14 thoughts on “All In The Timing

  1. That article is over a year old. That said, I dislike IPA’s and many PA’s as too bitter. Wheats, Belgium’s and some stouts are much better flavor profiles, imo.

  2. One of the things that has been taken away from us is our ability to choose what we like without someone going into a rage spiral (amplified by the internet).
    For example – on certain occasions I happen to like Bud. Ice cold. In a bottle. This doesn’t mean I don’t like IPA’s. It’s just that sometimes I prefer it. I have fond memories of drinking it as part of some of the best times in my life.
    But be around someone in the craft brew cult and order one. The rage that one could possibly drink “Clydesdale Piss” is close to a Marxist-Lesbian-Black Studies triple major’s reaction to hearing Rush Limbaugh is coming to speak at Macalester’s Diversity Conference.
    When this craft beer cult started, I had a feeling they would turn it into a similar cult as wine purists – where people would pay $100.00 for a can of beer and wait in line overnight for it. Then to demonstrate that they are not ‘teh’ stupid ones for dropping a century note on a can of this decades snake oil, rank on anyone who doesn’t share their preference.
    You like bitter beer? Great! Drink it! Leave me alone and I’ll drink what I like – it might be an ale, or a stout, or a pilsner. Or a light American lager. Like Bud.

  3. The craft beer scene in Minnesota has really evolved since Surly first opened their doors, and I think it’s to the better. Northgate Brewing focuses on English style beers that are decidedly un-hoppy. And Boom Island focuses on Belgian style – again, not much in the way of hops. Hops can be used to cover up a bunch of flaws, which is why many breweries start out with something really hoppy.

    While there can be some snobbery associated it, I think many are just happy to be able to purchase something locally made – and not part of the behemoths that control over 90% of the market nationally.

  4. Give me hops or give me death. -Patrick Henry
    My only change to that would be that during the summer, I like some sweet with my bitter. Unfortunately Big Sky Summer Honey hasn’t been available locally for the last few summers. Also, Red Hook discontinued their Sun Rye. Both were part of my summer beer rotation.

  5. Shaking,

    Don’t get me wrong. I love craft beer. The better the beer, the better I like it. I didn’t start drinking until I went to Europe, so I never developed a taste for American mass-market beer. People can even call me a “snob” if they want; with beer and beer alone, I’m OK with that.

    And I love Surly, and wish them (and all the other local craft and small/mid-market brewers) all the success in the world.

    But you’re right – hops disguise a lot of mistakes. When you get a beginner’s brewing kit, the first recipe you get is an IPA, IIRC.

    I bring it up because some of Surly’s most famous varieties are hop bombs.

    Good hop bombs – but hop bombs nonetheless…

  6. Coffee, wine, beer, food,etc, etc…seen the snobbery in all of them. But this last summer I took a bourbon tour and tasting and the guide (who knew all the players and has tasted all the top stuff) summed it up nicely.
    Drink what you like.

  7. I love the flavor of all the Surlies…and have yet to finish a pint of any of them. I’m so full by about the half-way mark I don’t feel like drinking any more – and I’m an ale-lover. I can drink two pints of Guiness, no problem, even if a pencil is standing up in the middle of the head. With a Surly I feel like I need a knife and fork to consume it.

    And come summer-time, my favorite beer is a Lake Superior Brewing Co Kayak-Krolsch.

  8. Drink what you like.

    I used to go out with a wine importer. And when it came to wine snobbery (an affectation she was more qualified than 99.999% of the population to practice), she said “good wine is the wine you enjoy drinking, whether it’s $2 or $200 a bottle”.

  9. You can overdo anything, but all things considered, beer without hops is just a lousy soda. Belgians have their place in cold weather, but on a hot day after much physical exertion they just aren’t as refreshing as a good IPA.

    […]“good wine is the wine you enjoy drinking, whether it’s $2 or $200 a bottle”.

    I’ve never had a bottle of wine over $100 that couldn’t be beaten by one for less than $50. You just have to know what wines to go to if you want better inexpensive wines.

  10. “good wine is the wine you enjoy drinking, whether it’s $2 or $200 a bottle”.
    Ridiculous. If true, that means that Bud is a good beer because so many people enjoy drinking it. If this definition is correct, their is no “bad” beer or wine, just beer or wine you don’t like drinking.
    Take it one step further and the crappiest pop ballad is better poetry than “Paradise Lost”, because more people listen to and enjoy Madonna than read Milton.

  11. I can go with what Mitch says,to a point. If someone enjoys the flavor of the proverbial “two buck chuck” or mass produced beer over $200 wine (which I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted) or Hopslam, that’s fine, but there comes a point when a product is cheapened so much it’s just plain unhealthy. And there’s also a place for acquired tastes.

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