Beer Snob

By Tom

I like craft beer, but I don’t consider myself a beer snob. I’ll drink and enjoy what’s available. Yeah, I may prefer to have something “better” on a given occasion but if I’m at a barbeque I’ll enjoy a hamburger while I might have preferred a nice steak. I think you know what I’m saying. Another problem I have with beer snobbery is the insistence that large breweries are incapable of turning out good beer. A great example is Samuel Adams. As Yogi Berra might say, the brand has gotten so popular that nobody drinks it any more. I exaggerate here, but I’ve heard plenty of beer snobs turn their noses up and lump Boston Beer Company in with the mega brewers. Samuel Adams is nothing less than a craft microbrewer going big time and they make a lot of very decent beers.
Tonight I picked up six pack of their Latitude 48 IPA because I distinctly heard it call my name as I walked down the beer aisle in the local Stop & Shop. That happens to me sometimes. Probably because I don’t get out to brew pubs nearly as often enough as I need to maintain my sanity. It pours nice, smells good and is a good, if not excellent, IPA with a little extra kick of hops. Somewhere short of a double IPA, I’m sure some would appreciate the added hops without having it go overboard. Definitely worth a look if you’re an IPA fan. Would go great with a batch of spicy wings.
I also picked up a sixer of Beck’s Oktoberfest, not because it spoke to me, but because I wanted to have something I hadn’t had before, I had nothing left in the house, pickings were slim and, well, it’s October. This one was a disappointment. Despite the very nice amber color it has a very thin mouth feel and is very light. It sort of tastes like regular Beck’s with some toasted caramel flavor thrown in.
I think what I really need to do is go out and try some these great pumpkin ales I'm hearing so much about. Enjoy the fall!