Convert This!

I’ve read various blogs recently arguing Craft Beer vs. Macro Beer. The argument is never about which is better, but always about why craft beer is better than macrobrewed (mass produced) beer. For the most part I’ve stayed out of this like I do most debates. My Mom is nearly full blooded Norwegian which makes me nearly half and we Scandinavians like to avoid conflict. If you keep your mouth shut, it can’t get you in trouble. However, I feel it’s time to comment, especially since this week is American Craft Beer Week.

How do I feel?

My feelings on the matter are simple… if you like the way it tastes, drink it. The problem is that I am confident many people think Bud, Miller and Coors products taste good. Are they wrong? Not necessarily. Do I think they taste good? No, but I also don’t think they taste bad either. In fact I don’t think they taste much at all. But just because I don’t think they taste good doesn’t mean they can’t taste good to someone else. But what if that’s all they knew? I believe a conversion to craft beer enjoyment begins with a little education and some good old fashioned persistence. How many of you liked the taste of beer the first time you had it? I certainly didn’t and I would bet a majority of you didn’t either. I learned to like it though. As they say, it’s an acquired taste. Some younger drinkers are lucky to have started with craft beers but many of us older guys did not. But that doesn’t mean we’re a lost cause. Why did we start drinking light lagers in the first place? Certainly not because they tasted good. For a long time in this country that was all that was available. And if Light American Lagers are all you know (like me until I was 24) chances are you’re not going to go into a bar or liquor store and buy anything else.

I remember my junior year of college. I was just barely legal. Not a rookie beer drinker by any means, but turning legal means going to bars and making your own decisions on what to drink. One evening I ordered a Sam Adams. Holy crap did that taste horrible. I didn’t know what it was that I was tasting but it wasn’t beer. I even remember buying one for a friend on her 21st birthday as a joke. Sadly I went back to old reliable. I wish I hadn’t given up on old Sammy so easily. More importantly, I wish I would have had a friend to tell me what it was I was tasting, that is was normal, in fact intentional and to tell me that people actually enjoy that flavor. I would have become a craft beer drinker a lot sooner if someone had educated me and told me it was okay to explore those flavors.

Well, I didn’t have to wait long. Three short years later my family took a trip to England. I was forced by some pretty persistent (and evidently brilliant) uncles to drink what the locals drink… and I fell in love. By that time, the American Craft Beer scene was nearly 20 years strong and I had no idea what I was missing. When I came back state-side my beer life made an about-face and I have never looked back. My uncles introduced me and educated me on the wonders of different beer flavors. While many of the beers I drank in jolly old England are not available here in the States, I began seeking out beers that compared to them (in my rookie palate’s opinion). Eventually the evil Sam Adams became my best friend.

Although the craft beer scene was long past the infancy stage in 2000 it was still rare to find anything but macros or common imports on the majority of restaurants tap lists. Sadly this is still the case in many places, but it is getting much better. We are lucky here in the Twin Cities to have a local brewery like Summit. Most places around town have Summit’s flagship beer Extra Pale Ale on tap and it’s a pretty dang good beer. For me my go-to beers when dining out became Summit EPA and Sam Adams Boston Lager. Now here’s where it gets interesting. For a while I actually thought that Sam and Summit tasted “pretty much the same”. Many of us know that this is most certainly not the case but at that point that’s what I perceived. Eventually my palate matured as I tried new things. As my tongue became barraged with new flavors, bitterness, sweetness, spiciness, roastiness, etc it actually got more refined. I was able to perceive and identify new flavors and distinguish similar beers from each other. And I’ll tell you what, my friends, there is nothing more exiting than that. I remember the first California Common I tried. Gross! What is that stinky rotten cheese aroma? And what’s that bitter/tart flavor? That can’t be healthy! Well as things progressed I learned that those were Northern Brewer hops, a defining character of this style. “Stinky cheese” and “tart” became “woodsy” and “rustic”. Once I knew they were intentional and unique I became more open minded and began enjoying the complexities that set this style of beer apart from others.

I challenge you.

Let’s back up a little bit and follow the progression of Sam Adams in my life. For the first thirteen years Sam Adams was around I had never heard of it. First time I tried it I hated it. Tried it again and again and I started to enjoy it, but still compared it to every other hoppy “dark” beer. Eventually it became individually unique and even more enjoyable. So I challenge you today, in the spirit of American Craft Beer week, convert a friend or two. It’s not an overnight conversion but you just might be the person to flip the switch and redirect a friend down the ride of their life. I’m not sure if craft beer sales will ever equal (or heaven forbid exceed) macro beer sales, but it’s worth a shot. We have a wonderful opportunity here to start, or I should say continue, a revolution. Light Lager lovers are curable and I truly believe that craft beer drinkers are irreversible. Convert someone today!