“We are living in the Golden Age of beer thus far in America, and people are truly starting to take advantage of it.”
Nick Larson and Jake Devincenzi
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Kinesiology senior Nick Larson and aerospace engineering senior Jake Devincenzi are Mustang News beer columnists.
Craft breweries are sprouting up everywhere. Especially along the West Coast, it is nearly impossible to find any city or town without a micro- or nano-brewery further than a $20 cab ride away (Emphasis on the cab. Driving yourself to beer-tasting trip is a big no-no. More on that later). We are living in the Golden Age of beer thus far in America, and people are truly starting to take advantage of it.
For centuries, wine has been the drink of the wealthy, the connoisseurs, the elite. Since beer costs so much less to produce and does not require acres of land for grape cultivation, developing countries and low-income families could easily produce beer for the masses, charging mere pennies to make up their costs. Up until the late ’90s, this lower-class stigma stuck with beer in our beautiful country. If you wanted a classy day with established individuals, you went wine tasting. If you wanted to watch football with the buddies, you drank some brewskies.
But then a magical thing happened. Cicerones began replacing sommeliers. Beer-tasting became relevant. Cracking a bottle of barrel-aged imperial stout from 2010 formed the crux of an entire evening. In 1976, there was one craft brewery in the U.S., located in Sonoma County, Calif. Today, there are more than 2,000. Beer tasting is becoming nearly as popular as wine tasting. Beer is even taking on the same qualities as wine, as barrel-aging and bottle-aging become increasingly popular. Beer advocates are stashing away beers for years, letting them reach full maturity before they are enjoyed. Cheaper, and in our biased opinion, more illustrious, great beer is the better option for the new generation of consumers. With the emergence of craft breweries across the nation, going straight to the source has become the best way to enjoy delicious beer.
Beer tasting is hands-down one of the greatest things in the world. That’s not opinion; that is cold, hard fact. If we had to choose between winning the lottery and beer tasting anywhere in the world, we would choose the lottery. However, the first thing we would do with our money is buy sweet new cars … cars on which we would log thousands of miles touring the country, sampling beer from every craft brewery along the way, ending back at LAX to fly around the world trying any (nay, every!) beer we could get our hands on. Hmmm … we’ll be right back. We’re going to buy some lottery tickets.
Back to beer: finding new beer to enjoy is exhilarating. The suspense of not knowing what it tastes like is the same as opening a present. Sure, some presents are underwear and socks, but sometimes it’s an iPad. You never know where or when you’re going to find your new favorite beer. The best place to start looking is at the brewery. On location, nearly every brewery has many of its beers on tap for tasting. If you’re looking to try many different styles, you’re in luck, as you can get many samplers, usually ranging from just $1-3 per taste. In addition, most will also have their specialty beers on tap — stuff that is hard to find and usually pricey. Finding those on tap is like hitting the jackpot.
Even in a perfect situation, people can mess things up. There is an art to beer tasting, so here are a few things we have learned from our tasting treks.
First and foremost, when in a tasting room, take that opportunity to try something new. If you go to Sierra Nevada, don’t sample their Pale Ale. If you go to New Belgium, don’t sample Fat Tire. Sure, they’re popular and quite tasty beers, but you can find them anywhere. Don’t be that person that everyone in the taproom at Stone Brewing Co. laughs at because you ordered a pint of their IPA.
Remember how we mentioned before that you should always take a cab beer tasting? Driving yourself to a brewery is a classic blunder. Tasters are often done in 4+ glass “flights,” which is essentially 16 ounces of beer with a high alcohol by volume, and let’s be honest, who only wants to go to one brewery? Much like Tuesday Pint Nights in SLO, “we’ll just drink a beer or two because we have class tomorrow” holds little to no weight. Be smart, be safe and make sure you figure out rides beforehand.
Finally — and most importantly — go for the experience. It is easy to read our column and think all we care about in life is beer. Going to a brewery is only 30 percent (tops!) about tasting new beers. The people you meet, the conversations you have and the unexpected experiences at a craft brewery will be what stick with you. It’s what made us fall in love with the beautiful world of craft beer, and is the reason we continue to immerse ourselves (and everyone unfortunate enough to hear us rant) into this magical emerging world.
Beer Recommendations: What we’re drinking
Last quarter we broke down some of our favorite beers by type. This quarter, we’re going to switch things up a bit. This week we’ll share beers that just left our beer fridge (yes, we have a beer fridge). These are some of the tastiest beers we’ve enjoyed since we last talked to you, and they are fantastic. If you don’t like these beers, you’re probably wrong.
What Jake’s Been Drinking
($$) Lagunitas Brewing Company. Petaluma, Calif. “Brown Shugga’”.
There is nothing like going home for the holidays. I’d like to give a shoutout to my amazing mom, whom I love very, very much. Why do I love her so much? The reasons are endless, but nearing the top of the list is when she calls me during my last day of finals, asking what beers she should pick up for my homecoming. Being brain-dead from finals, my response was very general: “Something delicious, please?” Since I have the greatest mom in the world, she picked up multiple 6-packs, the best of which was this alcoholic masterpiece. 9.99 percent ABV — but done so well you could drink them incessantly — this beer is unusual, but close to perfect. Pick some up before they go out of season.
($$$) Unibroue. Quebec, Canada. “Maudite.”
If you are a wine-lover trying to get into beer, Unibroue is the way to go. They specialize in Belgian-style abbey ales, which are sweeter and smoother than other styles of beers. French for “The Damned,” la Maudite is an intense Belgian-style red ale, packing plenty of sweet Belgian yeast with bitter red undertones for perfect accentuation.
($$$$) Stone Brewing Co. Escondido, Calif. “Enjoy By 12.13.13 IPA.”
A year ago, sticking to the cocky “our beer is better than yours, and we know it” mentality we have learned to love, Stone Brewing started brewing IPAs with clearly printed expiration dates. While some beers get better with time, most IPAs do not. This is the third Enjoy By I have enjoyed (4.20.13 & 9.13.13), and I must say, it is certainly the best. Clocking in at a whopping 9.4 percent ABV, this brew had my holiday-ready family happily tipsy in no time.
What Nick’s Been Drinking
($$$) The Lost Abbey. San Marcos, Calif. “Merry Taj IPA.”
I had a glass of this at a restaurant over break, and I was not disappointed. I had drank two IPA’s prior to this one, and it still stood out over the rest. I haven’t seen a bottle of it, but if you see it on tap, grab a glass and enjoy.
($$$$) Deschutes Brewing. Bend, Ore. “The Abyss.”
Imagine the color of an abyss. This beer looks exactly the same. I was in a very “stouty” mood all break, and this was the best one I had. It has a very full taste, yet is still smooth. All around, one of the best imperial stouts out there.
($$$$$) The Bruery. Placentia, CA. “Melange No. 1.”
An insane blend of an Imperial Stout and a Tart beer, Melange, frankly, seems gross on paper. However, when you get past the $25 price, perfection hits. It’s a near-perfect blend of tart and stout. Neither taste is overpowering, yet both bring out the best in each other. It’s hard to justify a $25 tag, but if you’re gonna blow that much on a beer, make it this one.