*That* Question
You know the one. I’m sure you’ve been asked it, like, a million times. I’m sure you’ve stood there opposite the asker, beer in hand, squirming, trying to come up with your answer, readying a monologue and then cutting it back to a few stuttered and uncomfortable words along the lines of: “Oh man, that’s such a difficult question, there are so many great beers, you know, I can’t just pick one.” But, what is your favourite beer? What’s the best beer you’ve ever had? What’s your desert island beer? Come on, what’s the answer?!
People who don’t drink craft beer don’t seem to understand. They have difficulty appreciating that we like more than one or two beers. And they don’t seem to get the fact that the best beer you’ve ever had, your favourite beer and your desert island choice will probably never be the same thing.
The beauty of beer is that it works any time, in any situation, to suit any mood. If the best beer I’ve ever had, for example, is a four-year-old bottle of 12% imperial stout brewed with coffee and vanilla and aged in a bourbon barrel then that’s just super. Does me telling them that enlighten them in any way? Will they even know what it is if I tell them the beer’s name? (Cue the blank face staring back) Then would I call this beer my favourite? Would I want to open a bottle a week to enjoy it? Would I take a case with me to a desert island?
Here’s how I see it: the best beer I’ve ever had will be the one which is the most memorable to me. It’s not purely a sensory or taste experience. It’s about where I was and who I was with. Maybe it was the beer I opened the day my first child was born, maybe on my wedding day, graduation day. Maybe I’d just had a great day with friends and we opened this one and universally agreed that it was spectacular. It needn’t be a super-rare beer. I doesn’t have to be one of the fabled ‘bests’, it could just be any beer. But it’s a one-off experience. My favourite beer is the one that I want to drink most of and drink regularly. It’s the one which is always in the fridge, the one you know so well but never tire of, the bottle which you can just open any time and still love it. The favourite beer is an important one. Then the desert island beer. I doubt you’d want to take the best beer you’ve had because it will lose whatever magic it once had. You may want to take your favourite beer, this is kind of sensible. Or, you may want to be practical and choose something that will either get you – and keep you – very drunk, or have something refreshing during the hot sun (I’m assuming you wash up onto this island and find a well spring of this beer, by the way – that’s how it works).
Ask me *that* question and see me squirm. See me try to explain that it’s a difficult question to answer, that it depends on what time of year it is, that my favourite beer isn’t the best beer I’ve ever had and then see them try to understand it and fail. See my attempts to console them and still give an answer by saying, ‘well, I love big IPAs’ and then tell them a few names, see their face drop when they realise they’ve never heard of them, let the awkward silence begin. Put it this way: if someone tells you they love food and trying new recipes then you aren’t likely to get a decent answer if you ask them what the best meal they’ve ever had was. Or their favourite. I like your curiosity and thank you for your interest, but understand that it’s a really difficult question to answer. “Would you like to try this beer? It’s great!” I offer, smiling. “Oh no, I don’t really drink beer.” They reply.
Very well stated – I just had this happen to me last night. It’s hard to condense this all down to just one beer that represents everything and even harder to try to explain why it is (and not sound like a condescending jerk).
I *hate* this question. Usually the best I can come up with is my favourite beer of the moment, which is a fluid answer, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Yep. I get this question a lot too. But not just from craft beer newbies. I get it from the experienced bunch as well, although they generally reserve the asking of the question for interviews.
My response? That it’s “the classic impossible-to-answer question.” That when I select a beer, either at home from the fridge, at a multi-tap, or at a beer store, it generally takes some time for me to make the decision as I don’t automatically know what I want. I have to cross-reference what’s available to my mood, how many I think I might be wanting that eve (abv-related element of the decision), food, etc. etc. etc.
Hell, if I have such a tough time making a one-off decision, there’s no way I can make the ’til-the-end-of-time one!
My favorite beer is the ability to make that choice each individual time that I choose what I’m having next….
Cheers,
Greg
I am the Beer Operations Manager for a store here in Destin, Florida and get that question all the time. My answer: That’s like asking which kid is my favorite kid.
Cheers!
BB
Porterhouse, I know what you mean, it’s a fine line between being vague and being a jerk!! Collectively we need to come up with a stock response to the question!
Dubbel, a fluid answer, I love it!
Greg, you must get this more than others. I guess the obvious answer is Arrogant Bastard!! It sometimes takes me 10 minutes just to choose what I want next, so yeah, choosing just one is impossible. And nice answer, it’s based on every tangible element of drinking, choosing that one beer which you know will give you what you want.
BB, so, which kid is your favourite?!
I think all beer geeks who “evangelise” have difficulty with that question. But I like your breakdown in to the three categories.
I just tell people I can’t answer that as I’m still trying to find out the answer myself! Then I invite them on the journey. I’ve had a few take me up on the offer, and that’s the fun part, getting them to share the experience of new tastes. The results can be both gratifying and funny in a Schadenfreude kind of way
The truth is, people who say they have a “favourite X”, whatever X is – beer, film, book, whisky – don’t really like “X” enough. The joy of really liking something is not having favourites. I don’t like wine anything like as much as I like beer, and I have favourite wines – South American Sauv Blanc, Zinfandel and Aussie Shiraz, as it happens. Favouriteb beers – I couldn’t even give you a favourite beer style.
Come on Mark, we have had this discussion a couple of times and the answer is London Pride.
A nice wholesome session beer
The venerable beer writer, Fred Eckhardt, always answers that question with the perfectly pithy, “The one in my hand!”
I take it to the next level and say, “My next one!” Because there’s always that little bit of excitement and tasty anticipation that comes before the first sip of a new-to-you brew.
I believe in having a definite and specific answer to this question instead of hemming and hawing. Surely there is a beer that always tastes good to you, that always seems to fit any mood, any weather, any meal. This question is an opportunity for you to make a really influential recommendation to someone. Why pass it up?
Anyway, the correct answer is Saison Dupont.
Amazing! Not clear for me, how offen you updating your markdredge.hoppress.com.
Thanks
Dolly
Instead of “favorite”, I like to think of my “go-to” beer. For instance, if I am in the store and the wife is on my case about taking to long staring at all the beers and to just PICK one already… I tend to grab the Sierra Nevada Torpedo for the best bang for the buck…
P.S. I don’t take her beer shopping anymore.