Food Happy International IPA Day

...as in the first ever International IPA Day, at least from what I've heard.

So, who's up for talking about beer (again)? Do you like hoppy? malty? Any favorite brewers/breweries? Do you brew your own?

I was—and still largely consider myself to be—a complete n00b when it comes to the fine art of beer drinking, but I know a shit ton more about it than I did five years ago. A number of friends of mine brew their own and I've largely relied on many of them to steer me in the right direction as far as good beer* is concerned. I don't know that I'll ever be as enamored with hoppy beer as they all are, but that's fine by me.

*Is the term "good beer" relative? Is the appreciation of beer beer, like fine art, more a matter of personal taste or not? What can we all agree on, if anything?

 

I like to try all different beers. I have found that I like my beers to be a bit on the darker side (I know, not a technical term). Not Bass dark, maybe more of a medium. I have had a few different IPAs and I didn't particularly care for them. I like Sam Adams, Stella, Yuengling, Killians and more. I tend to stay away from Buds and Coors. I like to try the seasonal beers as well.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on IPA day. Directs my brew choice for this evening!

I enjoy a wide variety of beers from a lot of breweries. Currently, brown and amber ales are my favorites. I'm am not a fan of "Lite" or "Light" beers, or any brew that requires fruit to make it palatable (Corona, Blue Moon. etc.). Few wheat beers have impressed me, though I do like Dirty Blonde from the local Atwater Brewery. I find most IPA's worth a try!

 

We had the pleasure of catching the tail end of a demo/presentation/tasting being given by DH's head brewer Sam Calagione, who was describing some pretty interesting and crazy stuff they're doing over there, like deriving recipes of ancient brewed beverages from residue left over on terra cotta vessels found in tombs. His obviously skewed take on the beer market and overwhelming dominance of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Miller-Coors was enlightening; if I recall correctly, those two companies account for 85% of domestic market share (it might even be 95%), and the vast majority of beers sold in the US , mostly under those two megabrands and their subsidiaries, are derived from the same "light lager" style of beer.

Like I said, I still don't know much, but I'm finding this stuff pretty interesting.

 

Dogfish head's 90-minute IPA is outstanding