Just kidding - wanted to get your attention:
It's great for all of us that the quality and character of beers has gone through the roof. But there is a down side to the 'race to the top' as brewers chase increasingly bigger beers.
Let me start by saying that I'm not worried about the people on this site. We are all students of beer and therefore better prepared for the new beer frontier.
That being said, I know a ton of folks who also love beer but do not take the time to learn about beer. Many times I see them drinking beers that are much larger than they are used to, and getting themselves into trouble because of it. As craft brewers get better at their craft, the big beers become more and more drinkable. Time was when you drank an 8% beer, you immediately knew you were drinking an 8% beer. But as anyone who has had a Pliny can attest, high ABV beers are no longer the punch in the face they once were. This is a great thing for beer lovers, provided they know what they are getting themselves into.
My brother owns a bar with 32 beautiful beers on tap. He goes out of his way to bring his patrons the newest and most interesting beers out there. As a result, lots of folks come to his pub to discover new beers. This is great for craft beer and the craft beer loving public, but it also means that folks are not developing the relationships they once had with their favorite pints. I know my Guinness so I know my limits. I can't say the same about the latest offering from Stone or Surly. The math gets foggier as I jump from pint to pint trying what's new on tap. Trouble is a brewin'.
I'd love to see the craft beer and bar and restaurant industry get ahead of what could be a burgeoning problem. I'd love to see them adopt voluntary guidelines to ensure that beer lovers are more aware of the beers they are loving. I would like to suggest a simple first step: I'd like to see all draft beers over 7.5% dispensed in 12oz glasses (instead of pints or imperial pints). This would tell anyone ordering the beer that they're onto something bigger than a Bud Light. It would also slow down the folks who like the new beers, but haven't had a chance to get to know them.
What do you guys think? Would you support some sort of voluntary limit on big beers.
It's great for all of us that the quality and character of beers has gone through the roof. But there is a down side to the 'race to the top' as brewers chase increasingly bigger beers.
Let me start by saying that I'm not worried about the people on this site. We are all students of beer and therefore better prepared for the new beer frontier.
That being said, I know a ton of folks who also love beer but do not take the time to learn about beer. Many times I see them drinking beers that are much larger than they are used to, and getting themselves into trouble because of it. As craft brewers get better at their craft, the big beers become more and more drinkable. Time was when you drank an 8% beer, you immediately knew you were drinking an 8% beer. But as anyone who has had a Pliny can attest, high ABV beers are no longer the punch in the face they once were. This is a great thing for beer lovers, provided they know what they are getting themselves into.
My brother owns a bar with 32 beautiful beers on tap. He goes out of his way to bring his patrons the newest and most interesting beers out there. As a result, lots of folks come to his pub to discover new beers. This is great for craft beer and the craft beer loving public, but it also means that folks are not developing the relationships they once had with their favorite pints. I know my Guinness so I know my limits. I can't say the same about the latest offering from Stone or Surly. The math gets foggier as I jump from pint to pint trying what's new on tap. Trouble is a brewin'.
I'd love to see the craft beer and bar and restaurant industry get ahead of what could be a burgeoning problem. I'd love to see them adopt voluntary guidelines to ensure that beer lovers are more aware of the beers they are loving. I would like to suggest a simple first step: I'd like to see all draft beers over 7.5% dispensed in 12oz glasses (instead of pints or imperial pints). This would tell anyone ordering the beer that they're onto something bigger than a Bud Light. It would also slow down the folks who like the new beers, but haven't had a chance to get to know them.
What do you guys think? Would you support some sort of voluntary limit on big beers.