Article on Over-Hopped Craftbeer

[treefiddy]

Exactly. Too much hops. Hey, has anyone tried these cleanskin premiums from Korea? Really cheap, all natural, no preservatives.... Didnt catch the name... h34r:

Pretty sure it was cleanface premium.

There are a lot of hoppy beers out there, but JS amber ale seems quite popular in pubs you wouldn't quite expect.

The number of hoppy beers is not unreasonable though considering hops is a primary ingredient in beer and that there are so many varieties and combinations to be tried.

 

[stakka82]

I'm a victim of 'lupulin threshold shift' like many others here.

When I started brewing I couldn't enjoy anything above 35 IBU. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I'm drinking SN Hoptimum and savouring every drop.

I didn't even really notice it happening, but atm I have a lager at about 35 IBU with Motueka on tap (60 min and small 15 min addition). I find it a real session beer and almost indistinguishable from any other rather bland german pils type lager. My brother, who's a mega swill drinker, was around last week and I thought it would be right up his alley. He liked it, but he thought it 'tasted like little creatures' and found it almost overwhelming. I can barely detect the hop presence!

 

[black_labb]

Is that true though? I mean, looking over the selection from Australian microbreweries, I see pale ales pop up quite often, but IPA's are rare. I would not say bitter hoppy beers are "common" from Australian microbreweries.

Feral Brewing do a number of hoppy beers but they're not very bitter. Little Creatures has their pale ale, not bitter. Holgate have a pale ale but it's only 26 IBU, their IPA hits 65 so that's a nice bitter brew. Moo Brew have a pale ale, not very bitter. Mountain Goat do a number of IPA's, so I guess they are guilty.

Dunno. The problem isn't as serious as people seem to think.

You've just listed a bunch of hop forward beers in trying to argue that there are plenty of malt forward beers available, my point exactly. Can you list craft beers that showcases the malt over the hops?

I don't think it is a problem as such and things will work themselves out once the craft beer market plateaus and people start looking to differentiate themselves.

 

[tanukibrewer]

Exactly. Too much hops. Hey, has anyone tried these cleanskin premiums from Korea? Really cheap, all natural, no preservatives.... Didnt catch the name... h34r:

If its as good as what some people say Im gonna give up brewing and throw all my all grain equipment away.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm the blandness is overpowering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tanukibrewer]

Yeah right

 

[pk.sax]

It's quite simple really. Hops are more expensive per kilo than malt. If brewers tried to compete with established good beer producers (lets count German brewers here for the main part and then everyone else in the ballpark), they'd only shoot themselves in the foot. Making that style of beer popular amongst beer nerds will lead to competition where the craft brewers don't really want it. Why would any sensible business create a demand for someone else's product!? The big 2 in oz can easily lift their game and drown the crafties out with malt forward beers at lower cost than they'd have to spend to drown out hoppy fruity beers. Cases in point are the current JS and Matilda Bay ranges. Even they aren't stupid enough to push those too hard, it will turn their higher (guess) margin megaswill drinkers.
I can't quite find nice fruity hoppy beers cheap enough, which means if a new brewery prices their beer up at the price levels everyone here currently does, I'd not make a fuss about it. Have them try and sell me a big helga or something at price/L higher than German helles imports and I'm gonna whinge about it. The point of difference required for craft brews is almost mandatory, IMO.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Why has no one noticed the side bar story

 

[bum]

You've just listed a bunch of hop forward beers in trying to argue that there are plenty of malt forward beers available, my point exactly. Can you list craft beers that showcases the malt over the hops?

Really? Almost every local brewery I've tried have at least two UK styles. Malty US Browns are fairly popular too.

 

[tricache]

Why has no one noticed the side bar story

"It was like seeing a great white whale breaching alongside dolphins."

I just sprayed beer all over the computer screen reading that...god damn...:lol:

 

[Nick JD]

I think the purpose of the article is to point out that in the US, the craft brewing industry is awash with IPAs to the detriment of other great-tasting styles and to the tastebuds of those who don't like hop dominated beer.

We might have one advantage to our sad craft industry here: that micros aren't obsessed with the IPA. I went to a brewery in Richmond, Washington and I'm pretty sure they used 1056 in every beer they made.

 

[tricache]

I think the purpose of the article is to point out that in the US, the craft brewing industry is awash with IPAs to the detriment of other great-tasting styles and to the tastebuds of those who don't like hop dominated beer.

Which I totally agree with, you look at most larger craft beer companies in the US and their big stand out/show case beer is usually something crazy hoppy (SN Pale or Torpedo and DFH 60min, 90min or 120min IPA are a couple of examples)

I would love to see a big craft beer market in Europe since a lot of commercial european beers (generally speaking) don't have that smack in the head hop characteristic and take on a lot more of the malt and yeast flavours.

 

[1974Alby]

An interesting read until the last sentence. At that point it lost all credibility.

"Who Knows, maybe we'll finally win over some of those Bud Light Fans"

DILLIGAF :chug:

 

[bradmccoy]

Fat Yak is to me the best balanced "craft style" beer out there,

No way. I reckon Fat Yak is awful. Insipid dry hop kind of flavours and no malt backbone.

I saw this article earlier today and thought it was stupid. Anyone who thinks "craft beer" has been overrun by hops doesn't drink enough beer. I visited Portland earlier this year and while North-West America does do a LOT of IPAs and other hop-heavy beers, there is plenty else out there like some really decent stouts.

 

[Nick JD]

At a recent Boston craftbeer festival 25% (156 out of 633) beers was an IPA.

How many styles are there in the BJCP guide...?

 

[bum]

75% leaves no room for other styles?

 

[Nick JD]

One in four, bum.

Not really no.

 

[bum]

The premise is that these overly bitter beers are mis-representing craft beer.

1 in 4 doesn't have the chance to mis-represent anything. 1 in 4 is a minority.

 

[Nick JD]

Do Aussie Lagers represent Australian beer?

 

[bum]

Does your rhetorical question have anything to do with anything?

 

[Nick JD]

Yes.