Spreading the Word

Every now and then I'm reminded that beer appreciation still has a long way to go. I think we're sometimes insulated from the mass beer scene. Last night we attended a fund raising auction for our son's school. This annual event is the major fund raiser for the year and it's held at a local dinner theater. In past years, the venue has offered a small selection of draft beers in addition to the usual bottle selections. Upon arriving I noticed the taps were closed so I perused the bottle selection. It consisted of a large selection of the usual macro-beers. They did offer Sam Adams Boston Lager and Newcastle Brown Ale. Colleen and I opted for the Boston Lager. The bartender opened two bottles and handed them over. I had to ask for glasses. Remember this isn't some local dive bar, it's a fairly nice dinner theater. Colleen hit it on the head when she said that it seems rude to pop the top off the bottle and just hand it over. Wine comes in single servings too, but they'd never expect someone to drink it from the bottle. I don't think I saw anyone else drinking beer from a glass the whole evening. In fact, our glasses evoked some incredulity as well. I had someone walk up to me and ask what I was drinking. I replied it was Boston Lager, thinking he asking which beer I had selected. The response was "Beer, in a glass?!" As if that was unheard of.

However, we're doing our part to spread the word, one small step at a time. Our donation for the auction was a "Craft Beer Tasting". This will be a beer tasting in the winner's home for up to six people. We'll take a cross-section of beer styles to taste. We'll also talk about food pairings and will bring along food to go with the beers selected. Also included was a selection of 6 different beer glasses and the book "The Brewmaster's Table" by Garrett Oliver. The donation raised $350 for the school. Later in the evening I talked to the winning bidder to find out what types of beer he enjoys. I was relieved when he replied he likes porters and stouts. He's already has an expanded taste for beer, so it shouldn't be a problem providing a range of beer for the evening. I'm looking forward to doing the tasting which we'll probably have after the Holidays.

Update: Report on the tasting is here.