What Are You Drinking?

I just started a new job. A new job on top of working with TAPS media on the magazine, on top of promoting craft beer, on top of staying up to date with this blog and on top of my hockey. Needless to say, I try to keep myself busy and I love it.

I will be spending my weekdays sitting at a computer working for the government and spending my weekends and weeknights visiting pubs and trying new beers. I hope to keep posting regularly, but this week may be a little hectic and therefore it may result in fewer posts. I sure hope you all understand.

I had planned to get out this weekend and visit a pub that a reader recommended but plans changed after I suffered a Northern hangover. I paid a visit back home Saturday to a friend’s house where we had a fabulous dinner that I matched with some Tankhouse Ale. After dinner though I decided to finish the case myself and…you don’t need to know the rest. Anyway, off topic, not that there’s really a topic though.

My friends from up north are all macro beer drinkers. Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Laker and Bohemian are usually their beer of choice, so every time I head back up I try to get them to try something new. Which got me thinking, everyone has their own taste and to criticize it the way I sometimes do is wrong. Beer, whether it has tons of flavour or none at all, is made to be enjoyed by all. Each beer has certain qualities that draw their drinkers to it. Choosing to drink a mainstream, mass produced beer is a choice that may be based upon familiarity, price range and quite simply - taste (from what I've heard).

Sometimes they enjoy the beer, most times they do not. It was priceless watching them try some Garrison Imperial Pale Ale. You’d swear they just finished downing a shot of jagermeister. I did manage to convince one friend to go to Creemore to visit the brewery and he shocked me when he bought a six pack to take home. In Halifax, most of the boys drank Keiths, but after a couple of visits to the Henry House they were willing to try the microbrews from Propeller and Garrison. Today, one of them dedicates his free time to learning about and trying beers from all over. That makes me smile. I learnt that all beer can be enjoyed best in the context in which it’s drank.

Why do I do it? I enjoy the challenge of introducing new beers to people. Some craft beer might not be overly earth shattering but it can act as a good stepping stone into a new world of imperial stouts, hefe-weizen’s, barley wines and bitters. I enjoy all beer whether it be Labatt Blue or Chimay Bleue, but I choose to drink the latter as it offers most in body and taste. Sometimes we forget where we started and we judge others too quickly.

More another interesting read about enjoying any beer, check out Pete Brown's blog posts "We're all here for beer" and "For Christ's Sake, Cheer Up."
Cheers