Questionnaire 001

We love writing about our brewery experiences and wanted to include everyone in the Here for Beer Club on this post. Thank you to everyone who asked questions!

1. What's one brewery you're looking forward to going to?

Kass: There are so many places I want to go for beer. If I'm thinking somewhat local, Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, PA. If I'm thinking about what I want Austin to experience, Yuengling in Pottsville, PA or any brewery in Germany. I told Austin after we visited 100, I wanted to travel to Montana or Minnesota for beer next. We'll see!

Austin: Great question! Since we have been to so many different breweries in the United States, I would love to travel internationally to explore the beer scenes that different parts of the world have to offer. Of course German or Ireland breweries are the first come to mind. One brewery that I have been itching to go to is Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore. This would give me a taste of Dublin inspired beer while only having to travel a couple of hours.

2. How do you "dumb down" beer styles for people who know nothing about beer?

Kass: I already know my answer isn't going to be as sophisticated as Austin's. Naturally, I get asked about beer when I'm ordering one and a friend is like "oOo what's that?" I will normally compare the beers to the larger, well known beers. I normally get wheat beers, so I'll say, "This will taste similar to an Allagash White or Blue Moon. It'll have citrusy and bready flavors."

Austin: Beer can be divided into two main categories, Lagers or Ales, and this is based on the strain of yeast used to ferment the beer i.e. turn the sugars into alcohol. While there are several different subcategories, people say lagers tend to taste cleaner and more crisp while ales tend to be fuller bodied and often incorporate fruit flavors. Of course there are exceptions. The rest is in the hops and grain used. Certain beer styles are known for lots of hops which add bitterness and aromas (IPA's, Pale ales). Other beers have less hops and rely more on the grains to pack the flavor (Pilsners). The grains used contribute mostly to the flavor/mouthfeel of the beer and are the driving force in the color. The dark color of stouts and chocolatey flavor are often due to a type of grain used that is literally called chocolate malt. This might not be dumbed down but hope it helps!

3. Which brewery did you travel furthest to?

Kass: I wasn't necessarily traveling there for the beer, but I did go to Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam in 2016. We did the tour, which was awesome, and sampled beer along the way. This was before I liked beer so I think I'd enjoy it a lot more if I went now.

Austin: We went to some breweries in Hawaii but didn't necessarily travel there for the beer. I would say the furthest place I have traveled solely for the brewery is when we drove to Stowe, Vermont to try the famous Alchemist Brewery.

4. We know Kass didn't like beer until she met Austin. How did Austin get into craft brews?

Austin: A valuable piece of advice my dad gave me when I started college was "if you are going to drink, stick to beer not liquor." I took that to heart and started to opt for the Coors over the Crown. When I got bored of Coors I wanted to try other beer styles knowing very little about craft beer at all. The first IPA I drank, I was convinced was spoiled lol. I soon developed a love for that hoppy bitterness, and that is when I became extremely interested in what goes into creating the various beer styles. With my chemistry background I picked up homebrewing as a hobby. While I stick mainly to drinking beers that the true professionals make these days, I still enjoy sitting around the kettle drinking a cold one while hop steam smacks me in the face from time to time.

Cheers,

Kass + Austin

PS: Feel free to reach out with blog ideas or any questions you may have about our brewery experiences in the Here for Beer Facebook Group. Follow Here for Beer on our official Instagram.

Disclaimer: We are not Professional Beer Drinkers. We should be. We will not slander any establishment, but will be honest. We have not kept a log on any of the elements of beers (e.g. aroma, hoppy-ness, after taste, or burp). This blog is for fun!