Article on Over-Hopped Craftbeer

[dago001]

Gasp!!!! You've changed man.

No,change here. 1 IPA every 2 years is a pretty good average. Might bring it up in July to get rid of it give you all a sample. .
Cheers LagerBomb

Edited for clarification

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Anyone who has seen more than 2 of my posts over these years will know I like my hoppy with American style beers.

My name is Goomba and I have lupulin threshold shift (Hey Goomba....).

I brew a lot of APA/AIPA (probably about 50% of all beers I produce). And I'll be brutally honest, part of that is not only am I unimaginative and like American hopped beers, but I brew according to my circumstances/family (4 kids, etc) and these are easy to knock out, and extremely forgiving, because even an average APA has enough hops to hide a number of flaws behind.

But I do like lots of beer styles. Ironically, I won awards for non-IPA styles as well. I have a barleywine that I'm procrastinating bottling (by writing this post). If I had time, I'd take on more challenges brewing wise (my Rauchroggenweiss being an example of this)

I think that some have touched on it, and I'll restate it. If you went out and brewed 'lager like' beers - something a mainstream drinker could drink, you'd be goneskies. We've all seen Arvo, Broo and the like and most of us have gone "why?".

IPA are a primary differentiation point of craft beer at this point. Oh, and Saisons. Red IPA seems to be the current 'it' beer. They give an easy reference point for non-beer nerds to say "oh, that tastes like craft beer".

These style of beers do often give a non-beer drinker a point where they say "oh, I didn't know beer could taste like that", but for a megaswill style drinker - not always. Having said that, I have a former carlton draught drinking mate in Brissie, who won't buy anything less than fat yak now. So some megaswill drinkers do appreciate new flavour.

Counter that argument is craft brewers could alienate these drinkers. As a result, they may say "well, if that's craft beer, then no thanks", and so a possible future Dortmunder drinker or Oud Bruin drinker - may never get on the bandwagon, because 'craft' = '50IBU+ fruit salad beer'.

I have no answer, there's an argument to be had either way.

On a slightly OT but not much point, I've tried most Tassie "Pale Ale" style beers (Morrison's excepted) - Iron House, Moo Brew, Van Dieman's etc. To be honest, most are a bit bland. I gave my missus (Vale:IPA lover) an Iron House "American" Pale, which espouses their use of citrus hops, and she had one mouthful and went "nup, hate it. Why didn't you buy Vale?". She's had Moo and v.Dieman's Pales and doesn't mind them, but goes back to Vale:IPA. The former beers could possibly turn off possible future converts who do like hops (but don't yet know it), because they go "why am I paying $20 a sixer for this??".

I think the only argument I have given any weight to is that women are the biggest untapped beer market.

Pontificate on.....

 

[Adr_0]

On a slightly OT but not much point, I've tried most Tassie "Pale Ale" style beers (Morrison's excepted) - Iron House, Moo Brew, Van Dieman's etc. To be honest, most are a bit bland. I gave my missus (Vale:IPA lover) an Iron House "American" Pale, which espouses their use of citrus hops, and she had one mouthful and went "nup, hate it. Why didn't you buy Vale?". She's had Moo and v.Dieman's Pales and doesn't mind them, but goes back to Vale:IPA. The former beers could possibly turn off possible future converts who do like hops (but don't yet know it), because they go "why am I paying $20 a sixer for this??".

I think the only argument I have given any weight to is that women are the biggest untapped beer market.

Pontificate on.....

Meanwhile, my missus has paid $20 for 4 or 6 of these and unconvincingly demanded they are good. Nothing at all to do with visiting the MONA, thinking it's cool that they brew beer and wine and then being more than happy forking over for a beer meant to target a market of drinkers whose eyebrows are somewhere near the ceiling and walk around saying "Oh I do say..." with very ROUND vOOOwels indEEd.

I guess my point is that she probably knows she doesn't like it but is afraid to admit it because of how much we've paid. Unlucky. She is a big fan of most Pale ales though, LCPA of course - obviously North West-inspired - and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, Coopers. I shrug my shoulders. I know she doesn't like malty beers at least.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Went to Stone and Wood yesterday to try a tasting paddle.. All over hopped to my taste, even the black. Not a decent session beer in the lot.

 

[mstrelan]

Went to Stone and Wood yesterday to try a tasting paddle.. All over hopped to my taste, even the black. Not a decent session beer in the lot.

The best session beers are extra hoppy

 

[good4whatAlesU]

I disagree, if I wanted to pucker every time i tasted something I'd eat a bucket of lemons. It would be cheaper.

But each to their own flavour.

 

[Coodgee]

holy resurrection batman. I currently have my hoppiest ever beer on tap. It's a 68 IBU beer with 395 grams of hops for a single keg batch. 200g of that is dry hops. Mainly because I ordered over 2 kilos of hops so why not!? It's pretty extreme but it tastes and smells nice.I think it represents the peak of the cycle for me in terms of hoppy beers. My next two beers will be lagers - one a Helles that will probably be a 15IBU beer with about 20 grams of hops. Contrast is what keeps things interesting; a few hoppy beers then a few lagers or wheat beers or a porter. or better still one of each at the same time!

 

[GalBrew]

Went to Stone and Wood yesterday to try a tasting paddle.. All over hopped to my taste, even the black. Not a decent session beer in the lot.

Good God man, if you struggle with Stone and Wood (whose whole mantra is 'balance') then you are obviously not a fan of the hop in any way shape or form.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

On the contrary, I enjoy Monteiths "Pale Ale" quite a lot.

I employ a few different hops in my own beers.

I just don't like Stone and Woods beers, sorry but that's my opinion.

They sure do sell a lot of beer, so many disagree with me but that's fine. Each to their own taste.

 

[Coodgee]

I wouldn't call Monteiths pale ale an example of a hoppy beer

 

[GalBrew]

I wouldn't call Monteiths pale ale an example of a hoppy beer

Nor would I. I actually wouldn't call Stone & Wood particularly hoppy either. There is a nice balance and they are very drinkable, but hardly a hop bomb.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

I wouldn't call Monteiths PA a hoppy beer either, it's well balanced. That's why I like it.

 

[Bribie G]

Having drunk Stone and Wood Pacific ale a few times at several widely dispersed locations in NSW and SEQ, I'd class it as a lazily made cranked-out beer attempting to hide behind hops. The examples I've had on tap have been consistent: pale in an anaemic way, cloudy, no malt presence, now let's bring on some hop so we can claim to be a craft brewer.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

It's my local brewery so I'd like it to be good. I've bought S&W beers, I've been given S&W beers, I've tried them at the cellar door... I've Tried to like them..... and tried again...
They just don't taste very good.
Best of luck to those who like it though, to business is sure making a lot of money on the hipster banwagon.

 

[mstrelan]

It's probably galaxy hops you don't like which can make beer taste like Pasito, evident in S&W Pacific Ale.

 

[Hpal]

I got into brewing after an eye-opening trip to Germany, where the best brewers in the universe are. All I wanted to do was make an awesome Pilsner, and I can make a pretty good one, but they do it better. I keep my beers not so bitter or highly hopped unless its an IPA or APA. Delicate and subtle is nice.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Even S&W seasonal black is over hopped I reckon.

 

[Bribie G]

WRT the Galaxy, when there was a shortage last year I had an opportunity to stock up in a bulk buy and bought 250 of pellets and 250 flowers. Then at the Grafton Comp HPA kindly sent along a heap of 100g samples and we all took home Galaxy or two, plus I still had a heap in the fridge from just before the shortage warning.......eeek.

So a couple of weeks ago I did a big smash with BB and 100% Galaxy and I love it - will be my house beer until the Galaxy gets down to manageable. So my dislike of S&W is clearly something else. Basically it boils down to their beers tasting like something brewed by your mate who has just got into AG... hey taste this. '
Wow that's not too bad for a first effort.

But $7 a schooner I think not. Anyway this isn't a S&W bashing thread, just one example of craft brewers perhaps getting stuck in a rut. As an example, considering the massive Pommy retired and expat population on the Gold Coast and the East coast generally, I'd bet that a brewery doing a proper UK Bitter even if on nitro like their smooth flow, and distributed to pubs who were willing to put it through a nitro tap, would have the poms flocking.

 

[Coodgee]

S&w are making a fortune with pacific ale. It's hugely popular. On tap everywhere. I'm sure it's no accident. It's a beer designed for a mass market segment and they are executing perfectly.

 

[Bribie G]

Fair point if you compare it with 150 Lashes.
A couple of times recently I've seen guys in hi vis gear and Mongrel boots carrying slabs of lashes out to utes so the pale ale trend seems to be getting into VB heartland.