Trend spotting when it comes to beer is not as easy as it sounds. With nearly 1,800 breweries in the U.S. (up from 42 when I reached legal drinking age in 1978) and countless imported brands, beer companies are constantly engaged in “look at me” marketing.
A business associate once told me that the world is pretty much segregated by what it drinks. He opined that there are wine drinkers and there are beer drinkers, never bothering to account for those who might enjoy whiskey, gin or vodka, let alone teetotalers.
For the first six millennia of mankind’s “relationship” with beer, brewers were more like chefs than they have been during the last 500 years.
If you had two hard-to-find great beers in your fridge right now, would you consider mixing them together to create an entirely new brew? What if they were vintage beers you could not replace?
Nature has a way of taking care of our needs and balancing things out. Take grains. Certain grains, such as barley for instance, are great for making beer. Others, such as corn, are better suited for breakfast cereal. Rye makes great whiskey, while rice makes excellent sushi. And wheat makes delicious bread.
This is the type of beer that will confuse your senses. Jet black like a tropical stout, with the aroma of Pacific Northwest pale ale. Do you trust your eyes or do you believe your nose? Upon further review, and your first gulp, you realize that this is something different.
