By Gunner
Do you remember your first sip of beer? I do. An ice cold Heineken on the deck at
the cottage from my father when I was around 13, as my mother gave us both
disapproving eyes…. It was just a sip though. Now most people I know say they
didn’t like the taste of beer when they first drank it, not this guy though. This is not
saying that I loved it, more like I understood why people liked it.
Since that first sip, there have been many phases of beer drinking. I went through the
“drink whatever beer was in front of you” phase before becoming legal drinking age (stupid Old English 800). Of course there was the “early years of legal beer drinking”
phase, which normally involved whatever was cheapest and easiest to get. But the
older I got, the more excited I became about new beers.
Now don’t get me wrong. The cheap beers will always have a place in my life. When
you are out camping during the hot summer months or grabbing a pitcher of
whatever’s on special after a sweet day of shredding during the winter. But nothing
can really compare to a good, quality beer. Quality is key, no matter what kind of
beer it is.
To me that quality beer is one that you don’t want to drink a bunch of. It doesn’t
even need to be cold. It just has to have a flavour that you like and understand.
Whether you pair it with a meal you are enjoying or if you grab yourself that yummy
big bottle to treat yourself at home. From sours in the summer, to dark lagers in the
winter and everything in between.
I love beer; it has been a part of many good memories in my life. I still love when I go
home and my mom comes out of her garden with a smile on her face, asking if it is
beer o’clock yet. Since I started working at Hunter Gather though, my feelings about
beer have changed. The love is still there, but a new underlying passion has risen in
me. I find myself stoked to learn as much as I can and discover new beer and new
beer styles. From a crazy barley wine to a simple lager, I have learned to appreciate
them all.
There is a movement in the beer world and I am excited to be a part of it. Meeting
fellow beer nerds at Hunter Gather and getting to share any knowledge about the
beers we offer. Learning and studying beers is a new avenue that I am really looking
forward to heading down. As Craft Beer starts to gain popularity and the market
becomes saturated in so many different kinds, I just want to help customers and
friends figure out not what is good or what is bad, just what they like.
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