For the hell of it
I have a fridge full of beer. Placed there on the assumption that, when I get home from work, they'd be just the beers I'd fancy. I was wrong.
I have a cellar full of beer. When I say cellar, I mean a converted garage. When I say full of beer, I mean there's boxes crammed between the spare toilet rolls and the ironing board. Those boxes are stuffed with a selection of interesting and well-regarded beers. You'd think these would be the beers I'd fancy at any and every time. You'd be wrong.
You see, the beers in the fridge were put there when I knew I fancied something light and hoppy. Tonight, I don't want light and hoppy. The boxes are full of beers that are dark, and challenging, and rare and .... too good to drink tonight. Too good to drink any damn night of the week. And there's my problem.
Really; MY problem. I shove my hand in a box, pull out a bottle, think; "nah, I can't drink THAT tonight because it's so rare/it's my last one/it's the only one I'll ever see". Etc.
And tonight I thought - stuff that for a game of soldiers. What's the point of tracking down great beers and not enjoying them? Why not drink them for the hell of it? Sod the clever article idea/food pairing/session tasting/special occasion. Drink 'em like you stole 'em.
So, right now, I'm enjoying a 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter. Chocolate bacon, unexpected hop nibbles, ash-like woodsmoke notes.... a damn fine beer, far more manageable than Schlenkerla. And absolute vindication for drinking the great beers you have. Right now.
I have a cellar full of beer. When I say cellar, I mean a converted garage. When I say full of beer, I mean there's boxes crammed between the spare toilet rolls and the ironing board. Those boxes are stuffed with a selection of interesting and well-regarded beers. You'd think these would be the beers I'd fancy at any and every time. You'd be wrong.
You see, the beers in the fridge were put there when I knew I fancied something light and hoppy. Tonight, I don't want light and hoppy. The boxes are full of beers that are dark, and challenging, and rare and .... too good to drink tonight. Too good to drink any damn night of the week. And there's my problem.
Really; MY problem. I shove my hand in a box, pull out a bottle, think; "nah, I can't drink THAT tonight because it's so rare/it's my last one/it's the only one I'll ever see". Etc.
And tonight I thought - stuff that for a game of soldiers. What's the point of tracking down great beers and not enjoying them? Why not drink them for the hell of it? Sod the clever article idea/food pairing/session tasting/special occasion. Drink 'em like you stole 'em.
So, right now, I'm enjoying a 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter. Chocolate bacon, unexpected hop nibbles, ash-like woodsmoke notes.... a damn fine beer, far more manageable than Schlenkerla. And absolute vindication for drinking the great beers you have. Right now.
Common sense prevails !
ReplyDeleteBen
I know exactly what you mean - but at the end of the day beer's purpose in life is to be drunk. so go for it.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel a slight esitation every time you pick up a great beer from the "cellar".. what about a "drinking plan" ? I don't mean a scheduled drinking of every beer you have, but maybe just the ones you care most. I.e. "next saturday i'll have that oerbier reserva.." or "in one month there will be my brother birthday, I'll go for that vintage Westvleteren I was saving.." like that :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who goes through this. I have so many beers that I pick up and think "I can't drink that, it's just an average Tuesday. I'll save it for a special occasion". One of these days I'm just gonna crack and drink all my "special" beers on a pointless Thursday.
ReplyDeleteBeerBear - I love that idea. I will toast Pointless Thursday this week with the first great beer I grab out the cellar.
ReplyDeleteLuca - I tried a drinking plan, but it broke down along the lines of ... I'll drink that beer at the weekend, then getting pissed at the weekend, saying "I won't enjoy that beer now", so not drinking it.
Or, "I'll drink that beer on x occasion", getting pissed on that occasion, saying "I won't enjoy that beer now"...
Though last Christmas I managed a 12 beers of Christmas that worked well. Except for the Westvleteren which I'd scheduled for New Year's Eve. perhaps this year :-)