by Joseph Elia
I have learned much about beer running this store. Obviously, my knowledge of the industry and individual
beers has grown tremendously. Less
obvious however is what I have learned about being a better beer consumer. I watch hundreds of beer purchases every
week, each with their own unique beer buying style. From these observations, I have culled a list
of the buying styles that I admire most and put them into a list of easy to
keep resolutions for the beer lover.
Regularly re-evaluate a beer, style, or brewery you have written off
– I talk with many customers whose palates are far more advanced than mine and
whose knowledge far exceeds my own. All
of my most admired customers have never completely written-off a brewery. Sure, some beers will never make it onto
their all time favorite list, but they are always willing to re-evaluate a
beer, style, or brewery.
Make a point to revisit beers you like—I often joke that I
have a list of go-to beers that I never actually go to. But working beers you have already tried and
liked into your beer buying practices will generate smiles from your taste buds
and more importantly help keep awesome beers on the shelves.
Give up the limited release hyped beer hunt—Waiting in-line
for hours, counterfeit tickets, gaming the system to grab more of limited
release beers are the aspects of beer culture I like the least. And the reason why is simple, there are many
fantastic beers out there that I haven’t tried that are sitting on shelves
waiting for me to taste. I got into the beer
hobby because I liked the people in it and the spirit of generosity and camaraderie
the liquid embodies not to one up the person next to me or get around maximum
allotments through deception and subterfuge…I drink to escape those tiresome
qualities of the world not to embrace them.
Make a year-long commitment to learn about a new to you
style – Many of us have experienced switching a devote porter hater, for
example, into a porter lover. Well do
the same for yourself this year. Choose
a style to learn about and hunt down as many beers in that style as you can. Replacing the hyped up limited release hunt
for unique examples of the style you have chosen to embrace.
Make beer a key component to your social life— I am not
talking about drinking in excess, I am talking about taking advantage of the
rapid growth of brew pubs, brewery tours, beer tastings, and beer and food
parings--whether you’re in your home town or visiting another town check out
the local beer scene. Or if you have people visiting try and think
of a beer that they might like and buy some for them, even if they are hardcore
Bud, Miller, Coors drinkers or swear they don’t like beer.
Commit to trying beer first and then looking at its rating –
Another habit of my highly experienced customers is they never check the rating
of a beer before they try it. Instead
they come in informed. They are looking
for a particular “experience” i.e. particular hops, styles, or aging.
Pairing and savoring—The majority of craft beers are not
necessarily brewed to drink one after another for long sessions. Most are meant to be enjoyed with food or to
be drank in small quantities in the same way as one would drink a brandy or
cognac. Pairing beers with certain food highlights
certain flavors of both the food and the beer altering the taste experience for
both. Savoring a beer has become a lost
form of relaxation. Slowly sipping a
glass or two of a barrel aged stout, barley wine, or Belgian tripel at the end
of the night is an excellent way to wash away stresses of the day and an
inexpensive way to treat yourself.
Drink fearlessly – Stop over thinking
your beer buying decision. Rid yourself
of the “what if I don’t like it” demon and experiment. Our lives are tempered by trial and error
with many of our finest memories being our mistakes. Stop mind f-ing beer purchases and jump feet
first into an opportunity to have a beer – any beer.
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