I've come to the realization that I don't care about craft beer

Help!I'maRock!

Help!I'maRock!

Mediocringly Derivative
I read some article on FB a couple of weeks ago about how Jim Cook was pissed that Sam Adams was no longer considered a craft beer. All he wanted was to create the biggest little beer in the world and as he's done that Sam is no longer on tap in the bars that serve craft beer. It's now the "craft beer" at the sports bar where they serve Bud and Coors Light.

Now I don't really care about Jim Cook's finances or how his beer is marketed. I don't like Sam Adams Boston Lager at all. I do like some of their seasonals and brewmaster beers like the Irish Red, Black Lager, and Summer Ale.

But that crap article got me thinking about what I do like, what I drink, and what I think about beer overall. And I just don't care about craft beer. Tonight, I had a Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout. Brooklyn Brewery beers are available everywhere here, so even though they're considerably smaller, I consider them on-par with Sam. I followed up the Brooklyn with a Yuengling Lager, which I bought at Costco because it was the cheapest 24 pack they had that I liked. Usually I bring home either a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout or Porter. Or maybe a Weihenstephaner. Can't really go wrong with a Pacifico either. And I love Boddington's Pub Ale.

I'm not saying craft beers are bad. Bud is bad. Coors light is bad. "Craft beer" is not bad. I'm just saying that I don't care for their IPA leanings, nor do I really care if a beer is "craft" or not. It's cool if you do. But if it's good, I'll at least try it.
 
I don't consider Sam Adams to be a "craft" beer at all. Nor is Sierra Nevada or Anderson Valley etc. I will agree with you on the BL. I never did like it, and some of the IPAs being put out are trying way too hard to out-hop each other, basically making them undrinkable for the masses. I love a great wheat beer, or a solid Belgian/French Farmhouse ale for pure drinking enjoyment. And then there's these-
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Some of the best beers ever.
 
Brooklyn Brewery is available here too. I like their stuff.

Never been a big Sam Adams guy, but once in a while their ale can hit the spot.
 
I enjoy Sam Adams, but I'm fond of most Vienna style lagers I've had. I consider them to be a craft brewery regardless of their size. American beer was a uniformly bland wasteland for decades until they and some of the other early craft guys like Sierra Nevada came along. They're churning out a lot more product than they used to, but I haven't seen it affect their quality.
 
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/article/2015/01/05/jim-koch-sam-adams-beer/

The gist of the article is really more about a brand losing credibility in a marketplace that it was instrumental in creating, from the ground up, and if they need to shift or stay the course w/ their portfolio of products. You and Jim Koch actually have a lot in common than you think....

“I don’t want to make something if everyone else is doing it,” Koch says. It’s not just business: He personally doesn’t enjoy many of the flavors in IPAs that today’s consumers celebrate, dismissing them as “catty” in nature. “I am probably outside the mainstream on that. We don’t release a beer unless I like it.”

When Koch talks about IPAs, including his own Rebel and the new Rebel Rouser, his energy level visibly flags. For a man possessed of such demonstrable passion for beer, it’s telling that he appears to view these beers as necessary evils. They are, in essence, a Hail Mary attempt to bounce back into the craft scene, where drinkers’ interest in his flagship Boston Lager is waning.
Click to expand...
 
I don't do the whole beer vocabulary thing, but I like supporting local businesses. Living in Beer City, USA, I can drink every night without getting bored and my money barely leaves my zip code.
 
Given a choice I will almost always choose a local brewed beer. And that is pretty easy around here.

Never been a Sam Adams fan.
 
I can't blame you...
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Our local brewery (Saint Arnold) does a fine job with plenty of selection. Too bad I rarely drink beer, but I've lost the desire for it.
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^^^ St. Arnolds is pretty great. Santo is one of my all-round favorites these days.

I like them so much I signed up to run in their "Santo de Mayo 5K." :tongue:
 
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While I like IPAs, I do think Koch is right that it is a segment that is going a bit overboard right now.

That said, I had a Rebel IPA yesterday during the game (and a Sam Adams lager) and liked it. SA was the only craft beer available on tap at the club where I watched the game.
 
I don't care about label, brand, or size of the brewery; all I care about is the taste. If it doesn't suit my taste, I don't care if it is Bud, PBR, or some crazily-named high-priced brew, I ain't drinking it.
 
IPAs are fantastic for summer, but for winter give me a good stout or porter. Oh, and your East Coast beer all sucks.

iu
 
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