Have Our Expectations Changed?

[Michael]

Interesting article in how Sierra Nevada may have been on the cusp of craft brewing in the US.
http://www.chow.com/stories/11977

[JR]

Interesting to read.

I got all excited because I could try Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at Tonic the other week - the American with me was unimpressed "we can buy that stuff at the gas station" was all he had to say. I enjoyed it.

I am a bit guilty of wanting to try something new every time though...I dont buy much emersons anymore (apart from the brewers reserve when it changes and pilsner for the wife) because I have tried them all... I'm always after something I haven't tried if I can get my hands on it.

[Stu McKinlay]

Thanks Michael. A very interesting story... and quite timely. I was just talking to a couple of people yesterday about my experience as a beer drinker. I hunt out everything, like most of the other people I know, but it is the subtle beers like Townshend's Catchcarts NTA and NZNBC's Deliverance Dortmunder that really float my boat - these are beers with a hell of a lot of thought behind them, a lot of passion, a knowledge of history and the landscape of beer. I really pity the kind of 'google' guys mentioned in that article... they're not beer lovers, they're like travellers who go somewhere just to say they've been.

[Michael]

I know where you are coming from. I have travelled to a number of places, and met the kind of people you are talking about.

A large part of this seems to be that people have tasted the extremes where brewers have pushed the envelopes, such as SNPA did in the US. Whilst it is probably a great idea to push the envelope, there is something to be said for really understanding the ingredients, and understanding how they can balance with each other.

Wanting to experience extremes can never compete with a pure passion. In the computer world, this can equate to one who wants the latest fastest computer n the market against someone who knows his system so well, he can get a 486 to do efficiently what a newbie does with a dual core 3.6 ghz system with broadband and a 50" monitor..



One can

[Nolen Smith]

Really interesting story, thanks for sharing the link, Michael. I personally rank SNPA as one of my favorite all time beers. Growing up in Arkansas, we pretty much only had the choice of Bud or Bud Light when I first came of drinking age. The first time I remember seeing SNPA in a bottle store in Little Rock was on one of my many trips back in around 2002!

The two 'Google geeks' aren't real beer lovers, just trend followers. You see it often in the States when 'something' becomes popular. When I was last living there in the mid '90's, it was the cigar craze. All of a sudden you had young guys trying to look cool smoking expensive cigars and talking a lot of sh*t about maduro wrappers, cuban seed tobacco, etc. These two guys will ride the wave of craft beer until something else comes along.

While a 'revolution' in US brewing has truly taken place, there is an element of a trend that won't last. Many of the 'new' breweries will be around for a long time to come: Dogfish Head, Rogue, etc, etc; but there will be a consolidation/loss of many of the smaller, boutique breweries making some of the brews like the "coconut and macadamia nut porter". It could be 2 years or 10 years, but the curve will begin to turn downwards.... IMHO.

[Michael]

It seems people surf the 'new thing' all of the time. I remember when I was a kid, we used to surf a lot in Hawaii. All of a sudden, surfing became cool on the East Coast US, and everyone acted like they were a surfer, and tried to talk like them, and act like them.

In the beer world it seems best to try some beers, and take the time to learn the style, and how the ingredients work together. Learn why a SNPA is better than a Budweiser, or why a Emersons is better than a Tui. Over time, one will find what he likes, and will eventually learn why he likes it.

[Stu McKinlay]

Amen.