TOPIC:

yeah well i suppose we all remember that infamous thread on boards by PCollins about the chocolate stout.

I will try any beer at least once. I have not yet had the best beer in the world. I hope I never ever find it either, as then there is no reason to try any other beers. There is only the best beer I have had YET. It is a never-ending quest, and a journey which I will remain on for the rest of my life. I only wish more people would pick up their prejudice and join me. I have picked up some fellow travellers along the way though thankfully!

Perhaps IPA isn't everyone's cup of tea.
I'm not sure about any anti-American snobbishness. Sometimes people are reluctant to move out of their safety zone.

Hi Wobbler,

did the barman mean that American beers specifically don't sell well, or that the 'speciality' beers they have are not selling well compared to the big brands?

I was in the Porterhouse over the weekend and noticed that at least half of the people I could see from my seat were drinking either Bulmers, Coors, Becks, or Heineken.

A restaurant manager I know told me that unless it's a strong brand, like Tiger or Heineken etc. people just won't try it. Ironically, the big brands are known as the 'premium' brands. His customers just won't try drinks they don't recognise, and unfortunately they don't spare it much thought (unlike the community on this forum). The guy acutally used the term 'brown water' to describe the non-mainstream brands.

This gets me down because it's a threat to the fledgling real-quality-beer industry in Ireland - importing or manufacturing.

It's contradictory, though. One off-license owner I talked to told me that his speciality beer sales were increasing by 40% every year over the last 4. (Does that tally for you, HapyAcid?) And it's clear that they're becoming much easier to acquire.

Also, the Porterhouse is frequently packed, and if half of them are drinking good beer, then that's a lot of people.

And this site and community is a fantastic support.

I'm convinced that beer will undergo an transformation over the next few years. Bulmers did it for cider 15 years ago, and wine has certainly enjoyed a transformation too. The character of the changes to the market may be different, but overall I'm optimistic. Cheers! <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->

&amp;quot;Fishamble&amp;quot;:4ec5eelb wrote: Hi Wobbler,

did the barman mean that American beers specifically don't sell well, or that the 'speciality' beers they have are not selling well compared to the big brands?

I was in the Porterhouse over the weekend and noticed that at least half of the people I could see from my seat were drinking either Bulmers, Coors, Becks, or Heineken.

A restaurant manager I know told me that unless it's a strong brand, like Tiger or Heineken etc. people just won't try it. Ironically, the big brands are known as the 'premium' brands. His customers just won't try drinks they don't recognise, and unfortunately they don't spare it much thought (unlike the community on this forum). The guy acutally used the term 'brown water' to describe the non-mainstream brands.

This gets me down because it's a threat to the fledgling real-quality-beer industry in Ireland - importing or manufacturing.

It's contradictory, though. One off-license owner I talked to told me that his speciality beer sales were increasing by 40% every year over the last 4. (Does that tally for you, HapyAcid?) And it's clear that they're becoming much easier to acquire.

Also, the Porterhouse is frequently packed, and if half of them are drinking good beer, then that's a lot of people.

And this site and community is a fantastic support.

I'm convinced that beer will undergo an transformation over the next few years. Bulmers did it for cider 15 years ago, and wine has certainly enjoyed a transformation too. The character of the changes to the market may be different, but overall I'm optimistic. Cheers! <!-- s:-) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:-) -->[/quote:4ec5eelb]

Hi Fishamble. The barman said that the American speciality beers aren't selling well compared to [i:4ec5eelb]other[/i:4ec5eelb] speciality beers. That's the impression I got anyway. I think these days, more and more people seem to be choosing more alternative beers. It bothers me to see people drinking Budvar with a glass of ice. What's the point? When people go for "speciality" beers they tend to opt for
-Tiger (blehh)
-Budvar (nice beer but shouldn't be drunk with ice)
-Erdinger (Boringish wheat beer, which too many people drink straight from the bottle)
-Staropramen (not bad but I think well overrated

The point I'm trying to make is that I don't think tastes are improving but people are becoming more style consxcious in their choice of drink.

It's a step in the right direction. At least they are opting for beer with a bit of flavour.

I do think that American craft beers have an uphill struggle for acceptance, even compared to other craft beers. When people think American Beer, they think Bud, Miller, Coors, so if they want flavour, they avoid American.

I can't tell you how many people are surprised to hear me state the simple fact that some of the best beers in the world are being brewed in America, these days. It just hadn't occurred to them that there was quality brewing going on there, as well as the flavourless yellow fizz, the TV Adverts are plugging.

&amp;quot;sbillings&amp;quot;:2wtky7m9 wrote: It's a step in the right direction. At least they are opting for beer with a bit of flavour.

I do think that American craft beers have an uphill struggle for acceptance, even compared to other craft beers. When people think American Beer, they think Bud, Miller, Coors, so if they want flavour, they avoid American.

I can't tell you how many people are surprised to hear me state the simple fact that some of the best beers in the world are being brewed in America, these days. It just hadn't occurred to them that there was quality brewing going on there, as well as the flavourless yellow fizz, the TV Adverts are plugging.[/quote:2wtky7m9]

I think I can agree with everything you said there.