The Beer Thread

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opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
So what is up with Utah, it makes no sense to me that great beers are coming out of the mormon state. I've had Epic Brewing's Imperial IPA, Uintas Brewing Company's Dubhe Imperial Black IPA and Squatters Brewery's Hop Rising. All of them "5 stars on Untapped" worthy. Also all of them over 9% ABV, are they even allowed to sell these in their home state?
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
The Double Black was the best beer I had in Vegas, which included a craft beer trade show with beers from across the country.
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
In other news, InBev just launched its latest salvo against craft beer,predetory pricingloss leader pricing:Beervana Buzz: Anheuser-Busch's Latest Counteroffensive: Pricing

It seems AB distributors in parts of Oregon and Washington (the reach of the campaign is uncertain) have issued updated price lists containing massive price drops on the Shock Top and Goose Island brands. Kegs that were previously selling to retailers for about $110 per half barrel will now be priced at $56. That's not a misprint. No word on pricing for packaged versions of those beers.

Inquiring minds may ask what AB is up to. Well, it appears they will attempt to use loss leader pricing to gain control of tap handles wherever possible. The low hanging fruit likely includes meat markets where the clientele often likes to drink a lot on the cheap. Buffalo Wild Wings and Blitz come instantly to mind, but they aren't alone. These joints could offer $3 pints of Shock Top or Goose Island around the clock and still make money.

What we clearly won't see is Shock Top or Goose Island taking over any handles at aficionado spots like Belmont Station, Saraveza or BeerMongers. Fat chance. The buyers in those bars would rather have their blood drained by vampires than serve charlatan craft brands to customers.
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Ao-

Ao-

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
<WoW Guild Officer>
7,879
507
I'd drink matilda constantly if I could find someplace that had it on regularly (and the lines were clean).
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
I would not drink beer from a mega-corporation that is purposely selling said beer at a loss on purpose in order to kill competition to regain the market share it has been losing based on quality, no matter how good said beer was. Mainly because I do not for one second trust mega-corporation to continue to produce and sell said quality beer once it has regained the market share it once enjoyed.

I should note that I think this whole issue is more of an indictment on the three tier system more than anything. InBev is manipulating the outdated system in order to artificially manipulate and regain the market share they have lost to craft beer on the basis of product merit.
 
kudos

kudos

<Banned>
2,363
695
The problem for them is that craft beer drinkers are already accustomed to paying more for their beverage of choice. All this will do is get more people into craft beer for cheap and then they will branch out like they all do.

The only goose island that will be cheap is the stuff not brewed in Illinois like honkers ale.
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
It's not the drinkers they are targeting, it is the tap space. Uneducated business owners will see $56 for a macro "craft" keg or $145 for your typical craft keg, see some dollar signs and buy the cheap-o keg. You favorite beer hotspots probably won't fall for such nonsense but places like stadiums, large chain restaurants or other corporate entities that don't understand craft beer culture and/or typically only offer a token craft beer or two in their tap lineup.

Really probably won't (immediately) affect you favorite local beers either. The impact will felt by MillerCoors own sudo-craft line (Blue Moon) who may have to engage in a price-war to keep their tap space, and also by the larger craft brewers such as Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and New Belgium who currently occupy the token-craft-beer tap space at the places that don't offer large beer selections.

You are correct that beers like Blue Moon can act as gateway beers to introduce people to the craft beer world, which is why I typically don't begrudge them to much. But make no mistake, while MillerCoors has been actively trying to expand their craft beer line, InBev is still much more interested in collapsing that market.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
20,620
14,359
opiate82_sl said:
It's not the drinkers they are targeting, it is the tap space. Uneducated business owners will see $56 for a macro "craft" keg or $145 for your typical craft keg, see some dollar signs and buy the cheap-o keg. You favorite beer hotspots probably won't fall for such nonsense but places like stadiums, large chain restaurants or other corporate entities that don't understand craft beer culture and/or typically only offer a token craft beer or two in their tap lineup.

Really probably won't (immediately) affect you favorite local beers either. The impact will felt by MillerCoors own sudo-craft line (Blue Moon) who may have to engage in a price-war to keep their tap space, and also by the larger craft brewers such as Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and New Belgium who currently occupy the token-craft-beer tap space at the places that don't offer large beer selections.

You are correct that beers like Blue Moon can act as gateway beers to introduce people to the craft beer world, which is why I typically don't begrudge them to much. But make no mistake, while MillerCoors has been actively trying to expand their craft beer line, InBev is still much more interested in collapsing that market.
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In other words, places that never have actual craft beer on tap will now also have some goose island on tap. Big deal.
 
Alex

Alex

Still a Music Elitist
14,720
7,539
I don't see a big deal with this. Places that wouldn't serve good beers - the places where Stella is their only premium beer - will be willing to buy kegs of beers the normally wouldn't have.
 
B

Burnesto

Molten Core Raider
2,142
126
21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon tastes like summer in your mouth. I was pretty hammered while drinking it. So I'll have to go back for a sober tasting. It was really great though, from what I recall.
 
Alex

Alex

Still a Music Elitist
14,720
7,539
Hell or High Watermelon must be ice cold to be enjoyable. Any warmer and it's disgusting. It's a solid summer brew though.
 
kudos

kudos

<Banned>
2,363
695
I don't usually like Dogfish Head beers but 90 minute IPA is really hitting the spot right now. One of the best aftertastes of any beer I know of. People say they get citrus in it but I don't at all which is usually a negative for me when it comes to IPA's. The price is too high for a regular buy but it's a nice treat. It reminds me of an american strong ale.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
20,620
14,359
I dislike most of what Dogfishhead puts out. They go way over the top with their beers. The one exception being their IPAs, it's what made them famous for good reason.

I just cracked a Heavy Seas Siren Noire I've been aging for 3 years. Delicious.
 
Soygen

Soygen

The Dirty Dozen For the Price of One
<Nazi Janitors>
28,527
45,041
So where does Duvel land for you beer snobs? I just recently started perusing the huge beer aisle in Total Wine and having tried Duvel at a restaurant recently(and loved it), I picked up a few 750ml bottles for the weekend. What are some similar ones?
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
20,620
14,359
Duvel is a great beer. Other similar ones are Goose Island's Matilda (which is also good despite some people hating on InBev here), Delirium Tremens and Southampton Grand Cru. It's a Belgian Strong Ale, which is not a hugely popular style so it could be difficult to find a variety of them.
 
Ao-

Ao-

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
<WoW Guild Officer>
7,879
507
Soygen_sl said:
So where does Duvel land for you beer snobs? I just recently started perusing the huge beer aisle in Total Wine and having tried Duvel at a restaurant recently(and loved it), I picked up a few 750ml bottles for the weekend. What are some similar ones?
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They're good, and I think with their acquisition of Boulevard, the brand should spread quite a bit.
 
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