This time around, I was the host of the monthly beer blogging assignment known as The Session. This month, I chose to talk about my passion: Imported Beers. I wanted to find out what people thought their place was in the modern craft beer world. You can read my original topic request here. For those writers who don’t live in the US, they had the option of talking about American beer as imports into their own countries.
Bringing the Good Stuff to American Shores
Stan Hieronymus of Appellation Beer keeps it short and sweet when describing the value of imported beer: a) cachet, b) quality, and c) education. Jack Perdue of Deep Beer, who had a similar experience with Samuel Smith Nut Brown as I did, still drinks imports and uses them to teach people about the terroir of beer and to show how styles and traditions both matter and add more interest to the American beer drinker. Kaedrin Beer Blog and its writer Mark started out with the beers of Europe and Belgium in particular and still thinks they hold a place in drinkers hearts, maybe not as the main source of “good beer” but as certainly part of the overall good beer and craft scene.
Tom Bedell of The Aposition fondly remembers when the only respite from American macro lagers was European green bottles before learning of the beers of Belgium. Now that he’s fully in tune with the American craft scene, he doesn’t drift back to the imports too often unless he’s looking for a change. He can even get American Belgian styles if he likes, although laments the increasing price of those beers which may bring him back to Europe’s shores once again.
Jon Abernathy of The Brewsite, and fellow Oregonian, is much in line with my opinion about imported beer being just as important and part of the craft drinkers arsenal as local craft beer. He points out the important thing is proper handling and quality, which likewise, goes for both imported and local beers. Derrick Peterman of Rambling of a Beer Runner talks a bit about macro lagers from across the border before repeating some of various myths and knocks against imported beers.
American Beer as Imports
The Beer Nut chimes in from Ireland where he traces the rise of American beer hype followed by the decline in interest as Britain and Ireland started brewing more hoppy American-style beers. There’s still a lot of interest in special beers carried over by hand, including the Captain Lawrence Frost Monster he reviews.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the 122nd edition of The Session. If you’d like to participate in the 123rd edtition, head over to this month’s host Josh Weikert’s site: Brew Simple. I’ll leave you with this photo of me (in the middle) drinking some imported beer…
Frank Boon, Christopher Barnes (me), & Karel Boon at Brouwerij Boon (Photo by Kevin Desmet of belgianbeergeek.be)