Headstash

The Perfect Pint: Ditch That Natty Boh, Bro

Ryan Nelson at The Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, CA

Ryan Nelson is a self-proclaimed beer aficionado and mediocre home brewer extraordinaire. Each week in May, he will be sharing his knowledge gleaned after years of working in a beer store, reading about the intricacies of beer and drinking on weekends.

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Wherever there is sunshine or rain, happiness or sadness, Phish or Bassnectar, there will always be beer. It is the perfect complement to a tasty jam and it’s no surprise that next to tents and lawn chairs, beers are the most common sighting at a festival.

But not all beer is created equal and I constantly find myself telling friends and strangers alike to “ditch those Natty Bohs, bros.”

Though it might not be economically feasible, I implore people to venture outside of the realms of the rubbish most often consumed.

“Try this IPA,” I’ll plead. “It’s rather bitter but refreshing and citrusy.”

“You guys are not going to believe how well this Young’s Double Chocolate Stout will warm you up!” I’ll exclaim. “It’s like the hot cocoa Mom used to make – but alcoholic!”

Photo Credit: Alan VanToai

These comments are frequently mocked as snobbery (“a beer is a beer”) or dismissed as unnecessary (“I’m a liquor guy myself.”)

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I stand by a line from the late Hunter S. Thompson, “Good people drink good beer.” Hard to argue with the logic of a genius who spent his life observing and reporting on human behavior.

What factors differentiate a great beer from watery swill? This question is not easily answered as we all have taste buds that are constantly evolving. Certain beer styles such as dark stout – like Great Divide’s Oak Aged Yeti – and lighter fare – such as Brooklyn Brewery’s Summer Ale – are on opposite ends of the taste spectrum and are best enjoyed in two different seasons, winter and summer respectively.

The main difference that truly separates a great beer from a dollar draft is the quality of the ingredients, the care and meticulousness placed into the brewing process and of course, the recipe. This reason is why a craft beer can run double or triple the price of a layman’s beer, it is not cheap to produce quality brews.

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One fact is certain: the art of a crafting a great beer is complex, akin to the artfully composed segments of early Phish.

Photo Credit: Alan VanToai

Despite the multi-million dollar marketing campaigns spawned by macro-breweries, like MillerCoors or Anheuser-Bush InBev, designed to keep us ignorant and placid, it’s hard not to notice the United States’ recent infatuation with “craft beer.”

If we look at industry revenue and volume growth of the craft brewing industry, the industry recorded an 11 percent volume and 12 percent revenue increase compared to 7.2 percent and 10.3 percent in 2009, respectively.

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A craft beer, loosely defined, is a quality brew derived from a smaller brewery with a relatively small distribution radius. To be officially categorized as an American Craft Brewery, one must be small, independent and traditional. In other words, the brewery must produce less than six million barrels of beer a year, must not exceed 25 percent of macro-brewery (non-craft) ownership, and most importantly in my opinion at least, be traditional.

To brew in a traditional fashion, a brewery must be conscious of their use of adjuncts. Adjuncts such as unmalted grain, rice and wheat are supplements to a brewers’ recipe used mainly for cost cutting measures. This severely alters the taste of a brew, generally for the worse, masked only by the taste bud numbing “ice-cold” manner in which an adjunct poisoned macro-brew is served.

Photo Credit: Alan VanToai

What’s missing from the “beers” produced by macro-breweries is the dedication, care and love put into each brew produced by United States craft breweries. I relate the mass-produced nonsense of the former to the poorly produced garbage bred for popular consumption.

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All ranting aside, everyone knows it’s sometimes more cost-effective to buy a 30 pack of PBR instead of a few Dogfish Head or Stone bombers, and I’m a culprit myself. But drinking beer is more than a means to an end – an unpleasant taxi ride to intoxication – and it can and should be a delicious and pleasant experience.

So put down the Bud Light, toss out the Coors and crack open a beer you’ve never heard of. You can thank me later. With beer.

 

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Ryan Nelson is a Headstash web development team and a beer enthusiast. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Coming next week: Ryan recommends which beer to drink at which festival.