Beer Basics with Day Bracey
DAY BRACEY, Co-Founder of Barrel and Flow Fest the country’s first annual celebration of Black brewers, kicks off our craft beer journey with a walk-through of his favorite IPAS, pilsners, stouts, kettle sours, and mead. Visit barrelandflow.com for more information on this year’s event.
Hola, readers. I’m sort of a “freelance drunk” around town, with some beer suggestions for folks looking to start their craft booze journey in Pittsburgh. It can be intimidating with all the craft snobbery, complex terms, and abundance of available options, but once you get the basics down it becomes fairly easy to figure out what you like, don’t like, and what’s just terrible beer. The thing to keep in mind is that beer can be as vastly different as any food you eat, so don’t worry if you don’t like it all. You’re not supposed to. Drink what you like and don’t let anyone steer you differently with their “aristocraftic” attitudes.
Apis Mead–Raspberry Blackberry
Mead is not beer. Odd to start a beer list with not beer, but hear me out. Mead is honey wine. Apis Mead is honey wine brewed by one of Pittsburgh’s most ingenious brewers. The flavor profiles include Hopped Passionfruit, Strawberry Balsamic, and Pineapple Habanero. With a great body and dry finish leaving you wanting more, they are built to convert even the staunchest crafties into mead lovers. Raspberry Blackberry is the easiest on the palate for those new to the craft scene.
Penn Brewery–Penn Kaiser
Pilsners are what most folks consider beer-flavored beer, and what the brew industry affectionately refers to as “dad beers.” Ask any brewer and they’ll tell you it’s the holy grail of brews. You can’t hide imperfections by adding hops or adjuncts. Good pilsners are low ABV, clear, crisp, light body and flavor. Perfect for a baseball game or your kid’s recital. You judge a brewery by its pilsner, and Pittsburgh’s oldest craft brewery is the reigning champ in this category.
Hitchhiker–Bane of Existence
IPAs are the lifeblood of the craft industry, and what most people associate with the term “craft.” They are not for the faint of palate. It takes some getting used to the bitterness from the hops, but once you do you’re rewarded with a plethora of flavors including fruit, flowers, pine, and even dirt (earth) depending on the brew. Styles of IPAs are as vast as the sea, but the most popular these days is the hazy. They are typically lower IBUs, fruitier, and have great body for folks who love hop characteristics but hate the bitter. Bane of Existence is a great introduction to this genre.
East End–Big Hop
Big. Hoppy. American. West Coast. IPA. When most people think of craft beer, they think of this style. One of the OGs of the craft scene, East End has turned a lot of folks onto craft beer. I remember hearing rumors of a shady place in Larimer where you had to line up outside with a jug to be filled during select hours. Pretty sure there was a secret handshake involved. This has probably evolved into an elbow bump or toe tap given the current climate. If you like bitter treats like coffee, you’ll enjoy the bitterness of the hops up front that leave you with hints of orange, pine, lemongrass, and some malt for good measure. If you enjoy herbal delights you’ll love the danky dank characteristics of the hop, cousin of the hemp, that shine through this American classic. Conquer this style of craft beer and wait for your official beard and flannel to arrive in the mail within 5-10 business days.
Eleventh Hour–Rotating Stout
Stouts are my personal favorite. Full-bodied dark brews with the most common flavors being chocolate and coffee. Milk stouts are creamy and delicious. Sometimes a brewer will get the hankering to throw some fruit there to give you that chocolate covered experience or to play nice with the roasty bitterness of the coffee.They come big and small. You can pack all the oats and cinnamon and caramel and maple and ABVs into it that you want, or you can go simple and light and crushable on a summer day. Given their dark nature, typically associated with colder months, it’s hard to find them on tap year round, unless you’re at Eleventh Hour. They’ve got your back.
Grist House–Kaboom Candy Series
Kettle sours are dope. They don’t really taste like beer. Most folks who say they don’t like beer make an exception for sours. They’re like the Johnny Cash of craft, in the sense that country music is terrible, but Cash transcends genres. Typically light-bodied, fruity, and sour, they are reminiscent of spritzers or spiked pop. Grist does a great job of layering three fruits in a way that complements one another and lets each shine at different points in your experience from the nose, to the palate, and even the after taste. If you’re looking for something that is far from both Budweiser and Hop Devil, you’ve come to the right place.
For the record, I’m no beer expert, just a guy who likes beer. If you’re really interested in learning more about craft, the beauty of the industry is that most places are run by the people brewing it. Get to know your brewer as well as the beer, and feel confident in your support of local businesses. Who knows, maybe they’ll sponsor your kid’s softball team. Lord knows Coors isn’t going to do it. Cheers!
STORY BY DAY BRACEY
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