How neoliberal of you. While craft beer may be globalizing, maintaining a stance of scrubbing out geographic variation intentionally only goes to help homogenize and sanitize the subtle variations in how different cultures adopt a phenomenon that is becoming more global. By doing this, we may lose out on unique adaptations of beer styles. How else did styles like Southern English Brown, Biere de Garde, or, as you mention, Berliner Weisse arise?

That being said, you make a good point about resiliency. And at the same time that it’s foolish to jump on flash-in-the-pan style bandwagons, it might be equally as foolish to preemptively exclude, or speak out against, certain trends, especially based on recipe. If a group of regional brewers, over a period of time, produce a relatively distinct style regularly and with intention, then it may be worth consideration, not denigration.

And, I find your stance somewhat surprising, considering the amount of attention you’ve give Bia Hoi, an example of how regional adaptation of a foreign beer has evolved into a distinct culture and product.

They mentioned many beer bars and beer-centric restaurants. Definitely makes me want to visit!

On Vancouver Island, Driftwood Brewery has really struck a note near my heart. Rarely do they falter, their mainstays are really good on draught and the winter barleywine Old Cellar Dweller is prepared to make it onto the RB Top 50, as it only has 8 ratings but a whopping 4.11 average.

Cheers to a few good years and hopefully many more!