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My only concern is that Joe Public will drink this beer, not like it (as from many comments on this thread say its not nice at all) and then forever associate the words "Craft Beer" with a horrible pint of Smithwicks, this could have a very detrimental affect on promoting the industry

"kev2403":1q4wm8ux wrote: this could have a very detrimental affect on promoting the industry[/quote:1q4wm8ux]It's no worse than what Joe Public already thinks about "ale", "stout" and "lager" based on the macros' flavourless efforts.

"kev2403":1hwkp4nb wrote: My only concern is that Joe Public will drink this beer, not like it (as from many comments on this thread say its not nice at all) and then forever associate the words "Craft Beer" with a horrible pint of Smithwicks, this could have a very detrimental affect on promoting the industry[/quote:1hwkp4nb]

Alot of people on here said they liked it too.
My experience of macro drinkers tasting craft beer is that they dont generally like it because it has "a taste" and they are not used to "a taste". So they dont like it.
I havent tasted the smithwicks pale ale but my guess is that it recreates a craft beer accurately enough - i.e. it has "a taste" - so people who drink macro beer generally wont be swayed by it.

What i think smithwicks have done, because of the emergance of the micros, is to try to introduce a beer aimed at a market of people who complain they cant get craft beer in their local (which is prob everyone reading this).

I always maintain, craft beer (or beer with "a taste") is an aquired tast. same way as you didnt really like the first sup you took of budweiser or guinness when you were 15*. To convert alot of people to drink it instead of macro beer, i think there has to be some sort of further incentive. Possibly price.

* I dont condone underage drinking <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

&amp;quot;JamesM&amp;quot;:2j29pa6i wrote:
What i think smithwicks have done, because of the emergance of the micros, is to try to introduce a beer aimed at a market of people who complain they cant get craft beer in their local (which is prob everyone reading this).[/quote:2j29pa6i]

An I wounder what brewing giant would like to further stop that

There is also the problem that lazy/ignorant pub owners will feel they are now catering for the "beer geeks" because they are stocking SPA.
In my (admittedly rural) experience people do not try something different just because its available. They have to be open to new tastes already otherwise it is a case of "like " or "don't like" when presented with something new and rarely "like enough to change" <!-- s:roll: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt="" title="Rolling Eyes" /><!-- s:roll: -->

OK, I had my first (and second) pints of Smithwick's Pale Ale tonight. It's not bad, nothing wrong with it. It wont scare people off. If I am in a normal pub without anything else I'd drink this. Could have been so much better though. The hops are there, but very understated.