by rbladminBefore the world of craft beer, I was originally involved in winemaking around the world. Some of the best cellar experience was gained during those years. Also, some of the best advice was received from great winemakers…topics from starting my own future brewery here in Costa Rica, to how to taste wine. Naturally, some of that advice spilled over into beer, like, what kind of wine do I really like? Only in this case, what kind of beer do I really like?
So let’s dive in!
Drinking, like eating, is innately personal.
But, no, what I mean is when it comes to your preferred beverage, it really comes down to your taste. I know, I know, it still sounds silly and totally obvious, but take a second to really think about how much around us is “pushed” onto us, how much advertising is really targeted at us to get us to think or act in a certain way? The world of beer is no different.
Like many other industries, alcohol, and more specifically, beer, is cyclical. What do I mean?
For those who pay even a slight interest into craft beer, do you remember when craft beer started? Early 2,000’s it became a “thing”. Sure, there were MANY established craft breweries before then, but the idea and culture really got mainstream at the beginning of the century. Then what we saw was an explosion of styles. Breweries across the US flooded the market with dozens of different craft beer styles, and over the years, trends started picking up…light lagers, turned into the hoppiest ales, turned into the wildest fruit and wood saturated beers, turned into the new england haze craze and so on…but like life, history always repeats itself and now, in my humble opinion, we are seeing the market go back to simpler times…light, refreshing, and low alcohol.
But whatever the style, again, craft beer selection comes down to one thing…what do YOU enjoy? What do you truly enjoy? Do you really like the super bitter double IPA’s? Or those lip puckering sours? Or is it because your friends are into them? Do you prefer the strongest Belgian Quad because you love that malt and high alcohol profile? Or do you appreciate the lighter, more nuanced, ideologically simple styles like Czech pilsners?
What it comes down to is taste. And since you’re the one paying for your refreshment, why not go for what you truly enjoy? Don’t let the craft beer snob world tell you what to drink, just embrace what your palate craves and get that! Of course, don’t be afraid of change! Experiment from time to time, after all, how else will you find your new love? Or revisit a past one?
