Wine lists used to be fairly predictable. A few sparkling wines, some chardonnay, perhaps one or two other whites, then a bunch of reds. Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot. Pinot Noir. Syrah. Zinfandel. Bordeaux. Chianti. With a little luck even a brunello, a tempranillo or a malbec.
“Why did you switch from wine to beer?” “I graduated!” always gets a laugh. Though I’ve been commercially close to Gambrinus far longer that I was to Bacchus, I have never lost my taste for wine. Neither tipple is nobler than the other, though beer snobs pale in comparison to wine snobs. Over the years... View Article
This feature couldn’t have been written 25 years ago. The idea that beer should be taken seriously as a partner for fine food—that beer might be wine’s peer when we search for a compatible beverage for the table—would have provoked dismissive chuckles from wine aficionados, and it wouldn’t have occurred to beer people at all.
The Food Network got energetic in January. A TV special, “Top Five Food Fads,” carried off the idea that beer is up to something entirely new. Gimme a break! Fad, according to my dictionary, is “a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal—Craze.” I suppose I shouldn’t complain; they actually did a... View Article
