A lot of people who “don’t like wine” have the idea that wine is for old, rich snobs, not an everyday drink. I talked about this a little in my February 1 article about drinking wine during the Superbowl—wine is just as fitting for casual settings as beer and mixed drinks. However, I’ve noticed that the prejudice goes the other way, too. Wine drinkers, when put in a setting where beer is more prevalent, can have a tendency to turn up their noses at the selection.
I can’t have that happen! Sure, it’d be great if every restaurant and bar had an unlimited budget and a full liquor license and a Master Sommelier and a Cicerone and all that, but that’s not reasonable for 99.99% of venues. But restaurants choose their drink menus to fit a certain atmosphere and attract certain clientele. If you frequent a restaurant that is more of a beer-centered drinks list, you shouldn’t turn up your nose at the paltry wine selections; you should find a beer that works for you!
The Bay Area kicks off Beer Week (February 7-16th this year) tonight, and although I’m a wine drinker by trade, I plan on indulging in the festivities as much as possible. I can’t wait to go up to Russian River Brewing Company to taste Pliny the Younger—this will be my third year doing so! I will be heading to as many of the Beer Week events showcasing sour beers (my personal favorite beer style) as I can, and I’d love to see a ton of wine-drinkers there. It’s something of a personal mission of mine to help spread the idea that we wine lovers aren’t snobs, and we can enjoy trying new beers just as we enjoy trying new wines. If something isn’t your style, try another. Like wine, there’s enough variety in beer so that everyone can find a type or a brewer that suits their taste.
So please, help me change that stereotype, and join me at the SF Beer Week! Here are some of the events that I'm looking forward to:
-Almanac Beer Donuts at Dynamo Donuts (www.dynamodonut.com)
-Barrel-Aged Maple Stout Release at the Torpedo Room (www.sierranevada.com/brewery/california/torpedoroom)
-Beer and Dessert Pairing at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (www.hmbbrewingco.com)
-It's A Sour World After All at The Abbot's Cellar (www.abbotscellar.com)
-Yelp's Beer For Breakfast PJ Party (http://www.yelp.com/events/berkeley-cmye-beer-for-breakfast-pj-party-the-sierra-nevada-torpedo-room)
-Sour Sunday in Palo Alto at the Rose&Crown (www.roseandcrownpa.com)
-Stone Beer Dinner at Mission Cheese (www.missioncheese.net)
and of course,
-Pliny the Younger Release at Russian River Brewing Company (www.russianriverbrewing.com)
To check out all the events for San Francisco Beer Week, go to www.sfbeerweek.org.
