This weekend a friend was kind enough to share beer he’d acquired from Surly, Founders and Cigar City with a group of some of the biggest beer geeks I know.

I hang out with this particular group of guys a lot and it never fails; a bottle of something that is next to impossible to find or doesn’t have distribution in our area is always guaranteed to get them more hot and bothered than a group of gorgeous, scantily clad women ever could. I know this because I’m a very observant person and I’ve actually watched them ignore beautiful girls to give a sample of something exotic their attention.

So here’s my question; is the beer we go most gaga over really as good as we perceive it to be or is it simply the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of getting our hands on something that everyone around us wants that makes it taste so good?

I’m not in any way, shape or form denying that Surly, Founders and Cigar City make incredible beer – I’m simply posing a somewhat philosophical question. I lust after Russian River because I hardly ever get to have it and when I do get to indulge, it always seems to feel like the first time. Southern Tier is a fantastic brewery that makes some really impressive stuff but it’s close enough for me to drive to and I although I love their beers, I don’t get nearly as excited about them as I do when someone hands me a New Glarus Belgian Red.

Can we ever accurately review and judge beers if we’re inclined to want what we can’t have most? Just a little something to think about.

TAGS [ CRAFT BEER ]