Image? What Image?

I have to admit that I am sometimes embarrassed to admit I love beer. It is all to easy for people to think that this means your idea of a Friday night is to get a case of bud light and see how fast you can drink it. That has never been me. Obviously I must be an oddball.

I can’t count the times I have said I love beer to be followed by a comment such as ‘oh yea, I had a Yuengling that was really good’ or ‘I had a Sam Adams once’ or the most common ‘I drink Guinness sometimes’. Now I am not trying to knock any of these brewers. They all have their place in the brewing world.

Then there is the whole keg party and beer pong. Where does one start? It is little surprise that beer is seen as a drink to get you or someone else drunk. Few people enjoy beer like they would a fine wine or nice single malt scotch. This is such a shame. I am convinced that there is no drink as varied as beer. It should be savored and enjoyed for the aroma and taste not the alcohol.

But every so often I do seem to meet people like me who just enjoy good beer. They may not be as big a beer geek as me. I mean how many people have a blog about beer, rate every beer they drink and stand in line for hours to buy beer? When I do meet these people I usually have great conversations. I learn about far away places and events. I find out good places to drink and buy beer. And of course I share in the drinking of good beer.

The problem is these occurrences tend to happen in places that are geared to the more common side of beer. This is especially true in Charlotte, NC. Why can a city the size of Charlotte not have any truly good beer drinking establishments? A place I can go with my wife and some friends to drink a few really good beers in a quite environment and not feel like I should be knocking the pints back every 15 minutes.

The one place that comes close is the Flying Saucer. Good beer, decent food but it is 45 minutes away, crowded and noisy. I am not knocking the saucer. Last time I was there I sampled the Bells Hopslam, The Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter, Foothills Sexual Chocolate, Bells Two-hearted Ale, Avery Hog Heaven and a few others. I was there with my beer club (yes I know I am a beer geek) and it was a good night. Just not relaxing in the way a nice wine bar can be.

I guess I am just asking for someone to open up a great beer focused bar in south Charlotte. Make it a relaxed environment where one can come to drink good beer, relax and enjoy the company of similar minded people and I will be there. You never know the right place might even improve beers image a bit.

~ by alelagerlambic on February 19, 2008.