With over 100 styles of beer brewed at nearly 20,000 breweries worldwide, there’s a hell of a lot going on in the beer world. And with variables ranging from seasonality to hop varietals to adjunct ingredients and even water sourcing, there’s something out there for every beer drinker.
Some of these drinkers have hotter takes than others about both what’s in their glass and the industry at large. That’s why many brew aficionados have taken to the r/beer subreddit to lay bare their beer positions that may be outside the norm. While many came to the thread to air their grievances regarding the over-abundance of IPAs and to praise American macro lagers, those opinions are more controversial than unpopular — or maybe not even unpopular at all — making these four the most unpopular of the bunch.
Pliny the Younger isn’t worth the line.
First brewed by California’s Russian River Brewing in 2005 as a winter version of their popular Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger is one of the most highly sought after beers in the craft community. In fact, it’s so beloved that many people camp out and line up in the brewery’s parking lot for a taste of the beer before it sells out. However, according to a few Redditors, the beer isn’t worth the hype surrounding it, let alone lining up for hours on end. Still, Pliny remains a darling of the craft community, with the brewery selling out in minutes every year when release time rolls around.
Stout season doesn’t exist.
Unless a beer is made with specific seasonal ingredients, the beer is not technically “seasonal beer.” Take stouts for example: Many people across beer culture seem to have it in their heads that dark beers are only able to be enjoyed in the colder months of the year. That said, while low temperatures aren’t mandatory to break out the stout — Nigeria is the third largest consumer of Guinness in the world — one Redditor’s short campaign to extend stout season didn’t seem to convince the rest of the board to pop open the dark beer on the beach this summer.
Modelo is “trash.”
The Mexican lager, owned by Constellation brands, is one of the top five most valuable beer brands in the world and, as indicated by the responses this comment received, widely loved. Many users responded to the original poster (OP) simply to tell the commenter how wrong they are, calling out the talent and skill it takes to produce Modelo on such a large scale with the consistency it has. Without a single commenter agreeing with OP, it’s safe to say that this is definitely not a widespread belief.
3.5 is the ABV sweet spot.
With higher alcohol volumes allowing for brewers to retain some flavors they would otherwise lose — not to mention the draw for consumers — higher ABV beers have completely overtaken the craft brewing industry. However, not all beer lovers are happy, with some taking to the thread to express their desire for more, lower alcohol beer options at their favorite breweries. While many demonstrate a want for lower ABV options, one commenter called 3.5 percent ABV the “ideal ABV,” which proved to be unpopular — and somewhat random.
90 percent of IPAs are undrinkable.
The people of Reddit have a lot of opinions regarding the IPA and its impact on craft brewing culture, but one simply cannot deny the style’s overwhelming popularity. However, in a sea of hundreds of IPAs, one Redditors claims that 90 percent of them are undrinkable, riddled with clever marketing and “excessive over-hopping.” If it’s a hazy IPA? That number bumps up to 98 percent. While there’s no denying that triple and quadruple IPAs are a contentious topic, calling an entire category 98 percent undrinkable is about as close to a hot take as one can get.
