Predetermined Expectations

I had an interesting conversation last night with two people who expressed their love of beer, but thought wine was more sophisticated. Though I have a whole blog devoted to this "Beer v. Wine", I still wanted to touch on another related note: predetermined expectations.

What I hope is that when you consume something (food/beer/wine/etc), really try to pay attention to all aspects of flavor/color/aroma/texture. Use as many senses as seem necessary. At least for the first couple tastes. You will be suprised at the complexities of whatever it is you are tasting. We are somehow conditioned to merely consume in this country, and need to pay attention to what it is we are consuming.

One person I spoke with thought Belgian Ales were the best beers in the world, and cited the largest breweries in Belgium (Chimay/Duvel) as the cream of the crop. Though I agree these are fine beers, they are, in my mind, not the best the counrty or the world has to offer. Dig a bit deeper to find the Westvleterens or the De Regenboogs. These are truly remarkable beers. And this person thought the former beers didn't go well with food. I disagree, and urge everyone to try the beers with cheeses and shellfish (shrimp). You will be suprised.

Also, per another discussion, beers in cans are not from the bottom of the tanks or lower quality beers. Canning is, at this point, better for beers than bottles (no light, no headspace to stale beer, easier/cheaper to transport, easier to produce and recycle). There are some great examples of beers in cans that we got to try at a blind tasting not too long ago (Dale's Old Chub Scottish Ale and Sly Fox Pilsner to name a couple) and found to be quite tasty with no preceived tin character (cans are lined now, so unless you are driking right from the can, you should not have aluminum uptake in flavor).

At any rate, pay attention, taste, and enjoy.