Do Craft Beer “Regulars” Exist?
It used to be the case that every family had their brand of beer. Side note, this was covered on the latest episode of Mad Men. Families from Wisconsin drank Miller. Families from Missouri drank Bud. Just like one could be a Ford or Chevy guy, people could be certain brand guys. While there is still devotion to these bulk brands, our generation definitely is different.
We like better. We like local. We like good products. But do we have our own brands? Do we have our own beer that we want in the refrigerator all of the time? I wasn’t convinced of this until recently, but I believe we do. I believe that there are certain craft beers that we want in the fridge all of the time. We’re not talking 10% imperial stouts here, I’m thinking more on the sessionable to pushing it 5-7% range beers that you can have no matter what.
I have had discussions with friends over this and I’ve declared a personal “forever” beer. My friend Tony brought back some Bissell Brothers Substance Ale. I was first introduced to this beer on my trip through Portland and Vermont during Fourth of July week last year (actually, by Peter Bissell at the Thirsty Pig, a great spot). I think that I had four of them that day. As you can tell, I took an immediate liking to Noah Bissell’s creation. It’s a great bitter, slightly creamy, ale. It comes in a beautiful can in retail too.
As someone who always tries to have something new, I hadn’t really thought about it. However, my friend Okie declared that Substance is something that he’d want in his fridge all the time (I sound like the Bill Simmons of Craft Beer, don’t I?). I had to think about it because the idea of having one beer all of the time worries me. Would I get bored by it? The beauty of an always evolving beer line up is that when I visit a beer that I’ve already had, it not only conjures up old memories and flavors, but also new. My palate has changed and it hits me in a new way. Having a house beer in my fridge all the time seemed rather drab at the time.
I’ve thought about it more and I’ve reconsidered my stance. Yes, I would love to have the Substance in my fridge all of the time. Not only is it a great beer, but it’s well packaged (cans are a plus). It’s an all-weather beer. It’s terrific. It’s one downside that it’s not local to me, though I am planning on making a trip up to Portland again very soon. At the same time, I do have a forever beer and it is local.
My forever beer and the beer I would have all of the time is unsurprisingly Trillium’s Fort Point Pale Ale. It’s got a soft tropical mouthfeel complemented by a bitter bite from the Columbus hops. I would never want to be in a position where I could only have one beer for the rest of my life, but this would be the one.
The downside of Fort Point, presently, is that the packaging isn’t optimal. Growlers and heavy bottles aren’t the height of versatility. I’m hoping that eventually changes as Trillium establishes its second brewery in Canton. A canning line of Fort Point would be awesome. On the other side, the production and new tanks have increased to the point that Fort Point is available more regularly (though they ran out of bottles yesterday). It’s become something I can get once a month (several times) rather than something I can enjoy once every three months. That’ll only increase.
The idea of drinking one beer all of the time is somewhat counter to the craft movement. However, I do feel like there is room for beers to become the “regular” and by extension, those becoming our favored brands. While I wouldn’t profess to having a singular favorite beer, the two beers I mentioned, Substance Ale and Fort Point Pale Ale, are certainly up there in the discussion. What’s your “regular” or house beer?
