Post #83445 by martiki on Mon, Mar 29, 2004 2:16 PM

I never could find the Utopias or the Millenium around SF. I would have liked to try the Utopias very much, but obviously not at these prices. We do get that Chocolate Bock and the various Triple Bocks from them from time to time. I've had a few of the Triple Bocks and enjoyed them, as well as a few of their other specialty beers. But I think their regular beers are terrible. American microbreweries (and Sam Adams) are so often under the impression that the more hops you add, the better the beer. American Brewmasters seem to forget that hops are a component of the overall character of the beer, not the only element. This is something the British, Belgians, and Germans understand. I think microbrewers were so eager to distance themselves from the Buds/Millers of the world that they've overcompensated. It's extremely rare that an American Pale Ale or IPA tastes anything like the English equivalent it's trying to emulate.