I'm always dreaming. The other night, it was that the floor had collapsed under the weight of my beer books. Not beyond imagination, certainly. But it's not that sort of dream I'm talking about. A future aspiration. That type of dream, I mean.
It's a modest dream. Not demanding at all. I dream that one day every pub will sell one decent beer. Shouldn't be too difficult, should it? Not like I'm asking for world peace or international socialism. Have I asked for enough? Maybe I should have gone for one naturally-conditioned beer being universally available. Still not unreasonable, is it? Britain used to manage it until pretty recently with bottled Guinness.
What's your dream? Beer-related dream, to be more specific. Beer on the rates? Handpulled Imperial Stout across Germany? Oude Gueuze in Dublin corner locals? Dark Mild the most popular beer in California? Heineken launching an unfiltered Kulmbacher? Triple IPA flowing through the streets of Glasgow? Carlsberg replacing their huge factories with dozens of local breweries? Broyhan being brewed once more in Hannover?
As you can see from my suggestions, it doesn't have to be a realistic dream. Anything is possible in a dream. Unlike boring old reality. I'd happily live in my dreams. OK, I might often get tracked across continents by psychopathic killers, but at least the architecture is good. And I don't have to work. That's two up on the real world.
An end to nitrogenated beer. It makes me increasingly believe we live in someone's nightmare alternative reality.
ReplyDeleteNow that Diageo are building a whole new brewery from scratch I have hopes they'll put a pilot kit in and make decent beers in small batches. American beer bloggers love knocking the pseudo-craft efforts of their industrial brewers, but I'd be really happy if our macros went after that market. I'd see it as victory.
More choice: that's my dream. A flat above De Bierkoning would do nicely.
My simple beer-related dream is that more pubs would play good music at a reasonable volume and there would be no telly anywhere in sight.
ReplyDeleteAlso good, creative and affordable pub food would be available to match ales. (For example, brewpubs in Portland, a very foodie town, really raise the bar-- no pun intended).
And that I could go boozing without getting hassled, that would be nice.
Reality is overrated, I saw it once, didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll stick with my own version of reality.
Being able to smoke my pipe and drink cask conditioned stout in every pub.
ReplyDeleteIf we could have one good beer pub in Oslo, where you don't have to fight the waiters to get the beer you know they have, and where they at least stock a decent selection of Norwegian craft beer, that'd be quite nice.
ReplyDeleteActually, now that I think about it, my dream is that I'd live in Stavanger. Since they have a good pub there already that's much more likely to make me happy.
To live roughly equidistant from some of my favourite beer areas.
ReplyDeletei reckon wiesbaden might cut it.
and a foolproof antidote to hangovers, of course. actually i'd even settle for something that reliably ameliorated those 4 pints on a weeknight hangovers, even if it didn't really did with the real stonkers.
and favourable tax regimes for smaller breweries.
For mid- and upscale restaurants to take good beer more seriously.
ReplyDeleteThis is happening in the US but lags here in Belgium, a place that takes food very seriously. (Don't know about the UK.) This is allegedly "beer paradise," but it's incredible how many excellent restos carry only French wine. I enjoy wine but I find beer much more fun with my eating.
And before and after my eating.
An aviability of everything that is great from the beer world everytime i want it...
ReplyDeletethat means us-style IPAs, belgium saisons and unblended lambics, gose, wöllnitzer weissbier;), and many more in every german supermarket, eliminating the need to travel around for the stuff, i mean, come on, wine drinkers dont have to meet with an american or fly o america or whatever to get a californian wine, so why should i do this for decent californian beer?
This idea can off course just come true if everyone here gets more interested in the variety beer has to offer...
Another dream, off course- my own beer cafe in my own house.....but hey one can dream,right?
For me to own the best pub in London and it to be frequented by Girls Aloud and me to be their best mate and then pull Kimberley and us to get married and stuff. Bollocks to beer choice, I've already got quality Timmy Taylor Landlord and that does me fine.
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