I like to read a few other beer blogs and see what’s going on in the “blogosphere” and one post caught my attention the other day. The Brew Site posted about something Pete Brown wrote on his blog. I really don’t want to quote a quote, so I will paraphrase. Why are microbrew fans such snobs? Why do we hate the big commercial brewery and why do our opinions change when a beer crosses the line from region to national distribution?
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I somewhat agree. The problem is that when you hear Coors or Anheiser-Busch, you think Coors and Bud. Beers like Blue Moon kinda get lost in the mix. I think some of these breweries are trying to make better beers, but Bud and Coors still pays the bills.
I was also intrigued by a podcast from Jamil Zainasheff. He described the process for making a really light American lager. It’s more difficult that it sounds, which gave me a bit more respect for their beers (still won’t drink them though).
I’m not sure what happened to Fat Tire, but I’ve noticed a slight change too. It just seems less unique. It might also be that when Fat Tire came out, it was special. Now everyone is making craft brews, and everyone knows about Belgian beers.
I have a theory, but I’m still developing it and need to do a bunch of research. But, in the case of this microbreweries that get big and “something changes,” I don’t think it’s the recipe that changes… my theory is, it has something to do with the process itself.
Think about it: they need to increase production, so they install bigger equipment; so their wort is boiled in a bigger kettle, and (most importantly!) the beer is fermented in *much bigger* fermenting tanks.
I’m thinking it might have something to do with these bigger fermenters (for instance)… has there been a study comparing how the character of a beer changes based on the size of the fermenting tanks?
I’ll have more to say on this at some point… something to think about.
– Jon @ The Brew Site
My guess is the opposite would be true Jon. Larger vessels means less exposure to oxygen during the brewing process. Plus, modern breweries are specifically designed to minimize the negative impacts on beer that a homebrewer or small batch brewery couldn’t avoid.
It is an interesting idea though. I will ask some brewers for their thoughts and see what they think.
Well, I don’t mean that there’s a (possible) negative impact from larger tanks/equipment… just different. But I need to think about it some more and flesh out the idea.
Hmm… I’ve dealt with many different sizes of fermenters, and I can say without a doubt that bigger ones are harder to clean… and often, rather than a hands-on inspection of the job you’ve done cleaning, you generally just expose the thing to some kick-ass chemicals and assume they did the job. Is this the case? I can’t say I’ve taken the time to look. But I can say that organic breweries probably don’t clean this way, and for some reason their beer usually sucks.
Does is come down to cleaning (and rinsing) your equipment? I don’t know.
Well, I think I would have to disagree with you about SN dumbing down their beer. I think it is the beer drinkers palate that changes. As a drinkers palate progresses it tends to seek out more robust characterful qualities. If you get accustomed to trying west coast IPA’s & 2IPA’s (and breweries do keep making these more intense and more intense), then when you return to SNPA it will feel less robust. However, opposite to your thinking, it is the SNPA that has not changed. I’ve worked in the beer industry for the past couple of years and of any breweries out there, Sierra Nevada probably has the best reputation for consistency and quality. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks Bob. I don’t think SN dumbed down their beer. The change I’ve perceived in SN has more to do with the hops. What had previously been more floral seems to be more earthy and fibrous. I do have to say of late, SN does seem to have been making a comeback. I’m glad to see this has sparked so much debate. Check back in the next few days. I hope to have more to add on the topic.