I don't know about hyperbole, there are times when you drink just the right beer at just the right time in just the right place and it's amazing. Then, for a while, drinking that beer brings you back to that moment. But I feel like the experience fades, or you find a new moment to cherish, or whatever.
So much goes into the experience beyond what the beer actually is. I know from drinking 10 gallons of the same batch of beer that it can taste very different depending on what else is going on. What food you're eating, what other smells are around, even the glass can have an impact on perception. It's pretty wild, honestly.
For the first several years of brewing I was laser focused on making the "perfect" ESB. After a while I realized I was chasing a white whale. There is no such thing as the perfect ESB. There is such a thing as top tier ESB, and I had to satisfy myself with that fact and try to meet that standard batch after batch. It was kind of relieving and freeing.
And that's how I approach commercial beer. I don't go in with unrealistic expectations of greatness because I've heard how great it is. I assume it's gonna be a good beer and I try to experience it for what it is. And sometimes the stars align and the experience is phenomenal. But when that happens the beer is just a small part of the experience.
I wasn't trying to be a dick about DFH 90min IPA. It is a top tier beer. It has inspired many great beers since. Sam Calagione, the head brewer and founder of DFH, has been a pioneer in the micro brew industry and has been an idol amongst the homebrew community. I called a lot of what he does gimmicky, but that's probably not fair. He does make an effort to be different and try wild things, but I believe it comes from an honest place. He really does want to do amazing things with brewing that have never been done before. I've always just been much more about the basics, which makes sense because I still consider myself an intermediate level brewer. Maybe one day I'll want to do wild and crazy things with my brews. Maybe not. It's all good at the end of the day.
