“Now is the Time to Drink!”
Barley, hops, water, and yeast.
Humble ingredients. Infinite combinations. Brewers are both culinary artists and mad scientists, striving to invent libations that push their craft forward. Temperature, sanitation, and timing influence bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Yeast eats sugar and produces alcohol. The result is both delicious and intoxicating!
“He was a wise man who invented beer.” — Plato
The origin of beer dates back more than 7,000 years to Mesopotamia. Sumerians are credited with the oldest surviving recipe, and Egyptians used the beverage’s nutritional benefits to sustain themselves during the construction of the Great Pyramids. Those living in Medieval Times embraced ale over bacteria-plagued water, and ship captains cured scurvy with the concoction.
Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. Trappist monasteries, run by Cistercians of the Strict Observance, have produced Dubbels, Tripels, and Quadrupels since 1595. Revenue from these recipes perpetuate the monks’ traditional, nearly silent existence. For decades, if not centuries, ‘Westy 12’ has been revered as the best beer on the planet!
“Prohibition makes you want to cry into your beer and denies you the beer to cry into.” — Don Marquis
Before 1920, thirteen hundred breweries peppered the country. For thirteen years, prohibition changed the landscape. Coors pivoted to pottery, Pabst produced blue-ribbon cheese, and Anheuser-Busch shifted to soft drinks. Only a few survived through repeal, and brewing didn’t see a resurgence until the mid 1990’s.
Boston Beer Company, Dogfish Head, and Stone rose to prominence on unique additions, bold flavors, and indigenous concepts. The mundane macro environment was put on notice. A cult following developed, and the industry never looked back.
“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health.” — Thomas Jefferson
My obsession began in 2008. Unfortunately, there weren’t any distinctive options on the shelf. Only blind luck, an ability to travel, or a willingness to trade awarded anything different.
RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com empowered like-minded enthusiasts to discuss, rate, and swap the very thing they loved. The community was generous. Value and scarcity was seldom discussed. Boxes were filled with gems, and returning the favor wasn’t up for discussion. Clearly, it was a simpler time.
“Let no man thirst for good beer.” — Samuel Adams
‘Limited Edition,’ once a catalyst for the craft revolution, is now overplayed. Chic brews from Toppling Goliath and Hill Farmstead are almost unobtainable. Only those with exorbitant wealth or access to international rarities have a chance. Sites like BeerBlackBook.com and MyBeerCollectibles.com post obscene rates for rare beer. To provide perspective, bottles have been purchased for as much as $5,000!
Things continually change. Distribution improves. Prices increase. Social media and other niche platforms rapidly evolve. These factors make it difficult, and less necessary, to pine over impossible to acquire offerings. More local breweries experiment with unorthodox ingredients and styles. At the end of 2017, there were over 7,000 craft beer locations; up 450% from a decade earlier. Why look elsewhere, when you have access to excellence in your neighborhood?
If you do decide to partake in the conquest for elusive imbibe, please ask for less than you give. Approach the ‘game’ with a generous mentality. Consider how you respond to a request. Take only what you need. Support local brewers. Last, but certainly not least, drink with friends and be safe!
“All right, brain. I don’t like you and you don’t like me. So let’s just do this, and I’ll get back to killing you with beer!” — Homer Simpson
Verum Meam 