Drink Local

I am sick and tired of buying beer only to find that it's old and abused. I don't know if it's just where I've been shopping post-move, or a renewed sensitivity in my palate, but I have been cursed with innumerable six-packs of beer past their prime over the past few months. And I'm about tired of it.

I'm currently drinking a Descutes Cinder Cone Red Ale that, though dated "best by 4/11/06," is obviously on the decline. The beer should be considerably malty, and there should be a considerable hop character from the Amarillos. Not a few weeks ago a friend described the hop character of the beer as significanly "resinous." This emboldended me to buy the beer on my next trip to the local BevMo. Now, my friend lived (he just now moved back to San Diego) in Southern Oregon, which is a lot closer to Bend and Deschutes than I am, but I figured the beer would still be moderately fresh. The date on the bottles reassured me. Once I got 'em home, however, I was gravely disappointed. The hop character had faded, the malt had decayed, and there was some of that autolyzed yeast-ey weirdness that always shows up in too-old beers made with the "California"- style strains. Yes, it's still drinkable, but it's far from it's peak.

Ultimately, I'm somewhat pissed at retailers and distributors for even making it possible for me to buy beer past it's prime. But instead of just bitching, I'm going to do something proactive and vow to "drink local." Yes, unless I'm buying a durable style (big or Belgian) I'm going to do my best to buy from breweries within a two-hour radius. I've never had a problem with breweries like Sierra Nevada and Beerman's, and that's probably because they're so damn close to me and/or have high-enough turn-over that the beer on the shelves doesn't have a chance to get funky. And with Sierra Nevada IPA's recent debut in bottles, this should be quite an easy resolution to keep.

So, drink local. You'll be happier with the beer. And on top of that, you'll be supporting local businesses, which is nice and neighborly...