Brew-a-phile: For the Love of Beer

Boston Beer Co., the maker of Sam Adams brand beer has unveiled a special glass designed to enhance the beer drinking experience. They hired "world-renowned sensory experts" to design a glass that will sustain the head, which releases aroma throughout drinking. The new glass will be sold in packages of four for $30 at www.samueladams.com, beginning in March. This move is another example of beer being repositioned as a thing to be savored and enjoyed rather than chugged, funneled or shotgunned. Beer has many of the characteristics that you look for in wine, such as body, aroma, aftertaste and undertones. I enjoy both beer and wine but I never take the time to swirl, swish or gargle beer. Spit?!? LOL Good one!

Recently, I noticed the trend of beer being matched with gourmet food and not just pizza, burgers and buffalo wings. In fact, my wife and I went to a beer and cheese tasting at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, MA. Incredibly, I enjoyed the combination of the cheese and beer better than the more common wine and cheese pairings. The "class" showcased several beers and cheeses I've never had. They did instruct us to pay attention to the beer, its taste, aroma and aftertaste. What an idea!

I'm not sure that the new glass is going to get a lot of attention from die-hard beer drinkers but it is showing that beer isn't just suds but rather a carefully crafted art that deserves the attention and critique normally reserved for wine.