Without Craft Beer

You know, I never even read one of those. It's probably high time I corrected that...

 

The pissing part still holds true!

 

Robertson got a lot wrong -- or so I am told.

 

I was a very fortunate young man that traveled to Europe, particularly, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece....in the late 60s and early 70s. There was lots of Euro Lager, but everywhere if you paid attention great beer was at hand. We were on our own and had the great good fortune to continually meet up with very cool locals that were key to our tasks. We went to local places, in out of the way locales, on crazy schedules, and lived outside of touristy traps. I received a sterling beer education that led to a career in beverage distribution later on. I have no illusions that great brewing is a very long tradition that Americans now are participating in seriously. The history is all well documented. There is no new wheel.

 

Doah, I totally did! To totally forget the Bard of Beer...that's a "crime" against craft beer, and the beers of the world! For that matter I totally neglected Charlie Papazian and Charlie "The Pope of Foam" Bamforth, among many, many other luminaries that should be mentioned!

 

Before the craft beer movement, there was no demand for these types of beers like there is now. It's basically the age of enlightenment for a lot of beer drinkers. It obviously wasn't just invented. I assume we can all recognize the impact craft beer has had on our drinking habits. That's a big reason why we are here... right?

 

Well, I suppose depends on who you talk to and whether they happen to agree with him.
Truth be told, the BJCP gets a lot wrong too. LOL.

I had the pleasure of sitting down to a few tastings with Jim back in the late '80s/early '90s.
He was well travelled, very objective, well spoken, and a true beer lover. I'm certainly glad he was around long enough to enjoy the beginnings of the craft beer revolution.

 

This. This is a smart reply.

 

You don't say?

It's worth noting that --for a lot of us louts who were neither well-traveled nor yet urbane enough to grok Michael Jackson's effusive British accent, the Robertson books worked just fine.