Beer Wars - Jester King v De Garde

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We do not support this mark. Here is why; Consumers know what they enjoy. We may not always agree with any particular palate, but that doesn't make us right. To try to pull cachet from the traditions of others who have fought to support them though, is not just disingenuous, but capitalistic. Were most American producers of spontaneous beer attempting to emulate their Belgian brethren, one would hope that they would carry the impulse to price their beer in accordance with the actual cost of production and business operations; It is telling that good Lambic and G(u)euze is an affordable luxury at the source, even amongst new and growing producers, and merely a luxury amongst most emulating the methods here.

Likewise, it would seem obvious that the methods catering to the natural yeast and bacteria of one area would not be the ideals for a quite different environment. We believe that this movement stifles an unencumbered exploration of our environments and the ability for any new brewery to develop in favor of the attempt to capitalize on the newly resurgent love for great Belgian beer. Let's not qualify a process and by association a beer.

We spontaneously inoculate and ferment all of our beer in oak. We age it extensively. We meet all of the new guidelines. We choose not to participate.

We do not believe that an environment full of cultivated cultures removed from the natural balance is an ideal representation of terroir.

This is not an argument for kettle souring, artificial or saccharine flavors, nor any number of other things. It is not an indictment of our friends and fellow producers. None of these things are ok.

Merely; Let's explore the actual terroir of America. And let's make beer to drink.

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