Support the Craft/Microbrew Industry

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

One of my jobs when I worked in Montana was working on the production line at Big Hole Brewary in Belgrade right by the Bozeman airport. My shift was from 7:00AM to around 3:00PM. We rotated positions every 45 minutes or so. The first step was putting bottles on the assembly line..I could comfortably do 4 bottles at a time with each hand although my first day or two...I definitely had butterfingers and dropped a few which provided me job security later on when I sweeped up the broken glass. A more skilled employee ran the bottling machine...then the beer was put into 6-pack containers and then the cases by hand..then the cases were taped up...stacked on pallets..then moved to another room with either a pallet jack or forklift. Pay was only $7 an hour but we got to take home all the low fills. Nothing wrong with an 11 ounce bottle..lol.,and each day there was at least 12-18 beers worth of low fills per person..and we were encouraged to take them with us. We were also allowed to drink beer on the job and there was always music blasting..not top 40 crap but Jedi Mind Tricks, Wu-Tang Clan, old school rap like the Ghetto Boyz, and even Techno. I had this job late summer/early fall of 2003..after my stint at TNT fireworks and before the ski season. I remember a September morning when there was snow in the Bridgers for the first time of the season...

Everyday after work I'd hit up Town and Country market or Pork Chop Johns for some wings or Subway or somewhere and then go back to my place and drink some beer and share it with my roommates...then take whatever leftover beer I had to a friends house and I'd usually get free food and Sugar Free Red Bull in exchange for the Big Hole beer. Then the next morning I'd wake up at 6:30AM, hungover and do it all again..Definitely broke times for me but it was hella fun..

 

[roark]

I'm making a concerted effort to drink the craft brew industry out of existence.
So far, I only seem to be encouraging it.

I do, however, dislike the "big" beer fad- IPA's with far too much hops, stouts that will take the paint off your house and give your whole family a permanent orange afro, that sort of thing. I like beers that are good examples of their style. I don't mind the creation of new styles, just not when they're just bastardizations of existing classics.

And then I get a six pack in and don't seem to mind as much.

I'm all for the evolution of styles. I love Imperial IPAs. The only beer that was too hoppy for me was Blind Pig IPA about 10 yrs ago... I'd probably dig it now

What is stout but a bastardization of porter? IPA but the more evolved younger brother of PA? You're getting crotchety there old man!

 

[ctenidae]

I'm all for the evolution of styles. I love Imperial IPAs. The only beer that was too hoppy for me was Blind Pig IPA about 10 yrs ago... I'd probably dig it now

What is stout but a bastardization of porter? IPA but the more evolved younger brother of PA? You're getting crotchety there old man!

Yeah, sometimes a bit grumpy. As I recall, though, Porter was actually a mix of stout and ale, so it was predated by stouts.

Evolution is one thing, but don't make a crazy overhopped regular alcohol brew and call it an IPA. High hops and high aclohol, okay, but if it's not true to the original, call it something else. Budweiser should probably change their name altogether.

 

[roark]

Certainly not infallable, but wikipedia's take:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_(beer)

Porter is a beer with a dark colour. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined[1]. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts. The name "stout" for a dark beer came about because a strong porter may be called "Extra Porter" or "Double Porter" or "Stout Porter". The term "Stout Porter" would later be shortened to just "Stout". For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840.[2]

 

[ctenidae]

From BeerAdvocate:
Description:
Porter is said to have been popular with transportation workers of Central London, hence the name. Most traditional British brewing documentation from the 1700’s state that Porter was a blend of three different styles: an old ale (stale or soured), a new ale (brown or pale ale) and a weak one (mild ale), with various combinations of blending and staleness. The end result was also commonly known as "Entire Butt" or "Three Threads" and had a pleasing taste of neither new nor old. It was the first truly engineered beer, catering to the publics taste, playing a critical role in quenching the thirst of the UK’s Industrial Revolution and lending an arm in building the mega-breweries of today.

Some change is good. Porters count in that regard.

 

[gorgonzola]

As much as Iike the wheats of summer and the hopped up flavor of the " big" beers, I'm a multi beer quiver kinda guy:
Summer afternoon pool or beach I'll do mich ultra's or even coors lights on the rocks - stay hydrated, refreshed and semi sober well into the night...
Sunday nights are hockey night here in Bethlehem and Labatts Blue is the adult sports beverage of choice after the Geezer league games - mighty damn refreshing
Cans are required for the day/rink so the micros/crafts are out, but it just makes 'em taste that much better when dining out or having some social beers...:beer:

 

[Greg]

Summer afternoon pool or beach I'll do mich ultra's or even coors lights on the rocks - stay hydrated, refreshed and semi sober well into the night...

I'm not too proud to admit that sometimes I enjoy a Miller Lite or Bud Light in the summer provided they are icy cold. I do not like Coors Light though. It tastes weird to me.