Interbrew Anderson Valley Brewing Company

I personally want more collaboration with local farms; with beers made from local hops, and other local ingredients. I'm big on local, and sustainable, and think what they are doing at their brewery is great.
I'm also interested in smaller beers, by that I mean, beers that aren't 6%+ abv. Something with flavor but doesn't knock me down.
AO

Aaron is a man after my own heart. I'm so into local. I almost always drink local, even if there is a “better option” on tap … I still gotta support the local economy. It's a principle thing. And, the more local a project is, the more likely I am to support and respect it. Farm to table. Farm to brewery. I dig it.

I also love the collaboration bandwagon, and I've even jumped on it (big beer coming out at GABF). I plan on doing more with more breweries around the country in the future, stay tuned…

I suppose instead of asking brewers to do something, I'd really want them to STOP doing something. Stop trying to create an exclusive club — you know, the pretentious beer geek club that intimidates normal people from wanting to get involved in craft beer. Stop putting your most amazing beers in the hands of the privileged few. This is not France. There is not such thing as the AOC. Stop trying to be Chateau Latour and sell your product for a ridiculous markup just because you can. Craft beverage is not meant to be only for the few and the privileged — its meant to be for the masses. If you REALLY want to be a craft beer revolutionary, you would make beer for the PEOPLE and not just your small elitist community.

Wow.

I really need a break, or a social life, or xanax.

Why I love craft beer….

I feel the need to explain why I’ve been so interested in local craft beer after seeing some lists and examples of craft brewed beer in recent articles, like The Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Drink Craft Beer and 10 Great Beers Brewed In Unlikely Plac…

I'll second Aaron's request for interesting beers that don't knock me down. I'm a session guy, what can I say?

Also good to hear that they're embracing can technology. I'd love to see them consider some sort of re-sealable can technology (i.e. what Miller Lite is using). That seems like a great option for some of the beefier beers that might be best enjoyed in more than one sitting. #justsayin

A lot of times there's a big trade off between alcohol and body / flavor and you end up sacrificing flavor for session ability.

That said, both the Boont Amber and the Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema are under 6% with ridiculously big flavor profiles.

I would like to see better distribution of craft beers, why shouldn't I be able to get a great craft beer brewed in the west coast if I live in Ohio?

I would also like to see more craft beers in cans instead of bottles.

My last complaint is with Distributors: My local bar can go to a Distributor like Heidelberg here in Dayton, Ohio & go through a list of breweries they carry & pick out a 6th barrel of the craft beer they want to buy for there bar, but i'm limited to only a couple craft brewers

& the basic domestic choices….my Kegerator has no room for Budlight…LOL =)'

I agree with much of what has been said here. I think brewers need to focus on making more full flavored sessionable beers. Look at the BA rankings of the top 10 beers in the US, 8 of them are imperial stouts or IPAs. I like what a company like New Glarus is doing. They are making exceptional brews at reasonable ABVs.

I also want to see more craft brewers utilizing cans instead of bottles. Not only are they easier to store, they completely block light from spoiling beer.

I'm still on the fence about collaborations mainly because I haven't tried many. I'm currently working through the Saison du Buff collaboration between Stone, Dogfish and Victory. I think we could get some really interesting and creative beers when we put the best talent in craft brewing behind these initiatives.

The can vs. bottle thing is something I started thinking about after taking “beer school”, where the teacher intimated that beer in cans would ultimately be fresher than beer in bottles. It didn't seem right that cans would bear freshness, but I'm curious to hear what craft brewers think about that.

Also, I'm a bit tired of stouts. I realize Guinness is Guinness, but I love a good lager or ale made by craft standards. Don't try and shock me with the depth and darkness — give me flavor that sparkles, and keeps me coming back for more.

I would have to agree with Ashley's comments regarding the exclusivity that some brewers are releasing some of their best beers. They've become cult followings and only those in the know or who have the means to travel to these special releases are able to sample and enjoy these beers. It really does give an elite air to the whole thing, and is unfortunate because these special releases might just turn a macro drinker onto something new, better, and different.

Other than that, I think that thinking out of the box goes a long way. Yes, you can make an IPA and almost everyone does. But when you make it with a special ingredient, or alter the style as an experiment something gets brought to the masses that they may have never experienced and might just create a new style. BIPA/CDA/etc is a good example, someone thought out of the box and came up with a delicious new style.

I am going to agree with a lot of what has already been said. I am all for local, from farm to brewery, and think that breweries (especially small ones) should be involved with their local communities. If you can build a fan base locally, it will do wonders as you start to expand. Collaborations are always a plus, bringing together more great brewers can only increase the quality of the product and make something new and unusual.

In terms of distribution, as a consumer, I would love to have access to everything, but of course this is not a reality. Unfortunately, Delaware only has one distributor for the entire state, so selection is similar at all of our stores. One of the problems with the ever increasing distribution circle is freshness. All too often I will pick up some beer at the store and find that it is past its drink by date. I know this isn't the fault of the brewer at all and more a commentary on the distributors and stores, but new innovations into freshness is something I think breweries should look at.

Finally, I think that breweries should stay to their roots and not try to copy what everyone else is doing. Not everyone has to make an Imperial IPA (even though I love them), make what you like, what you think tastes good, and people will like it.

Maybe it's an aesthetic thing, but I'm not really all that excited about advancements in or the increased adoption of canning technology. I like my craft beer to come in a bottle, thank you very much.

As far as what I WOULD like to see, the number one thing would be more craft breweries. I always enjoy discovering new ones, and it's always a shame when one goes under. My biggest problem though, is probably this: WHERE CAN I BUY YOUR BEER?

The options local to me don't carry a very wide variety. If I want to seek your beer out, make it easy for me to find! A state by state listing updated by someone on your website once in awhile (particularly when seasonal varieties come out) would be fantastic.

Agree with Meg's last sentence completely. I like stouts, but that flavor profile can only go in so many directions for me.

I'd like to see more black IPAs on the market, more canning and more good sessionable craft beers.

Collaborations and distribution.

I've been a fan of the collaborations I've seen so far, the Saison du Buff was quite good, and I think this is a way for brewers to expand their lines and introduce people to breweries they may otherwise be unfamiliar with. Great breweries working together to make great beer is always a good thing.

As for distribution, I know the reality of it is, we can't have every brew in every location. I would however like to see a more wide reaching distribution than I currently see. Craft beer isn't an exclusive club, I shouldn't have to search far and wide for new things or beers I really like. Likewise, I want people who don't know craft beer to be able to find it easily in order to discover it and enjoy it the way I do. As it is right now, that's difficult.

What I am not a fan of is the can technology, I want my beer in a bottle, not a can. I understand it is more advanced than it used to be, I understand it may not affect the taste like it once did, I still don't want it in a can.:)

I am going on the record (again) to say that I don't give an eeld'm's hog rings for easy drinking. I want big. I want complex. I want full flavor, regardless of the amount of alcohol that takes. As long as you use the proper glassware and the correct amounts, any beer can be “sessionable”. You just need to manage the size of the session.

As for what I would like to see from one of my favorite breweries? I am really excited about the Imperial Boont. I would like to see Anderson Valley's take on a Scottish Ale. A Boont – (something) blend would also be pretty intriguing. Barrel or Oak aging would add some interesting flavor profiles to these unique beers. Local grown herbs and spices and some / vegetal elements could make for some interesting flavors as well.

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