The Perfect Beer
When I tell people I write about beer. Their first question is usually "What is your favorite beer?" Their second question is almost always "What makes a perfect beer?"
The answer to the first question is easy. "My favorite beer is a free beer." The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated. If I am lucky, I will never find the perfect beer. In order for a beer to be perfect and there has to be a number of prerequisites. First of all, the situation, the ambiance, the very event has to be ideal. Second, the beer has to be perfectly balanced. Third, the whole thing should be filtered through rose-colored glasses. (That means it must be a fond memory.)And there is a beer itself. The first step to being a perfect beer is balance. No matter how high in alcohol, or low in alcohol, the balance of flavors is essential. There are some beers in which the sweet malt dominates and there are other beers in which the bitter hop dominates and yet in both of those instances, if the beer is going to qualify as a “perfect beer” it must be sublimely balanced. (I am sure you can remember at least one instance of drinking a "hot tea" or a "malt soda".) As with anything, the quality of the product is always self-evident. There is no way to fake quality. It is the direct result of people producing something they care about. And so, we have a well-balanced beer made by people who care about it.
That was the easy part. The more difficult part is the situation in which the beer is imbibed. I have fond memories of a beer garden in Munich Germany . It was just after five in the afternoon; I had just purchased a liter of beer and a slice of liverwurst and found a seat at one of the picnic tables that were designated a “self-service” area of the beer garden. In less than a half-hour there are three generations of a German family also enjoying their supper sitting at the same table. At the end of an hour we were old friends and promising to meet each other again sometime. I remember that the beer was a Spaten Lager and one of the best beers I can remember. And then there was the ice cold, yes, I said ice cold, Labatt Blue consumed while I was sitting on the beach in Hampton Bays on Long Island . That was true elixir.And so you can see, I've already violated one of the major rules. Or, shall I give the folks at Labatt, a great deal more credit than some people do. I prefer to grant the latter.
Although both of those experiences were sublime, they were not perfect. And as I said earlier is my fondest hope I never do find the perfect beer. Because then if I do, there will be anything else look for. Cheers!Peter LaFrance.
Peter.LaFrance@beerbasics.com
