BEER SPEAK @ Life Cafe 983

By Andy, Beverage Manager in Bushwick, Brooklyn

LOVE FOR THE BEER

In the early days of beer brewing, things were very different. Beer was an accidental product born out of the necessity of our ancestors to boil water for drinking. These same people used grains and other malted starches for flavor, very similar to the way people have used tea leaves for thousands of years.

Except there was one really big difference…

Whoa . . . sugar from malted grains + airborne yeast = ALCOHOL!!! (and bubbles)

Then things changed . . . .

Beer became the world’s third most popular beverage behind tea and water, mostly for recreational purposes. Today, in Belgium alone, there are estimated to be about 8,700 different beers distributed. Sadly for us in the States, in the 1970s European traditional methods of brewing almost entirely disappeared from bars and stores throughout the land, and imports were not yet a significant player in the market. Only pale lagers remained, leaving the American beer drinking public with little options.

The craft beer proliferation is very recent in the history of American beer. In the 1980s a trend started when home brewers, sick of having no options, started larger scale productions. One by one, breweries started popping up all across the United States and the industry continues to explode. This movement was spotted by European brewers that wanted a piece of the action and some of the world’s best beers came gushing in.

Happily enough for me, I personally get to watch what I like to call the Quality Beer Movement (craft beer AND amazing imports). I see it everyday when someone comes into the bar and has their first Maredsous Triple or St. Bernardus Quad and get’s their socks blown off and shows the look of regret for never trying this before. This is my inspiration. The education and smile of anyone willing to try something new and learn drives me to search the world for new, creative or just awe-inspiring beers.

Luckily, I have a couple thousand from just one country that I have yet to try.