I can definitely agree that it's splitting hairs at this point. I believe I read about the Brewer's Association logo thing on Jester Kings facebook. Jester King is big on the independent movement, and they're going to be wearing the logo...but not on their bottles. They said they have too much respect for their label artist to put a logo on his work, so they're going to put it on the shipping boxes, or something like that.

Brash is big on the independent thing as well. As I've mentioned to you, I've seen them post about it a lot on Facebook, and they nearly campaigned against Karbach when they sold out. I get their frustrations. Since AB Inbev bought Karbach, they are all over the place down here, definitely taking up more of the craft shelf space.

That being said, I understand your drink what's good mindset as well. I'm all over the Goose Island BA Barleywine, and I enjoy a four pack of Sofie every once in a while. I'll still buy a Karbach beer if it looks interesting as well. I just can understand how the independent guys can be frustrated with the situation. They work hard, and to be bullied by the big beer industry has to get old.

My man. Appreciate it!

Here in Houston St. Arnolds and Karbach always took up the most space on the local shelf. 8th Wonder and Spindletap just started distributing cans within the last year. The rest is taken up by No Labels, Southern Star, and various other semi-local breweries. Buffalo Bayou has started distributing more with cans in addition to the bombers they have been putting out.

Yeah....I'm just on the other side of the border in Louisiana, and you rarely saw Karbach here. Now I see it everywhere. It's not a big deal here I guess, because there's not a ton of quality craft breweries in the area, but if there was, and Karbach was now taking their shelf space, it would be annoying.

Both of my kids are big craft beer lovers, my daughter brought me a 6 of Deschutes Black Butte Porter for Thanksgiving... havent tried it yet, but it looks dark and heavy

It was a fantastic shitshow this morning for Founders CBS bottles, but I managed to buy one. Looking forward to finally trying it this weekend.

Finally got my hands on a 9-pack of the Founder's Rubaeus. Not bad but not my cup of tea. I bet it'd be good on a hot summer day at the lake but definitely my least favorite Founder's so far.

It may be dark but it's only 5.2% ABV, not heavy at all.

I sometimes question whether or not people realize that the color of beer has nothing to do with how heavy it is?

Just how burnt!

I'm really hooked now on the mix and match 6 packs at Safeway for $9.99

Yesterday's purchase was (2) each of:

1. Hop Nosh IPA | Uinta Brewing Company 7.3% ABV
2. Black Butte Porter | Deschutes Brewery 5.2% ABV
3. Voodoo Ranger IPA | New Belgium Brewing 7.0% ABV

Really loved 2 and 3 and liked 1

I see it while pouring at beer festivals all the time. I'll have a 5.5% oatmeal stout and a 9.5% double IPA.

Patron - "Give me the lightest one you've got."
Me - OK, that would be our oatmeal stout at 5.5%.
Patron - "But, it's dark, that means it's super heavy! Can you pour me the double IPA instead?"
Me - Sure, but it's 9.5% and much heavier than the oatmeal stout.
Patron - "I don't care, I just know that dark beers are heavier."
Me - *sigh* Double IPA coming up!

Exchanges like that are one of the reasons that I cut down on doing events this year. There are other dialogues that happen continuously that are pretty similar, but this one is probably the most common.

For uneducated beer drinkers, definitely not. There's absolutely an expected correlation between beer color and how "heavy" it is. I remember when I was much younger, before I got into beer, I thought Guinness was a super heavy beer, lol.

They fooled you It's black water with a nitro charge for body.

I am a big beer drinker and when I bring a guest a dark beer they politely look at it for a while, when they get around to drinking some of it, they want to know what it was.

Guinness is one of the lowest calorie, low alcohol, non light beers on the planet.


But there is truth that most (not all) dark beers have more body to them than lighter colored beers.

A double IPA is likely going to be lighter on mouth feel than a Guinness. An oatmeal stout even more so, as that's the whole reason for oats in a stout, to add body and creaminess.

Light on alcohol and light in body are 2 very different things.

Negative, ghost rider. Body or heaviness in beer is derived from its final gravity and final gravity doesn't have any specific link to whether you use light or dark malt (which determines how light or how dark the beer is). The amount of residual sugar in a beer has zero to do with the malt bill and more to do with what yeast is used, what the initial gravity was and how much sugar the yeast was able to ferment out.

Oats or nitro are used to soften the mouthfeel of a beer, not to make it thicker.

I'm not trying to be particularly argumentative, as "heaviness" in beer is totally subjective, but after explaining this a lot to people, I almost have my response memorized.