Taphouse's Hottest 100 Craft Beers 2010

[Hatchy]

I'd prefer to see a top 100 microbrewed beers & see what would've made it into the top 100 once the lion nathan, cub, coopers & little creatures were taken out.

It's much easier to define a microbrew than a craft beer.

 

[MarkBastard]

It's much easier to define a microbrew than a craft beer.

True, but what about the small batches that JS do at their brew pubs? Would they count? Is it batch size or wallet size of the owner?

 

[Maxt]

What a joke, not one Wig and Pen beer.

 

[Fents]

What a joke, not one Wig and Pen beer.

But did you personally vote for a wig and pen beer?

 

[bum]

Well done to you and the boys, Fents! Well deserved.

My thoughts on the list? Looking through the 100 beers I've had 56 of them. Liked less than half and would have bothered voting for extraordinarily few of those. Surprised some I like finished so high and not at all surprised some tops beers ended up very low or didn't end up being included at all.

My thoughts on the local fallout? Not sure we (Australia) could support a Top 100 list without the inclusion of those (apparently) contentious beers we can get at Woolies.

 

[DU99]

Nice to see True South get a mention

 

[fcmcg]

I do wonder if the "larger" brewers will read this and take note that the top ten are all ales......Probably not lol
And i'd really hate to think what a mega-swill , mass market pale would taste like...
My 2C
Cheers
Ferg

 

[brett mccluskey]

Fair enough.

To me it's probably sort of hard to define in words, but I can easily try a beer and say whether it's craft or not.

In this country, almost everything that isn't a mega lager is a craft beer. I wouldn't call Coopers Pale Ale a craft beer though. It's megaswill albeit half descent mega swill. James Squire IPA may not be the most hardcore IPA around but I still think it's a craft beer.

Where it gets interesting is JS Golden Ale. I definitely would have used to have called it a craft beer, but it gets more and more megaswill tasting by the day and the last one I have I certainly wouldn't call a craft beer.

I think craft beer is a very broad term and it doesn't have a lot to do with the ownership status of the brewery.

Mark,I couldn't agree more,apart from CPA, I know what you mean about the' dumbing down" of a lot of beers that seems to occur over time The yanks go for the brewery size and production scale to define craft,and i wonder about that one.I don't think there's ever going to be a consensus on what's a 'craft' beer,but as long as they're not called "boutique" beers i can live with it... :beer:

 

[brett mccluskey]

McLaren Vale Ale as number 1.... looks like marketing wins.

McLaren Vale just posted a reply to the above worry <_< http://craftypint.com/news/post/the-hottest-100-revealed/

 

[Hoser]

McLaren Vale just posted a reply to the above worry http://craftypint.com/news/post/the-hottest-100-revealed/

Hi all,
Have to say I'm still new to home brewing and don't have the experience many of you do. That said, I love a good full robust flavoursome beer and I'm keen to try several of the beers on that list (have tried many but several I haven't).

Looking at McLaren Vale's response on the site, I think the CEO has a fair point. If it was your business, you'd try to get people a) to support and be aware of your beer and B) to be aware an supportive of the microbreweries and their craft beer. It's hard to compete against the multi-million $ budgets of duopoly in Oz. Thus whilst it may have swayed the voting, it did bring awareness both to his beer and craft beers in general.

Perhaps a tainted result somewhat but all the same quite efficient marketing on their part. Besides all those people would only vote for McLaren Vale if they actually believed it was a good beer.

For my own take, I didn't vote as I wasn't aware of the competition but I'd have definitely chosen Mountain Goat Hightail at the top. I love it!

Congratulations on the Kooinda results too!

 

[outbreak]

Hi all,
Have to say I'm still new to home brewing and don't have the experience many of you do. That said, I love a good full robust flavoursome beer and I'm keen to try several of the beers on that list (have tried many but several I haven't).

Looking at McLaren Vale's response on the site, I think the CEO has a fair point. If it was your business, you'd try to get people a) to support and be aware of your beer and B) to be aware an supportive of the microbreweries and their craft beer. It's hard to compete against the multi-million $ budgets of duopoly in Oz. Thus whilst it may have swayed the voting, it did bring awareness both to his beer and craft beers in general.

Perhaps a tainted result somewhat but all the same quite efficient marketing on their part. Besides all those people would only vote for McLaren Vale if they actually believed it was a good beer.

For my own take, I didn't vote as I wasn't aware of the competition but I'd have definitely chosen Mountain Goat Hightail at the top. I love it!

Congratulations on the Kooinda results too!

If the Vale Ale was a good beer I wouldn't mind. Its just another bland beer marketed as a craft beer.

 

[brett mccluskey]

If the Vale Ale was a good beer I wouldn't mind. Its just another bland beer marketed as a craft beer.

I wouldn't like to count the amount of craft beers that i,personally,consider bland. A craft brewer can easily make what many people consider a 'bland' beer.Have a look at the thread "whats the worst beer you've ever tried" for an idea of how there's so many opinions on whats a 'good 'or 'bad' beer .Someone actually thought La Fin De Monde was crap :lol:

 

[Hoser]

If the Vale Ale was a good beer I wouldn't mind. Its just another bland beer marketed as a craft beer.

Agree Vale beer is pretty bland. Much prefer Feral or Hightail brews. Definitely not my choice as a top beer. Fair point. But smart marketing nonetheless...

 

[DU99]

what determines the criteria for this award..whats difference between commerical brewery and a craft brewery..i would call coopers a craft brewery or matilda bay..

 

[outbreak]

Agree Vale beer is pretty bland. Much prefer Feral or Hightail brews. Definitely not my choice as a top beer. Fair point. But smart marketing nonetheless...

10 points for their marketing, im not saying the guys are stupid quite the opposite they are most likely very smart . I am sure they actually have it in them to make an amazing beer too! However, they are just making safe beer for people with "educated palettes."

 

[haysie]

What a great list of beers. A few that dont surprise me are Stone n Wood, Kooinda up near the top, White Rabbit White Ale middle of the ladder.
Fat Yak at #6 blows me away though

 

[MitchDudarko]

So has anyone had the McLaren Vale Ale? Is it worthy of top spot? Is it a top 10 beer?

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Yeah i dont mind MVA, not overly exciting, but i think its a well made beer, but what would i know?

Like Haysie i was surprised Fat Yak at 6 ?? i reckon thats a pretty ordinary beer

Same old really, many different people with different tastes, i now much prefer the clones i have brewed with recieps
off AHB than the real thing now - JSAA, JSGA, LCBA

 

[shadowofdarkness]

The definition of Craft beer is a tough one... The Yanks at least have a definition, but even they have disagreemenst about it... Although some of their rules regading Craft beer would have been useful in the top 100 list. Independence, all malt flagship beer, small would have reduced the field by a fair bit, BUT it wouldn't allow LCPA.. which even though is no longer independent, is still a good craft beer... I must say though, now that Fat Yak is brewed no longer at the Dandenong site, but in a larger operation, then surely that should diqualify it (as it is no longer brewed in Fosters craft section).... Hmmm, tough one. Ansd then it comes down to marketing as well, which Vale Ale have done well. Maybe we need a compliocated algorithm that uses people's choice, combined with scores on RateBeer & Beer Advocate?....

Fair enough.

To me it's probably sort of hard to define in words, but I can easily try a beer and say whether it's craft or not.

In this country, almost everything that isn't a mega lager is a craft beer. I wouldn't call Coopers Pale Ale a craft beer though. It's megaswill albeit half descent mega swill. James Squire IPA may not be the most hardcore IPA around but I still think it's a craft beer.

Where it gets interesting is JS Golden Ale. I definitely would have used to have called it a craft beer, but it gets more and more megaswill tasting by the day and the last one I have I certainly wouldn't call a craft beer.

I think craft beer is a very broad term and it doesn't have a lot to do with the ownership status of the brewery.

 

[geoff_tewierik]

So has anyone had the McLaren Vale Ale? Is it worthy of top spot? Is it a top 10 beer?

Have had it in bottles and on tap from their pub in McLaren Vale. Much preferred the tap version, but that's the same with most beers.

Wouldn't rate it a top 10, let alone top spot.