Righteous Brewing

@HopticalA As for the glasses, you'd be shocked how many glasses get broken and stolen. No small brewer can keep up with replacing them. I believe that bar is changing to their own branded glasses to get around that problem.

@righteousbrewer Dude, how hard is to pour a pint, correctly, into the correct glass? These are basics and should be simple for any bar to implement.

Another peeve! 1 pic is from a 'fine dining' restaurant - doubt they've ever been to a conference/meeting?! The other is a dedicated 'craft' bar. What's with the softserve pour and pouring it into another brewers branded glass? Piss Poor. Should be doing better! It's 2019!

@HopticalA I agree, but it is harder than you might expect since there is a lot of factors behind that pour.

@beerbarbeyond @HopticalA Totally agree, and I think they will as the competitions grow. If you look at competitions like GABF in the states they have a huge number of categories and those prizes are really prestigious and have contributed to the success of many great breweries.

@righteousbrewer @HopticalA I guess I never thought about the exposure aspect that comes with it for a young brewery, but in the same breath, I do feel consumers are less fooled by shiny stickers these days. I'd also like to see the categories updated with more subcategories. Especially stouts & IPAs.

Said the same thing when I was presented with the 'African' list. Beer awards - waste or fuckingbtime handing out medals to complete shit! #Pointless 😂

@beerbarbeyond @HopticalA Most judges are beer geeks themselves, and I've never heard a judge describe a well brewed experimental beer as an abomination or anything similar. Remember, they are judging within a framework (usually BJCP) in which any style can do well if entered correctly.

@righteousbrewer @HopticalA I'm just not a big fan of beer awards in general. Some of the most successful breweries in America make amazing beers that beer judges would consider to be abominations.

@beerbarbeyond @HopticalA Do you mean the idea of beer awards is trash, or that there is a problem with the running of the competitions resulting in beer awards?

@HopticalA Beer awards are a lot of trash

@HopticalA Sorry dude. That sucks balls

So, some fucking asshole lifted my phone on Friday night! The first thing I could think if was "Oh no, all my beer pics"......

@HopticalA But damn hops are great hey?!

@righteousbrewer Nah, for sure. It's why I use IPA as an example mostly. It is very varied and there are so many interpretations of the style.

Next time you have a rant online about poor quality beer & someone wants to call you out with the usual bullshit, you know, 'are you BJCP Certified, are you a brewer', just remember, a whole panel of brewers & BJCP judges ranked Skeleton Coast as the 2nd best IPA in Africa! 🤔🤣

@HopticalA Fair point - exposure to classic examples is a problem in the SA judging scene but is getting much better. I guess my point is that IPA is a broad category for judging and is open to significant interpretation.

@righteousbrewer I hear ya, but how many of our local BJCP judges have tasted Anchor Liberty, or an actual IPA that is not available in SA?

@HopticalA One thing to remember is the BJCP guidelines are descriptive, in that they include characteristics of a broad style (IPA) that has evolved dramatically over the years. Beers like Anchor Liberty IPA were once considered hop bombs, but now are barely a hoppy as many pale ales.

@righteousbrewer Well, perhaps I'll give it another go on your recommendation! I've never really liked it, tastes too much like most of our IPA's - that caramel, malty, sweetness, can't do it anymore!

@HopticalA Yeah I agree man. Not a fan of that sickly sweet nonsense. I hope you get a good fresh one if you try it again - I was really pleasantly surprised when I had it.

@HopticalA Top be fair, a fresh Skeleton Coast is a pretty good example of a classic west coast IPA according to the BJCP guidelines. It's so hard to find a fresh example in Joburg though. Most of it seems to sit on warm shelves killing all the hop character and making it overly sweet.

@HopticalA I think part of the problem is the most common question an SA brewer gets asked is "what do you have that is similar to castle light?". We need to be the ones to ask "what do you have that will blow my brains out with hoppy glory?" 😀

@righteousbrewer Have you tried telling a brewer his IPA is nowhere close to an IPA and he/she should add hops....I have and I got a rather condescending response.

Bored as fuck with SA craft beer! I may just kick it in. I spend shitloads on it monthly and more often than not, I'm left disappointed! Probably better for me to save the cash and spend it when I travel. 🤷🏼‍♂️

@HopticalA I'm sorry that that has been your experience. It's not cool. However, I do believe that if enough people give the same feedback, the brewers will respond positively.

@HopticalA I think you're right to call out mediocrity. My feeling is that we need to be careful how we do that. The SA beer scene is still in it's infancy and we stand to gain by promoting the good parts of it which will lead to expansion and more good beer.

@righteousbrewer How does one ignore the shit though? I can't take anyone's opinion seriously as people just aren't honest when it comes to reviews. You've been to the US, Europe, people don't tolerate mediocrity and they call it out & rightly so. Why should it be different here?

@HopticalA It's tough I know. My approach is to highlight and promote the good stuff I have. When I have a beer that is off, I mail the brewers privately. 95% appreciate the feedback. If you don't think the beer is up to scratch (not infected but boring), say so - "Needs more hops" etc

@HopticalA The good breweries are experimenting and putting out really awesome and interesting stuff. Our choice as consumers is to make the industry better by supporting - buying good beer, giving constructive feedback, spreading the word. The brewers will respond and we will benefit.

@righteousbrewer Dude, I already support the breweries who's beers I enjoy. Unfortunately, it's not very exciting drinking the same beers over and over again. I want variety. I want breweries to experiment. I don't want another session Lager or similar.

@HopticalA As for variety, unfortunately it's going to take a while. A combination of structural, economic and social factors mean that development and expansion of this industry will take time. But I believe it will lead to incredible creativity.