Time Machine

I'm old enough to remember the beer scene before there was a Craft Beer scene here in the USA.  Like most people, I was weened on Bud and the various American Adjunct Lagers.  By the time I was 18 (yes, underage...sorry mom), I had developed a taste for more flavorful beers, but they were ALL imports.  I preferred the English style beers for several reasons:

1. They were packaged in brown bottles and less prone to being skunked like most of the European lagers in the green bottles.
2. They were readily available, and
3. They were big & bold as compared to the fizzy yellow American beers, as well as fruity, different, interesting and delicious!

Bass Al;e became my go-to beer.  I drank it more often, and for a longer period of time than any other beer.  But Samuel Smith beers were the ones I truly loved!  Nut Brown Ale, Taddy Porter, Oatmeal Stout, and even the Imperial Stout.  I loved them all!  The issue was affordability, so I only enjoyed them on rare occasions.

Time moved on, more beers slowly became available, I started homebrewing, the craft beer scene exploded, and then evolved into what it is today.  It is truly amazing on many levels.  I tried countless beers of every style.  My palate has continued to change, not only by the season, but over the years in general.  One of the most noteworthy changes was regarding the strength of the beers I was imbibing on a regular basis.  Not just in terms of ABV, but also in flavor, spice and hop assertiveness. It's similar to building tolerance for hot sauce and chili peppers...I started out mild, but over time I was eating habanero's like they were M&M's.

But back to the point, my palate was about to change yet again.  Now mind you I have a love for all things Belgian, and that will likely never change, but over the last winter I started gravitating towards beers that were big, clean and malty (particularly Scotch Ale and Dopplebock), and away from the current beers that are in vogue, such as Double/Imperial IPA's, Black IPA's, Belgian IPA's.

The next turning point came in early Spring when I visited "The Memphis Tap Room" in Philadelphia.  They managed to get their hands on a very rare, aged cask of Fullers "Bitter" (If I'm not mistaken). Whatever it was called, it was nothing short of amazing!  The ale was so simple, yet so flavorful. It is truly an art form to create such a beer.  And what a nice change from the "Bigger is Better" mentality that currently permeates throughout the industry.

As the summer was approaching, I was still shying away from the hop bombs, and I added the ever-refreshing Saison back into the mix.  Then in early June during Philly Beer week I finally decided to visit "The Farmers Cabinet" in Philly, and it was like an epiphany.  They have 25 taps, and 2-3 casks featuring the finest, esoteric European beers available.  I was hard pressed to recognize many of them let alone figure out how to pronounce them.  The ones I tried were nothing short of incredible!  I went back 2 more times during beer week. I couldn't get enough! It became clear to me once again, that as fine as the brewers are in America, the Europeans still have us beat.  It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, since they have been doing it a lot longer.

So allow me to take this little story full circle.  While studying for my Cicerone exam, I came across a comment from Garret Oliver regarding a food pairing that he did for a group of Chefs.  He stunned them with a pairing of Diver Scallops in Brown Butter with Samuel Smith's "Taddy Porter".  Many of the chefs said it was the best pairing of food and beverage ever!  His words intrigued me.  It then occurred to me that I hadn't had ANY beers from Samuel Smith in nearly 20 years, so needless to say, I HAD to go back and revisit an old friend.  I was blown away!!!  After years of drinking porters from just about every American brewery to which I had access, and being disappointed quite often, FINALLY here was a porter that I truly loved!  It was like stepping back into a time machine.  But this was even better, because I have a much deeper appreciation for the taste of fine beers. 

This entire journey has taught me to appreciate the simple, yet classic beer styles that most others easily dismiss, as well as deepen my appreciation for the historic breweries that create them.  Never again will I dismiss a beer based upon the style, the strength, or the country it was brewed in. Every quality craft beer has a place and a food that it pairs with perfectly.

What beer would transport you back in time?  Seek it out, and relive it.  Prost!

-- Rick S.