All of us are aware that life encounters can lead us meandering down the most unexpected paths.  Through a calculated encounter, I met someone who may be very helpful for the future of a brewery.  In reality, she already was. Let it suffice to say that I began taking the future even more seriously.  But one piece of the puzzle was still missing: real people who had really started a nano brewery.  Sure concepts are great but I’m the type of person that likes speaking and learning from other human beings.

In comes Hess brewing (I have to mention that I spoke to several other nanos and they were also very helpful).  Imagine my surprise when I realized that several nano breweries were operating within a three or four hour radius, I decided it would be foolish not to talk to people who had done it.  I emailed and then called Mike Hess from Hess brewing in San Diego.  It wasn’t long until we were scheduling a call time and also the certainty of a future visit.

Hopefully, I don’t have to tell you that brewers are a busy bunch.  I don’t think that busy even does justice to nano breweries.  They are often known as people who have “real” jobs and love brewing as a second job.  So, time is at a serious premium for guys like Mike (nice name, by the way).  When he told me to call him any time after 5pm or on Saturday, I was, once again, reminded how great people who love beer are.  Not knowing me from Adam didn’t stop him from helping me with some questions I had, offering details, or warning me of possible pitfalls.  He gave me about an hour and a half of his time and would have likely given me much more.

Wow!  What a warm and fuzzy story, right?  Well, that may be the case, and I’m glad if it gave you butterflies.  But what I really want you to take away from this is that if you are even near San Diego, you should go patronize this brewery.  Not only does a company like Hess represent the American ideal of small entrepreneurial business as the backbone of our nation, it represent the fortitude, passion, and hospitality that is indicative of true American character.  Who wouldn’t want to support a company like that?

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The Pour: Trust me when I tell you, that, if you get this beer, let it settle and cool for a day or so.  I imagine that perhaps too much yeast or unfermented raspberry got into the bottle we drank because the cork started coming out on its own accord.  (The only other brew I remember doing something similar was the Gueuze from Hanssens I drank; it contained Mead, so those sugars made the cork really pop.)  Once the bottle was open (good thing it was thick), it was too late.  The Amorosa was gushing out.  Fortunately, we acted quickly and saved most of the brew (we probably lost an ounce or so).  At any rate, we gently poured our brews into a couple glasses and noted that the body was very reddish with some brown tones.  It was hazy, as the style should be.  Amorosa also had plenty of floating bits (the high co2 must have really stirred it up).  One of the lovely aspects of the brew was its prominently pink head.  My glass held the head well, but the goblet did not.  Either way, it still looked like a very drinkable beer.

The Nose: For those of us who like sour beers and sour stuff in general, this beer has the mouth-watering aroma that simply makes one begin to salivate in Pavlovian anticipation.  The prominantly tart raspberry stood beside acetic (vinegary) and lactic qualities, creating a beautiful nose.  A hint of sweetness seemed to be present and was a nice counter-balance to the woody sourness.

The Taste: As anticipated, there was a touch of residual sweetness in the brew, which almost certainly (along with the carbonation level) kept the higher than average 7% ABV in check.  Alcohol was well-hidden behind raspberries that gushed like opening bottle.  Drinking Amorosa was certainly more like eating a fresh raspeberry than a Lindemans.  (However it’s not quite as sour and tart as a Cantillion, for instance.)  Also, the seeds of the raspberry added their own distinct tones to the brew.  It seemed like raspberry through and through.  Slight bits of fresh lemon peel also graced the sour and slight bitter aspects of the brew.  The wood flavor and dryness were apparent but not over-powering.  A delectible sourness, tartness, and smaller acetic tones made this a wonderful beer.  On the back, the lambic tones really came through.  Paired with raspberries, the lambic was really emphatic.

Overall, this was a very tasty take on a framboise that seems like authentically drinking raspberries.  The sours with the touches of sweetness were harmoniously balanced.  The only flaw that I saw was the fact that the carbonation was so high.  I’ve seen that this is a problem across the board…I’m sure the next round will be spot on.  Still, like all other Lost Abbey brews, it’s good.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★¼ 

Among other Lambic Ales: ★★★★☆ 

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10 Commandments: I first tried this beer at Dark Lord Day last year.  I remembered thinking it was pretty good.  I know that Nate and my brother simply loved it.  It’s a seasonal brew, so, whenever the time came, I picked up a few bottles.  One to try and a couple to age for future use.  FYI 10 Commandments was $11.99 per bottle, which is not too bad a price for a 750ml bottle at 9% ABV.

The Pour:  Strange to say, this beer was a deep, dark color with an almost purple highlight to it.  Odd to look at indeed.  A nice, light brown, foamy and stable head sat atop this beauty.  As I sipped the glass, the lacing was evident and nice looking on the glass.

The Nose:  Given that this brew has rosemary in it, the nose certainly had remnants of that aspect.  Those herbal qualities on the nose were, I’m sure, enhanced by the character of the yeast, which was evident and powdery on the nose.  Raisons/dried fruits could also be noted and hinted at a sweetness that would balance the herbal character the beer promised to have.

The Taste:  If there was any doubt about the rosemary content of the brew, it was certainly resolved on the palate.  The rosemary taste was definite and pronounced.  As suspected, the raison quality, along with the residual sweetness, kicked in to provide a balance to the whole.  The combination of the elements from above gave the beer a perfumey herbal character that lasted for quite awhile.  Throw in a bit of iron-like metallic tones, vinous (wine-like) alcohol qualities, and a nice, dry finish, then you have quite a beer.

Overall, my criticisms of this brew would very likely be different if I didn’t like rosemary.  Actually, I’m not a huge rosemary fan, but it works for 10 Commandments.  If you really hate rosemary, then don’t buy this beer.  Yet, despite the fact that it could seem over-bearing in the brew; I really enjoyed it.  Perhaps the beer was a little drier than I would have liked, but I really don’t have much critical to say beyond that.  Definitely pick up this brew if you see it.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★¼ 

Among other Belgian Ales: ★★★★☆ 

Lost and Found: Having been deprived of Lost Abbey beers, I just kept things rolling along.  It’s hard to tell you how it will taste because the ABV seems to be variable.  For instance, Lost Abbey lists this as a 7.5% ABV ale while Beer Advocate has it as 8%.  The bottle I drank was 8.5%.  The only fair assumption to make is that the variance in ABV would change numerous aspects of the flavor profile. Describing a beer is already a challenge, but it’s even more so when there are such variances.  Perhaps others could fill in the other percents.  As for me, there is my review.

The Pour: Unlike some of the other problematic brews (at the time) from the Lost Abbey, this one had ample carbonation.  I knew this when the cork offered a big pop.  A tall, stable, light brown head emerged.  The fact that the body was pretty active helped keep the head firmly in place and provided lacing as the beer emptied.  I personally think Lost and Found was the color of a murky, hazy brown ale, perhaps something between a Sam Smith’s and Thomas Hardy blended together.

The Nose: Candy sugar tones and powdery yeast were immediately evident on the nose of the brew.  Residual sweetness took the form of caramel qualities, vinous (wine) like aromas, and dried fruits (raison).  A touch of iron hardness and hints of vegetable.  A bit of burnt smokiness was also present.

The Taste: The first sip testified that there was a bit of alcohol warmth to the brew, which combined with those vinous notes to give some wine-like impressions.  The dried and burnt fruit raison qualities combined with a nice touch of residual sweetness to balance out the alcohol heat.  I also noted a almost tart acidity and smoke along with metallic aspects.  The caramel candy sugar tones combined with the vegetable hints at which the nose hinted.

Overall, I think this is a good and complete beer.  The metal and vegetable qualities might seem off-putting, but I think they are preferable in a beer such as this.  From what I understand, Trappist yeast is used in this brew.  The metal and vegetable tones are entirely characteristic of these strains (in my opinion).  The grain profile with, perhaps, the exception of the wheat (the ostensible cause of the haze) is very characteristic of the grain profile for a dubbel.  Because of this, I think the flavors are consistent with the style of dubbel which has the above characteristics.  I personally prefer a bit more of a bready undergirding to a dubbel, but this is a good beer.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Belgian Ales: ★★★½☆ 

Judgment Day: A good beer in its own right, this beer is maybe better known as being the basis for Cuvee De Tomme and (I’m not sure) Angel’s Share.  At an already hefty 10.5% ABV, this is a pretty big beer.  Of course, the attenuation level of 1.014 doesn’t leave too much sweetness.  At any rate, this is the biggest beer of the normal line-up.

The Pour: Judgment Day poured with a very deep brown, almost black color.  The bottle I drank had no head retention whatsoever.

The Nose: If this beer comes off as having a similar redolence to Lost and Found, it’s because it is very similar in structure, just an upped version.  Plenty of raisons on the nose along with hints of chocolate evoked a craving for some Raisonettes.  A burnt/smoke tone was, like Lost and Found, present.  Again, the vegetative qualities were noticeable.  Vinous port-like aspects were also readily present.  Yeast and, unlike Lost and Found, the wheat were evident.  Alcohol and residual sweetness factored into the overall complexity of the brew.

The Taste: The port alcohol qualities were evident immediately.  I don’t think the beer drank like it was too hot on the alcohol, but it was big.  A small hint of residual tenuously held the ABV in check.  Burnt, dry fruits, chocolate, and yeast hit very nicely.  The raisons and a notable biscuit tone, which was missing in Lost and Found was within the structure of Judgment Day.  Again, the Trappist vegetative qualities were in abundance.  Of course, the strain is proprietary, so I can’t be certain about what was in the mix.  I will say that the yeast aroma and flavor very much reminded of half Aventinus Wheat Double Bock, half eisbock of the same brew.

Overall, again, I cannot complain that this beer isn’t doing what it sets out to do.  It’s made in the Belgian tradition and it has the deep caramel of the dried fruits and special B malts.  It certainly is a tweak on a Belgian Strong.  I think maybe calling it a quad or a dubbel-dubbel works well.  Another excellent beer.  I’ve post about this beer before with similar thoughts.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★½ 

Among other Belgian Ales: ★★★★¼ 

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We have our reasons.  Uncle Bud and Miller, to name a few.  But there is that sparkling gem that proves that every style can shine if cultured correctly.  For me, the quintessential example would be Boulevard’s Collaboration 1.

For this week’s Sip With Us Saturday, with the Pilsner as the choice, I picked up four different pilsners to diminish the odds for disappointment.  Two stark observations surfaced as I surfed the beer aisle searching for my beer:  1) Choice isn’t abundant in the craft beer world when it comes to Pilsners.  IPA’s and Stouts crowded the shelf, but nary a pilsner was to be found, and 2) Pilsners are comparatively inexpensive.  With a limited amount of time I was only able to find and snag four American craft Pilsners:  Heavy Seas’ (Clipper City) Small Craft Warning, Uber Pils, Stoudt’s Pils, Lagunitas’ Pils, and Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Pilsner.  While I did sample these each back to back, I split the brews with my wife so as not to guzzle four beers in a row.  The reviews below skip the typical Thank Heaven For Beer fashion for reviewing a brew in order to keep this post from irritating the Attention Deficit Disorder nature of the Interweb, and will just highlight my observations.

Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning:

The beer immediately reveals it isn’t a true pilsner with the orange hues.  I was expecting a crisp and fluid golden, but the beer is a tad sluggish entering the glass.  But I could care less if it doesn’t “look the part,” I just want it to taste good and make me happy.  It didn’t.  It was unbalanced. The brew was overly sweet and didn’t allow any punctually crisp hop flavors/aromas to shine.  In fact it smelled like corn and tasted like high fructose corn sugar.  This brew boasts a 7.25% ABV.  I’d trade ABV for great taste any day.

Stoudt’s Pils:

The beer poured thinly with golden pilsner attitude.  The aroma was great!  Very lemony and spicy hop notes greeted my nose.  I am not a fan of Stoudt beers, and was pleasantly surprised.  I took a sip and thought it tasted pretty good.  but then I realized the sip I had was actually a cleansing sip, reacting to the Heavy Seas my palate last recalled.  So I took a break and came back to the beer.  When I did, I was again let down.  The brewery nailed it hop-wise, but after swallowing, there was a sticky vanilla flavor that was exactly like the flavor of pure corn sugar.  Home brewers who use Corn sugar to prime their brews and have tasted the pre carbonate corn sugar infused wort will know what I’m talking about.

Lagunitas’ Pils:

Lagunitas is a very hit and miss brewery for me.  I had tasted their hairy eyeball just a week before trying their pilsner.  Hairy Eyeball was a huge let down.  But after pouring their pilsner, I saw potential.  The beer looked good, and smelled good.  Like the rest of Lgunitas’ brews, the focus of the Pilsners was on the hops.  In fact, but the aroma was great.  Surprisingly, the beer tasted good too.  There was a lack of artificiality that I found in the previous two brews.   Saaz hops had to be part of this brew, but I thought I picked up on some classic American hop qualities.  The brew is initially sweet on the tongue, but quickly the hops make their presence known.  There is a bit of a rustic farmhouse quality it is quite refreshing.

Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Pilsner:

This brew looks like a pilsner, but smells sort of “wheaty” and grassy.  There was a teeny bit of funk (not bad) in the aroma.  Hops were downplayed.  What can I say about the taste? It wasn’t bad.  There were no noticeable imperfections, but it didn’t taste like a Pilsner to me and was reminiscent of a farmhouse ale.  It was almost like a Pilsner/Saison blend, and while quality crafted it was a tad off balance and had a bit of a yeast bite.  After swallowing, I had saltine crackers on the brain.

My favorite of the four?  Surprising even myself, I’d choose Lagunitas.  The worst?  Heavy Seas.  After writing the above reviews, guess which beer had the highest rating on Beer Advocate?  Yup, Heavy Seas.  I know that beer enjoyment is privy to subjectivity, but I had to wonder if the high ABV had anything to do with an abnormally high rating?

If you’ve had these, which is your favorite?

What’s your favorite American Pilsner?

Uber Pils

brooklyn

Lagunitas

Stoudts

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The Pour: As an Oatmeal Stout of 10.65%, this was a foreboding, black, and viscous ale.  Upon pouring, I noticed its dense body with a minor amount of quickly fading head retention.  The head itself was finely carbonated and brown…I wish it would have stuck around for the whole show.

The Nose: Whatever else may be said about Avery’s barrel aged beers, they are, at a minimum, very interesting.  The nose on this was no exception.  I noted a definite horse blanket/wet dog quality on the nose…natural bretts?  A sour juiciness was present, along with some balancing sweet touches. Bits of caramel and dry coffee countered hints of rum and alcohol warmth.  Very interesting and very nice.  The oats were minor but present.

The Taste: Upon the first sip of the beer, the barrel was evident.  Touches of smoke, a very small hint of Rum (more as the beer warmed), and a lactic sour milkiness were immediate characteristics.  A sour juicy oatmeal stout wouldn’t seem to work on the surface but it really worked well and interestingly for the beer.  The oats were chewy and filled out body (along with a touch of sweet), balancing the higher alcohol tones (which were a little vinous).  A dry roasted coffee finish along with rais0nish sherry and caramel tones finished out the brew.

Overall, the brew was very unique and interesting.  It seems that this trend in the Avery barreled beers is not going to change through the series.  Personally, I enjoyed this beer, but it’s probably not for everyone.  The sour milkiness might take the drinker back a bit.  It is, after all, a unique beer.

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The Pour: Black would be an accurate description for the color of El Camino.  In fact, stout-like in color is maybe the best descriptor.  The creamy, light brown, and very stable head added to the stout perception.  At any rate, I thought the beer was very nice looking.  A small amount of lacing occurred as I sipped it down.

The Nose: Given the El Camino was 9.5% ABV, it wasn’t a surprise to catch some of the alcohol notes on the nose.  Citrusy hops also dominated.  In this way, the beer certainly had Stone’s signature on it.  However, the hops were not simply the piney/grapefruity hops that I’m used to; they had a very nice orange peel tone to them.  A bit of char also stopped by to say hello.  Some roasty grains, coffee, and a hint of chocolate were present as well.

The Taste: There was a fair amount going on in the brew.  Like many of Stone’s beers, there was an immediate hop impression.  In this case, the orange peel citrus tones came through.  The alcohol warmth on the nose came through to the palate.  Roasty grains, bits of cocoa, and a (more than average for Stone) nice, residual sweetness helped prop the beer up. In tandem with the sweetness was a nice caramel pop and a bready backbone.  Hints of smoke, oak dryness, and a pronounced black pepper spice moved El Camino along. It finished with a dry, oak tone and herbal quality.

Overall, I liked the El Camino.  It was just a little bit disparate and busy starting out.  I think a 6 months to a year of proper cellaring would really let the brew shape into a more unified whole.  Lucky for me, I’ve a got a couple bottles with which I can do just that.  I would certainly pay the $3.99 for a 12 ounce bottle and try it if I were you…I wouldn’t tell it to hit the road just yet.  $4 is pretty negligible for a one time brew. If you try it or have tried it, what do you think?

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among other American Ales: ★★★¾☆ 

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My best guess is that those who have complained that they missed out on tickets are being appeased.  I don’t really have a problem with other people being able to purchase the beer, I really don’t.  But I do question the method.  People have already bought tickets for $10 each and should know what to expect when they get there.  Of course, I’m not just grousing about the situation.  I’m going to have a good time either way because it’s awesome, but we ought to know what we are getting.  After all, people who bought the tickets were on the ball enough to get them. The argument could be made that, because of the site problems, Three Floyds should make some concessions that wouldn’t actually change the number of tickets that were sold.  Perhaps the number of tickets could match the volume of Dark Lord.

This life remains one of no guarantees, so it’s not that big a deal.  However, I was surprised that we still don’t know what’s actually going to happen on the day of, and I’m hoping that I feel the $20 extra was worth the calculated risk associated with paying that amount. At least the money goes to charity.

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The Pour: As I hinted, this beer is fairly dark in complexion.  Maybe it’s not quite grease, but it was black/very dark brown in it color.  The head was a very stable, off-white cloud.  The body, being semi-active, helped to prop it up for the duration of drinking.  Additionally, some decent lacing appeared as I sipped the brew.

The Nose: It’s almost a foregone conclusion that citrusy, piney hop aspects will make it into most of Stone’s products.  I’m not saying this negatively, but it is a predictable aspect of their brewing.  Again, hops took the front row for the beer show on this one, but nice roasty malts, along with citrusy orange tones and wiffs of chocolate/coffee, were part of the profile.

The Taste: The hops were, once again, very up front, floral, and pefumey in this ale.  Maybe it’s starting to grow on me, but I enjoyed this part of the beer.  It wasn’t quite as bitter (although, make no mistake, it is bitter) as I thought it might be.  The mouth-feel was medium and the hints of alcohol kept it on the thinner medium side.  I find that this is often true when hops and ABV are at a higher level.  At any rate, chocolate tones, coffee dryness, citrus and  a touch of toasted caramel malts all contributed to the brew’s profile.

Overall, I think this is a solid beer that could use a touch more sweetness and mouth-feel to balance it out.  My personal opinion is that the attenuation level plus the hops made for a slightly astringent and thinned brew.  However, I would drink this brew again and did enjoy it; I would just enjoy it more if they tweaked a few things.

Mike’s Rating

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Self-Righteously Named Brews: ★★★½☆ 

Other Reviews of this beer:  The Full Pint, The Local Brewery, and The Barley Blog.

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Angel’s Share: I don’t think that Lost Abbey makes anything for the faint of heart, and this is certainly one of their heartiest brews.  I think I paid about $15.99 for the 375 ml  bottle of beer (minus my 20% discount).  For such a rare beer and opportunity, I just had to do it.  At any rate, I’m very glad that  I did get the beer, which is their Judgement Day beer aged, in this case, in brandy barrels.

The Pour: Angel’s Share was a murky brown ale reminscent of a barley-wine, a feature that was actually prescient for the remainder of the brew.  Like much of Lost Abbey’s brews, this one didn’t have a ton of head retention (also like many a barley-wine).  The forboding murkiness kept calling me forward, so I decided to dive into the nose part of the brew.

The Nose: Strange to keep saying it, but the aromas were also very barley-wine like.  Given that Judgement Day is brewed with raisins, it’s not really odd or suprising that the dried fruits come off like the dry fruitiness of a barley-wine.  So, it has aromas very similar to something like Thomas Hardy’s.  Bread and raisons/dried fruits were prominent on the nose.  The sweet brandy scents and alcohol were also a major contributor to the overall aroma.  The brew promised to have a nice sweetness and caramel tone according to the aromatic impressions.

The Taste: Certainly, a nice alcohol burn was a major part of the brew.  But there was much more to this beer.  Those bready aromas, dried fruits/raisins, and caramel translated into a palate full of flavor.  Truly delicious.  Nice nutty tones along with a touch of sweetness and a medium mouth-feel rounded out the middle of this brew, while the brandy was ubiquitous but not overbearing.  The finish yielded a surprisingly nice touch of chocolate and, to a lesser extent, coffee.  Finally, the beer dried out a bit.

Overall, Angel’s Share was well rounded and complete as a beer.  It was strikingly barley-wine like, which was totally fine.  Maybe just a touch more of the brandy would have been nice.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★¼ 

Among other Barreled Beers: ★★★★☆ 

Cuvee de Tomme: It’s no surprise that this beer from the Lost Abbey is sour.  Let me correct that notion.  It’s beyond sour.  Certainly, more sour beers exist, but this one is right up there.  I love a good sour ale, so it takes little effort to enjoy a beer like this.  Categorization is a little weird for this type of beer, but I’d call it a Flemish style with a lambic edge.  For almost $30 a bottle, it’s a beer of occasional enjoyment (I’m glad they make some smaller bottles, too).  The 375 ml format is wonderful.  What about the beer?

The Pour: Coloring on the brew was somewhere between a brown ale and a porter, like a Flanders brown.  Akin to not a few Lost Abbey beers, the head retention wasn’t huge, but it was there.  It was a nice tan color that was perfect for the beer.  The carbonation on the brew was fairly fine and slowly active.  A little pop from the cork showed me that, whatever carbonation problems there might have previously been, this beer was ready to go.

The Nose: I did catch a bit of the 11.5% ABV on the nose.  It seems inevitable for a beer of the style and strength.  Upon the first sniff, I knew that this would be a hugely sour ale.  Sour cherries, touches of smoky barrels, hints of caramel and and iron-like metallic tone were all players on the nose.

The Taste: Wow!  That’s sharp.  Sour cherry sharpness made this beer bitterly acrid and fairly dry in approach.  It’s like the beer was on the edge of being vinegary without quite getting there.  Alcohol from the nose minimally reached the palate, while the smoky oak from the barrel (as well as the woodiness) were noticeable.  A small caramel pop rounded the beer out to a dry finish.  One of the best things about this beer is that every sip hits like new.

Overall: Normally, I have more notes and descriptions to give about a beer, but a puckeringly sour beer like this needs no more than I’ve said.  If you are a sour fan, this beer speaks for itself.  It’s a must-try for the person who loves a beer with pucker.  If you don’t like sours, even a mild sour, this is not the beer for you.  I think few beers are more divisive than sour ales.  You love them or you hate them.  I absolutely love this one.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★¾ 

Among other Sours: ★★★★¾ 

Among other Barreled Beers: ★★★★½ 

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Once “beer” was re-introduced to the American public, it was ever marred by the strained relationship.  Vapid products like American light lager gained hegemony (and still does!) the market place.  Of course, the role of conservation during the Great Depression regarding more important matters and the subsequent world war drove the need to save precious grain for more essential matters.  It’s funny how once things change, they stay the same.  We more or less had an entire generation of people weaned on flavorless American lagers.  It wasn’t until the beginning of the homebrewing revolution that people became “aware” of real beer.  Furthermore, it wasn’t until 1979 that it became legal to brew at home.  Even further, I’d venture to say that the average American wasn’t really aware of craft beer until recent years.

Now the industry is blowing up.  Even the big boys are playing along with their supposedly craft products.  The whole system is moving at a breakneck speed, although I’m hoping things will just relax a little bit.  Actually, I write this because of some craft beer drinkers with whom I’ve come in contact.  They are excited about good beer—but always on the next one, taking little time to enjoy what’s in front of them.  I’ve been guilty of this, too, so I’m not simply pointing fingers at people.  However, I’m excited about the prospect of us as Americans slowing down a bit and getting comfortable with good beer.

It’s a bit of a Catch-22 because this situation fuels growth and interest in craft beer, something I’m hoping to have around in the next few years. However, we need to be able to relate to those persons who are just now getting into the world of craft beer.  We want to usher them in gently, not move them in a “ludacris speed” (thanks to Spaceballs for that one).  What are we going to tell the craft beer neophyte?  Try this, this, this, that, this, that, that, that, these, those, go there, do that…  If we do that, we may lose them.  There is a time for venturing into more and more selections, but I’m looking forward to the day when we’ve all, including myself, gained enough maturity to be comfortable drinking good beer without worrying about all the beers we’ve not had.  Sometimes I really do feel like a baby beer drinker looking at this huge world around me.  All the sensory data.

As a metaphorical sidebar, babies learn a ton in the early stages of development so we should drink in the knowledge while we can… but let’s learn to relax a bit, too.

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