Prost

While not a cold snap, it is obvious that summer is over. The repugnant humidity and stifling heat of August has been blown away by, perhaps, the first “Autum” rainfall. Nature is going through its final waking cycle before winter spreads its cold hands across the world. Maybe you feel it in your bones. As atmospheric pressure changes your knees feel a little stiffer. The days are shorter, for sure, and the mornings become a little bit harder to begin. Yepp, still a while away from the “holiday season” but the grocery stores say otherwise. My beer is cold, but no longer used to cool me off. Ah bliss…welcome to fest season.

My citrus and hop forward IPAs are being benched while malty goodness gets up to bat. Not quite cold enough for a Stout or Porter just yet. My Marzen, or Bavarian Lager, take center stage. Their dark/gold amber auroras are a feast for my eyes before my taste buds ever get a chance. One sip in and all I can think is, “this is what beer should be”. While certainly not light, something tells me I can drink it all day long. A little sweet, yet full bodied, it is a welcomed familiar taste that feels like home. 

Not that one needs an excuse to eat giant pretzels ever, fest season requires it. Freshly baked, warm, soft pretzels with a pinch of grain salt. Pick your poison, mustard or cheese, both compliment the beer in symbiosis. While pretzels are a delicious compliment to your “fresh as ever” brew I think we all know the bratwurst rules king. Perfectly cooked but never burnt. The lining pops in your mouth with that first bite telling you that yes…we have arrived.

Rumor has it that in heaven there is no beer and that’s why we drink it here. I subscribe to the theory that beer is the cultivation of mankind’s best traits. Agriculture, art, technology, and style collide to make something quite beautiful. So go grab a pint or make it mug, head on down to your local owned pub. Get it topped off and raise it high for a toast, here is to you so let’s cheers and scream PROST!