Micro-breweries and 'ticking' culture: Counter-productive regarding real choice?

[aleandhearty]

This is a topic that’s arisen socially quite a lot recently, in one guise or another. Perhaps it says something about the current buoyant state of the real ale market that the question can be asked at all? I suspect even three or four years ago there would have been no need.

A couple of weekends ago the wife and I were sat in one of our favourite pubs and worked across the six pumps. All the beers were in reasonable condition, at the very least, but two of them were downright unpleasant regarding flavour and the other four very bland, with little distinguishing character. Although it wasn’t quite a ‘John Smith’s man’ moment, my wife commented ‘Wouldn’t it be nice just to have something we know?’ To my surprise, I actually felt the same way.

With yet two more microbreweries rumoured to be opening soon in West Yorkshire, I live in a county that offers incredible choice, both from local producers and those available from surrounding areas. However, what is that choice based on? I think there’s a reasonable case for saying that a fair percentage of beers produced just aren’t up to snuff and that ‘ticking’ culture has a lot to answer for. The ingrained belief that new beers drive the market is debatably backfiring.

In my opinion there are two main problems. Some micros don’t have enough technical skill or experience to offer consistent quality in their brews; and secondly, by constantly initiating miniscule changes to hopping rates etc to create a ‘new’ beer, a ‘core range’ of beers for the drinker to latch onto and appreciate is often missing, or neglected. Of course, beers do evolve and there has to be room for experimentation. For example, I particularly admire how Roosters and Abbeydale use the respective Outlaw and Dr. Morton’s labels for their more left-field beers.

I’m sure some will argue that the market is self-regulating, regarding which breweries will survive and that the occasional boring session in a pub is a small price to pay for such diversity. However, I’m not entirely convinced. What do others think?

[ETA]

I agree that to a certain extent the market self-regulates, but to take that as the definitive way to control what is on offer risks decending into the 1970s scenario of decent beer's being supressed by the megakegs.

Personally, I like a mix of both. It's always good to try a new beer, and a "tasting" session is a good way of spending a night out when in the right company. But equally, it is a pleasant, comforting (and veyr low stress) experience to walk into my local and enjoy a steady, predictable pint with people who lie just to the left of the CAMRA-lagerlout continuum.

So, in all, well done to the experimental micros, you have a definite niche, but please don't pretend to the thrones off the more established brewers who continue to provide so much pleasure to a much wider section of society.

[Soup Dragon]

I think, if you go into a pub with 6 handpulls (aka handpumps) and they all taste blandish to crap, that is the fault of the pub for putting them on together.

I am always going to chose a pint of Bathams MILD over Hobbyflabs Christmas Bonfire XB, however, i may ask for a sample, rather than risk wasting a pint, or even a half.

[Quinno]

I have an antipathy to breweries who appear to brew like Starbucks - eg to my mind make a vast VAT of 'regular' beer and then add basically something akin to syrup to change the flavour a little, then badge it with some tossy steam train or animal and call it part of a 'series'. Like Archers (RIP ha ha). I can think of a few others...

[trainman]

Not having a dig at Little Ale Cart there Quinno? Their beers seem similar, but all good.

Maybe I've been lucky enough to mostly avoid the blandest of micro offerings, but I do understand the argument for the 'safety' of a recognised reliable, especially when drinking with others who may not be as, let's say, curious, as me. That's why my bank of 5 featured Tiger, though it could equally have been Landlord.

[ROBCamra]

I have an antipathy to breweries who appear to brew like Starbucks - eg to my mind make a vast VAT of 'regular' beer and then add basically something akin to syrup to change the flavour a little, then badge it with some tossy steam train or animal and call it part of a 'series'. Like Archers (RIP ha ha). I can think of a few others...

That'll be Cottage then? I can't remember a really good beer from Cottage and supposedly I've had loads of different ones.

[trainman]

That'll be Cottage then?

Hmm, I can't say I've ever been a fan of Cottage either, or Pilgrim or Dorking brews.

[RogerB]

That'll be Cottage then? I cant remember a really good beer from Cottage and supposedly I've had loads of different ones.

I think I have just had one cottage beer rebadged 25 times. I don't mind them but they are generally very bland.

I agree with A&H to the extent that micros are in danger of flooding the market but to survive they need to get a decent portfolio of ales into the system. The problem is that in some places (like Yorkshire) there are so many that it is becoming hard to make comparisons between breweries and beers as they become much of a muchness - I'm sure the real beer tasting experts are having their skills stretched to the limit when it comes to trying to make them all sound different. Luckily I don't have access to that many although some of the newer Kent Breweries are beginning to filter out in my direction. At the moment it is quite exciting to see new beers and breweries cropping up in my area but I can understand the downside of it as well.

[oldboots]

I have to admit it gets on my wick that small brewers with a brewing capacity of about two polypins claim to make a range of different ales as well as seasonals and specials. Our local CAMRA branch has a beef about the room all these so-called core brews take up in the GBG, space that ought to be devoted to pubs selling the stuff. I think a lot of this culture has to do with appealing to tickers and the naturally curious. Using unusual or themed names is a micro breweries attempt to differentiate their products from any other microbrewery, especially if they haven't been around very long, ordinary sounding X's Bitter or Y's Stout don't stand out from the crowd, fancy pump clips is another method used of course. The names sometimes stick, which I suppose means the marketing has worked, for example Cottage are always associated in my mind with any railway themed name even if they didn't brew it.
Another thing, as others have already said, is an unbalanced bar, I don't really want to see 6-8 handpumps all selling golden ales at between 3.8 and 4.5%, I want a bit of choice, there are times when I just long for a boring brown bitter to break the monotony.

[gillhalfpint]

I agree so much with what you have just said, there are far too many much of the sameness golden beers around now, and also about the publication of so many beers by a brewery in the GBG then say in the writeup "usually only found in the pub". The one I'm thinking of had a core list of over 20 ales, but you had to go into Wales for them, but thankfully 2011 GBG has not published the list like they have done in previous years.

I think there is a machine with allsorts of flavourings in, and the brewer just pushes a button to add what a pub preferred for their customers, a touch of vanilla, ginger, fruit or whatever. I often think there is one beer that does the rounds in this way. (Cornish brewery's spring to mind where many pubs have a house brew).

I was aware in the Vat & Fiddle in Nottingham that even though there were beers I had not had on the bar, once I got started on the Castle Rock Screech Owl I stayed with it, purely because I was enjoying it so much, but it did cross my mind that it was something I rarely do in the ticker orientated market. Yes there is a place for a local pub with one or two regular proven known beers such as Landlord, plus a couple or more of guests to give variety.

I don't have a local that I can wander round to and enjoy an evening drinking in company I know, and have always regarded the Wellington as my local, but it is rare to drink 2 of the same in there. It is not a local in the true sense of the word as I don't get to see the same folk in there when I go, but others doing exactly the same as I am - checking the screen and clips for new beers.

Good thread this one as it does make me think about breweries and beers - how odd is that!