Try a New Beer this Weekend/Year
Print Article I first tasted Dogfish Head's Sah'tea beer several months back, and I was hooked. It's one of their "super-expensive-only-comes-in-750-ml-bottles" varieties, but I was lucky enough to find it on tap for normal prices at a time when I was feeling adventurous in my beer selection.
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Now, don't get me wrong. As you know from my thorough exploration of Custom Brewcrafters over the summer, I do enjoy experiencing new and exciting developments in liquid bread. However, when I hit the bars (let's face it, I'm an old man. When I hit "a bar"), I often set aside my Magellan-like indefatigability and opt for a basic sipping beer.
Put differently, sometimes, you don't want The Bridge on the River Kwai; you just want to watch a rerun of How I Met Your Mother. You don't want Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back; you want Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
On this fine evening, however, I was piqued to try something new. I chose the now-fabled sah'tea, nevermind that I had no knowledge or understanding of the pleasures that awaited me. Obviously, I'm now a fan -- both because of the magnificence of the beer as well as the knowledge that the sah'tea is Dogfish Head's creative, modern spin on a Finnish style of beer called sahti. 
Now, sahti is a primitive beer with a brawny, sweetish flavor, the genesis of which is the use of whole juniper branches for filtration (and flavor). The sah'tea, on the other hand, expands on the spiciness of the juniper and infuses the beer with black tea and classic chai tea spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger (hence the whole "tea" thing). The beer was deep and powerfully flavorful without being heavy, sharp without any sour bite on the finish, and fresh tasting. I feel it's a good all-season beer -- it has the playfulness of spring and summer beers with winter spices. Sah'tea was a delight, and my only regret was trying something else for my second pint. Fortunately, I found the beer at Whole Foods some time later, and currently have an unopened bottle waiting for me in my fridge.
All of this adds up to the following: no matter how adventurous we are, we get tired. We get bored and complacent. We think we know what we like.
But inspiration, and newness, and excitement are only a pint glass away. This weekend, do yourself a favor: try a new beer.
Unless you're not yet legal. Then, try a new...apple juice. Or whatever it is the kids are drinking.
Reader Comments (1)
Glad you discovered Dogfish Head! My personal favorites of theirs for sipping beers (8-20% abv):
120 minute IPA
World Wide Stout
Burton Baton
These also age well. I was lucky enough to have a 3+ yr old 120minIPA last month, and it was closer to a port than a beer. Well worth the wait!
Cheers!