A Tasty Brew

During my year of good beer, I've been increasingly sensitive to the lack of acceptance of beer as a "foodie" delight. In my biased opinion, beer is unique in its ability to draw rolled-eyes and comments of "it's all the same" from otherwise discerning individuals.

Lately, as big box breweries have expanded, small craft beer and microbreweries are starting to pop-up to fight this scourge. These small operations are the equivalent of the small farms starting up to compete with the agri-behemoths. Along with this resurgence comes a wealth of choices in beer--many that will surprise you.

So, in the hopes of evangelizing beer to the otherwise uninitiated among us, I am spreading the delicious, yeasty word. Onward to the recommendations!

For the "beer tastes like pee" crowd:

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

My ratebeer.com blurb: "A delightful example of the brown ale family. The nuttiness is deliciously accentuated with this one. Pour into a good mug, enjoy the perfect head, nutty aroma and you’re gold."

This is a good starter-to-the-world-of-craft-beer person. It eases you into a more complex experience, without overwhelming. This style of beer is a good "gateway beer" for those who also cannot enjoy hoppy bitterness just yet.

For the "Guinnesss is the best stout" folks:

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

My ratebeer.com notes: "A beautiful pour with a dark, almost black body and milk chocolatey looking head. Intense flavor of chocolate and anise. Very strong, very flavorful."

This beer will change your perception of stouts if you are used to having only Guinnesss. The beer pours thick and completely black. Drinking this is a delight that can be reserved for dessert.

For the "beer can never be as complex as wine" snobs:

Rochefort Trappistes 10

Ratebeer.com description: "The top product from the Rochefort Trappist brewery. Dark color, full and very impressive taste. Strong plum, raisin, and black currant palate, with ascending notes of vinousness and other complexities."

This beer truly crosses over into the "fine wine" arena. It has amazing complexity and aroma that require repeated tastings to truly appreciate. Like wine, it has a pretty high alcohol content, so this is not your six-pack drinking brew.

And now, What would Evan drink every day given the opportunity?

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Ratebeer.com info: "The absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50 %). A dark ivory coloured beer with a high fermentation. The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour."

Oh, St. Bernardus, let me opine to you. This happy monk has created quite a gem. I would not encourage everyone to snag one right away as it'll take some palate-training to appreciate. But oh, what joy once you are there.

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I encourage everyone to run out to the store (you can find most of these at either BevMo or Whole Foods--my apologies to those in foreign lands... it's probably not as easy for you) and get a nice cold beer--but not too cold, as it ruins the subtle flavors and aromas! And even if you aren't close to the U.S., I encourage you to find the craft beer in your neck of the woods. I know that almost every country has micro-breweries hidden amongst the international beer giants.

Also, checkout Craft Beer Radio for news and tasting notes. Listen to one episode and tell me, how can you resist?!