When Extraordinary Becomes Ordinary

A funny thing happens when people do something well - particularly when that something has never really been done well before. At first, it’s new and refreshing to witness this common thing in a better light. Many people, myself included, are enamored with the novelty of this enlightened twist on a previously mundane facet of their lives. But over time, the newly raised bar becomes the standard, and people begin to regard the upgrade as the new mundane. This leads the “doers” into a never-ending game of looking for ways to break the mold and amaze their target demographic the way they once did, leaving behind that original improvement as a piece of history, relegated to the “obviously” category. Or as the hipsters would say, “obvi.”

Totes magotes!

You guys know I’m talking about beer, right?

Believe it or not, the sorrowful tale detailed above is happening in the craft beer community. Long ago, circa 1980 (or so), there was very little good beer made in America. Decades of prohibitive federal laws and regulations, coupled with corporate takeovers, mass production, money-saving schemes and propaganda campaigns by major beer producers had watered-down all of the awesomeness that once was American beer.

Fortunately, a few heroes arrived on the scene in the early 80s and revolutionized the American, and by extension global, beer industry for good. They brought back concepts like using proper methods and proper ingredients. They experimented with styles that had been all but forgotten, and poured copious amounts of care, pride and passion into their beer. Clearly, the results were spectacular, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So many lagers, so little time

One of the first discrepancies these OGs of craft beer set out to fix was American lager, obviously because that style of beer had been perverted by big beer into the yellow, fizzy, industrial, mass-produced, swill that most Americans drank because that’s all there was to drink. By applying the aforementioned concepts, like proper ingredients and methods, as well as pride, passion, and all that jazz, they restored American lager to what it was supposed to be - something recognizable as the crisp, flavorful beer, made with cold-fermenting yeast that the Germans and Czechs had perfected centuries before. And for those adventurous souls who joined those heroes, this rejuvenated American lager was a spectacular breath of fresh air.

Once lagers had been restored, the craft revolutionaries set their sights on other projects, such as resurrecting styles like the IPA, stout, porter, etc. They continued to be met with success, and were praised and lauded by their ever-expanding fan base at every turn. This success, compounded over three decades, has brought us to the world we currently occupy, in which craft beer sees a 17% sales jump in 2012, even in the midst of a stagnant overall beer market and an uncertain American economy.

Doing that thing you do.

But as I alluded to in the opening stanza, success breeds more success, or at least, the necessity for more success. Otherwise you’re a one-hit-wonder like the Oneders. That pressure to continue amazing people leads to brewers constantly seeking to brew the next big thing – the next trending style – the next interesting ingredient – the next hop bomb, high gravity monster or high alcohol face-melter. Now don’t get me wrong… THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS. But it does leave us with the following quandary – what about that American lager that started it all? Is it now part of the mundane?

In my opinion, the answer is “absolutely not.” It’s easy to regard lagers as “boring,” particularly when you try to compare them to all of the other beers out there that we are capable of making. Lagers are supposed to be simple and unflashy, given their Reinheitsgebot roots, but that is not a reason to pigeonhole them into mediocrity. A properly made lager can still dazzle with it’s attention to the style and overall refreshing attributes. Lagers are particularly wonderful on a hot day when you sit down in the shade and want to cool off. I, for one, love it when a brewery has a lager on their flight, and that lager tastes like a lager is supposed to taste. It shows me the brewer is not just showing off, but rather understands the subtle intricacies of all styles of beer – even the simpler ones.

Victory over big beer! The war is over!

This theory can be applied to all styles of beer… not just lagers. At the end of the day, if a beer is made with proper ingredients and methods, and is true to the style the brewer says they were aiming for, it’s a victory against big beer shenanigans, and must therefore be celebrated. I’m not saying that we are not allowed to be choosy, as it was the desire for more variety and higher quality that started all of this in the first place. What I’m saying is, we must not allow our human compulsion of “bigger, stronger, faster” to cloud the fact that some beers are supposed to be simple, and that simple does not mean dull.

In other words, give lagers a chance. They can be delicious and various just like all craft beer. In fact, I think I wrote a blog post many years ago all about lagers and how diverse they can be. I think I’ll give you a link to that post because I’m feeling extra generous this morning. You’re welcome.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!