thewmatusmoloki said:
Beer, what can you say about beer ?
Whoever invented the stuff was obviously a genius without equal !!
...
Never been to the USA , but I hear that they drink lager beer there, the same as in oz. Can anyone suggest a tasty north american brew in case I ever visit ?
Salute.
An invitation I cannot easily refuse…
Naturally-occurring, fermentation pervades our world; the
fungi are on nearly everything, including our bodies, and in our intestines, and many creatures other than mankind consume fermented products constantly. Therefore primitive forms of Beer has been around for as long as civilization: Arguably it is the defining point; when nomadic peoples settled down to cultivate their food, brewing became part of that process. The oldest written records indicate there were no less than 20 styles of brew made and traded. The oldest European poem has a large segment devoted to brewing mead for a wedding. One of the oldest words we use today is
Wine and
Vine, derived from Sanskrit (the root language of Indo-European), with wine being “
of the vineâ€Â. Yes, Brewing has been around for a very long time.
I do not think I could offer you one tasty American brew to sample. No that would not do at all:
I would begin your indoctrination with the American Lager
AB Budweiser to appreciate the chemical engineering behind a consistently clean and tasty product served here in the States and abroad. It is not my favorite by any means, however it is lite, easy to drink, and consumed by a large majority; it’s a good place to start.
The next beer is an American adaptation of the German Kölsch style called Golden- or Blonde Ale. It is slightly heavier than a Bud, but lighter than an American Pale Ale (Sierra-Nevada). Most lager drinkers can make this transition with ease.
Goose Island Blond or
Deschutes Cascade Golden come to mind as tastefully well-executed and pleasantly quenching on a hot summer’s day.
Then I’d move you up the ladder to an American Wheat; slightly different than the German origin and lacking the spicy clove-phenolic-vanilla tones, and yet refreshingly clean and creamy (BTW - I do not use lemon as it is a commoner adulteration of the profile, like adding lime & salt to Corona ~ except in latter case it needs it). Both
Widmer and
Pyramid offer excellent examples fresh from the tap.
Afterwards we’d enjoy a sampling of American Pale Ale,
Sierra-Nevada being the classic example. There are stronger and heavier versions of this but that’s what they are: stronger and heavier and not fitting the original style historically or otherwise. Double Pale Ales are a joke and a nuance, a perturbation and an appellation. But let me tell you how I really feel…
Some will venture on into Indian Pale Ale and Imperial IPA, however if you wish to retain your palate, might I suggest…
Amber and Brown ales are a great vector to follow; I know the West Coast breweries extremely well so forgive me if I show deference – it is not meant as a slight to the rest.
Rogue St. Red set the standard for the big amber beers. I also appreciate the
Mendocino Red Tail Ale.
Lost Coast Downtown Brown is a spectacularly delicious Gold-Medal winning brew, as are all the ones that I have mentioned so far.
Now we approach the darker dreamier styles: Porters. Invented in 1721 from a single batch of brew where previously it was a blend of three “threadsâ€Â, today we can enjoy several particularly interesting choices depending on your bent: smoky, roasty, or chocolaty. I prefer the less-bitter Southern-English influenced porters. Once upon a time
Grant’s Perfect Porter reigned supreme; a chocolate delight with no peers. Sadly Bert Grant must be rolling in his grave after what transpired at his brewery once he sold it.
Rogue,
Anchor, and
Sierra-Nevada all make excellent porters though, as do many others. One could spend a winter mining the depths of these tasty elixirs, and upon that reflection it may be the second-best style in my book.
I say second-best because my favorite style …after
Baltic Porter …is Strong Scotch Ale! Similar to Amber, yet with restrained fruitiness, deeply raisin-plumy, a hint of peaty smokiness, crisp and clean, warming and kindred on a cold Seattle winter’s night. Though I haven’t found an equal in the United States to
Orkney Skull Splitter or
Traquair House, the search remains and there are lots to be found at
nearly every brewery!
Stouts began their life as strong stouty porters and indeed that’s what they were called, Stout Porter in 1759 when Arthur Guinness founded his brewery in Dublin Ireland. Believe it or not it is brewed in the United States, thus qualifying as a domestic brand. However there are a plethora of indigenous offerings available shortly after you step off the plane:
Rogue Shakespeare Stout,
Lost Coast 8-Ball Stout,
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout,
Left Hand Milk Stout, and
Brooklyn Dry Stout to name a few.
Brews to sample beyond this point, that is if you’re still standing <
hic*, doo-da> verge into the more potent variety where we break out the little glasses and snifters, tapping into various kegs and cornies, cracking open a vintage and sharing copiously between friends of a barley-feather, and plumbing the depths with our
Olfactory Process more than with gullet. Eighty-percent of taste is through the nose, and really – there is no need to swallow to appreciate a fine beer …though I suppose that would be missing the party 8)
Enjoy!
KF
