June Renew: Day Eight
Do a Keg Stand
I never really fancied myself a beer drinker. I remember taking a few sips of my dad’s Ballentine Ale when I was younger, but after reaching drinking age (and a little bit before in college), beer was always just too heavy for me. I’d feel like it would sit in my stomach and I’d have to have a lot in order to feel anything. It’s why I turned to whiskeys and bourbons as my drink of choice. I still love them, but I’ve found a growing appreciation for the brew business. And for the first time, it feels like something else may be brewing here too.
A Whole Brew World
One of the first places my friend took me to was a microbrewery in North Jersey. His friend owns the place. I had two pints and felt tipsy afterward. These are high-quality beers at these places. You don’t go in there to get drunk, you’re there to taste and savor the flavor. And no matter where you go, you’re guaranteed to always taste something different. They may craft similar types of beers, an IPA, pilsner, gose…etcetera…but all of them have different recipes that transform the flavor into something new. Every single brew I’ve tasted when I’m out with him, and there’s been a lot, all have been unique in their own way. Today I had a berliner weisse sour beer called Chirp! that was tinted green. All delicious, all a snifter of a world I had no idea existed until now.
A lot of these breweries or taprooms open up at noon. So now I’ve turned myself into somewhat of a day drinker on the weekends, sipping pints (or half-pours) with my friend and pretending I know how to taste and describe the notes of each sip. I suppose my little descriptions are as accurate as they could be, but it’s only something I can work on the more I do it. I’m even beginning to get a taste of just what kind of beers I like. There’s a lot of knowledge to gain here, and it’s possible I can actually turn it into something tasty and useful.
Good For What ‘Ales’ You
All these jaunts my friend and I take are part of our weekend repertoires. And with him being so in-the-know about the brew scene, it seems like we’d make a good pair if I actually wanted to do something with this. These kinds of places thrive on word-of-mouth, and a good solid written review could make business pop too.
I was finding myself today really taking inventory of my experiences at each beer stop we made. To be able to put into words all that I see feels like something I should have no trouble doing, especially when I have a good drinking buddy to bounce my ideas off of. I already started today after buying a little flip notebook and some pens to document the last brewery we went to today. I took some notes. It’s a start, at least.
I can’t promise when and where any of these new craft reviews would go, but I guess all I need to do is keep writing about it. And drinking, which definitely isn’t a problem for either of us. Just another one of my home brewed ideas I hope can come to fruition. Paired with a nice aperitif and a nightcap for later.