Recently, Zymurgy Magazine published a list of America's top commercial beers and breweries. Atop the former is Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewery. This beer is a Double IPA and is quite delicious. The rankings seem legit until we get to #7 "Guinness". And then down a bit more are some beers from Rahr & Sons Brewing Company (TX). Not to knock these breweries and their products, but this list needs some investigating. First, the magazine is published by the Homebrewer's Association, a well respected organization. To have a list produced by these people would normally be acceptable. Yet, the calculations of determining the top beers are solely democratic, and constrained to the magazine's subscribers. This means that beers are submitted by a limited audience--the most entries is the top; this is even worse than the NBA All-Star voting process. In other words the criteria used here is laughable.
To even a beer novice it should be clear that this list, and many like it, are publicity tools for breweries and the publications themselves. The lists are susceptible to user/reviewer bias, or an avalanche of a specific brewery's supporters (e.g. Rahr & Sons have 12 of their 17 beers on the list. Hmm...how did that happen?). Soon people will want to try these beers. Mission accomplished.
But, who cares? Well, breweries for one. Those who do not take to the time to use this faux "all-star game" will find their sales going south at the expense of quality, and perhaps better, beer. They spend their time brewing, not casting votes. The consumers should care, too, as the aforementioned consequence will trickle down to affect selection, price and quality of beer. And geeks like me won’t have much to write about then. Horrible!
So, should we ignore lists? I can’t say 'yes' with 100% conviction. Some lists are good, and provide others an insight into great beers they may not have known before. I think the important thing is to take lists with caution and not to worship them like some other lists have been enduring.
You’re probably saying, “OK, hotshot, so what is the best beer?”. My hotshot answer is, “the one in your hand”. It’s the closest one to your mouth, and a beer does you no good if it just sits there. Yet there are other beers out there. My advice is to explore, and if possible, ignore the marketing gimmicks, commercials and lists. And remember, there are over 100 styles of beer with a wide range of aromas, tastes and “feels”. The fun is the journey, not the destination.
cheers
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Palate development
Ok, so you have this beer in front of you. It has several flavors that you cannot quite pin-point. Or perhaps several flavors are blending to make it difficult to discern. You like/dis-like this beer because of that one certain flavor, but you can't describe it to someone else...or even yourself.
Chances are your palate is under-developed. No worries, everyone has this at one point in life, and few develop it passed "average". Now, I'm no expert in flavor detection, I'm still developing my palate. Perhaps there's no 'end-game' in palate improvement...an ongoing process. Yet, once you get started, you'll be glad you did.
In truth, we all develop our palates from the time we are born. Flavors are basically sensations that the brain receives from the tongue, nose and throat. Some foods (or objects) have the same chemicals that produce the same sensations. Hence this is why you may taste "skunk" in a beer. We tend to describe flavors/tastes based on what we already know...or what we have tasted before. So, it makes sense to broaden the library of tastes we have, yes? Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, it is. All you have to do is experience a wider range of foods (meat, cheese, coffee, chocolates, breads, etc) and food combinations, keep aware of what you taste, and repeat. Sure, some of us will be more adept to pick out flavors. It's just the way some people are built. But, you can still develop your own palate. Your flavor sensation library is growing.
So, I encourage you to try new things, foods, drinks, etc. It'll be fun!
Chances are your palate is under-developed. No worries, everyone has this at one point in life, and few develop it passed "average". Now, I'm no expert in flavor detection, I'm still developing my palate. Perhaps there's no 'end-game' in palate improvement...an ongoing process. Yet, once you get started, you'll be glad you did.
In truth, we all develop our palates from the time we are born. Flavors are basically sensations that the brain receives from the tongue, nose and throat. Some foods (or objects) have the same chemicals that produce the same sensations. Hence this is why you may taste "skunk" in a beer. We tend to describe flavors/tastes based on what we already know...or what we have tasted before. So, it makes sense to broaden the library of tastes we have, yes? Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, it is. All you have to do is experience a wider range of foods (meat, cheese, coffee, chocolates, breads, etc) and food combinations, keep aware of what you taste, and repeat. Sure, some of us will be more adept to pick out flavors. It's just the way some people are built. But, you can still develop your own palate. Your flavor sensation library is growing.
So, I encourage you to try new things, foods, drinks, etc. It'll be fun!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Saturation
A topic on several Internet forums keeps coming up addressing the increasing number of craft breweries and the various beers they produce. With more breweries, with each producing more styles of beer, is the craft beer market being saturated? Is this good or bad? Here are my two cents:
It depends. Your local liquor store will probably only sell a handful of craft beers from an even smaller number of breweries. Reasons for this are many, but the top 3, I think are shelf space, sales, and awareness. Unless a liquor store is the size of a grocery supermarket, it cannot stock even regional craft beers. Even if it could, the sales numbers persuade the owner(s) to focus on wine and liquor, as they have higher mark-ups. This means that a store owner cannot rely on beer sales to stay afloat. Shelf space is, therefore, reserved for higher mark-up products. The limited space provided for beer then requires some decision making by the owner of the store. What to put in this space? With Bud-Miller-Coors (BMC, which encompasses all macro breweries) flexing their distribution and production muscles, the liquor store owner allocates more space for these beers, and their "sub-beers" (e.g. Blue Moon, Michelob, Landshark Lager...). Even less space remains for the craft beers. The decision becomes tougher. Making a selection can be made on the basis of sales...which beers sell the most. That path limits variety as the awareness of other craft beers is minimal, for both the owner and consumer. Sticking with those that sell the most perpetuates this lack of awareness. How can we try something new if we don't even know about it? Awareness may be a more powerful factor than at first glimpse. In capitalism, consumers drive the businesses...and the BMC guys know this, hence the bombardment of commercials, adverts, and marketing gimmicks.
So, what are craft breweries (and their supporters) to do? I think it depends on the ambitions of each brewery. Do they want to use their beer as a vessel to riches, or are they content on making a living and perhaps not "make it big"? The former requires massive marketing, production capacity, distribution, and attracted attention (and competition) from BMC. Right now the craft beer market takes about 5% of overall beer sales. That number already has BMC aware of this threat. One thing the BMC guys do well is produce consistent beer. Producing millions of barrels per year, that all taste the same, is no easy task. A craft brewer doing the same would require considerable capital, practice and an even more strict adhesion to quality control. Then they'll have the decision of how they want their product line to look: 4 beers, 5, 6, 10?
If the brewery is content with not making it big (of course, this is undefined term), then staying regional or local is probably safer than challenging the big guys. Production can be more concentrated, distribution less robust, and a product line that can accommodate more different beers styles. Regional breweries usually bottle, but limit their availability to one or two states. Local breweries may bottle/can/keg beer, but rarely are they found outside their state. Some brewpubs don't package at all and sell their beer on-site, perhaps with selling to-go growlers.
I think the "staying regional/local" option is the best for both consumer and brewer. Sure, this limits availability of beers across the States. For instance, we cannot buy Duck Rabbit (NC) beers in Colorado. Yet, that's fine because it doesn't put strain on the brewery, and gives us motivation to travel to North Carolina. It's an adventure. Plus, having a beer in a local brewpub is better than pouring it out of a bottle in my living room.
My two cents.
It depends. Your local liquor store will probably only sell a handful of craft beers from an even smaller number of breweries. Reasons for this are many, but the top 3, I think are shelf space, sales, and awareness. Unless a liquor store is the size of a grocery supermarket, it cannot stock even regional craft beers. Even if it could, the sales numbers persuade the owner(s) to focus on wine and liquor, as they have higher mark-ups. This means that a store owner cannot rely on beer sales to stay afloat. Shelf space is, therefore, reserved for higher mark-up products. The limited space provided for beer then requires some decision making by the owner of the store. What to put in this space? With Bud-Miller-Coors (BMC, which encompasses all macro breweries) flexing their distribution and production muscles, the liquor store owner allocates more space for these beers, and their "sub-beers" (e.g. Blue Moon, Michelob, Landshark Lager...). Even less space remains for the craft beers. The decision becomes tougher. Making a selection can be made on the basis of sales...which beers sell the most. That path limits variety as the awareness of other craft beers is minimal, for both the owner and consumer. Sticking with those that sell the most perpetuates this lack of awareness. How can we try something new if we don't even know about it? Awareness may be a more powerful factor than at first glimpse. In capitalism, consumers drive the businesses...and the BMC guys know this, hence the bombardment of commercials, adverts, and marketing gimmicks.
So, what are craft breweries (and their supporters) to do? I think it depends on the ambitions of each brewery. Do they want to use their beer as a vessel to riches, or are they content on making a living and perhaps not "make it big"? The former requires massive marketing, production capacity, distribution, and attracted attention (and competition) from BMC. Right now the craft beer market takes about 5% of overall beer sales. That number already has BMC aware of this threat. One thing the BMC guys do well is produce consistent beer. Producing millions of barrels per year, that all taste the same, is no easy task. A craft brewer doing the same would require considerable capital, practice and an even more strict adhesion to quality control. Then they'll have the decision of how they want their product line to look: 4 beers, 5, 6, 10?
If the brewery is content with not making it big (of course, this is undefined term), then staying regional or local is probably safer than challenging the big guys. Production can be more concentrated, distribution less robust, and a product line that can accommodate more different beers styles. Regional breweries usually bottle, but limit their availability to one or two states. Local breweries may bottle/can/keg beer, but rarely are they found outside their state. Some brewpubs don't package at all and sell their beer on-site, perhaps with selling to-go growlers.
I think the "staying regional/local" option is the best for both consumer and brewer. Sure, this limits availability of beers across the States. For instance, we cannot buy Duck Rabbit (NC) beers in Colorado. Yet, that's fine because it doesn't put strain on the brewery, and gives us motivation to travel to North Carolina. It's an adventure. Plus, having a beer in a local brewpub is better than pouring it out of a bottle in my living room.
My two cents.
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