What's on your mind?

[navybsn]

12 hours ago, SurgicalBrute said:

That's definitely a factor as well...was just wasting time today, hitting a couple of nearby stores just to see what they had, and local has absolutely eaten up the majority of shelf space. Ciders and alcoholic seltzers are cutting in too. It's just that it recently occurred to me that I haven't seen certain mainstay import beers on the shelf, and what they do have seems to be just the absolute basics...mostly hefeweizens

Same down here. Even the big retailers have decreased their selections. Craft beer selection is getting quite stale as well. The boom is definitely on the decline. On the other hand, we have quite a few quality local breweries in the area, so I mostly drink stuff from one of them. Usually a decent selection of styles although always heavy on the IPAs. Good lord I wish that trend would die off. 

[SurgicalBrute]

7 minutes ago, navybsn said:

Usually a decent selection of styles although always heavy on the IPAs. Good lord I wish that trend would die off.

Holy shit...yes. Especially the "Hazy IPA". How many versions of that style do people need?

To be fair, I'm by no means hurting for good beer, and a lot of the local brewers are making some really good stuff. I just hate seeing the market contract to the point where certain styles are all but dying off because they aren't trendy. Like, give me a good bock or scotch ale, instead of the the 3000th fruited, imperial, milkshake sour

[FatherAlabaster]

I live in the home of hazy IPAs. There is an absolute glut of them represented at the supermarket, and slim pickings of everything else aside from multinational conglomerate pisswater (funny enough, the gas station has a better and more varied selection). Most of them are alright but tiresome, and the sheer quantity of them means that it's difficult to find them fresh, because the store is incentivized to keep its overstock on the shelves long after the beer is past its prime. Too many bandwagon-jumpers.

On the other hand, when they're done right they're amazing. Fiddlehead, The Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, and Schilling (Resilience) make great examples. I would hate to see those beers go away. Hill Farmstead and Schilling also make excellent lagers in an assortment of regional European styles. Both are real destination breweries. The only comparable place in MA was Tree House, another brewery somewhat unfairly defined by its flagship hazy IPA, that also makes an array of different styles and nails every one. 

We do get some good Canadian beers down here as well as stuff from Maine and NY state that fills in the gaps. The things I don't see around too much are English and Belgian styles, and big-alcohol barrel-aged beers. But it's basically Beervana. No complaints. Y'all should visit.

[SurgicalBrute]

Yeah...I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining by any means. Md definitely isn't lacking for options, and if I have a craving for a certain style I can almost always find a well done version on the shelf. It's more that between the pandemic, the popularity of Hazy IPAs, and alternatives to beer fighting for the same shelf space, I've noticed there are far less options for a given style available than there was about 5 or so years ago...especially for styles that aren't in fashion with the Instagram crowd.

Like, the brewers in North America are really good at making various types of IPA's and Stouts, so if I can't get Yeti from Great Divide anymore, it's disappointing but someone local probably makes something nearly as good. When it comes  to a lot of the classic European styles though, well we don't have 1000 years worth of experience making Belgian style ales like Trappist monks in Europe. With a few exceptions, our versions of those styles are just pale imitations. So when a beer like that gets crowded off the shelf because local brewery #256 puts out another Hazy or Sour or whatever, it becomes a lot harder to find a replacement. Thats kind of what I'm disappointed about  

EDIT: I get it though. Both breweries and liquor stores need to prioritize what's selling, so from a business standpoint I totally understand why things are the way they are right now

[navybsn]

As you can imagine, IPAs of all variations are prime movers in Sunny Florida. Beer menus are dominated by IPAs with various fruity additions. I do like the citrus variations (mango, orange, etc) as they tend to take the edge off the overbearing bitterness breweries tend to show as a badge of honor with the IPAs. We also tend to have a lot of Gose, Kolsch, and Pale ales. All fine, but I prefer beers I can't see through. So if it's too warm for a good stout, I want a black ale, scotch ale, or I will settle for a nice amber or honey brown. We've got a couple places here doing Czech style ales that are amazing, but you have to get them at the breweries. Will never see them on a shelf.

Again, not complaining. I have access to more quality beer than I could ever need, but it's a shame to see the commercially available craft beer market essentially turn into the domestic beer market it was a reaction to years ago. Lack of choice, same bland styles, just with added costs for the end user.

[AlSymerz]

You people are all what's wrong with beer in the modern day!!

 

[navybsn]

If it weren't for beer nerds like us, we'd all be stuck with 1980's piss domestic swill for choice. Maybe just Bud Light for us yanks and Fosters for you folks on the wrong side of the planet. Be grateful for beer nerds.

[AlSymerz]

Nah our chosen piss water has never been Fosters, we exported that shit out of the country for Yanks and Poms to drink and they all fell for it.

[AlSymerz]

This is what IPA drinkers in Australia look like. They used to be inner city dwellers but now they are spreading across the country and replacing the drinker in that picture GG's posted above.

And then for winter they convert to flannel and a ManBunie

[GoatmasterGeneral]

4 hours ago, navybsn said:

As you can imagine, IPAs of all variations are prime movers in Sunny Florida. Beer menus are dominated by IPAs with various fruity additions. I do like the citrus variations (mango, orange, etc) as they tend to take the edge off the overbearing bitterness breweries tend to show as a badge of honor with the IPAs. We also tend to have a lot of Gose, Kolsch, and Pale ales. All fine, but I prefer beers I can't see through. So if it's too warm for a good stout, I want a black ale, scotch ale, or I will settle for a nice amber or honey brown. We've got a couple places here doing Czech style ales that are amazing, but you have to get them at the breweries. Will never see them on a shelf.

Again, not complaining. I have access to more quality beer than I could ever need, but it's a shame to see the commercially available craft beer market essentially turn into the domestic beer market it was a reaction to years ago. Lack of choice, same bland styles, just with added costs for the end user.

"I prefer beers I can't see through. So if it's too warm for a good stout, I want a black ale, scotch ale, or I will settle for a nice amber or honey brown."  - Navy Goat Butcherer

Yes this. I remember when I was in the pubs of Australia and all their beers were piss colored. I didn't know wtf to order, had to ask Carlissimo which piss he was drinking. My go-to here at home has become the Yuengling black & tan, $15 for a 12-pack, an eastern PA beer available everywhere and anywhere around here. And if they don't have it on tap they'll have their lager which is almost as ubiquitous as Budweiser around these parts, just with a wee bit more flavor. Because I don't always want a heavy syrupy stout with my dinner or in the warmer months. I'll grab a 6 pack of Smitty's red ale now and then as well. I ordered one at the Irish Cottage one time several years ago with my shepherds pie and I really liked it. And yeah fuck a bunch of bitter IPA's, I honestly find it hard to believe people like that shit so much.

 

 

[FatherAlabaster]

15 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

"I prefer beers I can't see through. So if it's too warm for a good stout, I want a black ale, scotch ale, or I will settle for a nice amber or honey brown."  - Navy Goat Butcherer

Yes this. I remember when I was in the pubs of Australia and all their beers were piss colored. I didn't know wtf to order, had to ask Carlissimo which piss he was drinking. My go-to here at home has become the Yuengling black & tan, $15 for a 12-pack, an eastern PA beer available everywhere and anywhere around here. And if they don't have it on tap they'll have their lager which is almost as ubiquitous as Budweiser around these parts, just with a wee bit more flavor. Because I don't always want a heavy syrupy stout with my dinner or in the warmer months. I'll grab a 6 pack of Smitty's red ale now and then as well. I ordered one at the Irish Cottage one time several years ago with my shepherds pie and I really liked it. And yeah fuck a bunch of bitter IPA's, I honestly find it hard to believe people like that shit so much.

 

 

Both of these are swill in my book. They're better than Bud but that's not saying much. I can understand not liking IPAs, especially if you've never had a really good one as fresh as possible, or maybe if you're someone (like my wife) who finds hop bitterness disgusting. Even under good conditions the flavors can take a while to click. But unless you've tried the real deal, you don't know what you're missing.

I was burned out on the hazy ones until I lost my sense of smell to Covid the first time around. Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me. Lucky me, northern VT is the land of plenty.

[Thatguy]

2 hours ago, navybsn said:

f it weren't for beer nerds like us, we'd all be stuck with 1980's piss domestic swill for choice. Maybe just Bud Light for us yanks and Fosters for you folks on the wrong side of the planet. Be grateful for beer nerds.

So much beer, so little time. I do prefer a beer you can't see through too. As I write I'm thinking fondly of the time I spent in Belgium last year. Mrs Thatguy wanted to see Art Nouveau architecture and eat mussels and chocolate. I wanted beer. We were both happy.

If I were 30 years younger I would definitely cultivate a man bun and there's nothing wrong with that.

[AlSymerz]

I used to take stout to parties all the time in the 80's because it was the only shit that would still be left in the fridge at the end of the night. Even a piss head wouldn't drink sump oil.

[GoatmasterGeneral]

1 hour ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Both of these are swill in my book. They're better than Bud but that's not saying much. I can understand not liking IPAs, especially if you've never had a really good one as fresh as possible, or maybe if you're someone (like my wife) who finds hop bitterness disgusting. Even under good conditions the flavors can take a while to click. But unless you've tried the real deal, you don't know what you're missing.

I was burned out on the hazy ones until I lost my sense of smell to Covid the first time around. Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me. Lucky me, northern VT is the land of plenty.

Yes, it's that hoppy bitterness that I just can't stand. I think "disgusting" is about right. It's not like coffee that I can just put a teaspoon of sugar in to take the edge off. The only IPA I can remember ever truly enjoying was Firestone Walker's Union Jack. Tastes like grapefruit to me but after a couple I got used to it.

I understand that all these mass produced 5% beers are still "swill" and so I do still always keep some 11% stouts on hand because I do truly enjoy them. But with a meal or a warm summer evening sometimes I just want something a bit lighter, but not Bud-Coors-Miller-Corona-PBR level piss water swill, and the ever popular Heineken is probably the nastiest shit of them all.

And honestly the Founders KBS and Backwoods Bastard and Rasputin Imperial Stout and shit like that while quite tasty, costs $5.50 - $6 a fucking bottle here. Even the more reasonably pried stouts around here go for $4 - $5  per bottle anymore these days. Gone are the days when you can find a selection of 4-packs for $12.  Those shits are $18 and up now. I can't afford every single beer I crack open to cost me $6 a bottle like I'm at the club. That's a god damned black metal album download I could have bought FFS.

[Thatguy]

36 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Yes, it's that hoppy bitterness that I just can't stand.

Personal taste is personal taste, but you're wrong. Hoppy bitterness rules - as do Fen, Krallice and Aosoth.

[AlSymerz]

Wanting beer that tastes like fruit is like wanting bacon that tastes like ice cream.

 

[GoatmasterGeneral]

1 hour ago, Thatguy said:

Personal taste is personal taste, but you're wrong. Hoppy bitterness rules - as do Fen, Krallice and Aosoth.

If personal taste is wrong, I don't wanna be right. I wouldn't put Aosoth in the same category as Krallice and IPA. I'm not completely in love with them like so many of you prog guys seem to be, but they're not double hopped bitter Krallice level dogshit. I even bought one of their albums some years back, reckon that's gotta be a decade ago by now. 

 

58 minutes ago, AlSymerz said:

Wanting beer that tastes like fruit is like wanting bacon that tastes like ice cream.

Ah but bacon flavored ice cream is the bomb Holmes. The devil's in the details Victor Victoria.

Fried ice cream is a reality.

[RexKeltoi]

On 4/14/2024 at 8:39 PM, AlSymerz said:

In the 90's it used to cost us $10.50 to send a CD mailer or a t-shirt to the UK, $12 to the US and Canada.

Now days it's $14.30 to the UK and $13.55 to the US. Both are economy air travel and up to about 15 days delivery.

The same CD or shirt from a UK band/label ranges from about $25-35 (converted) and from $40 to about $90 (average) from the US. If I could buy the CD or t-shirt from Amazon like I used to it would be free postage.

 

I used to get decent merch from Amazon but lately the selection is shite, we have quite a few places in Canada that stock decent merch but nothing obscure unfortunately. My son got some cool tees from Futhark Records in Toronto, they have a ton of rare black metal releases in all formats, he got a CD of some obscure BM band from Costa Rica last time and the owner Klaus had some BM shirts he designed he grabbed too. House of Wo Fat has tees for $20, even a few in the discount section for $7, probably going to grab a few. 

3 hours ago, AlSymerz said:

I used to take stout to parties all the time in the 80's because it was the only shit that would still be left in the fridge at the end of the night. Even a piss head wouldn't drink sump oil.

Used that angle for a long time too, works like a charm until another Mick arrives which was not that often. 

On 4/14/2024 at 9:34 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Why so many brands? I could see in the big smoke, but out there in the bush I thought all you bogans just kept things simple and always drank VB & Jim Beam?

Never been able to find VB here in Canada, always wanted to try it 

On 4/14/2024 at 9:34 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Why so many brands? I could see in the big smoke, but out there in the bush I thought all you bogans just kept things simple and always drank VB & Jim Beam?

Never been able to find VB here in Canada, always wanted to try it 

On 4/14/2024 at 9:34 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Why so many brands? I could see in the big smoke, but out there in the bush I thought all you bogans just kept things simple and always drank VB & Jim Beam?

Never been able to find VB here in Canada, always wanted to try it 

[SurgicalBrute]

IPA's and Pale Ales aren't my chosen style, but I won't turn my nose up at them if that's what's available...and there has been the rare occasion, on a really hot day, when Ive absolutely craved one. My go-to styles in the summer months are typically brown ales, hefeweizans, or vienna lagers (though fuck Boston Lager, that stuff is ass). I've also picked up a taste for cream ales in the last couple of years. Love Scotch ales and Bocks, and I'll drink them all year around, but they can sit a bit heavy when you're eating a big meal, like at a family cook out.

3 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me.

Funny you say that because my understanding of hazy ipa's are that they're typically not very bitter. That was supposedly the reason for their popularity... they caught on with the more casual market who wanted to be seen drinking trendy beers, but didn't like the bitter taste of the west coast style.

1 hour ago, AlSymerz said:

Wanting beer that tastes like fruit is like wanting bacon that tastes like ice cream.

Not at all. I think you've got the idea that when people are talking about beer with a fruit flavor they're talking about it like it tastes like orange soda or something, but they're really talking about more of a subtle aftertaste that's similar to bitter fruits like grapefruit or the rind from an orange. Those are flavors that lends themselves very naturally to the bitter, kind of piny and floral flavors that comes from beer hops.

...also, I can get beer that tastes like bacon, so anything is possible 😁

[RexKeltoi]

On 4/14/2024 at 9:34 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Why so many brands? I could see in the big smoke, but out there in the bush I thought all you bogans just kept things simple and always drank VB & Jim Beam?

Never been able to find VB here in Canada, always wanted to try it. Bitter are my go to beers, my favourite used to be Tartan from Scotland, these days it is usually Abbott, Trooper, Lancaster Bomber or Spitfire. I tried one from a New York brewery War of 1812 bitter ale it was mighty tasty.   

[SurgicalBrute]

Bro...are you having a stroke. you've said that like 3 times now 😆

[Thatguy]

52 minutes ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Bro...are you having a stroke. you've said that like 3 times now 😆

Or he's found the VB...which is piss by the way.

1 hour ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Fried ice cream is a reality.

True, and is Thatguy approved.

But fruit flavoured beer is not beer. It's just nasty.

[AlSymerz]

1 hour ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Not at all. I think you've got the idea that when people are talking about beer with a fruit flavor they're talking about it like it tastes like orange soda or something, but they're really talking about more of a subtle aftertaste that's similar to bitter fruits like grapefruit or the rind from an orange. Those are flavors that lends themselves very naturally to the bitter, kind of piny and floral flavors that comes from beer hops.

...also, I can get beer that tastes like bacon, so anything is possible 😁

Beer should taste like beer not a fruit bowl.

 

1 hour ago, RexKeltoi said:

Never been able to find VB here in Canada, always wanted to try it. Bitter are my go to beers, my favourite used to be Tartan from Scotland, these days it is usually Abbott, Trooper, Lancaster Bomber or Spitfire. I tried one from a New York brewery War of 1812 bitter ale it was mighty tasty.   

It's nothing special, a little more bitter than the other piss water we produce but still beer. But at least it doesn't taste like a fruit salad.

[SurgicalBrute]

>Brewers in Belgium using recipes crafted and honed over hundreds of years - "Our beers are malt forward, mildly bitter, with some noticeable dark fruit flavors"

>Some dude in Australia who thinks beer is a synonym for yellow, fizzy water - "Beer should taste like beer, not a fruit bowl"

Well, I'm convinced

[AlSymerz]

Some people are easily convinced