What was your best beer ever? Ok, that is a trick question. How could you possibly answer that? A more appropriate question is probably "what was your best beer experience ever?" I'm sure asking that question conjures up memories of the first beer garden you've visited in Munich, or the first time you went to Brussels, Prague, Asheville, or San Diego.
But what if your best beer experience ever didn't involve either a top tier beer city or even a world class beer? I think it is actually more about the beer experience - who were you with, what were you doing, what was the overall experience.
I was thinking about this recently and realized that I probably didn't have a single moment I could point to...until a recent weekend. I went hiking with a friend on the Appalachian Trail. Carver's gap to the end of Grassy Ridge Bald on the TN/NC border - a truly incredible hike. About the best on the east coast as far as I am concerned. Not crazy long - about 6 miles round trip - but elevations at close to 6,000 feet and lots of ups and downs. Anyway, we ran out of water about half way through. My hiking buddy knew of a secret spring on the side of the mountain where you could fill up water bottles, but we didn't want to log the extra miles and were pretty spent by this point. So, we pushed on and by the end of it were hot, tired, and parched.
On the drive home we came upon a place with a sign that advertised "outdoor seating, reubens, and 350 CRAFT BEERS!" Ok, we were in! There was nothing really special about this place - in fact, it was a bit of a hole in the wall. And I was pretty hard pressed to see 350 beers but all we wanted was a crisp cold lager to quench our thirst. This is when we eyed the Bitburger Pils. Not the best German beer ever, but seemed to be the option that best fit the bill of what were looking for.
The first sip of that beer was absolutely incredible! Crisp, cold, a bit sweet, with a slightly bitter finish. Exactly what we were looking for! I've had that beer many times but never has it tasted this good - absolutely sublime! No doubt it was all about the experience of the day, the great company, and our parched thirst, but I will remember that beer for a long time.
What was your best beer experience ever?
LOL great story, crappy beer... Funny how it didn't matter at the time! This is why humans have been drinking beer since the time of the Egyptians...
The most memorable beer I have ever had was neither a good beer or a good place to drink it! In college I dated a girl from Bogota, Colombia. Her parents were in a town and we had some place to be in the early afternoon, I don't even remember what we were doing. Anyways I ended up going for a run around Tempe, I remember it was long at least for me, maybe 3 to 4 miles. When I got back to her apartment in a ball of sweat I went straight to the shower. As soon as all my clothes were off I heard a knock on the door. I quickly wrappped a towel around my lower half…
For me it was the 1st jet-lagged morning in Munich, walking to the Augustiner Brau right when they opened at 11AM and having my first Edelstoff fresh on tap ever.... wow, dreamy. The beer was unlike anything I've ever had for a light lager. Fresh country bread with honey, noble hop aroma and flavor. Endlessly refreshing. The smells, the sound of German being spoken, the atmosphere, the coasters and themed napkins, pretzels, the food. All came together to give a truly memorable experience for me.
Great article - Prost!
Firstly I would say that looks like a really great hike but certainly not one to be taken lightly. Good job.. Secondly, I agree that the beer itself is only part of the true beer culture experience, similar to wine, bourbon or any other artisan item. The Germans call this Gemutlichkeit.
From Wikipedia: Gemütlichkeit is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include cosiness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well-being springing from social acceptance. The adjective "gemütlich" is translated as "cosy" so "Gemütlichkeit" could be simply translated as "cosiness".
Maybe we can coin the term "beersperience"??