According to a source, Bell's will be releasing Oberon on March 26th, almost directly between the start of Spring (March 20th) and opening day of baseball (April 4th). This of course means that warmer weather, outdoor drinking and sundresses (hopefully not for our male readers) are right around the corner!
When I hear of any
I will never understand the cult of Oberon. Sure, it's a nice refreshing summer beer, but I will always pass this up for something else.
ReplyDelete(Full Disclosure: The missus usually buys me one of the mini kegs of this every year. Maybe I'm just burnt out.)
I tend to agree with you. It's good, but I'm kinda burned out on it. With that said, I look forward to the time of year it signifies.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Only 2-ish months 'till baseball season!
ReplyDeleteA buddy of mine and I were trying to plan out which Cubs games to head out to this year. I can't wait!
Hey guys, lets not forget that Oberon is a great crossover beer for people who maybe aren't as experienced with craft brews. It's fairly inexpensive, readily available at liquor stores, and its on tap all over the place when it's in season. This beer is one of the main reasons I'm into craft brews as much as I am now. I doubt I'll be picking up as much this year as I have in the past because of how much great stuff is out there now, but every time I bring some to a summer gathering, it always goes quick. If trying Oberon leads people to become more adventurous with their beer choices, then that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that Oberon isn't a good beer, and I'm not saying that it isn't a catalyst for fledgling beer drinkers. The thing that frustrates me with many Oberon drinkers is that Oberon is the only craft beer they will drink. They aren't willing to branch out and discover what else is out there. I feel much the same way about Hopslam. Sure, both of these beers are widening the eyes of new beer drinkers, but they just screw those eyes up tight again when those beers aren't available.
DeleteCase in point: I was at Fiddler's about a month ago and somebody came in and asked for Oberon. When it was explained to them that it was a seasonal beer, they asked for an MBC beer. When they found out that Fid's didn't carry those, they just left.
I definitely see your point. It's a cultural thing, especially around this area: people are still stuck in that cycle of brand recognition playing a factor in their beer drinking. Now that we have new breweries opening and restaurants like Fiddler's dedicating most of their tap lines to craft, the opportunity for experimentation and education is increasing. The stubbornness will persist, and that will just give true craft beer enthusiasts like us more options in the short run. I think the sheer number of choices can be daunting for newer craft drinkers, so sticking to what they know is safe. I was at Chalet the other day and noticed that they're going to have monthly "craft beer education classes" starting in March. Slowly but surely people will come around.
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