BEER? Yeah, BEER!

The rules of wine have been established for many years now. People tell us what goes with what, how our palates will (or should) react to different varietals and different foods and so on and so forth. I know I'm not the only person, by any means, who has thought about this numerous times, but what about beer? Personally I think that brewing quality suds is just as interesting and important as producing a quality wine. Wine is put on a pedistal (as it should be) but why not beer? It takes just as much knowledge to grow quality hops as it does a great grape. Oregon is a great example... Many fine vineyards, but just as many great micro breweries. Maybe it's because wine growing regions are so limited and focused on local grapes as opposed to breweries which import hops from all around the globe. I'm not saying that people don't respect beer like they do wine, all I'm trying to say is instead of going wine tasting, maybe we should think about going beer tasting... My challange to you is, the next time you go out to dinner and the server asks you "and can I get you started with a glass of wine?" Ask him or her what they have on tap. Who knows? Maybe you'll find that a nice IPA pairs well with a jumbalaya, or that Boont Amber pairs well with a savory meat dish. Try it out and let me know what you think... Now that's thinking outside of the box. We should do it more often!