This coming Friday the 7th is National Beer Day. I really want to know who or what entity comes up with these, "today is..." events. Anyway, I'm game for playing along, but thought we could add a bit of structure instead of just drinking beer.
The amount of beer in market today is absolutely mind-boggling, and I sense it is not going to stop. I remember back when I started college it was petty easy to keep up with trying the new beers in market, but now-a-days, if you are away from the beer mart for more than a week, the entire landscape changes! BUT...this can be a good thing.
There are lots of ways to approach a tasting, I think the best way is by style. So choose: Lager, IPA, Seasonal, Stout, Porter and go to your local store and build your own six pack. Another option is by region. Choose a beer from the Pacific NW, California, Colorado, Midwest, NE, and South. Even though the basic ingredients of beer are the same; water, barley, hops and yeast, most every brewer and brewery has access to the same ingredients. So, doing a tasting by geography can really open your eyes to what brewers are thinking. The Brewers Association is a great resource to find breweries in your area or one nearby, check it out here. Another great source of beer-related news, tidbits and lists is the website Cool Material, here is a list of the best beer, brewery and new brewery in every state!
Don't drink alcoholic beers? No reason to not partake in a tasting of non-alcoholic brews available. Here is a tasting you can duplicate and home. The non/low alcohol beer market is growing at a rate 5-6x that of alcoholic beers, quality and taste are improving and the heavy hitters in the industry are ramping up to capitalize on the demand. By 2025 this segment will make of 20% of sales.
I'll close with two of my favorite beer quotes:
"Beer has food value, but food has no beer value" —unknown
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" —Benjamin Franklin
Have Fun!
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