Wednesday, May 17, 2006

On the proliferation of "big" beer

American craft breweries are formulating high-alcohol, high-gravity brews at an increasing rate. seems the average microbrew afficianado has taken a liking to brawny, hangover-inducing out-of-balance ales.

Personally, I'm not a fan. Sure, in the winter I might grab a or but bang! there's your night right there. A couple glasses of an over-the-top beer will put you under the table before you even close the 20s on the dart board.

Some big beers are very tasty, but many go down like malt syrup. Some, in a halfhearted attempt at balance, taste like strangulation with a hop vine. I don't want to have to pull my uvula back into place with pliers every time I sip my beer.

Consumer perception is a large part of the big beer craze. People new to craft beer, or who stay locked in that "I won't drink anything I can see through" box equate higher strength beer as more "crafty." Like it's somehow a more exclusive product because the brewer left more fermentable sugar in the wort.

Thanks. For my money I'll take something I can session with, and enjoy a pleasant, leisurely evening with friends. For me, beer is a social thing, not a delivery system for drunkenness. If I want to get hammered on the first sip, I'll just order a shot of vodka.

-Mark

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