The Session #49- The Regular Beer

This month's topic for The Session, comes from one of the original creators, Stan at Appellation Beer.  The topic: regular beer.  He asks:

Please write about a regular beer (time to lose the quotation marks). You get to define what that means, but a few possibilities:
* It might be your “go to” beer, brewed commercially or at home. The one you drink regularly.
* I could be a beer your enjoy on a regular special occasion. When in San Francisco I always like to start with draft Anchor Liberty Ale. But it might be your poker night beer.
* It doesn’t have to be a “session beer,” but it can be.
* It probably shouldn’t have an SPE of more than $25 (that’s a very soft number; prices may vary by region and on premise further confuses the matter). Ask yourself, is it what somebody in a Miller High Life TV commercial in the 1970s could afford? Because affordability matters. I’m all for paying a fair price (which can mean higher than we’d like) to assure quality and even more for special beers, but I’m not ready to part with the notion that beer should be an everyman’s drink.
* Brewery size, ownership, nationality do not matter. Brew length doesn’t matter. Ingredients don’t matter. It feels a little strange typing that last sentence, since the Mission Statement here says ingredients matter. But I hope you get the point. I prefer beer that costs a little more because its ingredients cost more, because there’s more labor involved. You don’t have to. Beer should be inclusive.

 When I first read about the topic, many beers came to the forefront of my brain.  I could do it on some special beer that I love to drink when I see it; I could write about some local beer that most people don't know about, but would love it when they try it; I could use the old "the next beer is my favorite regular beer" cop-out; or I just just plain and simply say Yuengling.

I have posted on here before about Yuengling.  It is cheap, has a nice taste and you can put back quite a few (some might call it a session beer- depending on your abv definition).  For me it is also a local beer.  I have a two friends that work there (one in marketing, one in the brewhaus). And finally, everyone likes it- well, no one complains about it.

It started when we first came of age, no one liked the cheap stuff, so we went the next realm up (a whole $4 more- to college kids that seemed like the world).  We knew we liked better beer, Bass/Harp/Guinness when we had the cash, and Selin's Grove Brewpub was a must on the weekends.  But straight up, price/taste/drinkability- Yuengling made the most sense.

So tonight I raise a pint to the brewers from Pottsville, Pa.  Thank you for brewing Lager.

On a side note, I do enjoy their other beers. Lord Chesterfield was always in the fridge, and now their Bock has really started to show up- it has the same qualities- cheap/good tasting/session beer.

The Session #42

This month's Session is brought to us by Ramblings of a Beer Runner and has to deal with:

"So I ask for this 42nd Session that you write about a special place in your life, and a beer or brewery that connects you to that place. It can be the beer from your childhood home, a place you once lived, your current hometown, a memorable vacation you once took, or a place you've always wanted to go to but never had the chance. Please take a few moments to think about the how the beer connects you to this place, and share this with us. Of course, the definition of "place" is rather open ended, and in some cases, highly debatable, so it will be interesting to see the responses on what constitutes a place."

In my beer life, I have had the fortunate ability to try some of the world's greatest beers, but there is one beer that holds a close place in my heart.  Yuengling Lager.
 
Is the the best beer that I have ever had? No way.  But it takes me back to my hometown with my friends.  I grew up 45 minutes from the brewery, and when we started drinking, that is the beer we had.  We shared many a beer on the front porch talking about religion, politics, girls and sports. Many nights, the only thing that we could agree on was that we wanted another beer.  These friends have been there for me (and I for them) through thick and thin, and still we get together and share thoughts over Yuengling.
 
Why wouldn't we drink it?  It is cheap, local, easy drinking and I think it tastes good- as I write this post, I am having a lager (that is how we order it- "give me a lager").

Brewery visit

Last Saturday, I met some friends at the Yuengling Brewery. They drove up from Baltimore, and I was already in PA, so I came down. I always forget how nice the tour is. This was my thirdish time going on the tour, and I always see something different. I am one of the few people on the tour that isn't looking for that free sample at the end, although I normally partake of it. The other day, my sample was of their Bock beer, which apparently they are only brewing for a short time. It was delicious though. If you have a chance, grab a pint.

Yuengling is held dear to my heart. I was turned into a quasi-hophead when I moved to Baltimore. Sitting in Max's with my friend Chris gave us hours of IPAs, Belgians, maibocks, yada yada yada. But through it all, I could go and grab a Lager and enjoy it. In Bloomsburg, we would spend hours downing pitchers of Lager, then go to someone's house after the bars closed to drink more Lager. It was the beer we drank. It isn't the complex beer that makes you love beer. It isn't a beer that will win gold medals. But it was what we drank, and enjoyed. (Better than drinking a miller lite, or any other macro-crap). The brewery tour reminded me that I don't drink it much anymore. Too many other beers to try, so little time. I will get back to Yuengling. When we go out with friends, it is Lager. So go out, drink what you like, try many beers, but don't forget about your first love. (Also, head up to Pottsville and take the tour. It is worth it. Family owned since 1829.)

What beer did you have that was (and always be) your beer?

Now after all this talk of Yuengling, I will have to grab a hopbomb.