The A-B-Cs

A month or so ago, I saw the Sam Adam's commercial on television that talks about their ABCs of Great Beer. While I do like their ABCs:
Appearace
Balance
Complexity

I just got thinking about what would be the ABCs of my perfect beer. First off, I would have to find out what I liked in beer, next I would have to figure out what words I can use to fulfill the A, B and C.

So here is my list:
Attitude
Bitterness
Conversation

Attitude is what the beer say to you. I want a beer that once that sip hits your lips it says HI. It lingers in your thoughts. When you think of it, your mouth waters a little bit. Each beer has an attitude, the great ones develop their own.

Bitterness is not only for super hopped up beers. Sometimes it is the mild bitterness that can make the biggest difference in a beer. Just because it has 120 IBUs does not make it great. What can make it great is the way the bitterness is used to hide some of the alcohol, break up the sweetness, or give it another layer.
Conversation has nothing to do with the pour, color or head retention. What it is about is how well the beer goes with friends. I love sharing conversation over a pint, starting a conversation with a stranger over what is in their glass, or just having a conversation with myself (yeah, I am kind of crazy) in my head about the beer.

These three things give me joy when it comes to drinking good craft beer. If I have a beer with attitude, the right bitterness, and hit helps create a conversation, I will consider it a great beer.

What are your ABCs?

The Moment- Session #63

This month's issue of the The Session is brought to you by the number 63 Pete Brown's Beer Blog:

So in that spirit, my choice of topic is this: simply, the Beer Moment.

What is it?

Well, what is it to you?  What does that phrase evoke for you?

That's the most important thing here.  Switch off and float downstream, what comes to mind?  Don't analyse it - what are the feelings, the emotions?

My beer moment comes way before that first pint is drawn. Before the bottle or can is opened. It comes with a phone call, text or email checking to see if a friend wants to grab a beer.  That is the one of the best moments available.

I travel from my house to my hometown way too often in my eyes (sometimes every other week). It is a short trip, around 2 hours. While we usually have a list of things that we want to do while home, one of the things we try to make time for is a drink with friends. Sometimes it is to grab a quick lunch, other times it is to get to the brewpub 30 minutes before last call (their last call is at midnight). But either way, it usually starts with that call, text or email.

That moment continues to expand. No matter what the subject of the conversation is (usually beer, baseball, work or our houses), the genuine feeling of camaraderie is what makes us have a pint poured over and over (thank goodness for Session beers).

So I guess that would have to be my moment.