While finding great brews from afar is always a moment to cherish, don't make your beer happiness far away.
Beer Tasting at The Fox River Brewery in Oshkosh, WI
On more than one occasion during my tenure as a beer writer, a friend has said to me that he or she is looking forward to trying such and such a new beer by some far-off brewery.
While I sometimes nod in assent, I often think to myself, "Well, hope you get to try it, but I really don't have much interest in it."
It's not that I lack passion for seeking out and finding new interesting brews, it's just that there are too many other things in life that I enjoy, and spending a lot of time looking for each and every new far-away beer that may be a treat just involves too much time and effort. There are simply too many new great beers out there in my own backyard.
This doesn't mean, however, that I'm blasé about certain beers. I am always curious and interested in what Sam Calagione is doing at Dogfish Head. This is because he is always pushing the edges of brewing in groundbreaking ways.
Likewise Stone Brewing always offers some interesting twists on the usual trends. And as maligned as they sometimes are by certain beer snobs as being "too big" Sam Adams offers at least one or two very intriguing brews almost every year.
But as much as I love, say, IPAs, I don't need to try every one that comes down the pike. I'm sure I'd enjoy most of them, but many of them are very similar to one another. And seeking each and every one out becomes a game of diminishing returns.
Now, I'm certainly not saying others shouldn't engage in whatever pursuits they wish to follow. My overarching point here is not about what anyone else does. How anyone spends their time, or follows their heart, or pursues their passions is their own business. I'm just stating what's true for me.
The reason I bring this up is that too often I see people get caught up in a sort of tyranny that they impose upon themselves. This happens not just with beer but with many hobbies and or avocations. It's happened to me several times, until I realize: "Wait a second, I'm supposed to enjoying this pursuit, not be enslaved to it." As regular readers know, I'm an Ireland fanatic. Once, during a particularly difficult time in my life, I expressed to my therapist a desire to simply move there to get away. He asked me, "Why do you make your happiness so far away?" It was a brilliant observation.
So, likewise, I will say this: While finding great brews from afar is always a moment to cherish, don't make your beer happiness far away. There are plenty of good ones locally, no matter where you live. Well, most places, anyway.
Sample globally, but drink locally. Cheers.