Choice Breeds Mediocrity

I have noticed a trend recently on blogs, podcasts, and in conversations, which seems to speak loudly towards a general backlash against how many craft beers are now coming to market. Don’t get me wrong, increased choices between brands and styles are two very positive results of the craft beer movement, but it can also cause the market to be watered down. Several people have said to me that they have lost the drive to drink beer recently. These very people (myself included), just last year, were raving about their latest beer experiences in long winded diatribes. With so many new brands and beers showing up at the bar, store, and brewery, it is getting increasingly harder to decide which beer to drink, and because of this we are more and more often drinking a mediocre beer. This constant mediocrity causes us to lose a bit of the passion we once held.

Which brings me to this idea of mediocrity. I can remember the day when we only had a half dozen choices for microbrews at the store, and we loved every one of them because they were not an American Light Lager. At this time, craft beers were all on a level playing field. Times have changed. We now have refridgerator after refridgerator of microbrew choices. Not only that, we have several breweries that continually set the mark extremely high with the uniqueness and quality of their beers, and every other beer has to live up to that standard. The competitive high mark is no longer “Not an American Light Lager.” Instead, it is set by the great beer within the craft beer industry. This changes things dramatically. There is a switch in our brains that starts to now say, “huh, this craft beer version of a particular style doesn’t taste as good as that other exceptional version of the style.” So then our brains tell us that that beer is not very good. Even though, just a few years ago that same beer would have been awesome. I’m not sure this is good or bad. It definitely forces competition and the drive to create a beer that is on the next level, but it also opens up a rabbit hole for our senses to get lost in.

With this new personal realization under my belt, I have decided on a new approach to beer:

1. Hone my brewing skills to make great beer that I want to drink.
2. Find my “go to” beers, and drink those, instead of trying something new every time.
3. Only try a new beer when you hear you should by someone you trust.
4. If all else fails, drink Local brews.