Comments on: All Beer Is The Same!?!

By: Jay Brooks

Jay Brooks — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:17:23 +0000

I’m not sure I understand your point of view at all. I don’t think there’s anything to the sentiment. Yes “[e]verybody and their mother has an IPA” but they’re not all the same IPA, but each individual’s take on the style, using slightly different ingredients, or combination of ingredients and using their own process.” In theory, no two of those IPAs are exactly the same. If they taste the same to you, that’s actually a problem on your end, because they don’t don’t taste the same to me, or to thousands of other people, too. I don’t know about the “rushing out to try it so they can yell “First!” on some message board” part but as for the rest, yes, we do need “another brewery putting together those ingredients.” That’s what keeps it exciting. There is no one right way to make any beer. To presume that it’s all been done to death and there’s nothing new under the sun, as you seem to suggest, seems ignorant at best and I won’t even go into the other implications at worst.

But perhaps worst that that, if you think finding ways to make beer cheaper (or as you euphemistically call it, “consumer issues”) is any way an innovation, then all I can do is shake my head, and feel sorry for you. Ah, well.

By: homebrew hacker

homebrew hacker — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:36:31 +0000

While the phrase ‘all beer tastes the same’ is logically incorrect, there’s something to the sentiment. Everybody and their mother has an IPA out now. Everybody has an imperial stout (OK not miller, but most craft breweries). The fact is that it’s just barley, hops, yeast, and water. You’ll get some differing flavors, but really do we need another brewery putting together those ingredients and calling it “Hades Stepping Stones Stout” and everybody rushing out to try it so they can yell “First!” on some message board?

I’m all for beer, but I think at this point the winners will be the ones who innovate on consumer issues (ie mostly price at the register).

By: Julie@GoodBrewer

Julie@GoodBrewer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:03:40 +0000

I’m not sure what was more insulting and appalling…the general tone of the original blog, or the implications by the commentors that his opinions that all beer tastes the same are what “a women would think”.

I’m a home brewer and a fan of craft beer, and to see that sort of ignorance is disturbing.

By: tedo

tedo — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:39:07 +0000

Jay,
Not sure if you saw this but he posted an “apology”

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2009/07/31/join-me-for-a-beer-stock-summit.aspx

By: Lucas

Lucas — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:28:18 +0000

A little tear in my eye . . . that was beautifully said. He should apologize to those people who read his article and passed the information along as if it were fact.

By: California Pete

California Pete — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:15:11 +0000

I love free speech, and the First Amendment is by far my favorite amendment. (OK, the Twenty-First is actually a close second.) But I’m going to nitpick your statement, Jay, that “Dlugosch is entitled to his opinion”. The notion that everyone is entitled to their opinion rests on the assumption that those opinions rest on even just the slightest shreds of reality. Going out on an intellectual limb is fine. Clinging to a minority point of view is welcome. But, as you point out Jay, Dlugosch’s ignorance is so severe that it belongs in the same trash heap that is home to flat-Earthers and Holocaust-deniers. This isn’t opinion, it’s just garbage. Shame on you, MSNBC, for allowing this to appear in (Inter-)print.

By: Michael Reinhardt

Michael Reinhardt — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:25:22 +0000

What a damned fool. Speaking of gloves being off…maybe I could punch this guy in the face some time (I’m smiling when I say this). I don’t know…is Old Rasputin triple hopped? What an offense to any intelligent beer drinker. Here is my theory on why he said what he did.

Start with his name. Dlugosch. Keep the D. Subtract the L and the G and S. Now, switch the O and U. Add and E to the end. What’s that spell? DLUGOSCH-L, G, S=DUOCH. Reverse UO=DOUCH+E= DOUCHE

By: David

David — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:54:35 +0000

Hahah! Doofus to the max!

Here’s another POV with a little more credibility:

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/30/miller-lite-tries-to-sell-you-on-costly-beer-in-a-box/

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:40:26 +0000

Greatly summed up Jay but I think you could’ve been harder on the guy. Despite what the pundits, traders and fund managers might tell you, all stocks are the same as well. You’re just paying for the experience of watching people yell and gesture wildly before a bell is rung and the lemming are let out to graze for the night. Is it any wonder the financial markets went to crap? How can we trust this douche with “expert financial analysis” if he can’t even analyze correctly what his tongue is telling him.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:21:35 +0000

The ignorance doesn’t bother me as much as the authoritative tone. “Despite what the microbrewers will tell you”? I’d like to see the list of beers that form the basis of his claim.

By: The Chadd

The Chadd — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:03:04 +0000

So, if I gave you a triangle taste test of Old Rasputin and Miller lite, you would be able to identify the different beer? Come on! :)

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:44:20 +0000

Ha! Great post. I’m amazed they give column space to these kinds of ill-prepared writers in a reputable national publication like WSJ.

“I like drinking my suds from a cold bottle. Period.”

Are you kidding me? I wonder what his response would be if you asked him if he’d consider doing the same with wine…

By: nate

nate — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:25:31 +0000

I’m glad the gloves came off. Heresy!
I laughed out loud reading through this post.