My last article stirred a conversation among people who like traditional styles of beer and prefer lower ABV’s when doing session beer. Some of them are critical of the popular breweries who seem to be going above and beyond creating what they call crazy beers. I like most beer, and while I appreciate the cutting edge nature of a lot of brewers right now, it was simpler craft beer that got me into good beer. So I would like to take a moment to reflect on these beers, and the breweries that are doing traditional styles as well!
If you’re new to craft beer, you may not remember what it was like several decades ago when you went into a brewery, and they had a core list of beers that were simple. There was usually a wheat ale, a pale ale(often red, brown, blonde, or black), an IPA, and either a Stout, or a Porter. If the brewery had a slightly German slant, you might get a Bock or a Hefeweizen. This was the model for lots of breweries in the 90s and you can still find breweries that stick to a similar list when they first create their tap list. These are the styles of beer that people outside the craft beer industry can relate to, and I still find them to be delicious. I often order one when I visit a brewery because I want to make sure the brewers can excel at the simple!
As much as I like IPAs now and enjoy Hazies and Westies equally, I haven’t always been an IPA guy. It wasn’t until about 2007 that I could handle heavily hopped beers because my palate wasn’t there yet. In my early years of craft beer appreciation, it was the Porter I enjoyed. I’ve talked to quite a few people over the years who do not like IPAs. They may not be the ones making the most noise right now, but certainly there are plenty of them. I was recently talking to my friend Aaron West, who owns Westwind in Elkhart about this. He knows that radio promotion brings in a lot of people who might like something simpler, and he provides a few on his list.
This is the same reason that many breweries make a seltzer for their patrons. If I’m driving, I often want a more traditional beer partly because of the ABV. I have noticed that often times my choices are limited, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Craft beer is for everyone, and quite frankly not everyone wants to do Imperial Stout’s or double IPAs. I like those styles, but I don’t always want to drink them. And this is why I applaud breweries who still dabble in traditional styles.
While the Stout seems to be open game for all sorts of tinkering, the traditional Porter can still be found at a lot of breweries. This used to be my favorite style, and a lot of brewers do a good job with keeping this beer alive. I feel that way about the different brown and red ales that we hardly see anymore. I like a good traditional ale, and I’m glad some breweries still make them.
So my response to the person who read my last article, and was critical of a brewery for going above and beyond in the creation of exciting beer to look elsewhere if that’s not what you’re interested in. There are plenty of breweries who are content to offer simpler beer, and if that’s what you like, seek those breweries out. There are many other people who will appreciate the next big thing in craft beer and that’s for them. We all love beer but our taste are different and that’s awesome and one reason why there are so many different styles of beer!
So my advice is to drink what you like and support breweries who make those beers. There is nothing wrong with appreciating beer with lower ABVs, and if that’s what you enjoy, then by all means, drink it. I like those beers, and maybe we will share one together. In the meantime let’s just remember that beer is for everyone, and there is a beer for everyone as well. You don’t have to like everything and that’s normal, but that doesn’t mean a beer is not awesome. I’ll keep enjoying beer, and writing about it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it as well.
So Much Beer So Little Time 