When I asked her if she had a spoon, she looked at me kind of strangely.  In fact, she had no idea that she needed one.  Okay, I had a customer come into the store where I work, and she was looking for Harp Lager. Another store employee came and found me to help this young lady.  I had to tell her we didn’t have Harp and asked what she needed it for.  Turns out that she was going to use it for a Black & Tan.  I promptly informed her that she didn’t need Irish lager but a good English Ale.  She had the Guinness part right, so I showed her where that was.  I also grabbed a good English Ale for her.

Then I asked her the question: “Do you have a spoon for it?”  She had no idea that she needed a spoon or that it would help the stout cascade and sit on top of the ale rather than pour straight down the middle, convoluting the whole thing.  We talked for a few minutes, and she sincerely and repeatedly thanked me.  Then she asked If I wanted to come over and drink it with her…okay, I said that part as a joke.  However, this interaction did get my mind churning a bit.

First of all, I wrote this anecdotal story not to make fun of ignorance but to, instead, remind myself of something.  There are a lot of people out there who are just starting to experiment with better beer.  Sure a Black & Tan is a novelty.  But now she is drinking an English Ale that she’s never had before.  And more importantly, she’s not drinking American macro swill.  I want to remind all beer lovers that many people are within our sphere of influence.  The craft beer engine runs on the oil that is word of mouth, sharing, and giving of people who share simply for the joy of sharing with others.  I encourage all of you (myself included) to share with a friend, a family member, or a random person this week.  Give a beer, suggest one, solve a Black & Tan mystery.  Either way, my encounter inspired me and I hope it does the same for you… Let the beervangelism continue!