I have set a goal for myself this week.... I am going to try to post once a day all week (or at least for five days). If you didn't know, today is Pi day, or the day that nerds everywhere celebrate the number that never ends, and makes circles everywhere possible. Thank you Pi, without you we would not have correctly measured beer bottles or cans.
The last two days I have had posts about beer, and why we drink what we drink (as well as why the Muppets are awesome) Today shall be no different. Here are two longer responses that I got to my questions, one from my friend Nancy who was SOOOO wonderful and quick to respond, and the other from my wonderful, totally awesome Aunt.
Nancy
I am not a huge beer drinker especially now that I am trying to lose weight and get fit. That being said I do enjoy and crave a good beer every now and again. My beer tastes have evolved over the years. When I was younger I drank beer because it was cheap and I could drink it through the evening without getting annihilated ;-) I drank cheap beer as a teen (Old Style & PBR) *shudder* then slowly graduated to bud and bud light in my 20's. Late 20's early 30's I was introduced to GOOD beer... Beer with flavor and body or as my husband sarcastically claims... Chewy beer! *BIG SMILE*
Now, I drink beer for the flavor. I love dark beers, Pilsners, wheats... yummy stuff. Truly anything with a unique flavor. I'm not a HUGE fan of sweet beers and ciders; I typically can only drink just one. I am still occasionally guilty of downing a bud or 2 on a hot day doing yard work so I do not consider myself a beer snob even though my husband disagrees ;-)
My first experience with craft beer was TERRIBLE! I was young and hadn't developed a taste for beer yet... I was still drinking it because it was cheap;-) A friend of mine took me to a micro-brewery... they were just starting to become popular... and we ordered the 'variety'... It was AWFUL!! Every last shot was absolutely TERRIBLE!!! I ended up drinking Bud much to my friends embarrassment (he was a beer connoisseur ;-)
Now I go with recommendations and honestly I like to peruse the shelves for unique bottles or names... Some are winners and others... NOT SO MUCH! *Another Big Smile*
Aunt Linda
Thanks for asking! I wasn't always a big fan of beer. However, my band would often play at rowdy nightclubs where everyone seemed to be drinking beer by the pitcher or in buckets. My favorite drink - coffee - was generally unavailable and ordering a glass of chardonnay would just be weird. So to fit in, I would order a Miller Lite, which was ok but certainly not memorable. My first experience with craft beer was when the crafty Uncle Fred started home brewing. To be polite, I would taste his creations and a couple of them turned out to be quite good! My favorite was his Christmas porter, which had extra sugar in it ( he told me tonight, that wasn't for flavor but to boost the alcohol content!) and cinnamon. Yum!
My most recent craft beer experience was at the Hurricane Restaurant in St. Pete's Beach, FL. The Hurricane was a long-time hangout of Grandma and Grandpa. I noticed while there that they were offering souvenir 23 oz. beer glasses with purchase and decided I had to have one. The waiter told me that they were out of the beer glasses and all that was left were 45 oz. "colossal" cocktail glasses. I said ok, bring me one of those, thinking that it would have 23 oz. of beer in it. Wrong. I was served with a gigantic 45 oz. beer in a take-home glass, so heavy I couldn't pick it up. An older guy at the table next to us wisecracked " does that glass come with a gurney?" Ha ha. Uncle Fred, Grandpa and I acquired some straws and between the three of us managed to finish it off. The beer was fresh out of the tap Jai Alai from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL. Pronounced "hi li" and very tasty. The first beer I've ever had that was hoppy and fruity at the same time. Check it out: http://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=9&Itemid=33
And I got my souvenir glass. Jeni says it will make a good candy dish :).
As for your question "Why do I drink/like beer?" While some of it does taste good, I think the best thing about it is how well it lends itself to sharing with family and friends :)
My most recent craft beer experience was at the Hurricane Restaurant in St. Pete's Beach, FL. The Hurricane was a long-time hangout of Grandma and Grandpa. I noticed while there that they were offering souvenir 23 oz. beer glasses with purchase and decided I had to have one. The waiter told me that they were out of the beer glasses and all that was left were 45 oz. "colossal" cocktail glasses. I said ok, bring me one of those, thinking that it would have 23 oz. of beer in it. Wrong. I was served with a gigantic 45 oz. beer in a take-home glass, so heavy I couldn't pick it up. An older guy at the table next to us wisecracked " does that glass come with a gurney?" Ha ha. Uncle Fred, Grandpa and I acquired some straws and between the three of us managed to finish it off. The beer was fresh out of the tap Jai Alai from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL. Pronounced "hi li" and very tasty. The first beer I've ever had that was hoppy and fruity at the same time. Check it out: http://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=9&Itemid=33
And I got my souvenir glass. Jeni says it will make a good candy dish :).
As for your question "Why do I drink/like beer?" While some of it does taste good, I think the best thing about it is how well it lends itself to sharing with family and friends :)
I love both of these anecdotes because I think everyone (unless you were raised on stout) can relate to them. We don't all start off as beer snobs, and we don't all become beer snobs when we discover craft beer. Thank you both very much for helping me with my goal of posting once a day this week, but more for sharing your stories with me.
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