When I was many many years under the legal drinking age, my father would let me fetch him his beer. Often pre-opened and often shy a few sips. Generally alcohol is acquired taste, I acquired it on the first sip. It provided something crisp and delicious that I couldn’t get from juice or soda pop.

This is not a story about addiction. For some reason I never got the cravings that other people struggle with. Sugar is my addiction, and I am glad we are allowed to eat a donut and still drive! For me, beer has always been a way to have a conversation, share a celebration, or just relax on a nice summer day. It was Budweiser that got me started, but it’s not what kept me enjoying the hops!

I was mostly drinking American beers when I took a flight to Copenhagen. As the plane was coming in for a landing the pilot came over the speaker system “…and if this is the first time in our city, let me caution you against drinking the water. It is perfectly safe to drink, but our beer is soooo much better!” The pilot was right and that kicked off my first real taste for European beers. This was long before the rise of craft beers in America. That trip offered a whole new world of tastes and beer culture. I saw 0.0 beer served in offices and the cultural faux pas of suggesting to someone to have a beer who has to drive home. Over the years I began to taste the differences between countries and how in some cases local laws and norms had a direct impact on taste.

As the popularity of craft beers started to rise in the US, I got to explore an even wider variety of beers starting in Michigan like Founders Brewing, Griffen Claw, Detroit Beer Co, and Elephant & Co. and then West Coast, East Coast, etc! If it was a new beer - I wanted a taste. A sampling flight was my go to for each new place. And each new place I traveled was an opportunity to try a new variety of beers.

Something has changed since those glory days. I get I’m getting older (probably grumpier) but all beers seem to be moving to some mass appeal algorithm that makes all taste more similar than before. As a result I have calmed down my enthusiasm for trying new beers and settle back in to drinking beer as a supplement to what I am doing, not the main thing.

Today I am much more likely to order a Tyskie or Pilsner Urquell and just enjoy the time with good conversation. I also take a much deeper interest in the beers from my local pubs, like TEA Time Brewery (pictured above) and Omerta in Krakow. Or when I am in Detroit, one of the many great breweries in the Eastern Market area or back to Griffen Claw. If you read this far, let me buy you a brew next time you are in Detroit or Krakow!