Are hipsters ruining craft beer?

[EthanH]

However, along come Hipsters who appear to be glorifying failure by intentionally creating hazy beer.

I don't mind the hazy IPAs and have no opinion about hipsters ruining craft beer...

...but I love the hell out of this quote.

 

[Pablo 54]

...... Yuengling here is commonplace and more middle of the road than high end. Never saw the fascination with it. Its just lager beer with carmel color added. Something different every once in a while, I guess.

I used to go to Pittsburgh quite often. Same feeling for Yuengling. Nice beer for parties, particularly in the summer but not my go to. I did enjoy the Duquensne Pilsener. Had a few friends tell me it was the Pittsburgh version of Old Mil. I disagreed.

 

[Toxxyc]

Huh, this thread is old already. Must be only getting to my country now. Anyway, our hipsters don't really ruin our beers, but they do make for weird stuff being made. I mean, a fake as plastic cherry ale that REEKS of flavouring and plain pale ale is just sad, yet it's a super popular beer right now. Bummer.

I will keep enjoying my favourite styles as I always have. No funny names, just good beer.

 

[Pablo 54]

Enjoyed reading this post from beginning to end.

Started brewing in '99 but stopped in '03 - life got in the way. Picked it back up in 2014 for the sole reason of duplicating German and Czech beers (plus an odd Cream Ale or two).
I've made exactly 2 IPA's in 7 years. Hated them both but my IPA loving relatives drank them up. Thought they were fantastic. Had tears in my eyes when I added the 3rd through 8th hop additions. Just not my cup of tea.

I do get quizzical looks from friends and family when I open up my fridge and they see some macro brews. I'm just not interested in attempting to replicate a light beer but I do enjoy them.

 

[Shropshire Lad]

Craft beer is over-priced and too fancy for my liking - it’s generally fancy for the sake of being fancy. If people like it and want to pay through their nose for it to have a “new” experience then so be it, it’s their free choice. However, it’s my free choice to stick to something more traditional which doesn’t mean that I don’t support small breweries which produce great beer; I always ask for a “local” beer when I’m away from home. In the UK there are some excellent West Country, Kent and Sussex, East Anglian, Yorkshire and Scottish breweries (and I guess a lot more besides - one in Burnley for example) which produce wonderful beers but I don’t regard them as “Craft” breweries. It’s the fancy ones I stay away from.

 

[superiorsat]

IMO that's a complete contradiction - i'm with NotSure that West Coast is defined by being clear. The brewery may be referencing the hop profile in the name - but that's like talking about genuine imitation naugahyde...

I also agree West coast is clear and crisp. Just pointing out a description that is out there now and the over the edge part was referencing this quote.

If I hear "juicy" one more time in a beer description, I'm going to lose it.

Just gotta roll with the lingo and styles if they become official. Life is too short for me to sweat the small stuff I can't change anyway.

 

[bwible]

I do get quizzical looks from friends and family when I open up my fridge and they see some macro brews. I'm just not interested in attempting to replicate a light beer but I do enjoy them.

Nothing wrong with some macro brews. Somewhere this belief got started that homebrewers only brew because they can’t stand the “swill” that the big companies produce. Yet those big companies are multi- billion dollar enterprises for a reason.

I keep Miller High Life on hand year round. I also keep Michelob Ultra on hand for my wife when she occasionally wants a beer because she doesn’t want the carbs. During the summer, Landshark is one of my go to beers. I don’t care who else likes them or doesn’t like them. If you don’t like them you don’t have to buy them or drink them.

 

[MaxStout]

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[Pablo 54]

Nothing wrong with some macro brews. Somewhere this belief got started that homebrewers only brew because they can’t stand the “swill” that the big companies produce. Yet those big companies are multi- billion dollar enterprises for a reason.

I keep Miller High Life on hand year round. I also keep Michelob Ultra on hand for my wife when she occasionally wants a beer because she doesn’t want the carbs. During the summer, Landshark is one of my go to beers. I don’t care who else likes them or doesn’t like them. If you don’t like them you don’t have to buy them or drink them.

The Champagne of Beers.

 

[MaxStout]

Nothing wrong with some macro brews. Somewhere this belief got started that homebrewers only brew because they can’t stand the “swill” that the big companies produce. Yet those big companies are multi- billion dollar enterprises for a reason.

I keep Miller High Life on hand year round. I also keep Michelob Ultra on hand for my wife when she occasionally wants a beer because she doesn’t want the carbs. During the summer, Landshark is one of my go to beers. I don’t care who else likes them or doesn’t like them. If you don’t like them you don’t have to buy them or drink them.

If I go to a bar that doesn't have any craft brew (yeah, still some of them around), I order High Life in a bottle. It's not shabby for a macro.

 

[odie]

thank god the hipsters have moved on to seltzers...

 

[NotSure]

If I go to a bar that doesn't have any craft brew (yeah, still some of them around), I order High Life in a bottle. It's not shabby for a macro.

Yes, some macros are OK, but I admittedly have trouble with the ones in clear bottles, which I think High Life is one of them. I may be mistaken though.

Cool Zappa quote on your signature btw. I have a postcard from the Föroya Bjór brewery in The Faroe Islands with the same quote. I'm fairly sure they do not have any nukes though, but they do have a football team and a beer.

 

[MaxStout]

Yes, some macros are OK, but I admittedly have trouble with the ones in clear bottles, which I think High Life is one of them. I may be mistaken though.

Cool Zappa quote on your signature btw. I have a postcard from the Föroya Bjór brewery in The Faroe Islands with the same quote. I'm fairly sure they do not have any nukes though, but they do have a football team and a beer.

IIRC, Miller uses a hop extract that has the skunk precursors removed, so light doesn't affect it much.

BIG Zappa fan. Saw him twice in concert in the early '80s.
Miss that guy.

 

[Nagorg]

If I go to a bar that doesn't have any craft brew (yeah, still some of them around), I order High Life in a bottle. It's not shabby for a macro.

When I find myself in that predicament, I typically order bourbon on a rock! I'll drink the BMC stuff if there's no other choice but I dont really enjoy them... At least not until after 4 or 5 of them anyway...

 

[Nubiwan]

Nothing wrong with some macro brews. Somewhere this belief got started that homebrewers only brew because they can’t stand the “swill” that the big companies produce. Yet those big companies are multi- billion dollar enterprises for a reason.

I keep Miller High Life on hand year round. I also keep Michelob Ultra on hand for my wife when she occasionally wants a beer because she doesn’t want the carbs. During the summer, Landshark is one of my go to beers. I don’t care who else likes them or doesn’t like them. If you don’t like them you don’t have to buy them or drink them.

Agreed! Thought I dont drink Miller anything. Wife does the Michelob though. Nice and light that.

Loads of different beers I like, often producing hefty bar tabs that simply raise my eyebrows, especially when I know what beer actually cost me to make myself. Still, I love trying new and existing beers at pubs, brew pubs, craft brewers too. Always draught, if available. Especially so, when out of town, or out for a meal. Was in Quebec Canada last week, and had some pretty fine local beer. For me at least, just great seeing what different flavours can be achieved within the same style.

I am adamant the same draught beer (even the big commercials - Guinness/Heineken would be good examples) can taste different in several establishments simply on how it is presented at the tap. Makes much of the stuff we read on forums about how to make beer - particularly process consistency - a little ridiculous at times. So many ways to screw up a decent pint even on delivery. Yet we read don't let your mash temp hover 2 degrees. Makes me smirk.

When buying beer of any kind, I still stick to the tried and trusted/traditional Ale styles. Regular Ale, Lagers, IPA, Pales, Ambers, perhaps a stout here and there. Avoid "cocktail" beers like the plague. Sure, it's all nice for the industry, but leave the fruits and veggies in the salad is where I am at. Used to like a Lager and Lime back in the UK all the same. Always considered a ladies' drink.

 

[bwible]

I am very old school when it comes to beer, and that kind of makes me an odd ball in homebrew clubs and brewing circles. I’m not a Belgian beer guy. I’m not a sour, lactic beer guy. I’m not a hazy beer guy. I’m not a pastry beer guy. So I find myself running out of “accepted” styles to brew. I’m trying some new things and I am able to unlock some lager categories now that I could never do before.

The brewing world seems to have gone crazy though in recent years, much like the real world - where up is down, north is south, good is bad, and men are women.

We’re in a place now where people are making cloudy turbid beers that look like a glass of orange juice or the sludge I pour out of the bottom of my fermenter. And are making sour beers with intentionally introduced spoilage organisms. They use terms like “horse blanket aroma” as if thats a good thing. All the while bad-mouthing multi-billion dollar corporations who make and sell billions of barrels of clean beer a year. That part I never got.

There are actually things now called Imperial Mild and Blonde Stout if you can believe that.

Homebrewers are a creative lot in general. So many ideas. We’ve seen the posts on here from people who want to put actual waffles in a mash and make waffle beer, or who want to mash Coco Puffs. It gets bizarre at times.

I think there is some wisdom in knowing that just because you CAN do something doesn’t always mean you should. Like the real world, the brewing world needs to get some sense back.

 

[Toxxyc]

I know a guy who used marshmallows, chocolate and bourbon to make a 12% ABV monster stout with those flavours present. I can't say I'll brew it, but I'll try it if it's offered.

Personally I like a few more basic styles of beer, and while I love to try weird and odd things (my wife told me over the weekend that I should stop trying to eat everything I come across), I'm not sure I'll try my hand at making a lot of it for a keg at home.

 

[squibload]

I had this a few years ago. Mighty delicious. Maybe I can find a clone recipe.

I'll try almost any stout, had this at their brewpub on Valentia St, tasty, good balance. Not really spicy but gives a warm feeling after you swallow it. Small friendly neighborhood bar kinda place.

There are actually things now called Imperial Mild and Blonde Stout if you can believe that.

Yeah I tried a Dragon's Milk, didn't realize it was a white stout (canned), didn't know there was such a thing. It was pretty good, better be good though, I kinda remember it was $11/ 6-pack. Splurged, I deserve it once in a while.