In March of 2007 I couldn’t have guessed the topic March 4, 2011 might be “regular beer.” How vague is that? But when in December I was motivated to post my defense of “regular beer” the course was set.
Please write about a regular beer (time to lose the quotation marks). You get to define what that means, but a few possibilities:
* It might be your “go to” beer, brewed commercially or at home. The one you drink regularly.
* I could be a beer your enjoy on a regular special occasion. When in San Francisco I always like to start with draft Anchor Liberty Ale. But it might be your poker night beer.
* It doesn’t have to be a “session beer,” but it can be.
* It probably shouldn’t have an SPE of more than $25 (that’s a very soft number; prices may vary by region and on premise further confuses the matter). Ask yourself, is it what somebody in a Miller High Life TV commercial in the 1970s could afford? Because affordability matters. I’m all for paying a fair price (which can mean higher than we’d like) to assure quality and even more for special beers, but I’m not ready to part with the notion that beer should be an everyman’s drink.
* Brewery size, ownership, nationality do not matter. Brew length doesn’t matter. Ingredients don’t matter. It feels a little strange typing that last sentence, since the Mission Statement here says ingredients matter. But I hope you get the point. I prefer beer that costs a little more because its ingredients cost more, because there’s more labor involved. You don’t have to. Beer should be inclusive.
Visit Appellation Beer to see what other bloggers wrote about.
Right off the bat I am going to be too pedantic and/or split too many hairs, but the word “regular” does not work for me. So I will change to the name that I use for a quality everyday type of brew, “table beer”.
Now that the change is made, on to my definition:
It has to be lighter on the ABV scale. Maxing out at 6%
It needs to be milder of flavor
It should pair with a variety of foods
It should be newbie friendly
It should be readily available throughout the year
Yes, that does rule out quite a few contenders. But it does leave me plenty of options. You can find quite a few pilsners, pale ales, hefe’s and other wheat beers that meet my semi-stringent criteria.
To me, a good table beer is that needle in the haystack. Something that many drinkers and brewers have forgotten about. It hit’s that sweet spot of a beer that you can just flat out drink and enjoy but isn’t boring or a compromise.
And what I find myself coming back to is the Brown Ale from Mission Street (aka Firestone-Walker) that I can get at my Trader Joe’s across the street. A bomber is $1.99 and it is a tremendous value.
It goes great with burgers, BBQ and even a pizza if it has mild toppings. It comes in at 5.7% so no one will be under the table after a glass. It is mild but flavorful with a good burst of carbonation to lighten the mood. And best of all, it doesn’t scare anyway beer newcomers.
In the end, I need to add another criteria, it has to taste good enough to buy again and again.
