Knowing Your Alcohol

Knowing your alcohol

I think alcohol is a bit like games. Your enjoyment thereof, although pleasant as a complete amateur can only be enhanced by knowledge and practice. Note that by practice I mean practice tasting and really enjoying the smells and flavours of the alcohol rather than volumetric practice that one indulges in during freshman’s week in college.

I recently went with a friend of mine, Charlie to an American football game at Twickenham involving the New York Giants (his team) against the Los Angeles Rams. Now it was a great game in terms of show, there were cheerleaders, pom-poms, fireworks, music and of course beer. Budweiser which was fitting being an American event. Now I don’t really get American football, compared to what I grew up on being rugby. American football seems to be organised and timed purely around the advertisements, there are a lot of set pieces, a lot of stoppage of the game and various players keep running onto and off the field. And there are at least 3 referees on the field who keep rather aggressively throwing in their little hankies every time someone fouls.

Now Charlie grew up on this stuff. I had watched maybe a Super bowl or 2 on TV in equal confusion. Now I thoroughly enjoyed the game anyway and the experience of being at a stadium game, but how much better was the occasion for Charlie being there and talking me through all the moves. He would be telling me in detail whenever there was a tactical question of whether they should kick or try run this move. There were names for feints and types of throw. And at the end of the game the one pitcher went down ‘on bended knee’, strangely ending the game. I realise there was so much more to this game and my enjoyment of it as it was raised from very superficial to basic increased. And I feel like it is with alcohol. And here I say you probably need to pick what you like and then have an expanded appreciation and awareness through knowledge. Be it craft beers, wine or whiskey, that little bit of awareness of how a drink is made, where it is made, different years and regional comparisons can lead to much higher levels of appreciation and understanding.

I still feel like a philistine next to some people when one is quaffing say a wine or sharing a whiskey but even being able to make a comment or draw parallels with other vintages and revitalising our taste buds improves the experience.