The appeal (or not) of beer

Published 7:26 am Thursday, September 11, 2008

I never could figure out why people enjoy beer so much.

Whatever the name was on the can I was first offered in my college days, I didn’t like it. The taste was like nothing I had encountered before, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Wine I could relate to – it’s fermented grape juice, right? But beer was a foreign entity.

Over time, I found that certain brews were less unappealing than others. When my uncle served me a cold bottle of Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve at a dinner party, I took a sip and discovered that my face hadn’t screwed up into that involuntary grimace that Keystone used to call “bitter beer face” in its ads.

Soon after, I was out with friends at a now-bygone club in Warrenton. I thought I’d join the beer-drinking crowd at my table and ordered a Henry’s from the waitress. She stopped in her rounds with a quizzical look. “A what?”

It reminded me of the bar scene in “The Blues Brothers” when the barmaid proudly informs Jake and Elwood that “we have BOTH kinds of music – country AND western.” My choice of beer that night was Bud or Bud Light. I went with Light and left most of it in the can.

In the past 10 years or so, brewing beer has become part of our Northwest culture. I’ve settled on Corona and Dos Equis as my beers of choice, but I’ll taste a new stout or lager when a local microbrewery unveils its latest recipe. Don’t expect a qualified review from this taster, though. Most often, I end up quoting Data from “Star Trek: Generations,” when he was first able to experience the emotional impact of a flavorful drink:

Data: Ugh! I hate this! It is revolting!

Guinan (the bartender): More?

Data: Yes, please!