Why are there so many mediocre breweries out there?

The almighty dolla.

Same reason there are so many mediocre pizza joints, golf clubs, and candy bars. In a consumer culture volume, marketing, and price point often trump quality.

quote:

---

Generally, beer nerds/snobs agree on what constitutes a high-quality beer in comparison to what is mediocre or only "passable".

---

Not really. There is a wide latitude of opinion among beers snobs on any particular beer. Ghost and other top tier beers may have more agreement on their superiority. But for a new brewery, you don't want to copy Ghost, you have to come up with something different but just as good which is very difficult. I would say its like music in that sense.

OP, you got my word. If I ever hit the lottery I will build a brewery that shuns profit and only makes maven level beers.

Guest brewers for every batch.
Hops out the wahzoo
Quantities that barely fill a bottle.

I think their are a lot of factors. I think most restaurants think they have great food, but very few have critically acclaimed food. Breweries are no different. There are a lot of brewers out there that are the same way with their beer. In addition, many people will support the local joint, as long as the beer is decent.

I've talked to a few brewers, and usually they will tell you that they are trying to put their own spin on a beer, not copy the hottest beer out there.

Also, different brewers specialize in different styles of beers. Logsdon makes some great beers, but I wouldn't reckon that their IPA would be too good.

In Portland, there are a lot of neighborhood breweries. New ones are opening all the time. Occasionally, one goes out of business. I still see more new ones opening up than I see existing breweries closing, which means the number of breweries is still growing.

I think Louisiana is ripe for more breweries to open. A mediocre one can be successful, and a great one can really explode...

quote:

---

If I ever hit the lottery I will build a brewery that shuns profit and only makes maven level beers

---

Yeah, if I ever get a hold of a large sum of frick you money, I'll have a brewery that caters to mavens from the start. I'm not saying it'd be good beer at the start, but I wouldn't be putting out a pale ale and kolsch as my launch flagships.

I'll bring you in you brew some beer that is derogatory towards Milo and his alma mater.

quote:

---

by Icansee4miles
Just don't leave Texas and brew elsewhere. That offends some people.

---

If I do, I won't claim to be local

quote:

---

I'll bring you in you brew some beer that is derogatory towards Milo and his alma mater.

---

IWDI

quote:

---

think Louisiana is ripe for more breweries to open

---

They are opening like crazy down here. Not that it's any different than the rest of the US. I just don't see a brewery opening up in Houma and being able to make it off of mavens taste buds. Investors want to see returns.