In an industry where the serious patrons are constantly seeking the next great taste craze or that extremely hard to get brew. Sometimes, those beers that are closest and most accessible are often overlooked.
Prior discussion involved the search for Pliny the Younger. And while the journey was abundantly enjoyable yet moderately arduous, does exclusivity result in a truly better beer? The limited supply in reality only serves to tantalize the imagination, as well as expectation of the quality and enjoyment of the beer. Some of the hype materializes from craft beer discussions or at one’s local craft beer spot:
“Have you ever had bourbon barrel aged caramel truffle infused 18% abv version of XXXX imperial stout?”
“No, sorry, I’ve never heard of that one. How do you get it?”
“Well you couldn’t get one. I stood in line over night and froze my butt off last February with a lottery ticket to get a chance to buy one!”
“Really? How was it? Did you get any bottles to share?”
“Nah, the ticket was only for a chance to buy one and my number wasn’t pulled. But I was allowed to go in to the brewery and have a sample of it.”
“So what did you think? Delicious?”
“I don’t really remember, we were sharing bottles all night, I’m confident it was delicious though. I mean it had to be if all of those people were out there waiting for it right?”
“Yeah, Probably.”
This is an example of real life conversations that occur that artificially inflate the value of a special beer based on the fact that its extremely hard to find/get. There are innumerable individuals who will get certain beers, trade them to others for some other exclusive brew and never even open the bottle and try the beer. Understandably, if it is something more special than something you can get everyday it might be worth saving for a special occasion of sharing with other enthusiasts. However, at the end of the day, it’s a beer and should be drank. Not doing so violates the reason for the beers existence. If a company puts out a 500 bottle run of a special beer, and everyone hoards it and doesn’t drink it, what’s the point? If 5 people open their bottle and each think it’s terrible, does everyone then feel they have been ripped off of their hard-earned 25 dollars and time and effort to acquire the brew?
While the journey for Pliny the Younger resulted in a delicious experience and the “beer cred” of having actually drank the mythical potation, the reality is that for my money I garner an equal amount of enjoyment from being able to walk to Troegs with my growler and fill it for $10 with Perpetual IPA. It may not have the rarefied unicorn status of Pliny, but it is fresh, tasty, and functions in just the way you would wish for a beer.
Ommegang Take the Black Stout- My review today is for a style of which I am a big fan, the imperial stout. This light bodied stout draws its nomenclature from the George R.R. Martin book series the Song of Ice and Fire which has been optioned by HBO as a series. Of course this is a wildly popular series and enjoyed by many. I have read all of the books and while I recommend them as a deep involved well written character driven series, I do not recommend reading them in succession. Some author conventions become redundant and the pacing is laborious. By book five I was exhausted and needed a break. The stout, on the other hand, is dark yet light in body. I prefer my stouts to be a little more “chewy” and have more alcohol heft. This one is a bit yeasty though not surprisingly given Ommengang’s pedigree. Subtle hints of licorice grace the outskirts of the flavor profile while a bold chocolate malt taste hammers your taste buds. While a nice offering, this has been done better and with more memorable delivery in other stouts. While worth a try, temper expectations if the show/book/beer media hype optimization has you contemplating Taking the Black. 5.5/10
Title is taken from my recent audio obsession. Cat Power’s You are Free.