Have you heard the theory that human beings became civilized because of beer? The argument in a sentence is that in order to efficiently ferment beer-like beverages, man had to develop agriculture, which led to civilization. Man wanted beer and civilization was the price which we had to pay for it.
Whether you believe it or not, beer does generate that kind of zeal in some people. In any case, many seek it out. Some have simple tastes in beer - anything convenient will do. Others are loyalists, cheerfully drinking only one or a few brands. I belong to a third group, those searching for quality, novelty and variety. This group believes that all beers aren't created equal, but there are many paths to good taste. Let's call them "seekers."
If you've been an active seeker for any length of time, you might not need any advice. The best way for a seeker to learn about beer is to try it, in all its forms. I became a beer seeker in the late 1970s. My first seeker experiences weren't too eventful, since the summer I turned 21, I was working in Oklahoma, right before graduate school. Oklahoma was very unfriendly to alcoholic beverages then, probably having the most restrictive state laws in the US. You could get nice seven ounce Budweiser cans though, which I've never seen anywhere else before or since.
I moved to Arizona in the fall of 1978 and quickly found one of the first brewpubs in the US - a place called the Bandersnatch in Tempe. It's still in business and has a website: www.bandersnatch-pub.com. The Phoenix area had many pubs that served exotic imports on tap, but what the Bandersnatch had on tap was fresh brewed beer of many styles. Bottled beer can't touch draft beer in quality, and the imports were usually at a disadvantage due to age. As the ads say, 'Fresh is better,' and for the vast majority of beer styles, it truly is. The idea that I could go a few blocks off campus and buy a mug of beer as good as or better than what were supposed to be the best beers in the world was rather astounding to me. Postscript: AACK! Bandersnatch closed in mid-October, 2003. They will reopen, but not in Tempe! Their website has details.
As odd as it seems to me now, I didn't go to the Bandersnatch much while I was in school - two or three times a year, maybe. When I moved to Ohio in 1984, if there were any brewpubs around, I didn't know about them. It was back to imports, and mostly bottled ones, since exotic beers on tap weren't too common in this area back then.
For a number of years, I ceased to be a seeker. My interest was rekindled when Catherine and I started going regularly to the Winking Lizard (www.winkinglizard.com) in Peninsula. I joined their World Tour of Beers, which is a great exercise for a seeker. You pay a small entry fee to get a guide book and then over about fifty weeks, you drink the beers which are on the tour list. In the past few years, there have been one hundred on the list, although in previous years, it was somewhat less. You'll get a good feel for styles, what you like and don't like, and at the end of the year, if you finish, you get a nice jacket and an invitation to the post-tour party, which is rather nice, too.
About this time, Catherine and I started brewing an occasional batch of mead, and I tried brewing beer once or twice, too. The local brewing supply shop of the time was Grape and Granary (www.grapeandgranary.com) and again, it reinforced the idea that there were many types of beer and many variations of each type. Then, brewpubs arrived in Northeast Ohio. There are a number of good ones still around, while many other good ones are now history. Some of those still around of note are the Thirsty Dog in Akron and Canton, the Great Lakes Brewing Company (www.greatlakesbrewing.com) near Cleveland's West Side Market, and Buckeye Brewing (www.buckeyebrewing.com) in Bedford Heights. I understand that Burkhart's, an old Akron brewing name that closed their brewpub a few years ago, has just returned to business, but I haven't checked into this yet. Postscript: The Burkhart's rumor was untrue.
Two places that aren't brewpubs, but serve a lot of draft beer varieties, are both in downtown Akron and within walking distance of each other. The Lime Spider (www.thelimespider.com) is on Main Street. In my opinion, it's a bit grungy and rough around the edges, but not so much that we really minded it and they had some great beers on tap when we were there. They're very much into live music, too, especially the strange stuff. The other place is called 69 Taps. Its attraction is, surprise, 69 different beers on tap. About a third of the taps are mundane stuff, but that leaves plenty of other beers to audition and I think that anyone can find a GOOD one. If you're already a veteran seeker, or just want to start wading in, this is an excellent place. It's right off Main and Exchange - as with the Lime Spider, the atmosphere and neighborhood are a bit different, but not so much as to keep a seeker away.
Places that sell a wide variety of beers include West Point Market (www.westpointmarket.com) in West Akron and Primo's Deli on V. Odom Boulevard. If you want to read about beer and places to drink it, try www.realbeer.com, www.beeradvocate.com and www.pubcrawler.com.
Ok, to finish off, I'll tell you my current favorite. It's Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre, a Strong Dark Ale, which you can find bottled at the Winking Lizard or West Point Market, or ON TAP at 69 Taps. I haven't tried its big brother yet: Raison D'Extra, but I'm looking for it. May all my fellow seekers find what they are looking for.
CATBAR - Brain Candy #70 - Spirits / Brian Rock / Oct 23 2003