Life isn’t ALL about wine, or so I am told. In fact a friend of mine calls himself the “Liquid Agnostic”, because unlike me he believes in exploring all sort of drinking categories, including beers, spirits, tea, coffee and more, and he doesn’t understand my reluctance to explore further.
So, with plenty of encouragement, I decided to venture into the world of beers to give them a chance, as I’ve never really been much of a fan. I do recognise that my prejudice is similar to that of people who tell me “I don’t like wine” after only ever having tried the £3.99 special from the local supermarket. Knowledge and Appreciation do require Experience.
I thought I would start to explore the world of beers, so to get me started I bought Pete Brown’s new book called "Miracle Brew". I would highly recommend it to you, whether you already enjoy beers already or not. It is a fascinating exploration not of beers themselves, but of the ingredients that are used to make beer, and their importance to the final product.
Whilst Pete does take a couple of swipes at the wine world, he actually managed to educate me as to the complexity of beer, and its importance culturally in local areas as well as a beverage to be cherished - there really is a beer ‘terroir’.
I am therefore going to start buying occasional ‘craft’ beers so that I can be better informed, and better refreshed. I’ve started by exploring Moor Beers’ range
Are there others holding out against a better beer education? Or are you already beer converts and liquid agnostics? Are there ranges that you would recommend to get a beer novice started?