Month: March 2013

An Open Letter to the Craft and Micro Breweries of America.

There is no doubt we are living in an age of enlightenment of beer. Beer is the most widely consumed drink in the world, and has a heritage almost as old as civilization itself. The Code of Hammurabi has specific rules regulating the sale of beer. Ancient Egypt had its own version of beer. Beer was prevalent in Europe for all the middle ages, and made its way across the Atlantic to North America. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were brewers of beer, and each had their own unique recipes. Samuel Adams was renowned as a brewer, and his legacy lives on in Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The American Beer palate has changed from just one standard beer to all kinds of variations. From macro to micro the best time for brewing is now.

There is, however, a double-edged sword to this. With innovation comes the loss of tradition, and that is what is happening now. The reason the basics of brewing, both ingredients and methods have changed very little over the last 600 years means that we got it right the first time. Beer is tradition, and that tradition should be preserved. Benjamin Franklin stated that “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy” and I’m one to agree. We need to stop trying to fix what is not broken.

By “traditional beer ” I mean lagers, pilseners, pale ale, Witbier, Weisse, Maibock, Weissbier, English bitter, Biere de Garde, Marzen, Amber Ale, Brown Ale, Bock, Dunkel, Dunkelweizen,Stout, and Porter. What is happening right now is that we are taking the traditional styles and adding things to them…things that were never meant to be in there in the first place. For example I recently came across a beer company calling themselves “The Bruery” and their beer list includes various brews including the following ingredients: Yams, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, maple syrup, cocoa nibs, toasted pecans, gingerbread spices, pineapple and Thai basil. What the hell? Granted these are ingredients are in so-called “seasonal brews” but the fact remains that The Bruery is trying to improve on perfection. I live in Chicago, and Leinenkugel’s beer has a foot in the market, but two things they add to beer are berries and honey, neither one of which belong in beer. Again, stop trying to improve on perfection.

Another example is frequently found in September and October. Typically two kinds of beer appear on the radar screen during this time, Oktoberfest beer and pumpkin beer. Oktoberfest is part of the tradition of beer, but pumpkin beer? Pumpkin works well in pies and bread, not beer. It’s bad enough that pumpkin appears in everything else during September and October.

One example that has a lot of tradition is a Shandy, which, because of the traditions it has is the exception to the rule. Although the meaning of Shandy is, for the most part, a half beer/half lemonade combination, overseas it takes on different meanings depending on where you are. Since the Shandy has a long tradition in many parts of Europe, I can and will excuse it, as I will hard cider as well.

There is another piece of terminology that needs to be killed off, along with the nontraditional ingredients. Any micro or craft brewer that uses any variation of the phrase “we are changing the way beer drinkers think about beer” needs to sit down and shut up. You aren’t revolutionizing anything! Beer has been consumed since Ancient Egypt, and you really think you are going to revolutionize it? The last major advancement in beer was the introduction of light beer back in the 1970’s, and since then, although there are minor advancements, no major advancements have been introduced in 35 years. You are a small group with a limited reach, and you are not a major force.

Friends, family, fellow countrymen, a piece of our national identity is facing a serious crisis. Only with our help can they save themselves. Stand up and say proud “I love beer, I love everything about it, don’t change it for anything!”