Beer Examiner

What is good beer? – Revisited. Big brewers’ beer, malt-hop justice and brewers sharing.

Perhaps the most remote brewery in the USA.  Name & Where is it?

This is part 6 revisiting comments regarding my June 26 post, What is Good Beer?

Brad Ginn says: I'd also add that the use of high quality ingredients and a passion for the craft of brewing are very important… Craft brewers appear not to fear the competition of other craft brewers, but rather feed off of it; many of them share knowledge, and sometimes even resources, with other brewers (craft and home) which helps foster a sense of community. Even if the industrial brewers managed to make a beer that passed the test of taste, aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and drinkability, I would be very unlikely to drink it, regardless of price, because they don't operate by the same principles as the craft beer community.

Okay, I’ll walk the talk. In my inaugural post dated April 11, I say in part, “Some people think that whenever I write about beer and brewers I put on a hat and preach on behalf of small, craft and homebrewers. Let me assure you I do not wear a hat when I write.”   A comment yesterday inferred that perhaps I “despised their [big brewers] products.”  

Have you ever had a Barman Pilsener originally made by Coors, now made by their subsidiary brewpub, The Blue Moon Brewery at the Sandlot (at Coors Stadium) in Denver?   It is a terrific German style pilsener. It’s in short supply, not always on tap, but always worthy of your money. 

I recently wrote a review for Big Eddy Imperial Stout made by Leinenkugel. Leinenkugel is wholly owned by SAB-Miller-Coors. This is what I wrote: Looks like an Imperial stout. Pours like an Imperial Stout. Sounds like an Imperial Stout. Smells like an Imperial Stout. Speaks like an Imperial Stout. Feels like an Imperial Stout. Warming like an Imperial Stout.  I finished it like an Imperial Stout. Thus, I am an imperial stout. Big, bold statement of malt-hop justice. Fruity, sherry-raisin-currant-like, wonderfully complex. Severely velvety, smooth and drinkable. One of the best I’ve ever had. Given the opportunity, I’d stash a case away for the ages.   Damn ! This is remarkably terrific. One of the best.”

There you have it. I do cross the line.   But Brad makes observations I can appreciate. American craft brewers share. They recognize that they do compete with each other, yet at the same time they are together in their mission to educate beer drinkers about new, flavorful and different beer experiences.    Yes they often share resources, especially supply resources and especially technical knowledge. They understand that it is in the beer industry’s best interest for all brewers to make great beer. To this end I must also admire the large brewing companies (Miller, Anheuser-Busch, Coors, etc) for their historic contribution in helping assure that small brewers have access to technical information and brewing knowledge. They have been unwavering in their contributions since the early days of craft brewing. For the most part their helpful behavior has been remarkably different than the behavior of brewing companies outside of the USA. 

Finally, I’ll say that personally speaking given a choice between a Coors Barman Pils, a Leine’s Big Eddy Imperial Stout and a locally brewed small batch craft beer, I’d be hard pressed to choose. As mentioned in a previous essay: “It all depends.”

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