Growing up, a very simple rule regarding food and mealtimes was enforced upon my siblings and I:  Eat what is placed in front of you, no if’s and/or but’s. That was it.  Whether we adored the cuisine or detested it, we had to eat every last bite, and had to do so with a good attitude…after all, we were blessed to have ample provisions.  My wife and I continue this practice with our children.  Harsh as it may seem, it is for the best interest of our children.  Not only does it avoid embarrassment upon themselves should they be served a less desirable dish as a guest in someone’s home, they develop broader, more sophisticated palates.

I not only enforce this rule upon my children, but upon myself.  I have eaten weird looking whole fish with gypsies in Croatia, canine with poor laborers in El Salvador, and plenty of my own unfortunate culinary concoctions.  The same is true for beer.  if I am a guest in someone’s home, I’ll drink what they serve me, given they don’t first offer me a choice.

While dining at my sister’s apartment a couple of months ago, a friend of hers picked up that I was really into better beer.  He excitedly ran across the hall to his apartment and returned with a 22 ounce bomber of Bud Light Golden Wheat for me to try.  Anyone reader of this site knows that I don’t jump up and down with joy over an InBev product, especially those of the “light” variety.

Nonetheless, just like I instruct my children, I cordially and gratefully accepted the imbibement.  Like I tend to do when I offer a guest some of my homebrew, he watched me take my first sip.  Facial reactions are a dead giveaway to one’s satisfaction or distaste, so I mounted a stoic look and dove in.

He quickly, and excitedly asked me, “What do you think?!”

I paused, and didn’t answer.  I took another sip, doing justice to his generosity.  The Bud Light Golden Wheat was pale and watery.  There was no noticeable hop qualities.  There was generic orange flavor, as you may find in a bottle of Blue Moon, but it was more pronounced in the Golden Wheat.  There were wheat qualities:  Bready and earthy.  While this beer would not achieve a high rating on this site (maybe 2 stars out of five) it was a bit better than the perception formed in my presuppositions.

Now I had to respond.  Just as I value returned hospitality when offered an undesirable, I value honesty as well.  The young man was so cordial and giving, I did not want to offend him.  Besides, he was clearly embarking on a journey into better beer.  Far be it from me to let a haughty response deter him.  I think many interested beer drinkers have gone back into the insipid world of macro beers after being burned by a tactless beer geek.

After thanking him for the beer, my response was, in essence, “I’m not a typical fan of Budweiser or Budlight, thus I have not tried this beer yet.  But, it was better than I expected (true), it is way better than standard Budlight (true), and I have had a few craft wheat beers that could learn a thing or two from this brew (true).”  I then pointed out a few flavors I picked up on and made some suggestions of other (craft) brews he might enjoy since he was so fond of Budlight Golden Wheat.

The whole purpose of this account was to point out that many people who know us as “beer guys” pander for approval.  Much like the subject of the Chris Isaak song, while we don’t have to enthusiastically approve of their tastes, we should humbly let them down easy. Now, if another beer geek offers me a pint for review, the gloves are coming off, as that is what he/she expects.

Have you had any recent offerings like this?   What was your response?  Thoughts?  Comments?