Craft Beer Confessions

I have a confession to make.  Although I’ve presented myself as the cocktail guy on our blog these past 18 months, I’ve been hiding a dark secret:  Four times out of five, when happy hour is drawing near, you won’t find me reaching for my cocktail shaker and jigger. I’ll instead be crouched in front of my beer fridge, selecting the perfect bottle or can of craft beer from an extensive selection of my favorite breweries, which I’ll then pour into a glass (from an equally extensive beer glass collection) that’s just right for the style of beer I’ve chosen.  “Hello, my name is Jon, and I’m a craft beer junkie.”

Don’t get me wrong.  I positively love being the person who knows how to serve a wide range of cocktails, and who, through educated guesses, can even occasionally create something new.  And I have many more cocktail recipes to write about on this blog in the coming months.  But I do like my beer.  Especially the big, bold, hoppy styles from craft breweries in California, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon.  So, contrary to my blog persona as “The Bartender”, sometimes my bartending tool of choice is nothing more than a bottle opener.

I never thought I’d be confessing my love of craft beer on our blog. We aren’t running a “beer blog” here…there are plenty of those already. And I really don’t think any of you want to be bored with minutiae such as when an IPA crosses over to being an Imperial IPA, or why I get excited when reviewing the brewer’s list of hop varietals that were used during dry-hopping.  But the other day a friend of ours (who shares my craft-beer obsession) showed up with a really cool surprise, and I can’t keep my enthusiasm for craft beer bottled up (sorry) and off the blog any longer:

“It’s a can…it’s a growler…”

“No…it’s the Crowler!”

Seriously, what’s not to love about this.  Let me explain what you’re seeing here.  This brewer (Oskar Blues, one of my faves) has taken the “growler” concept to new heights.  A growler is a refillable glass container that allows you to get beer “to go” from your favorite taproom, fresh out of the keg.  It’s a great way to enjoy beers at home that otherwise might not be available through conventional stores.  Oskar Blues is a leader in the revolution to put craft beer in cans instead of bottles, and they’re now filling and capping these giant 32 ounce cans at their brewery while you wait (hence, the can-growler, or “crowler”).  For size comparison, the green can to the right is a normal-sized 12 ounces.  The brew in this particular example is a special, tap-only version of Oskar’s “Mama’s Little Yella Pils” (a light, pilsner-style craft beer) that’s been aged in a tequila barrel.  Wow.  The innovation in today’s craft beer industry blows me away.  I’m getting thirsty just writing about it.

Phew…it feels good to get that secret off my chest and out in the open!  Thanks for listening.  I’ll be back behind the bar shortly…but in the meantime drop me a comment and let me know if you share my obsession!

Cheers!