California Bubbles

Listeners of varied persuasions welcome to my blog. This is about the juice that’s both the life of the party, but can also be as complex and distinguished as a 1997 California Cabernet. Throughout the next fourteen weeks I will be investigating the revolution of California microbreweries.
Traveling abroad for some time it was hard not to see the influence that a local beer has on its surrounding community. People communalize around this bitter brew. Pubs only carry local beers, and the people don’t dare to stray from their conventions. From the many varieties of pilsner in Eastern Europe to the dark passions of the Isles, beer is carried through heritage like freckles and blond hair. Coming home awakened me to the lack of American distinction. American beer is a mass produced equation, developed to taste exactly like each competitor, and only separated by broad advertisements claims. It really disheartens me when “drinkers” spend precious conversations arguing the excellence of a Miller Lite over a Bud. Or when I go into a beer house and see the only thing people drink is their habitual 4.3% piss. But the American beer is in the process of reinvention, and has been for quite sometime. The microbrew is the mode of elusion for the unconventional drinker. It’s a way to find your taste, and feel passionate about where it came from. If you’re unsure of what designates a microbrew from other American beers, we will be using a very simple distinction. Ask one simple question. Does is come in a can? If so, it’s not a microbrew. Now obviously this isn’t perfect, but it’s a good convention for a newcomer to go by.
For this blog we will mainly be discussing California beers, but the same concepts are true all over the States. I will do my best to show how easy it is to find beers in your area all across the granular spectrum. Not only will I be doing write-ups on a new tastes and breweries, but I will discuss the process in which they are made. I will be visiting some beer houses in my area, and hopefully talking with their creators. The beer experience is not only confined to the bottle, but is best witnessed when streaming from the tap, and in an environment of other enthusiasts. Because of this, finding your local bar or eatery devoted to these ideals is key, and becoming quite common. If you’re reading this, you probably already have a place in mind, but it’s time for expansion. Beer is as much about the shared participation as the ingredients.
I am no expert in this topic, and will not act like one. The next couple months will be undertaken with an extremely susceptible and objective mind and tongue. I aim to garner a greater sense of my refinements, how they are developed, the cultural relevance, and people who make them possible. If all goes clockwork, I will at least capture a timely voice and the occasionally pickled mind.