Ah, Craft Beer. American Craft Beer. Such an amazing thing. To say it’s exploded over the last decade would be an understatement. I was an early adopter and lover of craft beer. I remember being in college; working at a liquor store, and coming across the my 1st Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.. It blew my mind (at the time… I was drinking a lot of Keystone Light). It opened up my eyes to a world I knew nothing about, and I could never have predicted how deep it would go ( I brew with a great buddy of mine, and have fashioned vacations around brewery stops. Yup).
After the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ( which I still love, but is a mild beer by today’s standards), I came across Three Floyd’s brewing company in Munster, IN. This was early in their journey, and they hadnt been in Munster all that long, having moved there recently to expand the operation ( which is growing by the minute). I was in Munster following my first sale at a my first “real” job out of college, and the customer had suggested I go there for lunch. During that lunch, I had my 1st Alpha King, and nothing has ever been the same since. It made me realize that with brewing, it’s possible to make something truly beautiful. That may seem like a stretch, and seem like overstatement, but if you don’t agree, I would say you’ve never had a truly great beer.
Alpha King is still my “desert island” beer, and though I’ve had beers that I would say are “better”, there’s not been one that I’ve wanted more consistently, and works as well on so many different levels. That beer, and the many other great beers I’ve consumed from American Craft Breweries, showcase the best of the American Dream and spirit. Hard, manual work. Creativity and ingenuity at its finest. Truly local. And maybe it’s best quality, brings people together.
Tonight, it seems only fitting that I find myself at a brewery in Akron, OH, – Hoppin Frog Brewing. They make some fantastic brews, and the Cuban sandwhich I had was damn good as well. I also found myself talking to complete strangers because beer brings people together ( it would be the 2nd in depth conversation about craft beer with complete strangers in the last 6 hours).
So, this week, I hope you’re able to find a great brewery near you, and are also able to enjoy a great beer with a great friend…or a complete stranger.
Cheers!
Andrew L Hamilton 