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

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

#251

Post by joe_the_user » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 1:57 AM UTC

OJFord wrote: post #221

joe_the_user wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another thing thing I think I've found about the IPA crazy is that it has driven out the variety in IPAs themselves - once there was a spectrum in high-hop tastes between citrus-y and cider-y tastes in high-hop beer but now citrus-y is the only taste that's considered acceptable. The cider-y taste ("green-apple character" I believe) you can taste in the Belgian beer Orval is considered an off-flavor in IPAs and I'm p…

> once there was a spectrum in high-hop tastes between citrus-y and cider-y tastes in high-hop beer but now citrus-y is the only taste that's considered acceptable. Worth noting that the citrusy highly carbonated brews are 'American IPA's, English or 'Imperial' IPAs are much less citrusy, if at all, and much much much less carbonated. That's changing a bit - much to my disappointment, I don't like the citrus either,…

I'll look for English/Imperial formats when I can. I'd guess Dogfishhead 90 minute IPA qualifies as imperial and I prefer it to most.

I think the unspecified IPA you often find will be American. And jeesh, there far too many of them. Like the original cheap American lager form, it's OK 'till you've had far too much of it and then you never want it again.

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

#252

Post by joe_the_user » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 1:58 AM UTC

anfractuosity wrote: post #145

joe_the_user wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another thing thing I think I've found about the IPA crazy is that it has driven out the variety in IPAs themselves - once there was a spectrum in high-hop tastes between citrus-y and cider-y tastes in high-hop beer but now citrus-y is the only taste that's considered acceptable. The cider-y taste ("green-apple character" I believe) you can taste in the Belgian beer Orval is considered an off-flavor in IPAs and I'm p…

The funky flavour from orval comes from bottling with brettanomyces, I'd not noticed an applely flavour though myself.

Another example might the taste of Christmas or Anchor Liberty Ale from maybe thirty years ago.

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

#253

Post by joe_the_user » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:01 AM UTC

regulation_d wrote: post #250

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 think an interesting counterpoint here is that people are doing different things with hops now than they were a decade ago. Most of the really hoppy stuff I've had lately has been heavily dry hopped with little bittering hops during the boil. The result is juicy rather than over-the-top bitter. I would wager that average IPA these days has much lower IBUs than the average IPA did 10 years ago.

Is "juicy" different from Citrus-y? Most of the IPAs I happen to taste lately taste something like bitter grapefruit soda but I'd be interested in trying something actually new.

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

#254

Post by wyck » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:04 AM UTC

neves wrote: post #41

The world if full of people that like to eat/cook that open a restaurant, like to travel and open a hostel, like to do X and open Y. They all later realize it is a completely different endeavor.

and they become adults..

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

#255

Post by regulation_d » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:10 AM 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…

I think you're partly correct. Hops cover a multitude of sins. But another reason I think brewers use hops so extensively is that they're the ingredient that will get you the closest to something approximating terroir. New Zealand hops, for example, are really popular right now because they bring a new and interesting character to the table, unique to where they are grown.

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

#256

Post by erikpukinskis » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:14 AM UTC

Enginerrrd wrote: post #49

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 feel like this is reading into it a bit much. I'm not that into beer, but I really like hoppy IPA's and always have. Even in high school / college, if the only option was cheap beer, I just wouldn't drink it because I didn't enjoy it. I preferred microbrew beers, and found that I didn't really like belgians/red ales/porters/etc. But I loved my first sip of a fresh Lagunitas IPA. I noticed that not all batches were…

Yeah, I still remember the first time a had a Bells Two-Hearted. It was bliss. I think some people just like bitter and some don’t.

That said, I can’t eat a straight grapefruit, even covered in sugar. Love a grapefruit soda though.

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

#257

Post by jhbadger » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:16 AM 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…

Or it could be that people who don't get IPAs are rather like the people who don't get authentic Indian food. Yes, at first, you may only taste hops or chilis, but as your palette matures, you begin to realize that that there's more to these drinks or foods and that they are in the end more interesting than the bland steaks or weissbiers one once liked.

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

#258

Post by couchand » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 2:42 AM UTC

logfromblammo wrote: post #148

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…

In ages past, before the Reinheitsgebot, the brewers would have their own proprietary blend of gruit , some of which even included hops. I believe some modern brewers have attempted to revive the tradition, many using Sitka spruce tips as the primary flavoring element. A unique proprietary blend of flavorants would certainly be a competitive advantage over all those beers that just use the four major bittering herbs:…

> The IPA was invented because beer shipped to India acquired off flavors due to the longer travel times. It is almost by definition bad beer.

More porter was shipped to India than pale ale. Would you consider porter by definition a bad beer?

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

#259

Post by kjs3 » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 3:00 AM 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?

Eventually, but the founder/CEO/CTO is still going to be core to the sales process.

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

#260

Post by kjs3 » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 3:03 AM UTC

FernandoTN wrote: post #24

Running a brewery ends up being more about running a business than actually brewing... Every corp ends up being much more intensive in the administrative side once the process or product has been standardized or reached a stable version. Isn't this the case for most businesses, including tech?

Isn't this the case for most businesses

Yes. If it's a business (as opposed to, say, a hobby), success lies in being good at the administrative side. Even something that's kinda both like Linux: every interview I've read with Linus T in the last decade or two he makes it very clear he spends virtually all of his time managing administrative tasks.