Thursday, May 11, 2006
A Time and Place for Everything
On Sunday, Beer Guy Nico grabbed lunch at the 21A, put a couple of six packs of canned beer on ice, hopped in the car and drove three hours to Fresno with screaming kids and a barking dog in the back, 90 degrees in the valley. Got to my destination and cracked an ice cold can of Watermelon Wheat. Heaven. That's the time for a long slug off a cold can. The beer is sharp and refreshing, the can is cold in your hand-you swipe it across your forehead to cool the burn. This is what we call in the business a "lawnmower" beer. You know, hot summer Saturday, you have to go out and mow the lawn. You push the thing around, hot, sleeve wiping sweaty grit into your eyes. When you're all done, you crack an ice cold can of (insert any light, cold canned beer here-before Watermelon Wheat, mine would have been a Budweiser), and you are restored.
Jump to Friday night, hanging with some friend at a dive bar in the Mission, shooting pool. You grab a couple of long necks, take a swig, the bottle dangles at your side, hanging between two fingers.
I keep a lot of different types of bottled beers in my home beer fridge. When I want to try one of those, I always pour it into a glass. After all, all good beer drinkers know that microbrew is about the appreciation of a well-made, unique product. You need to see the beer, the foam on the top, the Brussels lace as the head recedes, the color, the aroma, even the sound. Drinking out of a can or a bottle limits your enjoyment of all those elements.
The point here is that there is a time and place for everything. The Beer Guys don't advocate that you have to drink our canned beer out of the can. There will be a lot of times when you'll want to-- after mowing the lawn or on the boat, or after a long, hot drive. But there will be lots of other times when you'll crack that can and pour it directly into a glass. Then you'll be able to truly appreciate the quality, flavor and care that goes into making one of the best beers around.
Jump to Friday night, hanging with some friend at a dive bar in the Mission, shooting pool. You grab a couple of long necks, take a swig, the bottle dangles at your side, hanging between two fingers.
I keep a lot of different types of bottled beers in my home beer fridge. When I want to try one of those, I always pour it into a glass. After all, all good beer drinkers know that microbrew is about the appreciation of a well-made, unique product. You need to see the beer, the foam on the top, the Brussels lace as the head recedes, the color, the aroma, even the sound. Drinking out of a can or a bottle limits your enjoyment of all those elements.
The point here is that there is a time and place for everything. The Beer Guys don't advocate that you have to drink our canned beer out of the can. There will be a lot of times when you'll want to-- after mowing the lawn or on the boat, or after a long, hot drive. But there will be lots of other times when you'll crack that can and pour it directly into a glass. Then you'll be able to truly appreciate the quality, flavor and care that goes into making one of the best beers around.
TAKE BACK THE CAN FROM THE BIG BREWERIES!
