What do you "think" you are drinking?

As you may have noticed, I rarely, if ever do reviews on this page. The closest I get to reviewing beers, is when I announce a release, then I will normally put a little something about what flavors are in which ever particular beer I am talking about (normally just from the brewers notes). On occasion, I will offer my opinion on a specific beer, if I find I just love it, and want to share the love with the masses, the most recent example of this that I can recall is SanTan's Mr. Pineapple.

Why do I not "review" beers? I find it to be almost useless for two reason....
 1.) If you want to read reviews on a particular beer, you can go on hundreds of sites, and read thousands of reviews on just about any beer.

2.) Why does my "opinion" of a beer, or anyone else's matter? With the exception of trained processionals, Cicerones, brewers etc, what does it matter what I think of a beer? Looking at brewers notes should tell you all you need to know about a beer and weather you should try it. Looking at the rating of a beer tells you nothing about the beer. In fact, I think looking at ratings may in fact taint your perception of the beer. Here is why....
I can across an article about drinking beer and perception (check it out here), and how it effects your enjoyment of a beer. Basically, it boils down to, if you want to like the beer, or even love, or hate it, you probably will. Taste is our weakest sense, and the one most influenced by other senses (I have no science to back this up, this is my feelings on it). If you are handed a beer from a brewer you respect, and hold in very high regard, and you are told "this is his best beer yet", 9 times out of 10, you will be, at the very least, impressed by this beer, because you want to be.
Conversely, if you are handed a beer, and told it is brewed by InBev, or Coors, chances are, you will hate that beer. You will hate it before you even try it. Because we don't want to like a beer brewed by a large brewery or a "sell out" like Sam Adams, regardless of how enjoyable that beer may be. Its human nature.
Which is why one of my pet peeves when reading reviews is seeing phrases like "not as much hop character as I was expecting" or "not what I was hoping for". Which really only tells me, if you brewed this beer, you would brew it differently, it tells me NOTHING of the hop character, because I have no idea what you were "expecting". I respect reviews that leave much of the "opinion" out of it, and will just say stuff like"hints of this" or a "finish of that", and not crap like "wow, this beer is amazing" or "what crap this was". That isn't a review, that is just an opinion piece.
I've hosted a number of beer tasting, and most of the time, I do blind tastings. This is the only TRUE way to get peoples honest opinions without outside influence. This is why beer competitions are judged in this fashion. This past summer, we hosted a "summer beer tasting". At the tasting were a number of serious, self proclaimed "beer geeks". We tasted a bunch of summer beer styles, and rated them all, without knowing what we were drinking. I wasn't surprised to see that Blue Moon,  and Sam Adams Summer Ale both scored really high. When told they scored Blue Moon really high, I actually got a few that responded "no I didn't, I hate that crap" or something similar. My response to them was "no, you don't, you just think you do".

Line for Founders CBS

This is also the reason I don't take beer too serious, why I don't wait in line hours upon hours for a release, or spend hundreds of dollars shipping beer all over the country in hopes finding that one whale of a beer. With the exception of a few beers, to me, these beers never live up to the hype, and are NEVER worth the time and effort put into procuring them. I can almost always find something similar (not exactly the same, but close) in taste, that is more readily available, at a much lower price. (almost always). So, I just don't do it, my time and money is worth more to me. Again, this is JUST my opinion, I know for a lot of people, the thrill is in the hunt, and I get that, I don't begrudge you that at all, its just not for me.
Its for this reason that I am very reluctant to offer "specific" beers when asked that dreaded question "what is a good beer to have at my BBQ" or something like that, I hate that, seriously, and here is why;  I have no idea what you like, and what I love to drink at BBQ's, you may hate. I've actually been told after recommending a beer "man, I thought you were  a beer guy, we picked up some [whatever beer I recommended] and it was horrible". So, if you asked me for a beer recommendation, except a fairly long, indirect answer, that probably won't give you a specific brand to look for.

My simple motto "if you like it, its a good beer for you". I may hate it, I may share your love of it, but that doesn't make it any less of a great beer for you, at least it shouldn't, and I hope it doesn't. Don't let others opinions effect your perception or enjoyment of any beer. I know the beer community can be pretty harsh towards beer (and people that drink it) that they don't consider "craft" or worthy of drinking. So what, if you like it, drink it, enjoy it, be proud of it. It matters not if you brewed it in a 2 gallon batch in your garage, or if it is brewed by the thousands of gallons at a mega brewery in St Louis, or Golden Colorado, if you like it, its a good beer. Cheers!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

The best beer in the world, is the one in your hand....

This is something I've been saying for a long time now. Like many a newbie beer geek, I started getting excited about limited release beers, or beers that were hot on the top of Ratebeer, or Beeradvocate's top lists. It got to the pointwith me, and many others where you get so obsessed with these hard to find, rare gems that you ignore or forget about the wonderful beer being brewed just a few miles, or in some lucky cases, just blocks from your home. Beer geekery can be a lot of fun. However, I found, it can also be frustrating, exhausting, and VERY expensive. If I hear about a beer I want to try, I will go to one, maybe two places to find it, if its not there, I stop. I am not about to waste time, gas and money driving all over the valley for an IPA I may never have again, or worse yet, may not even like in the first place. This has always been my frustration with the "beer geek". I don't dwell on it, I will mention it from time to time but never really spent much time on, and sort of forgot about doing a full write up on it.

However, this passed week, Andy Ingram of our beloved local brewery Four Peaks in Tempe, wrote up a piece in the local "paper" about much this same topic, however, he wrapped it up a lot better, and far more eloquent then I could, or did.  So I wanted to share his thoughts with you here....

The most important beer? Is the one you like.....

So there you have it, thank you Andy, very well said! I couldn't say it any better. Reminds me of a conversation I had with Masked Blogster on his podcast a few weeks ago. Judge brewery's by their flagships, not by the beer that has been sitting in a barrel, in the cellar for that last 4 years. Judge them on the beer the make the most of, not the least. And most importantly, don't spend so much time and energy on looking for hard to find, rare gems, that you forget about the gem you have in your hand already! Don't get me wrong, getting your hands on these rare beers can be fun, and more often then not, they are very good. I just think its important to find that balance between the two.

Until next time

Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Beer Snob Meets Girl......

It think this is why there are so many single male beer snobs! This is actually pretty funny....

I think from now on, I am going to answer every question with "Nano Beer, hoppy hoppy Nano Beer"
Just remember, "Beer Snob" is just another name for "asshole" if you ask me, don't be a beer snob, don't be a dick.

I will say it again, beer is fun, lets keep it that way!

My thanks to The Beer Snob chick for bringing this to my attention!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Sam C. says it best....

Every so often I like to share my opinion on here (OK, maybe frequently). Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the craft beer community and its growth, and inevitable growing pains. A disturbing trend I've seen in recent years, is a sort of "turning up" of the nose at brewery's and beers once considered the best, or at least very respectable. Example, recently, I acquired a bottle of Westvlateren 12. A beer, that for years, was widely considered "the best in the world". For years, you could only get this beer, literally at the gates of the abbey where it was brewed, by appointment only. Well, last fall, this beer was made available, for one time only in the US. Since then, this beer, while still VERY highly rated, it started to take its jab's from the beer community, and the ratings have since fallen a bit. I was on a thread the other day, and mentioned how excited I was to try this beer. I got more then a few responses back ranging from "it wasn't that bad" "I didn't like it" to "don't get your hopes up, this is the most over rated beer in the world". OK, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that just because this beer is highly rated, you have to like. I am just saying, that for the longest time, you would never see anyone say this. It was almost "uncool" to say something bad about it, you weren't taken seriously. Now, its almost the exact opposite. You seem "cooler" if you don't like it. I don't get it? This is why I tend to stay away from Beer Advocate discussion threads, and most beer review sites.

My beloved Oberon

This is an attitude I've been seeing more and more of as of late. A highly regarded beer, or brewery see's a little (or a lot) of success, and all of a sudden the perception is that they are no longer as good as they once were, they "sold out", they changed their recipe or their quality is now  not as good as it once was. Despite the fact, that the only real thing that has changed, is the fact that beer geeks and snobs are not the only ones drinking that beer anymore. It reminds me of a piece I read (and wrote about) on my beloved summer favorite Oberon. The writer said, how he use to love the beer, how it use to be exciting, and new. Now that he goes into a bar, and see's everyone drinking it, and oh god forbid with a slice of orange in the glass, the beer is no longer "exciting and new", and he now feels its "hardly craft" anymore, and over rated. So, when he was the only one in the bar drinking it, it was awesome, now that he's not, its no longer good (or just no longer cool).

Beer geeks seem to be a bit schizophrenic about their growth. They love getting on their soap box to preach the virtues and qualities of craft beer, yet, when a craft brewery gains the success the geeks long for and talk about, they abandon that brewery for one that is newer and cooler, and leave those boring main stream popular beers to be consumed (and enjoyed) by the uninformed masses.

Recently, [edit....OK, I guess a while back...]on Beer Advocate, there was a thread about "over rated breweries" (should I say, in the weekly thread about over rated breweries....). Well, it seems Sam Calagione (founder and owner of Dogfish Head, and one of my personal favorite beer people) read this, and it struck a cord with him, because he responded to it, and he summed it up better then I think I can. This was his response.....

It’s pretty depressing to frequently visit this site and see the most negative threads among the most

Sam C at Whole Foods in Chandler

popular. This didn't happen much ten years ago when craft beer had something like a 3 percent market share. Flash forward to today, and true indie craft beer now has a still-tiny but growing market share of just over 5 percent. Yet so many folks that post here still spend their time knocking down breweries that dare to grow. It’s like that old joke: “Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore, it’s too crowded.” Except the “restaurants” that people shit on here aren't exactly juggernauts. In fact, aside from Boston Beer, none of them have anything even close to half of one percent market share  The more that retailers, distributors, and large industrial brewers consolidate the more fragile the current growth momentum of the craft segment becomes. The more often the Beer Advocate community becomes a soap box for outing breweries for daring to grow beyond its insider ranks the more it will be marginalized in the movement to support, promote, and protect independent ,American craft breweries. 

It’s interesting how many posts that refer to Dogfish being over-rated include a caveat like “except for Palo…except for Immort…etc.” We all have different palettes which is why it’s a great thing that there are so many different beers. At Dogfish we’ve been focused on making “weird” beers since we opened and have taken our lumps for being stylistically indifferent since day one. I bet a lot of folks agree that beers like Punkin Ale (since 1995) , Immort Ale (wood aged smoked beer) since 1995, Chicory Stout (coffee stout) since 1995 , Raison D’être (Belgian brown) since 1996, , Indian Brown Ale (dark IPA) since 1997, and 90 Minute (DIPA) since 2000 don’t seem very weird anymore. That’s in large part because so many people who have been part of this community over the years championed them and helped us put them on the map.These beers, and all of our more recent releases like Palo Santo, Burton Baton, Bitches Brew continue to grow every year. We could have taken the easy way out and just sold the bejeezus out of 60 Minute to grow but we like to experiment and create and follow our own muse. Obviously there is an audience that appreciates this as we continue to grow. We put no more “hype” or “expert marketing” behind our best selling beers than we do our occasionals. We only advertise in a few beer magazines and my wife Mariah oversees all of our twitter/Facebook/dogfish.com stuff. We have mostly grown by just sharing our beer with people who are into it (at our pub, great beer bars, beer dinners, and fests) and let them decide for themselves if they like it. If they do we hope they tell their friends about. We hope a bunch of you that are going to EBF will stop by our booth and try some of the very unique new beers we are proudly bringing to market like Tweason’ale (a champagne-esque, gluten-free beer fermented with buckwheat honey and strawberries) and Noble Rot (a sort of saison brewed with Botrytis-infected Viognier Grape must). One of these beers is on the sweeter side and one is more sour. Knowing each of your palettes is unique you will probably prefer one over the other. That doesn't mean the one you didn't prefer sucked. And the breweries you don’t prefer but are growing don’t suck either. Respect Beer. The below was my favorite post thus far. 

This thread is hilarious. Seriously, Bells, Founders, FFF, Surly, RR, DFH, Bruery, Avery, Cigar City, Mikkeller are all overrated?  Since I’m from Ohio, I’ll pile on and add Great Lakes, Hoppin Frog, and Brew Kettle to the list. Your welcome. 

Hopefully soon we will have every craft brewery in the US on the list.

This is why Sam continues to be one of my favorite characters in the beer community. Thank you Sam! I think I might go get some Dogfish Head to enjoy by the pool today (I just wish they were as good as they use to be, it would make it SO much better!)

Remember, beer is fun, lets keep it that way!

Until next time

Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Sh!t Beer Geeks (snobs) say...

OK, now this is funny! Sadly, I can honestly say, I have actually heard some of these things being said at beer bars, and tastings I've attending!

I do think, the one they left out was "this year's batch isn't NEARLY as good as last years" I hear that every year, regarding just about every annual release on the market. I don't recall ever hearing "wow, this years batch is SO much better" I think we remember beers (and most things for that matter) as being better then they actually were.

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
The Beer Czar

Are you a beer snob, beer geek, or just a fan?

I have been reading a lot lately about what is craft beer, what makes a beer a "craft" beer, thanks in large part to a letter penned by the Brewers Association, defining, or redefining what makes a beer a "craft" beer. I am not here to argue or defend the merits of this letter. (I will say, I don't agree with them adjusting the number of barrels from 2 million, to 6, in order to let Sam Adams still be considered craft....if you have to redefine your definition in order to fit whomever you want, then your definition is meaningless, in my opinion). I am hear to talk about another aspect of this debate that has popped up as a result of this letter, I sort of side bar conversation. Beer Snob, vs Beer Geek, or just beer fan? Which one are you? What makes one a snob, one a geek, and one "just" a fan? Lets take a look at all three....

The Beer Snob -according to urban dictionary (my bible!) a beer snob is defined as "Those individuals who regard any beer that they do not drink as piss. Completely ignorant of climate, context, and social class, beer snobs are contemptuously dismissive of any beer that a mortal cannot walk across like Jesus Christ did across the water." Pretty good definition if you ask me, but lets go further.

The Beer Snob Chick (not an actual beer snob!)

I heard it put very well, that, a beer snob, is someone that uses their knowledge of craft beer as a social weapon. (thanks Kegworks!). I mentioned, off hand in a previous post that the one thing a beer snob hates more then anything, is someone that knows more about beer then they do, they want to be, and often feel they are, the most knowledgeable person in the room concerning beer. Beer snobs don't "share" their knowledge of beer, if they did, then they wouldn't know more then you, instead, they use their knowledge to belittle, or cut down others for drinking what they perceive as inferior beer. If you ask a snob "what makes your beer so good compared to this (point to the beer you are drinking)? What you will get, is first an eye roll, then a long, self indulging boring diatribe about grain bills, Plato, original gravity, boiling time, relative humidity, on base percentage, Libor rating and great number of other mind numbing set of metrics's used to confuse, and intimidate you, but do nothing to actually answer the question you asked. If you want to know if the person you are talking to is a snob, tell them that you love Guinness, and watch their face. If they look like they are smelling feet when they hear you say it, they are a snob.

Couldn't agree more....

The Beer Geek - Again, Urban Dictionary defines a beer geek as "A person who truly enjoys a variety of beer. Whether the beer comes from an enormous company or the tiniest brew pub. A beer geek often enjoys multiple styles of beer. A beer geek can be distinguished from a beer snob because a beer geek will not look down on people for their choice of beer even if it comes from Bud, Miller, Coors, Milwaukee's Best or Pabst." Again, pretty much hit the nail on the head.

The main difference between a geek, and a snob is in how they react to questions. Again, let a snob you like Guinness, they will immediately think you inferior, and look for someone more interesting to talk to. Tell a Geek you like Guinness, and they will get excited, and start asking if you have tried this beer, or that beer, in an effort to inform you that, if you like Guinness, you may just like a lot. They will never force a beer on you, or try and talk you out of one either. They truly love beer, and want everyone to get as much as they do out of. The one fault I find with some geeks, they seem to have lost sight of reason we all started drinking beer in the first place, its just fun. Its not all about styles, country's, brewers or distribution levels. Its about hanging out with good friends, have good beer, and having a great time. Ask a beer geek what makes their beer so good, and you may likely get a short history lesson on the style, and maybe even the brewery!

Beer games can be fun!

A beer fan, well, that's easy. Someone that drinks beer, because its good, and they like it. They don't care where, or by whom it was brewed, how it was made, or what the label looks like, or the bottom line of the company that made it. Simply put, if they like it, they will drink it. and how they decide if they like it or not, is weather it tastes good or not, period, end of report. They aren't opposed to beer games either.

Which one are you? All I ask, don't be a snob. I can't stand snob, nor can I stand being called one. To me, its an insult.I like to consider myself a good mix of a Geek, and a Fan. I enjoy the history, and variety that beer has to offer. I am not above however, drinking something that was, gasp, god forbid, brewed by a "mega brewer" I will say, I don't normally seek out those beers, but honestly, if given a Blue Moon, or something, a lot of that stuff I don't mind at all, and in some cases, even enjoy. Again, don't forget why it is we love beer (or at least should love beer), beer is good, and its fun. Its a social lubricant. If you take it too series, then you start to loose that, and once that happens, whats the point? Beer pairing dinners, beer tastings, beer reviews, these are all meant to be fun, and enjoyed. Its not a test, its not a means of impressing people. Its a means of educating people as to how much fun beer has to offer. Lets all keep that in mind, and have fun with it, that's why we do it, right?

So,
Be a Dork, not a Douche...(thanks again to Kegworks!)

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
The Beer Czar

A beer snob flow chart!

Have you ever asked yourself "Am I a beer snob?" I know I have (read here). Well, if you have, here is a most helpful tool for you to detirmine just that! It is pretty dead on accurite from what I can see....
So, let me know, are you a snob?

Until next time my friends, bottoms up!
The Beer Czar

Beer in Cans, its OK, really, it is!

OK, this is something that has sort of bothered me for a while now, but lately, I am getting a lot of "comments" regarding beer in cans, so I thought I would make my feelings known on the issue.

Bottles vs Cans?

I've heard a lot of people making comments, discounting beer in cans, completely! Most simply say "beer from cans tastes like metal" Really? No it doesn't, I promise you. Let me ask you this, do you say that about draft beer as well? Because, NEWS FLASH, that draft beer you are drinking could have come from a keg made from aluminum as well, and I have never heard anyone complain about their draft beer tasting like metal (as a reader pointed out, some kegs are also made of stainless steel, either way, both are metal, kegs are not made of glass, thank you Hughes!). Truth is, the beer never even makes contact with the aluminum, thanks to a synthetic lining that has been gracing the inside of your hated beer can since, oh, before WWII! (1935 to be exact!). Truth it, the "metal" taste, its all in your head, I promise.

To try and prove this, I've done little "experiments on friends. I've taken beers available in both bottles and cans, and had them do a blind taste taste. I would pour it in two cups, and ask them to tell me which one was the canned, and which was the bottle. As you would expect, they were only ever correct about 50% of the time, which, you could chalk up to just a lucky guess. So, I would take it further. I would give them each a cup, and tell them this is the can, and this is the bottle (however, I would tell them incorrectly, telling them the bottled beer was the canned, and vice verse), and almost every time, they would tell me the one they thought was the bottled beer tasted better (see, all in your head). Next, I didn't tell them which was which, and ask them to pick the best beer, 3 out of 4 times, they would tell me the canned beer was better. So, no matter what, no one will ever convince me that canned beer is worse then bottled. If there is a differance in taste, canned beer is better, and here is why....

One of my favorite beers, and it comes in a can!

Cans are actually a better way to store beer. They are completely air tight, no chance of the cap leaking, or oxidizing, and rusting. Also, one of beers biggest enemies is light, and cans let absolutely ZERO light in. Bottles let in some light, depending on the color of the bottle, that is why brown bottles are best. (the other, and probably dumbest thing people will tell me "I only drink beer from green bottles" O really, why is that, you like that awful skunk flavor?).

Another thing people say is, bottles keep my beer cold longer then cans do. Well, this is certianly the case, all I can say is, if you are drinking beer directly from the bottle or can, you aren't completely tasting the beer anyway, since you can't completely take in the aroma of the beer drinking right from the bottle or can anyway.

There are many other advantages to cans as well. They are cheaper, lighter (making them cheaper to ship), canning lines are faster then bottling lines, as well as less expensive, easier to open (don't need a can opener)...you get the point.

So please, turning up your nose at canned beer, is really just ignorant, and snobbish (that is my opinion). I challenge you to go out, and try a few craft beers in cans, you will be pleasantly surprised. More and more craft brewers are making their beer available in cans, most notable, Sierra Navada. Some, like Oskar Blues beers are only available in cans, and I have to tell you, their Ten Fidy Stout (at 10.5% abv) is one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts on the market, bottle or can!

So lets stop all this "cans are bad" bull, and get these false ideas out of our heads, and start loving beer for whats inside the can or bottle, and not what it comes it, I assure you, you will not be disappointed!

If you do try some beer in cans, and you are surprised by the results, please, let me know, I would love to hear your story!

Bottoms up my friends!

What is a "Good Beer"?

I am asked this question a lot. I think people ask me this question expecting a long drawn out answer, which delves into various aspects of beer and its production, such as ingredients, style, brewing technique, aging, price point, and most importantly, the label on the bottle.


I would argue that, on an individual basis, these aspects of beer have very little to do what one should consider a “good” beer. These things will make up what one might consider a “quality” beer, but a good beer? I argue a good beer has to do with one thing, and one thing only, taste. I’ve had many beers that I would consider “quality” beers that I did not care for at all. Conversely, I’ve had beers that many would not consider “quality” beers that I absolutely love.

Enter, the “Beer Snob”…..

A "Beer Snob"

A term I hate to be called, but have called many people that vary same thing. Why do I hate to be called a beer snob? Because I don’t feel I am. I purchase beer based on a number of things, style, price, a brewer I respect, and most importantly, taste. However there are really only 2 things that will prevent me from buying a beer, price, and taste. If it is too expensive, I won’t buy (i.e. Lost Abby’s “Angels Share”, $30 a bottle) or taste (Bud Light, Coors etc, not because they are brewed by one of the “Big 3”, I just don’t like the taste). A true “snob” will dismiss any brew from the big 3. I don’t buy beers from the big 3 normally. To me, there are far better offerings out there, however, when offered some of what they brew, I will take them and enjoy them. Some examples, Shock Top and Blue Moon, (made by Anheuser Busch and Coors), I think these beers are quite enjoyable. I know more than a few folks that won’t even consider drinking it, and have even heard some make fun of those that do, because they are made by the massive brewers. It’s even getting to the point where some great craft brewers are being lumped into this category because they have gone national. Boston Beer Company (makers of Sam Adams) and Sierra Nevada are getting large enough to be losing some of the more die hard “beer snobs” despite the fact that they produce from quality, very tasty beers. Dogfish Head has taken heat recently for being the subject of a TV show on Discovery.

To me, that one thing that has no bearing on quality in a brew is the size of the batch it is made in. If you make a great beer, and you make it in a 250,000 gallon batch, does that make it any less great? If you make an awful beer 5 gallons at a time, does that somehow make it just a little better?

So, if you were looking for a list of recommendations from this post, sorry, I can’t suggest to you what I think you might like, at least not without talking to you first, and learning the styles and beers you know you currently enjoy. My best advice to you, try it, if you like it, it’s a good beer. If you love it, then congrats, you’ve found a great one!