Not sure if I follow this line of the argument, especially in regards to your ire towards Garrett Oliver and this Scottish bloke. They certainly don't know the difference between Black Oak or Flying Monkeys, yet they still react in the vein of "publicity over substance". I don't think those on the forums would be doing the about face you claim - no one has a specific gripe or hate on for Flying Monkeys, at least not that I know of.SteelbackGuy wrote:
If Black Oak announced here that they were going to brew the hoppiest beer in the world, you'd have hundreds of ISO posts from our forum members, but the Monkeys have a little fun, and everyone chimes in with mostly negative comments. It bothered me.
I think the ire that you've over reacted to is borne of frustration with a focus on glamor over substance. While Smash Bomb is undoubtedly a well recognized beer in this province (though hardly one of the best in the country as you claim), the other beers in the Monkeys' stable are known to be plagued with inconsistencies. Why not focus of putting out a consistently quality product before playing for media exposure over 'the world's hoppiest beer'? Before you argue it wasn't for exposure, I would say the write up of an official press release begs different.
I understand the 'we're just having fun' line; I and others appreciate brewers who are willing to take risks and put out unique, one of a kind beers. I would venture a guess that, IF members were to give more leniency to Black Oak, it would be be because they have a more consistent product to back them up; they've put in the time and effort to make sure their stalwarts are just that, stalwart. We all want boundary pushing beer but what we want even more is good beer and good beer which is consistently good.
I know you're a big fan of the crew at Flying Monkeys and I can understand why all this raised your hackles. Just understand the other side of this because, much like your position, it's not just some hotheads with a hate on for Flying Monkeys. Flying Monkeys is doing some good things but they're not immune to criticism and, I think they would agree, there's lots of room for improvement. I know I wish them continued success and desire to see more top quality beer from them.