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beerspeaks t1_jd9clrm wrote

Reply to comment by AttackonRetail in Casked or kegged? 'New English' brewery hopes to open in Rolfe Square by July by cowperthwaite

"Most English-style breweries"? How many breweries are there in the US that specialize in English-style beers?

I like an ESB on occasion. Shit, one of the best beer experiences I had in recent memory was drinking a Welly on site at Fox Farm.

But let's be honest - the average American beer drinker couldn't give 2 shits about cask ale. The lack of pub beers isn't a supply-side issue. The demand is not there, so breweries follow the consumers' taste, and make what sells - IPAs.

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PeonSanders t1_jd9ili5 wrote

Yes, but the beer market, including craft, is so saturated with more and more of the same that you'd best be looking for a way to differentiate yourself or you'll just get lost in the shuffle.

English beer styles are oddly underrepresented and differentiating yourself that way when it's genuinely what you know and understand in terms of brewing makes perfect sense.

Also, they could make an IPA you know. A real one ;)

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FrutaFertil t1_jdafxof wrote

The irony being that IPAs are an English style beer 😂

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bumblesnatcher t1_jdb801m wrote

Unfortunately that's not how it works, having something different gets you lost in the shuffle for some reason

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PeonSanders t1_jdbdkm8 wrote

This is the oddest statement ever in the context of craft beer, in addition to being just hard to understand in general.

If having something different got you lost in the shuffle, there'd be no craft scene in the USA, which has only really come about in the last 3 decades. So God awful options to market saturation in 20 years. Because someone who liked beer tried to do something different than how it was done here.

Then, ipas here in general, the very thing we are discussing... If anything, for me, they are too ignorant of tradition, but they're in their infancy, still. Other beer styles have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, while this has sprung up in the most wildly, obnoxious, fuck you heres some citrus up your nose, most stars and stripesy entrance into the world of beer. I'm reputed to be shit at this but actually I'm an expert. There's nothing more American than that, and it's all about not being lost in the shuffle by being different.

Then yeah, imitator after imitator... Till the next thing comes along.

Americans aren't traditionalists with food and drink. Fads swing wildly. I'm not suggesting they'll go for brown ale all of a sudden, or milds, but they will go somewhere. They are already moving.

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bumblesnatcher t1_jdci9uj wrote

I've worked in craft beer for over a decade, consumers don't actually like the option of choice. Humans are creatures of habit, we'll try new things but stick to what we know is safe and we'll like.

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PeonSanders t1_jdctwbc wrote

Your entire industry in the us exists because people were fed up with lack of choice, and don't stick to what they know is safe and what they will like.

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bumblesnatcher t1_jdcwnm1 wrote

They were fed up with lack of flavor, but craft beer is and has been less than 20% of the market. People still just want Budweiser or other macro lagers. IPA has dominated the market for over 30 years. I'm not saying diversity isn't great, but the average consumer won't order something they're unfamiliar with, it's just basic sociology.

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beerspeaks t1_jd9mr96 wrote

You call it differentiation.

I call it needlessly painting yourself into a corner.

The best way of standing out is making good beer. Given the number of breweries in this state, there are only a few making beer that's better than "fine".

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PeonSanders t1_jd9rnnl wrote

How is someone who has an entire lifetime of experience brewing english beer meant to brew very good beer in another style, one that they don't necessarily have a palate for, or any genuine interest in?

That's a recipe for disaster.

Also, there has been a movement toward more sessiony beers in general in the last few years in american cask beers. You can fill that in any number of ways, but there's nout wrong with using English beers to do it if that's your expertise.

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