Craft Beer: The New Wine?

Wine has long held a monopoly on the drink as a way of life market. Sure, people can be interested in different kinds of coffees or teas, but wine has vineyard tours, tastings, pairing dinners, clubs, committees – it’s amazing how seriously people take this grape-driven alcohol. The drink has truly become more than just a beverage, it’s a hobby, even a career for many people. And a good number of those people often turn their noses up at something as mundane as a beer drinker. Beer used to seem bourgeois compared to wine. No more of that, though. Perhaps long overdue, beer – craft beer, to be exact – is taking its place as a drink interesting enough to constitute a following complete with clubs, publications, and events.

This past spring, a special aired on a regional PBS station: “Craft Beer: The New Wine.” The special centered on local microbreweries and discussed the cultural shift in attention to “fine beer” in addition to, or even instead of, fine wine. Suddenly, there was an actual interest in where a beer is brewed, what flavors and notes are used, etc. The same criteria used to judge and enjoy wine are now being applied to beer. What explains this trend? A few reasons immediately come to mind. For one thing, price. As the PBS special pointed out, a good bottle of wine can run you anywhere from $50 to $300 and beyond. You can enjoy a unique, regionally crafted beer or even an obscure import from between $4 and $12. In this economic situation, that’s a huge plus. There’s also the simple fact that the micro brew is growing in popularity and production. Breweries are springing up left and right across the United States. Micro brews are more accessible and now factor in more heavily in our drink selection. Sensing consumer interest, bars are putting faith in local breweries, and offering a local brew from Massachusetts-based Opa! Opa! right next to the Budweiser tap. For better or worse, beer selection is becoming a status symbol, just like wine already is. For those who care about beer, you’re considered much more knowledgeable if you’re seen drinking a craft beer from Maine or a small town in Germany, rather than a mainstream brand like Heineken or Corona.

If you’re looking to get more involved in the craft beer lifestyle and go beyond just guzzling all the delicious choices, check out sites like BeerMenus.com. So far BeerMenus.com covers cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Milwaukee, and is in the process of adding more. Beer-driven events now include tastings, pairings, brewery tours, and brew launches. The culture of beer is gathering steam so quickly that, in major cities, there is something happening almost every night. And these events are just as enjoyable, interesting, and educational than wine events. Who are we kidding? In fact, they’re better than wine events.