Beer Enthusiasts Delight!

           When I think of beer, I think of college kids playing beer pong with less than flavorful brews, or of old men fishing and drinking Budweiser. However, a recent New Yorker article entitled A Better Brew, by Burkhard Bilger, proved that drinking beer can be a sophisticated pastime and a creative art. The way the article starts is notable in that Bilger writes of elephants getting drunk and going on rampages; while this seems to have nothing to do with what comes later, it pulls readers in, to learn about beer production, and about a man named, Sam Calagione, who opened the first brewery in Delaware. His beers range from exotic to run-of-the-mill domestics, and could contain anything from juniper berries, as modeled after Sahti, a beer that Finish farmers have been making since the ninth century, or St. John's Wort, or simply just hops and malt. This article was really full of great writing techniques, as in scenes (Bilger watched Calagione design and create a unique flavored beer using heated rocks to make the yeast react differently in the beer), as well as analogies (as in comparing commercial beer as opposed to hand crafted to a chef using bouillabaisse instead of fish stock).  Bilger took the time to include profile-like information while at the same time including facts about the beer industry, the creation of it, and interesting tidbits beer drinkers and enthusiasts should know. After reading this article, I no longer felt in-the-know about beer when I bought Blue Moon with oranges; I felt more on the outside rim of the beer world, with no real clue about all of the work, innovation, and tradition that goes into the creation of this beverage. Definitely a great read if you like beer!!