So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014) • Hacker News Board

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#191

Post by adambyrtek » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:46 PM UTC

blhack wrote: post #164

nostromo wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is definitely true for tech. A lot of startup founders, including myself, fall in love with the idea of building technology -- but quickly learn founders are usually required to be great salespeople more than great technologists.

Can’t you hire a salesperson?

It's not just about literally selling the product. It's more about selling the company vision to employees, convincing investors, delivering talks and arranging interviews, which are really just high-level sales pitches. For example, Steve Jobs spent a huge amount of his time on preparing and rehearsing his keynotes.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#192

Post by oh_sigh » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:47 PM UTC

giggles_giggles wrote: post #36

munificent wrote: post #32

I live in Seattle where the IPA thing is just out of hand. My uncharitable pet theory is this: A certain class of men (sometimes women, but it's almost always men) get interested in something and then desire to make it part of their identity. That in turn means they want to convey that they are more into it than other people. Their passion expresses itself as competition. Most people that aren't really into beer don'…

Wow this is all incredibly sexist.

A challenge: Attribute in a comment any negative trait to a non-white, non-male group in a similar manner to OP to and see if your comment can stay non-grayed out.

In modern society, one is allowed to point out 'failings' of groups, such as low STEM enrollment rates for women, or high crime rates among African American males, but only if you also point out that these failings are the fault of whites/men. Whites and men are the only group whose failings are intrinsic and without some outside blame.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#193

Post by wrycoder » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:49 PM UTC

jofer wrote: post #167

smogcutter wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also enjoy all of those more than bud (except maybe PBR), but it’s worth pointing out that they’re all brewed with corn. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not any better than using rice. It’s still a grain sugar that isn’t barley.

For what it's worth, the defining characteristic of that style of beer (american pilsner) is being brewed with corn or rice. There's absolutely nothing wrong with using rice/corn in beer, anymore than there being something wrong with using wheat in beer. Corn gives it a distinct flavor. Try a kentucky common sometime. It's basically an amber brewed with a significant percentage of corn. I think bud actually only uses…

Two-row is the old style barley.

My problem with Bud is it doesn’t have much flavor or character for a pilsner - especially the Lite. Carbonated malt pop.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#194

Post by FooHentai » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:51 PM UTC

amyjess wrote: post #116

scottlocklin wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I have a personal theory that the overwhelming aroma and taste of hops in a beer can be used to mask many errors and missteps in the brewing process, which might be more easily tasted by the customer if it were, for example, a weissbier. It's not just your personal theory! It's absolutely correct. In my neophyte brewing years if something came out bad, I'd just chuck more hops in the carboy and call it an IPA (back…

> Hops are fairly estrogenic. Phytoestrogens don't really work on humans though. They mostly just antagonize the estrogen receptor, which means they bind to the receptor without activating it. This means they can actually be harmful to women on HRT because they make the HRT less effective.

But isn't the net effect of that still going to be making men more sensitive to estrogen?

I don't know if it's comparable, but my understanding is that over time caffeine's binding to adenosine receptors causes more receptors to be produced, leading to increased sensitivity to adenosine and so you get more drowsy than you otherwise would when caffeine's not present.

If that same effect applies to estrogen receptors, that would make men more sensitive to estrogen?

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#195

Post by munificent » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:53 PM UTC

scrumper wrote: post #178

munificent wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, those are great examples too. And, again, you see it happening clearly because they managed to conjure up some weird-ass numeric score for it.

It's a fun and clever little label for a trend that's quite obvious when it's pointed out! Someone upthread mentioned stinky cheese, dry wine, and peaty Islay Scotch. Those things don't yet have absolute metrics - it'd be amusing to see what happens if they ever do.

The future is now. For wine, there's the "Total Polyphenol Index":

https://www.decanter.com/learn/advice/tannin-scale-ask-decan...

For peat in Scotch, the "phenol parts per million":

https://www.theyorkshiregent.com/whisky/the-scotch-whisky-pe...

Not sure if someone's found a way to game cheese yet.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#196

Post by inferiorhuman » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:53 PM UTC

walrus01 wrote: post #90

inferiorhuman wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are more breweries learning how to do good lagers but still few and far between. That may be but Portland, Oregon has some excellent cider as well. Belmont Station in Hollywood is pretty much my go to place, they've a diverse selection of beer and cider.

There are also a number of good ciders coming out of the apple growing regions of central WA. Usually located within 15-20km at most of the major cold storage warehouses where apples go after being picked.

Out of Washington Finnriver's black currant cider is one of my favorites. There's a little cafe in St John's that's got it on tap, and that really is the best way to experience it.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#197

Post by munificent » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:55 PM UTC

rc-1140 wrote: post #95

munificent wrote: post #32

I live in Seattle where the IPA thing is just out of hand. My uncharitable pet theory is this: A certain class of men (sometimes women, but it's almost always men) get interested in something and then desire to make it part of their identity. That in turn means they want to convey that they are more into it than other people. Their passion expresses itself as competition. Most people that aren't really into beer don'…

I agree with the content of your message, as I have seen it happen many times myself first-hand, but I disagree with the way you're framing the phenomenon. > My favorite Tweet ever was someone who described this process that dudes do where they show up, take over a hobby, and drive all the fun out (and thus women) as "MENTRIFICATION". It is my new favorite word. I believe that this is a loaded word that does nothing…

Yes, that's all entirely fair. But the word nerd part of me can't help but be delighted by the absolutely perfect pun of "mentrification". It just... it's like the second you read the word its meaning leaps into your mind. It perfectly extends the metaphor of "gatekeeping".

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#198

Post by larnmar » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:55 PM UTC

munificent wrote: post #158

ljm wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels a little cynical. You can enjoy beer and music and stuff without getting into a dick measuring contest. If all they want to do is one-up you then they’re not your friend. Find someone who listens to you. If that’s their way of enjoying things, then what’s so bad about it? They presumably dislike a lot of the hobbies you enjoy, they’re not out there to ‘mentrify’ them. (Why this gendered insulting is okay whe…

> You can enjoy beer and music and stuff without getting into a dick measuring contest. Sure, and most do, across genders. > If that’s their way of enjoying things, then what’s so bad about it? Every act tends to have social/economic implications that affect how others participate, even if unintentional. Walk into a bar now, and often eight out of the ten taps are high IBU IPAs. Fewer choices for people that aren't i…

> Men collectively have enough power to handle a funny critical term without risk of being marginalized

Even to the extent this is true, it’s a poisonous attitude, responsible for a lot of acrimony in society today, and I urge you to reconsider it.

The attitude of “you can punch up but not down” leads to a lot more punching, especially when members of the group you’ve declared as “up” start getting sick of being punched and decide to punch back.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#199

Post by Tiktaalik » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:57 PM UTC

walrus01 wrote: post #2

My personal taste complaint with a lot of people who open a brewery... Everyone seems to think that more hops = better beer. There are so many other possible flavors and types to a beer than some type of IPA that is absolutely overloaded with hops. But that seems to be a very common type of thing to brew. When I open something and am assaulted with the aroma of hops, it's not appealing anymore. It was interesting 7-8…

Yeah it's weird.

This sort of ultra high IBU IPA remains really popular and all over the shelf when I go to Seattle or Portland.

This style of beer used to be popular in Vancouver, BC a few years ago too, but at this point the local craft brew scene has largely moved on from bitter west coast style hoppy IPAs, to the point now that when someone makes one its a bit of a novelty.

Re: So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery (2014)

#200

Post by inferiorhuman » Tue, Dec 03, 2019, 9:59 PM UTC

zwieback wrote: post #96

inferiorhuman wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are more breweries learning how to do good lagers but still few and far between. That may be but Portland, Oregon has some excellent cider as well. Belmont Station in Hollywood is pretty much my go to place, they've a diverse selection of beer and cider.

Also my hometown of Corvallis: 2 Towns Ciderhouse

Also my hometown of Corvallis: 2 Towns Ciderhouse

To be clear Belmont Station has both a bar (biercafé in hipster speak) and a store. The store has a really great selection of both beer and cider. My favorite is Reverand Nat's sour cherry — self-described as more of a lambic beer than a cider.

Their selection of California stuff isn't quite up to snuff but they carry 2 Towns as well — a friend had explain that reference to me.