What’s your favorite beer?
A friend asked me that last night, and though her question was earnest, I had trouble answering.
I settled on Delirium Tremens, which has indeed been a recent fave, since our recent visit to TAP. DT has edged out Chimay in my Belgian book.
When she said her favorite was Negro Modelo, I was torn. I really like that one too, and I’m especially glad to see it on draft. I declared that it, too, was my favorite, though from a different style. Ooh, and I’m drinking a lot of Fat Tire nowadays. And the Chub! I’ve had a recent hankering for Old Chub Scotch Ale.
Pop! One Heineken opens and then another. My friend asks another drinker “what does that taste like?” The answer – “Like Heineken!”
And then the inevitable question of whether it’s skunked or merely another different flavor. I weakly regurgitate what I’ve read about bottle color and UV light and “some mysterious compound” similar to what skunks will emit.
That started me thinking about other styles and other beer mysteries. Why won’t my father drink beer with more flavor than MGD? Is it really the water that makes Olympia special (or was it the time with my Dad and uncle?) Are my brothers-in-law being ironic when they castigate my “lager” while sipping on Bud and Miller?
Hmm. What’s a beer guy to do?
My nom de plume may imply a certain expertise with beer — I’ll go far enough to say I’m an experienced drinker — but for the skunky question, I’ll defer to the Alström Bro’s over at Beer Advocate. And then I’ll look up how to pronounce isohumulones.
We’re going back to basics here for a series of posts, looking at the brewing and ingredients in beer, the different styles of brew, and then how to review beer “properly”.
So, find yourself a designated driver and come along for the ride!
