Author Topic: The Beer Thread  (Read 3181453 times)

Space Freely

  • Member
  • Posts: 9933
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10815 on: November 10, 2021, 05:19:58 pm »
in case you haven't heard yet:

Bell's Brewery to be sold to New Belgium Brewing's parent company as founder retires

I've drank one bottle of a Bell's beer during the pandemic...a Double Two Hearted...and it was absolutely terrible.

I've drank zero New Belgium beers by choice in the past seven years and probably a handful of two hearted ales. This news means nothing!

I'd still happily drink a La Folie or Le Teroir from New Belgium. Seems like New Belgium itself plays no role in the story, it's just easier to get readers if they mention New Belgium instead of Lion.

StoneTheCrow

  • Member
  • Posts: 2297
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10816 on: November 10, 2021, 05:44:38 pm »
I’ll happily drink a bottle Two Hearted. Can’t comment on the double but the regular is fine.

Will likely visit New Belgium in Asheville on Friday. Won’t be the best beers of the trip but I understand the spot is top notch.

Yada

  • Member
  • Posts: 11537
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10817 on: November 10, 2021, 06:21:19 pm »
I’ll happily drink a bottle Two Hearted. Can’t comment on the double but the regular is fine.

Will likely visit New Belgium in Asheville on Friday. Won’t be the best beers of the trip but I understand the spot is top notch.

I don't dislike Two Hearted (and actually had it somewhere recently, but I can't recall where), I just don't buy it.

Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10818 on: November 10, 2021, 06:23:03 pm »
The Asheville NB location is fabulous
They always have some interesting stuff
slack

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10819 on: November 10, 2021, 06:55:34 pm »
i think the change in the craft brewing scene is fascinating.  nowadays we're all excited about small local craft breweries, and the bigger older boys (bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc) are of limited to no interest to us.  they're now being bought out.

roll the calendar back 15 years, and beer nerds were all excited about bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc... is this just a cycle?  will history repeat itself: in 15 year, will aslin buy out your favorite micro-mini-brewery (makes 2 to 3 kegs a year), long after the next generation of beer nerds have stopped caring about aslin?
<sig>

Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI

  • Member
  • Posts: 28463
  • 11x MVP, 1st Posts, HoF, Certified Weblebrity
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10820 on: November 10, 2021, 07:07:40 pm »
roll the calendar back 15 years, and beer nerds were all excited about bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc... is this just a cycle?  will history repeat itself: in 15 year, will aslin buy out your favorite micro-mini-brewery (makes 2 to 3 kegs a year), long after the next generation of beer nerds have stopped caring about aslin?
Yes. That this is surprising to you shocks me.
LVMH

Yada

  • Member
  • Posts: 11537
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10821 on: November 10, 2021, 07:22:38 pm »
i think the change in the craft brewing scene is fascinating.  nowadays we're all excited about small local craft breweries, and the bigger older boys (bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc) are of limited to no interest to us.  they're now being bought out.

roll the calendar back 15 years, and beer nerds were all excited about bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc... is this just a cycle?  will history repeat itself: in 15 year, will aslin buy out your favorite micro-mini-brewery (makes 2 to 3 kegs a year), long after the next generation of beer nerds have stopped caring about aslin?

I don't know anyone that cares about aslin in present day tbh.

Space Freely

  • Member
  • Posts: 9933
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10822 on: November 10, 2021, 07:23:31 pm »
i think the change in the craft brewing scene is fascinating.  nowadays we're all excited about small local craft breweries, and the bigger older boys (bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc) are of limited to no interest to us.  they're now being bought out.

roll the calendar back 15 years, and beer nerds were all excited about bell's, stone, lagunitas, goose island, etc... is this just a cycle?  will history repeat itself: in 15 year, will aslin buy out your favorite micro-mini-brewery (makes 2 to 3 kegs a year), long after the next generation of beer nerds have stopped caring about aslin?

Who still drinks Aslin?

None of the breweries you mention have produced anything new and good in years. Have they? And some of them have abandoned stuff that made them good in the first place, or have been surpassed by others.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2021, 07:26:30 pm by Space Freely »

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10823 on: November 10, 2021, 07:44:15 pm »
I don't know anyone that cares about aslin in present day tbh.

fair enough.  reminder: i'm 5 years removed from the  DC/VA/MD beer scene, so i don't know who the new hotness is (and i feared the blowback of proposing sapwood...).  aslin was a stand-in for whatever small brewery is blowing up, locally.
<sig>

Starsky

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10824 on: November 10, 2021, 07:56:38 pm »
God beer snobbery… so ridiculous

I loved this brewery but now that others discovered it and it’s become popular “I don’t know anybody who drinks ____!”


Pitiful

Space Freely

  • Member
  • Posts: 9933
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10825 on: November 10, 2021, 08:12:35 pm »
I don't know anyone that cares about aslin in present day tbh.

fair enough.  reminder: i'm 5 years removed from the  DC/VA/MD beer scene, so i don't know who the new hotness is (and i feared the blowback of proposing sapwood...).  aslin was a stand-in for whatever small brewery is blowing up, locally.

In the case of Aslin, it's not really snobbery. When they started, they made amazing hazies. They blew up and expanded and started a much larger location in Alexandria, and the quality of their beer just went way down. Sometimes you can't duplicate the quality of your beer on a larger scale. Add that to the fact that they don't put canning dates on any of their product that no longer sells out quickly, and you have no idea how fresh the beer is. Sad, really. I'd love for them to be the amazing brewery they once were, but they're just not.

They've also gotten into the lager game, but none that I've had were any better than decent.

*Note, their barrel aging program is supposed to be top notch, but I don't have 35 bucks to pay for a pint bottle of Barrel Aged peanut butter stout. I just don't like stouts that much.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2021, 08:14:57 pm by Space Freely »

Starsky

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10826 on: November 10, 2021, 08:14:07 pm »
Shoooore

Yada

  • Member
  • Posts: 11537
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10827 on: November 10, 2021, 08:21:54 pm »
I admittedly stopped trying to keep up with hype brews at this point almost three years ago (for a plethora of reasons, primarily my waistline). I think bottom line, there is just way too much good beer absolutely everywhere you go and no reason at all to buy below average beer…. Anywhere. Whether it’s the local hype train brewery that has gone to shit or a conglomerate that hasn’t put out a good beer in a decade, just too many good choices. I think the “big” breweries will always be around, but I can’t imagine the present day boom breweries (let’s say the last five years) ever getting to a point where they’re buying other nano breweries. I think more and more will just close.

A few random examples… In Vermont with a fellow forum legend a few weeks ago, a deli in Stowe had the following beers terding it up in a cooler: Heady Topper, Sip of Sunshine, multiple beers from Foam, Frost, Titled Barn, and at least another dozen house hold high end breweries. A mere five years ago in the same exact location, I was on a wild goose chase at 6am following a heady topper truck around town.

Additionally, two beer stores within one mile of my house in MoCo have Aslin, Other Half, Commonwealth, and any other brewery within a 40 mile radius that distributes in the area.

I’m not sure what the point of this story is, but long story short, just too much good beer!


sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10828 on: November 10, 2021, 08:51:13 pm »
None of the breweries you mention have produced anything new and good in years. Have they? And some of them have abandoned stuff that made them good in the first place, or have been surpassed by others.

be honest: have you been keeping up with them?  following their releases?  if not, how can you say that they haven't produced anything good recently?  it would the equivalent of reviewing a band's show that you didn't attend...

have some good beers from that lot, but mostly when visiting the brewery and tasting their one-offs, in-house-only's, etc.  the stuff that sits on grocery shelves needs to have mass appeal, so isn't going to be their most creative stuff.  lagunitas distributed Mozango somewhat recently, i was in love with that beer...

but i agree that i'd rather have something fresh, crafted locally.  once you get into wide distribution, it's almost impossible to keep innovating.  you need to keep pumping out the same ol' thing which might have been interesting at one point, but we have the attention span of oysters so you move on while the big brewery keeps making the same ol' thing.
<sig>

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #10829 on: November 10, 2021, 08:52:58 pm »
I think bottom line, there is just way too much good beer absolutely everywhere you go and no reason at all to buy below average beer…. Anywhere.

agreed.  that hasn't always been the case.
<sig>