Saving Global Beer Culture One Plane Ticket at a Time

There is no such thing as the “perfect pint of Guinness.” Lime wedges have no business in the neck of a beer bottle. And Stella Artois is a Belgian beer by only the thinnest of margins. Yet for many drinkers around the world, these beer fictions make up the whole of their understanding of global beer culture. It’s a marketing truth that drinking imported beers makes consumers feel worldlier, like we’re engaging in some exotic, alcohol-fueled version of a Ricola ad. And while choosing a St. Pauli Girl may briefly ignite your inner Gunther, the romance quickly wears off in the buzz of American Idol night at your local.

More than just annoying hardened beer geeks, the widespread marketing canards that beer drinkers are bombarded with every day are a symptom of a larger problem. Beer culture is one of those things that can’t be faked or re-created. It’s organic and fragile, a thing that lives and breathes. Without support, it will wither and die. Much like polar ice caps and the spotted owl, global beer culture is in jeopardy.

Americans have always looked to our European brewing elders to teach us about beer and inspire our efforts. We’ve long considered Europe the pinnacle of world brewing, and there’s still some truth in the shining accolades we shower upon European beer. But in the dizzying world of brewery conglomerations, mergers and acquisitions, these once-bright spots now appear dimmer and more transparent. Few mainstream foreign brands remain in the hands of their original owners. InBev alone controls hundreds of beer brands, including Stella Artois, Beck’s, Boddingtons, Franziskaner, Hoegaarden, Labatt, Lowenbrau and Spaten. Enjoy Red Stripe? Well then shout “Hooray Diageo!” which owns a majority stake in the former Jamaican brewery, as well as controlling the decidedly non-Jamaican Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s brands.

Call it the Starbucksization of global beer culture—the ability to experience once-local brands anywhere in the world. It’s largely a good thing, but global branding and distribution also leave considerable damage in their wake, including shuttered breweries and tainted legacies. In the last two years alone, the brewing community has lost the famed Hoegaarden brewery, Boddingtons brewery and Tyne brewery in Newcastle, among others.

This column isn’t meant to sniffle over lost comrades or join the papier-mâché-puppet-waving throngs of unshowered world-trade propagandists. Global beer culture is something that every beer lover has a duty to maintain. I want future generations to learn about the beauty of beer and its history firsthand, not through tales of woe told by sobbing, aging beer lovers.

The global beer culture we need to preserve is not only brewery history and tradition, but also the practice of integrating beer into every day life. I’m not talking about sneaking sips during church services, but about respecting beer and giving it a spot at the table—be it lunch, dinner, or just a midday break with friends. Beer culture is the experience of sitting at a shared community table with an earthen mug, enjoying Kellerbier in a small Bamberg pub with a group of strangers.

To truly experience beer, you must enjoy beer beyond the four corners of your living room or your favorite pub. I agree that the selection of foreign beers available in most major cities is an amazing feat of distribution. But the experience of traveling to the great beer cities of the world—from Antwerp to Dusseldorf to Prague—and the perspective that it gives you cannot be replicated by armchair advocates. To sit in the Kulminator and sip a hand-cellared, 20-year-old beer; to watch a fresh wooden keg of Uerige Altbier tapped in front of you; or to witness the unwavering dedication of the Kobe waiters of Cologne is to see beer achieve its greatest potential. These encounters are defined by deep pride, respect and care, absent any chest-thumping self-promotion or hint of self-awareness. The message is clear: Beer deserves our respect.

We shouldn’t take these experiences for granted, or put off indulging in them, because as the business of beer changes, so will its culture. We, as beer lovers, need to strive to maintain and preserve our traditions and heritage in the face of the dangers posed by those who would treat beer as simply another widget to be sold at bulk.

Now get out there and respect your brewing elders. ■