Morals of #beerchat: Dont be "that guy" and IPAs are not avocado Kitchen Aids

With #beerchat coming up tomorrow, and the fact that I missed last week and will miss tomorrow I feel like I should do my part and contribute to the discussion. @SommBeer hosted this week and led a discussion about trends in craft beer and perceptions of craft beer drinkers.

@SommBeer A1: snobs are snobs, but hopefully we continue to support growth, community, pushing boundaries, and sharing a pint. #beerchat
— Brian Malone (@zima182) May 23, 2014

I have always been partial to this issue and I really want to be vanguard against "that guy". So if you see "that guy" tell them to get off their high horse, grab a beer, drink it without production, and chill out. While drinking beer can be about the beer, 99% of the purpose of beer is to be drank with friends and relax. So do that!

#beerchat Q2 who makes the highest quality Beer #eastcoat #westcoat #midwest ?? vote for #michigan and earn extra points
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014

A2: I'm a NYer but lean West Coast for hoppy beers. Cali has a hefty lineup in that regard. But NY has great variety.. #beerchat
— Charles Dunkley (@cedunkley) May 23, 2014

I think this question is kind of like asking which NFL team has the highest quality fans. As long as you aren't talking about the Oakland Raiders and their ugly Black Hole, fandom is just a city/regional preference and what you know. While some of us might be lucky to experience things from elsewhere we will largely know what is in our own back yard. I just have the pleasure to know the smells of amazing BBQ and the sound of a loud stadium in Kansas City.

On a side note, I would really like to find out from personal experience about beers from all over the country... Nay the world! Its a goal and on the bucket list. (Yes, I used nay. Don't judge! I used it correctly. So what if I like A Knight's Tale?)

Q3 Are IPAs like Avocado colored appliances ...just a fad? Anybody sick of IPAs yet #beerchat #ipa #beer
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014

A3) Definitely don't think that IPAs are like 70s appliances. They're here to stay and I'm not sick of them at all! #beerchat #ipa
— Epic Beer Girl (@epicbeergirl) May 23, 2014

While I might have missed the small kitchen appliance fads of the 70's, I do appreciate why fads happen. Fads happen because peoples taste evolve through stages of demand. With increased options the demand changes. I am sure you can find a few people who still have an Avocado colored Kitchen Aid. I, however, don't feel that IPAs are a fad and don't feel they are going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I feel that craft beer drinkers are seeing their demand being answered by an ever increasing and varietal selection of kinds of IPAs. My next home brew will be a lighter IPA that focuses less on the punch in the mouth sourness and more on the crisp flavor and aroma of the hops. I will probably brew something like a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA.

Don't get me wrong. There are A LOT of IPAs out there that are not good, could be better, or purely trying to make the drinker not be able to taste anything else for the rest of the night and pucker their face up like they ate 20 LemonHeads.

Q4 Should the Big (M)ass breweries disclose their ownership when selling their #craftbeer attempts? #beerchat #beer
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014

@SommBeer A4: I'd like a little more transparency, but at the end of the day, drink what you like. #beerchat
— Brian Malone (@zima182) May 23, 2014

This comes down to the craft vs crafty debate. I tried to talk about this when I started this blog in Crafty vs Craft.

I feel like I have learned and grown from talking to people about this. I see this discussion a lot. I am going to write new post about this soon. I am going to try for next week.

@SommBeer A5: which method gives me more volume? That's my choice. #beerchat
— The Beer Sommelier® (@BeerSommelier) May 23, 2014

This is a perfect answer to this question! I would always go with draft over bottle given the choice. And to this guys point that also means you probably have the keg there so there is more beer, or at least more potential for a greater quantity of beer.

Be sure to catch #beerchat tomorrow at 8pm CST. @TwoGirlsOneBeer will be hosting a discussion on the advent of canned beer and what I am assuming is how we ditch the stigma and accept that quality beer can come from a can.