The Beer Geek Returns or Chain, Chain, Chain...Chain of Brewpubs

More beer geek thoughts from Terry...

Since my first Beer Geek v. Beer Snob article had good feedback, I’ll try again. This time the snobbery struck close to home. I was at Romans Pub having a beer with one of my oldest friends and the conversation was about beer, of course. I mentioned the Rock Bottom- and the BOOM there it was, Beer Snobbery - “ I don’t care for them since they’re a chain” replied my friend. I sipped my Dragon Milk Stout, bit my tongue, and measured my response. Having more than one location would appear to be the sign of success. Do we criticize Rogue or Great Dane because they have expanded? Why does the Rock continue to get the “chain” treatment? Last time I looked at medals given out at GABF, Rock Bottoms, from all over the country, were winning with different recipes.

I choose my brewpubs based on a lot of things; atmosphere, price, pub food, customer service and yes the beer. Rock Bottom has scored high on my list on all of these. The mug club is an outstanding bargain; where else are you going on a Wednesday night, for $2 beers and free appetizers? The food is terrific and it is extremely family friendly. Now the beer- go get a growler of Up Your Kilt Scottish Ale and compare it with the peaty example from Sprecher. I think you will find Rock Bottom an excellent example of the style.

When it comes to my brewpubs, I do not care if it is a chain, or the beer is brewed with extract, or shipped in from Iowa, I go there for fresh beer, good pub food and the atmosphere. Two years ago, before I visited my brother in San Diego, I did a little research on the beer scene. Yes, there are a lot of no-brainers, Stone was the first stop, half hour from my brothers place and Pizza Port was 2 blocks from the hotel. However when asking locals, I got a lot of Snobbery about Karl Strauss Brewpub. The beer “snob” community despised it. We all know the late Mr. Strauss is a beer legend in these parts, but is not so appreciated in San Diego.

Well as a geek, not a snob, I found the perfect opportunity to visit a Karl Strauss right next to Lego Land. It was crowded, and appeared to be like a TGIF without the crap on the wall. Bottom line is I’m glad I went, because I had the best microbrewed Hefe Weizen I have ever had. I wish Mr. Strauss had opened up one of his brewpubs here in Wisconsin. It would just be another “chain” brewpub I’d love to go to.

Cheers,
Terry
Beer Geek in Racine

Snob Vs. Geek

I have a friend with whom I occasionally have the opportunity to have a beer and discuss the state of beer in southeast Wisconsin. Terry is a member of the Belle City Home Brewers and Vintners and and the Milwaukee Beer Barons. He recently wrote an article for the Beer Barons newsletter, which I think is worth sharing with you.


PILSNER URQUELL RATES ONLY C+ BY BEER ADVOCATE

C+! It got a C+! When I saw it I thought I was going to explode. Maybe it was still Packer loss hangover, or just the general malaise from “the winter that would not end”. But there it was in black and white a C+ for the beer that changed the world. Maybe a little background is needed. My name is Terry and I am a beer geek! I love beer, not just the taste but the aroma, the texture and the even the way it looks. I will stare at my nitro poured Boddingtons like a bug in a jar. My wardrobe is 90% beer logoed, family vacations have brewpub stops filtered in, I love beer! I love the signs, the steins, the tap handles, the STUFF! I love beer, the process, the breweries and especially the history. I am a beer geek, but I am not a beer snob!

This is why when I read BeerAdvocates rating of Pilsner Urquel of a C+ I got mad. But wait, maybe something went wrong, maybe they got a skunky bottle, or god forbid is there an Urquel Lite? Curse you Miller! I quickly read the review. Then I saw “Even without a recipe change”. What!? Lacing and head retention is described as “quite amazing”. “Clean”, “very smooth”, “crisp”, are other adjectives used to describe this beer. Then there it is at the end, “globalization, growth, and popularity” Three words that beer snobs hate but stockholders and people who actually pay the bills love. Bottom line, Pilsner Urquell, one of the world’s greatest beers is now a C+ not based on aroma, flavor and mouth feel but based on the fact now it is available to more people!

This is snobbery, and in my opinion what is gone wrong in today’s beer culture. Last month this same magazine listed there top 25 beers on the planet, 6 out of the top 10 were Russian Imperial Stouts. Not since Catherine the Great has this style received such props. Out of 25 beers there was only one lager! This of course was some obscure beer only a few people ever heard of. And goodness knows if the monks of Saint-Sixtusabdj van Westvleteren actually marketed their beer to make money to do the Lord’s work, their precious #8 and # 12’s ratings would drop like a rock “even without a recipe change”. No, it’s time for me to give up BeerAdvocate. Recently while at Barnes and Noble I saw a new beer Magazine. I think it was called Beer. It had a lot of shiny pictures with a lot of well-endowed beerchicks and not much substance. But it was not preachy, pretentious, or snobby, it was just about beer. Maybe I’ll give it a shot. Cheers