March 13 2008
I have heard the oft-repeated phrase, “It takes a lot of beer to make good wine” and quietly smiled to myself. Man does not live on grapes alone and nor do winemakers get their quaffable sustenance from just the vine.
Dammit. Sometimes a beer hits the spot. I am no winemaker and I know this. Heck, some people swear to a diet of Guinness as a meal replacement program.
As I sit here and write this I am sipping on a Bell’s Hopslam—an amazingly rich and delicious IPA from Bell’s Brewery in Michigan. For other hopheads, it is very comparable to the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, another fantastically delicious butt-kicker of an Imperial Pale Ale and a beer considered by many to be the best in the country.
Frankly, if I were more fickle and more prone to “finger in the air” weather casting to see which way the wind was blowing, I might start a craft beer blog because there are many cool things happening in the world of craft brewing.
I bring this juxtaposition of beer versus wine up because a book, fascinating by its very premise, is due to be published at the end of the month and it is one of the most anticipated books of the year for me—and this is no slight to Tyler Colman, Neal Rosenthal, or Alice Feiring.
Just as wine consumption nestles into its steady manifest destiny in the US, and wine bloggers piss and moan about varying degrees of this thread or that notion in the world of wine, the craft brew world continues to grow at its own steady pace and an author prepares a frontal assault on the wine world.
This is curious because, frankly, I think most people view our wine culture in the states as something that is not yet where it needs to be. Yet, in the world of beer, apparently, we are number one with a bullet.
The new book called. “Grape vs. Grain” promises to:
Why is wine considered more sophisticated even though the production of beer is much more technologically complex? Why is wine touted for its health benefits when beer has more nutritive value? Why does wine conjure up images of staid dinner parties while beer denotes screaming young partiers? Charles Bamforth explores several paradoxes involving these beverages, paying special attention to the culture surrounding each. He argues that beer can be just as grown-up and worldly as wine and be part of a healthy, mature lifestyle. Both beer and wine have histories spanning thousands of years. This is the first book to compare them from the perspectives of history, technology, nature of the market for each, quality attributes, types and styles, and the effect that they have on human health and nutrition.
One of the blurbs on the book jacket says:
“Grape vs. Grain offers a thorough, comparative look at mankind’s two most beloved and culturally significant beverages that will surely change the mind of anyone who thinks of beer as wine’s less-sophisticated ‘poor relation’. Charles Bamforth’s jovial approach to the subject is as clean and refreshing as a Blanche de Bruges on a hot summer day. Not only did I learn a lot from this book, I enjoyed reading it too; I’d love to sit down and share a pint with its author!”
-Alan Tardi, Author of Romancing the Vine (Winner of the 2006 James Beard Best Wine and Spirits Book)
I ordered the book on pre-order from Amazon.com and have not yet read it, but I understand that pre-release copies of the book went out to the craft beer blogosphere, so I fully expect a book that ardently justifies brewing in the pantheon of drinks, especially against the history of wine.
Just goes to show you that even though, as consumers, we may be critical pundits of the wine industry for its wayward and antiquated ways, yet we are still the object of admiration from other segments, notably beer.
I am anticipating this read, and so should you. Grape vs. Grain? I like a beer now and again, but it does not hold a candle to the wine lover in me.
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Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (8) | Print |
Yes, “It takes a lot of beer to make good wine”. I just want to know when the darn brewers are going to step up and start drinking their fair share of wine!
Thank you, first off, for refering to two first-rate ales when bringing up beer. It’s only fair.
Second, I truly wish the beer v. wine debate would just go away. In a way, it’s not really even a debate—I see beer and wine as being different enough that there is no need to debate between them; we don’t see people arguing if bread is better than apples. They have very different flavor structures, different histories, different roles as beverages.
But more than their differences, we also need to consider that they both taste great, both can be expceptionally complex (have you spent some time yet with gueuze or traditionaly unsweetened lambic, anyone reading this?), both enrich food, both enrich our lives. Both are corruptible by big business and both are perfected by passionate artisanal producers.
And this comment, clearly biased by my own habits: a sophisticated palate will enjoy both, understand both, and not need to claim one is better.
I have had the pleasure of making both. Neither is better than the other, just different.
I prefer wine because every year I am driven to make the best product possible.
I liked making beer because brewing to spec offers challenge.
The wine industry is about to be shaken up by the millenial consumer, I am certain it will be the same for brewing.
You can tell how good the wine is by the amount of beer it took to make it.
Thanks for all of the comments. Looks like we have some non-monogamous wine & beer guys here. Count me in on that camp. Sometimes I go into beer phase, and I’ve been impressed with some of the IPA’s I’ve been drinking lately. I thought Dogfish Head was a revelation until I had the Bell’s. Though, a nice corona or Sierra Nevada does the trick, too.
My best to each of you,
I am so glad I happened upon this blog string…I am a big fan of both beer and wine. Truth be told, I enjoy attending beer events and tasting through the tasty varieties more so than the wine events. Like Gestalt, I make both beer and wine…I got in to making beer during the summer while I wait for the grapes to come around each fall. I have not had the Bell Hopslam (cool name) but look forward to trying it soon. For those who frequent the Sonoma County area, the best SC beer, in my humble opinion, is made at the Russian River Brewery in downtown Santa Rosa. Make sure to taste through theIPA’s (esp Blind Pig and Pliny the Elder) and if they have it on tap, ask to taste ‘Pliny the Younger’. Be careful driving home because it is potent stuff. Thanks for hitting on the subject, Jeff.
Here’s my deal, and why I resonate so much with Bamforth:
This may well be true of wine in some other countries, but here in NY, I can go to my all-time favorite bar - Spuytin Duyvil - and enjoy the best of the best as far as beer goes. And afford it. I can go there dressed like a slob (possible in some wine-bars, no doubt), and I can leave several beers later having spent $50.
That money buys me beer aged in 15-year whisky barrels. Vintage Lee’s Harvest Ale aged in sherry barrels. Beer from breweries the size of my NY apartment in Flanders towns with the population of my apartment building. Vintage gueuze from a now-defunct blender. I don’t recognize 80% of the producers, but they’re all carefully chosen and the bar-staff can ramble on about them.
I love great wine, but try getting the same wine experience for $50.
That’s why I’m a beer drinker. Most people accept that great beer is absolutely on par with great wine. So why are people willing to spend so much more for the wine?
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>I like a beer now and again, but it does >not hold a candle to the wine lover in me.
Ah, you are the exact opposite of me. I love wine, but have a beer a day (at least).
I’m working on the book for Cambridge, and have read it. I think that you’ll really enjoy it.
Charles Bamforth is leaving little beer ‘fun facts’ on Fridays at Cambridge’s fledgling blog. Check them out if you wish!
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