Celebrate National Beer Day!
Learn more about beer and the beer-making process in the new book from Charles Bamforth, ‘In Praise of Beer’.
There is a supposed Chinese curse that says, “May you live in interesting times.” There is no doubt whatsoever that, when it comes to beer, these most certainly are extremely interesting times. In China itself the brewing of beer has accelerated at an astonishing rate in the past couple of decades. Elsewhere, in a huge range of countries but perhaps best typified by the likes of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, there is a burgeoning so- called craft sector, with a vast growth in the number of brewing companies. Here in California, as elsewhere, there is no end to the ingenuity of these brewers, who are forever pushing the boundaries in terms of styles, ingredients, and presentation of products that can either delight, disturb, or distress the drinker, depending on perceptions, preferences, and preconceived biases. No matter, the reality is that the beer world is emerging and exciting. There is an ongoing need for new brewers who are well informed and capable — for which folks like me, whose day job has been to make a living out of teaching, are inordinately grateful. Equally, there seems to be a growing thirst from customers, not only for the beers themselves but also for an understanding of what they are drinking.
Most of the books I have written over a quarter of a century have primarily been targeted at the producers of beer. This one, however, has been penned largely with the customer in mind, although I hope that won’t stop those employed by brewing companies from reading it, because they sure need to know what I am preaching to the customer. Customers are becoming more knowledgeable and, therefore, more choosy and, yes, demanding. It’s a good thing, provided that they speak from a position of genuine understanding. I hope that this volume will help.
These are exciting times in many ways. There are people who are interested in trying beer nowadays who most definitely were not beer drinkers before. There are plenty of people who savor their journeys to different tasting rooms, sampling a rich diversity of beers. My thesis is that there could be an even greater selection covering a far wider range of strengths (within sensible bounds) and with a huge span of flavors by sticking to long- standing ingredients. We should focus on demonstrating how this vast array of ales and lagers can pair sublimely with any food you care to nominate. We need to speak truth to the reality of the health pluses and minuses associated with beer drinking. We should strive to carve out from the beer world the stupidity and the irresponsibility, and we should celebrate beer for what it is: the original basis for static civilization and the savior of humankind.
Dr. Charlie Bamforth is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UC Davis, California. He has been part of the brewing industry since 1978 and was formerly in senior roles with Brewing Research International and Bass Brewers in Britain. He has published more than 300 papers and articles and has written or edited more than 20 books. Since January 2019, he has been Senior Quality Advisor to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
