Happy Monday! This week, I would like to talk about why we drink beer. I know that is pretty deep for me, since I am also the person who decided the Muppet Show and beer were a good combination (but I was right).
My good friend Matt, who is the man who keeps this blog running for me, has (finally) sent me a guest post. I sent him (what seems like months ago) a list of questions that I thought would provoke his inner-beer-writer. So, with no further delay, here it is:
When did I know MGD wasn’t the stuff for me? A friend of mine once said, “Once you’ve tasted filet mignon, you don’t want to go back to Hamburger Helper.” For most of us, it’s the same way with beer. Once you’ve tasted something other than the bland giants like MGD and Budweiser, you don’t want to go back. I remember it was a few years ago and the beer was Hoegaarden. I remember going to the liquor store and walking by the four thousand continuous feet of MGD and Bud cases, and randomly picking a six pack of something I’d never heard of. I’ll admit, I got it because of the label and the name. It looked cool, and I liked how I could say “ho garden” and get away with it.
I’ll never forget my first sip. It was spicy. I thought, “What the hell? This is odd. Spices? In beer? It’s delicious!” The next sound was my mouth applauding. Then a burp. Then more applauding. I felt fairly worldly telling my family and friends, “Yeah, it’s a White Ale from Belgium,” like a well-seasoned beer connoisseur with a quiet desperation that no one would ask any follow-up questions pertaining to anything beer related. Or anything even remotely related like Belgium, or brewing, or Belgian history, or what that thing was hanging from Aunt Helen’s lower lip.
Ever since then, I have been trying different kinds of beer, different flavors, different breweries, different styles, local brews, national brews, and world brews. They all taste good with both filet mignon and Hamburger Helper. It’s still fun for me to say “ho garden,” followed by snickering and the image of a Belgian farmer cultivating a field of slutty Belgians. And I’m still trying to figure out what that thing was dangling from Aunt Helen’s lower lip.
Thank you Matt! Please send us a picture of Aunt Helen... And I am happy to share my beer and blog with you.
What was your first craft beer experience? If you would care to share, I would love to hear about it.
I was exposed to craft beer at a tender age, I am happy to admit. My dad was (and still is) a big fan of Summit Brewing out of St. Paul, MN and often when he would drink their flagship Extra Pale Ale for dinner or while watching golf I would steal a taste.
ReplyDeleteMy dad and uncle were also homebrewers from the time I was 10 and I spent many days in the kitchen cooking up wort with him.
Obviously my age hindered me for quite a while, but by the time I hit 21, I hit the ground running and never looked back.
My uncle has been home brewing since I can remember also, and I know that helped me have the courage/curiosity to try craft beer when all of my friends were drinking what my uncle would call "moose piss".
DeleteThanks for sharing your story!