Euros got no microbrews.

[Anonymous No.4739780]

>>4739779
what is this even a reference to?

[Anonymous No.4739781]

>>4739766
Sometimes I wish America had something similar to the German Purity Law, but tbh I think it just inhibits creativity.

That being said, I almost never use anything other than water, barley, hops, and yeast in my beer

[Anonymous No.4739785]

>>4739781
>Sometimes I wish America had something similar to the German Purity Law,
but then we would have breakfast stout or New Glarus's sour fruit beers

[Anonymous No.4739787]

>>4739785
Well they would still be made, you just couldn't call them "beer". The only reason I kind of wanted it was because all the major breweries would have to change their recipes as well, consider they are all adjunct beers.

[Anonymous No.4739791]

>>4739785
>sour fruit beers
>adding fruit to beer.

Why don't you just make Shandy and be done with it?

[Anonymous No.4739792]

>>4739791
Not that anon but trust me you need to try that.

[Anonymous No.4739794]

>>4739791
Ha, they are nothing like a shandy. They are sour beers, and extremely good, you should really broaden your horizons

[Anonymous No.4739799]

>you will never be able to try New Glarus's Very Sour Blackberry beer they released only at the brewery a couple weeks ago

[Anonymous No.4739801]

>>4739799
curses

[Anonymous No.4739811]

>>4739766
>Sadly I rarely taste a decent real ale these days. Here in Germany the local beer (wherever you are in the country) is excellent, but just not the same.
Isn't that because the higher quality malt almost demands making lager? I was under the impression that the opposite is also the reason the UK prefers ales as well.

On a side note, a German guy I know says most in Germany look on Belgian style crafts as low quality swill; is this accurate? I just find it humorous since Americans seem to have a bigger hard-on for that than IPA's.

>>4739760
>this thread is a prime example of American Exceptionalism
This comment is a prime example of American Teenager America-Hating.

[Anonymous No.4739818]

>>4739760
>make same beers for oh, at least a couple hundred years
>refuse to change anything or come up with anything new
>actually have laws that prevent you from using different ingredients and coming up with anything new, assuming you actually have the drive to tackle that sort of endeavor

>Muh traditional beers, muh history, muh tradition, muh worldliness, muh histry, muh respect, muh world class, such world class, wow, such taste, such many beers, oh wow, muh heritage, such europe union

You're right, everyone has been practicing and "mastering" a craft for CENTURIES. And it hasn't changed. Ya'll are drinking the same shit over and over, generation to generation, century to century. Do you understand how fucking retarded this is? This is like, ok music. Music got pretty good and refined in (insert generation here). Instead of letting musicians continue to grow and create and expand, let's all decide that this is how music SHOULD BE, and we'll all be content with how it should be forever. Because obviously this is the pinnacle of hundreds of years of work and experience, it could not possibly get any better. In fact, you should fight tooth and nail to ensure that it never changes and it will stay PERFECT. THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE.

Europe, you are fucking stupid and obsolete. Grow the fuck up, stop sucking the tits of your great grandparents and get off your ass. You used to be great but you are pathetic. You insist on riding the coattails of your ancestors who's accomplishments have been obsolete for awhile now. Get it together eurofaggots.

[Anonymous No.4739821]

>>4739818
In the UK there's a pretty healthy and innovative "craft beer" existing alongside the more traditional beers.

[Anonymous No.4739826]

>>4739818
Dubstep sucks.

[Anonymous No.4739827]

>>4739821
Not him, but I think the UK tends to dislike being called a European country.

[Anonymous No.4739830]

>>4739818

Once again, I'm American, brah. So, this is an example of American Exceptionalism and American Unilaterism (yer either wid us or agin' us!).

Also, there is a thriving craft beer scene in Europe, and every year they come out with new and amazing brews. Quit turning this into a false dichotomy.

[Anonymous No.4739833]

>>4739827
I'm British and only retards think we aren't a european country. It's 5.16 in the morning here hence my shitty english.

[Anonymous No.4739842]

>>4739830
Quit being an uncle Tom!

Pic related, this is how I want to see you talking from now on

[Anonymous No.4739846]

>>4739833
It was an EU joke, brother, no need to get upset.

[Anonymous No.4739849]

>>4739046
Your friend was drinking too much. There's very little taste difference in Guinness between the US and Ireland. It's psychological. People are expecting it to be magically better because the real Irish stuff is brewed by elves using magical barley and fills you up like at least one meal in a glass more than the usual one meal, etc. Brilliant marketing, shitty stout.

[Anonymous No.4739853]

>>4739818
>>4739821
Also I don't even see it as an American vs European thing tbh.

See - http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/craft-beer-v-real-ale

It's more a hipsters vs old bearded fat guys thing over here.

Can't speak for other european countries though, I think Germany is significantly more traditional. I know Italy has a pretty good craft scene.

[Anonymous No.4739856]

>>4739849
Quit ruining my fantasies!

[Anonymous No.4739880]

>>4739818
Protip: just because some beer is still brewed from old recipes... Doesn't mean they all are. While America and Canada has lots of great craft beers, they aren't exactly trendsetters.

[Anonymous No.4739914]

>>4738833
Anchor's "Steam Porter" is a good introduction to the style and can be found fairly easily; it is pretty light for a porter and has a nice balance of roast and hop flavor.

[Anonymous No.4739922]

>>4739849
I dunno brah, my local brew shops all stock Guinness Extra stout and it is far, far superior to the normal Guinness draft.

That being said, even the Extra is pretty mediocre compared to some of the little guys who have mastered the craft; Stone's Imperial Russian immediately springs to mind.

[Anonymous No.4739955]

>>4739922
I was referring to the same beer across countries, not different beers by the same brewery.

[Anonymous No.4739997]

>>4738999
WOW!!! THAT'S A ONE WAY TICKET TO FLAVOR TOWN RIGHT THERE! THAT_________ IS TOTALLY RIGHTEOUS!! AWESOME SAUCE, BRO!

[Anonymous No.4740048]

>>4739223
A lot of it is in the hops, honestly.

Traditional German hops aren't very bitter, so the lighter and more floral flavors come through a lot more as the brewer uses more hops to get to that certain bitterness level.
The problem with this is that hops are the most expensive ingredient in the beer recipe. So if you're using more hops that are not very bitter, and your recipe doesn't rely on those floral notes in the hops, you're spending a lot of money to get the bitter main flavor of the hops.
To that end, most American hops have been bred to maximize the bitter compounds in hops, so big brewers can hit their bitterness levels with less hops, and thus save money. The trade-off that by being able to use less hops, the floral micro-flavors are also much less present, resulting in that drab, one-dimensional flavor you're complaining about.

[Anonymous No.4740190]

Beer is disgusting.

[Anonymous No.4740627]

UKbros need to go here...

It's a supermarket...for beer

http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/

[Anonymous No.4740659]

I really can't understand how anyone could possibly argue American beer is better than Belgian. I mean that's objectively wrong.

[Anonymous No.4740668]

>>4740659
>yuros still can't understand opinions

stay poor and uneducated. i'll just be drinking delicious beer.

[Anonymous No.4740685]

>>4740659
>thinking belgian beer is the be all and end all
There are a whole lot of shitty vanilla-tasting belgian beers.

[Anonymous No.4740946]

>>4738893
U HERD

[Anonymous No.4742021]

>>4739071
>good Murrican Oktoberfest recommendations
Spoetzl Brewery, makers of Shiner Bock, make a nice Oktoberfest most years.

[Anonymous No.4742056]

>>4740048
Goddamn but do I love Amarillo hops. They're good for bittering, with high alpha acid content, but they're amazing for aroma and flavor hops. Lots of grapefruit/citrus notes and a very clean, green, and natural scent. Unfortunately, they don't sell those rhizomes that I can find.

[Anonymous No.4742066]

>>4739818
>You insist on riding the coattails of your ancestors who is accomplishments have been obsolete for awhile now.
Commander Spock frowns upon your poor grammar. If you wish to sound superior, learn the language.

In a form you may understand, who's != whose.

[just some info No.4742268]

>stouts and porters
Porters are basically weak stouts, or stouts are strong porters. both are dark malt based ales. In the past there was no difference between stouts and porters and the word comes from the type of person in England who liked to drink it. in fact, it used to be called "3 threads" because it was three ages of beer mixed together. the definitions of stout and porter split over time and now porter is a weaker stout basically. fun fact: stouts in england used to be brewed in wooden barrels until some of them burst and flooded the streets to the point where people drowned on beer

>imperial stouts
named because catherine the great visited england and dug stouts so hard that when she got back to russia she ordered some that shit up, but it all froze on the way. so they increased the alcohol content and wazzah, imperial stouts. the label more recently spread to other beers to mean "stronger".

>bitter
basically a pale ale. these days it can be looked at as an english style pale considered weak by american standards

>ipa
probably everyone knows this one, but it's called an india pale ale because when the british had colonies in india, the beer didn't make it over without spoiling, so more hops were added because not only are they tasty they are a natural preservative. (which was why in even older times, weak beer was used on ships instead of water).


not trying to be pretentious, i just saw some erroneous knowledge being dropped above about different beers

[just some info No.4742278]

>>4742268
if anyone has any questions, i probably know the answers to them too

[Anonymous No.4742552]

having a ten fidy now. america produces more sours/wild yeast ales than europe as well as craft belgian influenced beers. sure, there are a lot of IPAs but, there is a lot of everything compared to europe. england has some shit, but my impression is that it's mostly weak, which isn't necessarily bad

[Anonymous No.4742570]

>>4742268
The main thing I always feel like I notice between stouts and porters is that porters are hoppier. Maybe it's just that because they're less "stout" the hop flavor shows through more, I don't know.

[Anonymous No.4742582]

So I've been thinking about brewing a traditional hefeweizen, but dry hopping the fuck out of it. I want to make a hopeweizen. I like hefeweizen but it is too sweet and chalky tasting for my tastes, I want to inject it with a bunch of hops to balance the flavor.

Homebrewers, anyone done anything like this? Any hop recommendations? I want to have a wheat beer that will kick your ass.

[Anonymous No.4742591]

>>4742570
you may be right that hops show through more with porters, but there are three generally accepted styles of porters (brown, robust, and baltic) and though robust types sometimes feature hops, not necessarily more than stouts sometimes do

[Anonymous No.4743061]

>>4742582
With hefe, use Fuggles. It'll confuse hell out of everybody. How does
> I like hefeweizen but it is too sweet and chalky tasting for my tastes
work? Sounds like you don't really like it.

[Anonymous No.4743080]

>>4738722
>Has anyone else noticed this?
Yep. Every beer store I go to is at least 50% IPA. I don't understand how anyone can tolerate something so bitter.

What's worse is the breweries that overhop other styles. Take pic related, for example. You'd be expecting a delicious, creamy porter. What you get is an undrinkable kitchen sink-bound disgusting excuse for a porter. Literally a black IPA that they tried to pass off as something else. Good job Avery, I'm never trying anymore of your garbage.

[Anonymous No.4743085]

it's actually weird, every single bar i go to has at least three people bragging about ipas and how they like it super bitter

like, i do too, but i don't brag about it
i just like beer

[Anonymous No.4743606]

>>4743080
But I like hops and bitter though. You aren't the guy that pours beers down the sink and posts pics here, are you?

>>4743085
These people probably just recently turned 21 and still think bitterness is some sort of beer drinking pissing match, they'll grow out of it and realize that the level of bitterness is just a preference. 26 here and I've never had a friend brag about liking bitter IPA. They either actually like them, are honest and say they don't like them, or don't give a fuck and will drink anything so long as it gets them drunk.

[Anonymous No.4743611]

So based on this thread I would like to try a porter later, and based on an anon or twos recommendation I think I'll be trying this one first. Any other recommendations? My beer store is very well stocked with beers most stores don't have, and I have another beer store that can obtain pretty much any beer on earth, for a bit of a price increase, of course.

[Anonymous No.4743626]

As someone who really does not enjoy the super hoppy flavors, I'd like to earnestly ask, what do you who do like them enjoy about it?

To me, it just tastes like pure distilled bitterness with no redeeming qualities. Bitter flavors in the right context can be pleasing, but after a certain point, I don't even know.

[Anonymous No.4743638]

>>4743626
I'm a big hop-head, I'll try to explain why I like them. I do taste bitterness in those beers but it's a sort of fresh, welcome bitterness. To me a hoppy IPA hardly even tastes like a proper beer, what I'm tasting is fresh grapefruit, pine sap, herbs, fresh sour fruit flavors, flowers, and all that good stuff. I find the whole experience to be very bright and refreshing. The bitterness is there but it's really secondary to the other flavors I'm getting out of it. They go down easy and hit hard on a warm day. I'm the guy who can't handle very dark and roasted beers from earlier in the thread. They are just too heavy for me and give me a stomach ache if I have more than one. It's all just preference, thats why so many beers exist.

[Anonymous No.4743665]

>>4739005
>Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout
Not bad. I'm not a stout drinker, however, and I know that that's not even close to best in class.
>Lefthand anything
I will pass.
>Rogue anything
I will pass.

[Anonymous No.4743672]

>>4743665
Lefthand milk stout is great tho

[Anonymous No.4743674]

>>4743638
I understand the sort of flavors you mention, but for whatever reason I seem to find the bitterness overpowering to the detriment of whatever other flavor. Though I can chug stout indefinitely. Shrug.

>>4743672
Yes.

[Anonymous No.4743680]

>>4739165
Amen. I vote in a different way than you, I vote for freshness.

Say what you will about IPAs, they're my favorite kind of beer. There is, however, nothing worse than an old IPA.

Last year November I fell in love with Great Divide, because their beer really is quite good. I kept buying it and enjoying it. Around a half year of buying GD and I start to taste some overt bitterness rather than what I was used to and noticed that the beer was 9 months old. Fuck that. I checked and rechecked and every store that carried GD had the same, old bottles. I did some looking and came to find two brands that were usually (if not always) fresh: Dogfish Head and Cigar City Brewing.

This leads me to my hypothesis that grocery and specialty stores buy far, far too much craft beer in most markets. I was evidently the only one buying the Great Divide Titan in town, because every store was stocked to the teeth with 9 month old IPA from them. Meanwhile the DFH 60 minute is constantly fresh (because it flies off the shelves).

So yes, vote with your wallet. Vote local. Tampa is a hop, skip and jump from Tallahassee, and these roughly 10 day old Jai Alais are the delicious, delicious proof.

[Anonymous No.4743721]

bumping for porter recommendations, going to get beer in about 2 hours. Already getting sierra nevada, but perhaps I can get an english porter recommendation so I can try and compare.

[Anonymous No.4744924]

>>4739504
You haven't had a local german lager, have you?

Best I've had access to was some stuff the German military contingent on my city's base had specially imported. This was essentially their Sam Adams (not the worst or best) and it revolutionized the way I think a proper lager should taste.

They're hosting a final sendoff Oktoberfest on base before they go back to Germany, imported lager kegs abound. I'm pretty stoked

[Anonymous No.4744953]

>>4739664
It's kinda backwards, but there's a reason for it. Boil alpha acids (the part of hops that makes beer bitter) for an hour in the presence of the chemical mix you get from steeped barley and it becomes bitter. It takes the long boil time because there are chemical reactions that have to happen that don't get in a hurry even at boiling temp.

[Anonymous No.4744961]

>>4739781
>>4739785
>>4739787
The only rule of that sort that I'd like to see would be to have the beer labelled with its adjuncts and the percentages of fermentable sugars they supply listed. As an example, any beer with over 25% of its fermentable sugar supplied by rice would have to be labelled "rice beer." "Budweiser: King of Beers" would have to change to "Budweiser: King of Rice Beers."

[Anonymous No.4745712]

>>4738813
Guinness