Have you ever stopped to think about how brilliant it is that we can easily pick some of the best North American craft beer in the world at our local bottle shop? Stop what you’re doing and think about it now. Yes, now. Really think about it. Think about how some of the best beer in the world is travelling 5,000 miles to sit on a shelf five minutes from your house, all because someone in America thought you might enjoy it and buy some of their beer.
It’s easy to take this for granted and it’s all too simple to say that we live in a golden age of beer consumption because to be honest, we really do. It’s not perfect, far from it and it probably never will be – but it’s only going to get better. The most important thing to do is to appreciate what’s right in front of us, right now. It’s all too easy to try something new as often as possible but sometimes it’s better to find a really tasty beer and latch on to it for a while.
American IPA is my favourite style of beer and Founders Centennial IPA is surely one of the most dependable. It’s as bright as a recently buffed copper kettle, with mellow aromas of citrus and French toast. To taste Centennial is like receiving a sliced lemon, drizzled in golden syrup and dipped in sugar-coated toasted barley, directly to the face. Unlike a lot of really modern IPA, Centennial stays true to its US roots with that big, chunky, malt flavour keeping those biting citrus notes in check. It’s great, should never be taken for granted and enjoyed as often as possible. Just stop what you’re doing for a moment and think about it.
You can find more from beer writer Matthew Curtis at his excellent beer blog, Total Ales, and Good Beer Hunting, and on Twitter@totalcurtis.