The Naked Pint (41 page)

Just be aware that aging beer is never a sure thing. And the amount of time a beer can age is a guess; it can be anywhere from 1 year to 30 years. It’s hard to know if a beer has reached its peak, meaning that it should be drunk after a certain amount of aging but not beyond that. If you are concerned with the risk, then try to age beers that are not that expensive and buy several of the same beer, tasting them at different increments of aging to determine the best amount of aging for that style.

Here are a few more tips for quickly building a valuable beer cellar:

You should feel better about your home now that beer is a part of it. You’ll never again be caught without craft beer in your fridge. You’ve got your glassware ready and some beers to grow old with. Hang the hops over the hearth and welcome your beer-loving friends into your new and improved happier home.

It was as natural as eating and, to me, as necessary. I would not have thought of eating a meal without drinking a beer.

—ERNEST HEMINGWAY

U
p until this point, we’ve just talked about beer alone. And while beer can be great and completely satisfying on its own, beer and food are perfect partners. But if the extent of your beer pairing is a can o’ light lager with a hot dog, it’s time to wake up and smell the mussels and Witbier. And if your only idea of cooking with beer encompasses a recipe called Beer Can Chicken, you’ve been missing out. We admit that a nice light lager can go well with some spicy chicken wings or some fish and chips. There
is
something to be said for old-school thoughts on beer, and there’s definitely a pleasant sense-memory response to a foot-long and a plastic cup of beer at the ballpark. We’re not saying these old ideas are ill-conceived notions. We’re not trying to rob you of your favorite memories with your father. But what if instead of a lager with the fish and chips, you were to pick a wheat beer brewed with lemongrass? Your flavor experience would be an amazing cacophony of citrus and coriander, beer flavors that enhance the fish and chips rather than merely acting as a thirst quencher. And imagine the chicken wings paired with a slightly sweet and smoky Porter, flavors that help balance the hotness of the wings while adding another dimension to the barbecue sauce. It’s just better.

Some innovative chefs are already pairing their beloved creations with craft beer and creatively using beer in their recipes. And forward-thinking restaurant owners are offering well-thought-out beer lists in addition to the requisite wine lists. In general, the food industry is just on the cusp of welcoming beer into the fine-dining world. It’s an exciting time for craft beer, but there’s still a long way to go. Unfortunately, just as beer drinkers align themselves with their mass-produced brand, some people are still under the impression that they like
one
beer, and that
one
beer should go with all food, period. They don’t even consider that there might be a better beer style for the dish in front of them. This narrow approach is unfair to the breadth of the craft beer world and to the creativity of the culinary world. Why would you paint with just one color? Yes, beer belongs at the backyard BBQ, but it also belongs on the white-clothed tables of Le Bernardin.