I’ve been thinking lately about beer.  I am what might be considered a beer snob, or perhaps I drink for my own reason, mostly because I like the taste and the pleasure of beer and wine, etc.  I am not the type of person to just drink something just to get drunk, or get a buzz or a high.  I’m particular about what I like, and I think my parents often times get tired of me looking through what is available from their distributors.  They own a bar, and perhaps, sometimes, I try to get them into something new, but of course it doesn’t sell well.
It takes a particular type of person or personal philosophy on drinking to enjoy a good brew.  A nice Belgian beer, a good Guiness or a pint of something artisan is not what the majority of Americans are drinking now days.  It seems, sometimes, that we have been pushed into drinking what amounts to unflavored, light, slightly alcoholic water.  I am not surprised that the major beer manufacturers in the country are now putting out “the lightest beer in the world” – and to me that only means one thing.  People are drinking so much beer that, in order to keep on their prescribed self diets of no carbs, and low calorie foods, they are now resorting to severely light beer, with no flavor or body, with little value.  This goes back to my point about drinking for pleasure and drinking for drunkenness.

This whole idea also has more meaningful, deep connotations connected to enjoyment of food.  Too often, we are more concerned with eating quickly, 15 min. lunches etc.  Do we eat out of need? Or out of habit?  Where is the line for pleasure vs. need — this is a great question to think about when you choose to drink that 55 calorie beer.

So, I also sometimes think that, if there was a really good, tasty and lovely beer available for the same price as say, the mass produced kind, would people choose it?  My thinking on this is in direct reference to the Charles Shaw wine brand at Trader Joes.  Always $2-3 and sometimes good and sometimes not, its a great option.

More on this train of thought soon.  More to think about and theorize.  Right now, enjoy your food and your drink — take pleasure in your ability to eat and drink lovely things with lovely people.