What’s the point of drinking a beer that tastes like water steeped with recycled copy paper and lemon? Beer should have a flavor profile that makes you ponder its origins, and daydream about the cool people who crafted it. If you can’t picture in your mind real people crafting that beverage, then you’re probably drinking the wrong beer.
I just finished watching the documentary Beer Wars (a good blog that’s always updated with various beer news)
, a movie about the battle between small brewers in the United States and the (now) worldwide conglomerates. Right now 3 companies brew 80+ percent of all the beer in the world. If you’re a beer drinker, think about that: it’s almost hard to find beer not brewed from one of these 3 companies: AB InBev (Belgium), Heineken (Holland/Netherlands), SAB Miller (London & South Africa).
Over the past few years I’ve been drinking at one of the best beer bars in the United States, The Moan and Dove. There are many things that make the Moan great, but at the top of the list is that Jason (the owner) and his crew love good beer. That’s the philosophy of the Moan: find great beer and serve it fresh. That sounds simple, but it’s not. You have to convince a customer base that paying $9 for De Ranke XX on draught with straight CO2 gas is more satisfying than paying $3 for a Bud draught.
If you don’t know where to find great beer in your locale, check this directory out at Beer Advocate. I suggest first going to a good beer bar and asking questions. Taste a few different beers. Taste them. Enjoy the beer, because it’s not a race to fill your gut. You deserve to have beer that was made with care and that actually tastes like something.