How to Inaccurately Classify Beer Enthusiasts

TL:DR: Classifying people by their favorite beer might be highly inaccurate and not all that useful.

*The beer community has rapidly changed in the last five years. With growth, there will be growing pains. And as much as legacy members try to indoctrinate newbies into the community'sculture, it has changed. Craft beer is becoming so popular now that it is almost getting a bad rap - as if it were a fad to go out of style in a few years. I would beg to differ that beer is a fad; beer has reportedly been around since the 5th millennium BC, and it is going to be here to stay. All photos by John M. P. Knox

 

However, its coverage in the media and growing number of consumers might make it appear as if it is just now getting popular. One might argue that indeed, the idea of beer with flavor and a story is just now getting popular.

The purpose of this post is to revisit the beer industry�s trajectory and provide some data-guided insights on what exactly is going on in the beer world. Before we get started on those posts, I have to clarify a few things about the beer industry that see to go hand in hand with its growing popularity.

Growing popularity means growing number of posts aimed to generate clicks and conversation. "What's does your favorite ________ say about you" is a common headline in in the food writing world. It is probably as popular as the "She *insert odd activity here", and you won't believe what happened next" lines. While it is a harmless opener for an article that is based on entertainment, it isn't always indicative of what actually happens, particularly when it comes to beer. While there might be some subsets of the beer community that fit into stereotypes based on what they like to drink, I haven't found that to be the norm.

 

Here's some other sample posts I'm referring to:

Men's Health What Your Beer Says About You

Thrillist's What Your Beer Says About You

Food and Wine's What Your Favorite Beer Style Says About You

Buzzfeed What Your Beer Says About You

Brobible What Does Your Beer Say About You

 

Whatever the case may be, the post really isn't about beer's popularity, but rather to correct something that I thought was a pretty inaccurate description of the core beer community. Let me be clear, there may be many people who might stand up and say, "I love Rye, and I'm in the beer community _______." Well, good for you, Mister/Madame N of 1. This blog isn't about you. It is about a subset of the community. Also, just because you are a consumer, it doesn't mean you are in the community.

If you're truly into beer. I mean really into beer. You're a die hard fan who answers to the name beer nerd. You appreciate the flavors of the yeast, and you can smell wort from five miles away. You probably enjoy a variety of beers. A different occasion calls for a different beer. You're more interested in enjoying the fruits of many breweries' labor as opposed to limiting yourself to only one type of beer. And even if you have a favorite style of beer, these stereotypes seem pretty darn inaccurate.

 

If you really wanted to classify beer community members, a better way might be to divide by their entree into the  beer community, their role in the beer community, by the state or country they live in, or by something else that does actually meaningfully group people in the community.

The Ultimate Guide to Food and Drink Festivals

If you’ve attended any food events in the past, you’ve learned a few things. You usually need to carry everything, walk a good distance to the festival from your transportation, and be prepared for whatever the weather brings.  Here’s a compilation of tips I’ve learned over the years of going to food, wine, cocktail, and beer events along with links to past posts about it. 

A sling for your glass means your hands are free to stuff your face.

General Tips

1. Wear comfortable shoes.  You'll be walking from where you parked to the festival, and all over the festival.  

2. Sunblock.  Sunblock.  Sunblock.  And sunblock.  UV rays don’t discriminate when you’re eating foie gras.  

3. If you must wear a dress or a skirt, make sure it has some structure and substance so it doesn't get blown around.  The wind was causing some free peep shows.  

4. Neti-pot (with distilled or boiled water) when you get home.  Festivals are usually outdoor, and they can get quite dusty.  Your sinus will thank you.

5. Phone charger.  Also bring a portable charger if you can.  You don’t want to be glued to an outlet. Keep it in a plastic bag big enough for your phone and camera in case it rains. 

6. Bring your own fork and spoon, because you might need your own when the disposables run out. Bring your own glass sling too.  Instructions here: http://misohungrynow.blogspot.com/2013/04/make-your-own-wine-or-beer-sling-for.html

7. ID. Even if you look like you’re 85 years old, TABC could be watching.  No one wants trouble with TABC so bring your license and don’t pitch a fit if you’re required to show it.

8. A designated driver. You can destroy your own liver, but please don’t destroy another person’s life.

9. Cash. While many vendors may take credit cards onsite, cell service can be spotty at large events.  Cash is king.  

10. Your manners. Don’t piss off people.  Don’t be rude.  Everyone here wants to have fun, including the volunteers.  

11. Drink water.  And more water.  And then more water.

12. Benadryl and band-aids.  You never know when you or someone at the festival will have an allergic reaction to food or insect bites.  I always carry benadryl, just in case.  And you never know when you're going to need a band-aid for a blister, burn, or cut. 

12. If Franklin's is at the festival, run to the line first.  RUN! RUN! RUN!

Nothing more satisfying than a man and his meat.  Get your head out of the gutter. 

Great American Beer Festival and Tales of the Cocktail Tips

1. Bring an umbrella to New Orleans if you don’t want to get wet.  It rains almost everyday.

2. Bring some pretzels or a turkey leg on your neck for Great American Beer Festival.  Unless you are going to a food event, you will need food reserves. There are food vendors inside with limited selection.  I would bring my own vittles. 

This man is simply awesome.  Turkey leg necklaces are a must for the ultimate beer loving carnivore. 

Austin Food and Wine Festival Tips

1. Unless you have a VIP pass, it might be wise to wait until the last hour of the grand tasting.  During the VIP period, it was pretty tame.  However, during general admission, it could get a little squishy.  If you wait until after most of the crowd had eaten their fill, the tents started to clear out.

2. Arrive very early to the cooking demos.  The lines can start as far as an hour in advance.

3. Bring a bag big enough to carry all the books and swag that you'll collect.  They do give you a resuable tote bag, but it does get difficult to carry.  I bring my own sling or shoulder strap style bag. 

The cooking demo line for Qui Ingredients at the 2013 Austin Food and Wine Festival. 

Viva La Big Bend!

1. Helmet.  This might seem odd.  There are many bikers (the motorcycle kind) out in West Texas.  You’ll never know when you need one for a ride on a Harley.

2. Boots.  This is mandatory dress code for West Texas.  Boots.  

3. Lotion and chapstick.  Did I mention that this is the desert? You'll dehydrate quickly. 

Boots are a must.

Brewery Events

1. Chair.  If you can’t stand for long periods of time, bring a chair.  The brewery most likely will not have any.

2. Snacks. And sometimes there is no food provided at brewery open houses, though it is becoming less common.  You might find a food truck or two, but selection is usually limited.  Pack a power bar, banana, apple, or some crackers.

Wish you were Beer.....at Big Bend Brewing Company in Alpine, TX. 

Dog Friendly Festivals

1. Dog on leash. Do NOT bring your dog off-leash.  I’ve been to so many festivals where dogs are running the street because the owners are too busy doing something else.  The leash is for safety.  Use it.  No one wants to leave a festival early because their dog got hurt. 

2. Water + drinking bowl.  I bring a water jug with a shoulder strap for my dogs because they drink directly out of the jug.  Dogs need water throughout the day as well.

3. Poop bags.  Nature calls.  Clean it up.  No one wants to step in dog poop.  Or human poop either.  Keep a diaper on the babies.  

4. Snacks.  If you’re out and about for a long period of time, bring snacks for the puppies.  If you can’t go eight hours without food, why should your dog go without food.  I also bring treats for my dogs because I use every outing as a training session.  

5. Your dog’s manners. No one likes cranky people, and no one likes rude dogs.  Please train your dog how to behave appropriately in public before bringing it out to play.

This durable $10 dress gave me the freedom to shuck 450 oysters at Viva Big Bend and run around.  And it was machine washable.  Get over here and have an oyster!

Working festivals:

If you’ve worked a food festival, there requires just a little more.  

1. Prepare your stomach in advance.  You may not get to eat as you’ll probably get caught up in work and forget to eat.  You might have to eat after midnight after clean up. 

2. Wear something that is durable and machine washable.  You might be hauling 50 lb cases of raw seafood or have someone drop a bowl of salsa on you.  If it wasn’t totally out of theme with the event, I might even consider wearing workout gear.  You might be getting a serious one.  

Colt and Gray: New Find in Denver

A great friend, Taylor Shaw, invited us to an amazing place, Colt and Gray.  Colt and Gray can only be described as an cellar of gluttony and fulfilling hedonic desires.  The environment is a little grey - dark, mysterious, yet elegant.  After a week of drinking beer at the Great American Beer Festival, I only looked at the cocktail menu, and it was very pleasing to me.  Get the Steve Holt. 

To keep your tummy happy, there are amazing little cheesy poofs.  On the menu, they are called blue cheese dusted gougères.  They are pungent, flavorful, soft with a nice chew texture.  I love these things. 

Over the last several years, piggie has been all the rage.  I grew up eating mostly pork, and it was oddly a nostaligic even though the pork wasn't prepared in any way that I had growing up.  Before we arrived, some of our fantastic friends had ordered the half pig head.  Chef Nelson brought out the "oh so lovely" pig head. 

The pig head was served with pickled vegetables and a cauliflower / pig brain puree.  It tastes much better than it sounds.  This type of dish is a fun adventure.  Restaurants should be offering interactive foods more often.  I can only think of a few other interactive meals: Korean BBQ (gogigui), Korean pork belly grill (Samgyeopsal gui), Chinese Hot Pot, Japanese shabu shabu, or fondue. 

I'm not sure how it happened, but I took responsibility of carving this beasts of a meal.  There was some cheek meat, crunchy skin, tongue, and moist fatty skin. 

I guess you could tell that I was pretty aggressive with the carving of this beast of a dish. 

And I probably had too much fun playing with it later too!  Colt and Gray has earned a spot on my "must go to" Denver list. 

Two Denver Gems: Euclid and Rioja

You might have heard the buzz if you watch cooking show competitions.  Chef Jenna's growing her an audience of adoring fans on interwebs and in real life.  Her restaurant, Euclid, located in the Larmier area of downtown Denver is a still very young two years old.  I visited it when it had just opened, and I visited again during the Great American Beer Festival in 2013. 

I was pretty lucky on this trip to Denver to be able to visit not one, but two of Chef Jenna's dishes.  Here's a photo sampling of the dishes we had.  Needless to say, her 2013 James Beard Award is well-deserved!

This was the pig ear pad thai.  The fried pig ears were perfectly fried and crunchy on the inside with the sweet and tangy sauce on the outside.  This was a great twist of familiar flavors with a new piggy texture. 

For all the chocolate lovers, this dessert is for you.  It is a pots de crème smores - thick bottom layer of chocolate, layer of smoky marshmallow toping, and graham cracker on the side.  It is a rather large serving, easily shared.  Or better ask for a bunch of spoons and make some friends. 

For lunch the last day in Denver, we visited Rioja - a casual yet elegant restaurant.  Also, by elegant, I mean dimly lit.  However, here are some photos that I could snap.  The one above was the luscious cheese and meat plate. 

Needless to say, we didn't skimp on the desserts.  The first dessert was the black and white cheesecake dessert -

blackberry filled white chocolate cheesecake, toasted black sesame ice cream, blackberry coulis, sesame nougatine, and black sesame paint.

The second dessert here is the raspberry spuma, white chocolate brushed frozen raspberry meringue, lemon pound cake, lemon confit, spun sugar, and raspberry dust.  This is close to the most elegant and delicate desserts ever.  The meringue and white chocolate shell was incredibly delicate and just the right amount of tart and sweet.  The spun sugar on top completed the beautiful dish. 

On a cold Winter evening, this would be the perfect dessert.  Lavender roasted pineapple filled croissant pastry, hot buttered rum caramel, and dulce de leche ice cream.  This dessert was topped high like a tower of glorious deliciousness.  I haven't had a cronut before, but this is probably better anyways.

Samuel Adam's Cold Snap and the Longshot Contest

Samuel Adams throws an awesome brunch every year.  It is one of my favorite parties during GABF which includes the Longshot contest winner announcement, new beer announcement, and a menu of fantastic beer items. 

This year's highlight was the seasonal cold snap - a crisp beer flavored with subtle spices.  I really enjoyed this beer, and it is one of my favorite Sam Adams beers. It is set to come out in early January 2014, so it won't be long!

I have a confession to make about this brunch.  The creme brulee pumpkin French Toast (tiny piece at 4 pm in the photo below) was the highlight of the event.  It was just slightly crispy on the outside with a golden brown and delicious crust.  The inside was rich, creamy, and pumpkin-y.  That is why my jeans don't fit. 

Even with all the other delicious treats, the only one I can think about is the pumpkin creme brulee French toast. 

Here's the Longshot finalist beers. 

And the Longshot winners!