Good Beer

By Rachel Leingang
Contributing Writer

I always wanted to be a connoisseur of some variety, but I don’t really like wine and my favorite foods are usually riddled with cheese, processed or otherwise. Instead of being high-brow in the average areas, I choose to be a high-brow beer drinker.

When I pull up a stool at my favorite bar (JL Beers or Sidestreet), I order a brew that I haven’t tried before or go for the ol’ standby, Widmer’s Drifter. See, I understand the “drink to get drunk” argument, but that’s not me. I drink because I enjoy the complexity of flavors: the hops, the fruity notes, the spices.

I realize that the previous statement may make me sound like a pretentious turd, and maybe I am (but I’m probably not). I just can’t stomach beer that tastes like water and has nothing interesting to it. I’m willing to spend five extra dollars for a better brew and support a smaller company instead of Anheuser-Busch.

Yeah, I can admit that I feel a tad cooler when I order a different beer. Sure, I scoff at people who continue to order Bud Light or Coors at a bar. But it’s all out of a love for a higher level of quality in a food field that I truly understand and appreciate.

I have friends who continually say that they hate beer and just can’t drink it, but I think they’ve just been drinking the wrong beers. Stocking the fridge with Natty Light won’t make you love beer, but trying new and interesting beers might. Next time you have to choose a drink, go for something outside your ordinary arsenal. I suggest a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

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