Getting Fresh

Let’s face it: Most beers are designed for immediate gratification. They are meant to be enjoyed as soon as possible; the fresher they are, the better they will taste.

One of the best examples I ever received on that loosely framed “beer rule” came one day when Portland Brewing’s founder, Fred Bowman, invited me to have a beer with him. He met me at a local pub that had his Bavarian-style hefeweizen on tap, along with Franziskaner’s version, right off the boat from Germany.

Fred had the bartender pour us samples of each one and asked him to not let us see which was which. Then, Fred asked me which one I thought was Portland Brewing’s.

I was a newbie beer writer. And Fred, although a super-nice guy, was, well, Fred Bowman, the founder of one of the first microbreweries in America. I was more than a bit intimidated.

I gulped, and lifted the first glass. It looked like a lovely Barvarian hefeweizen, cloudy and straw-colored. I sniffed Beer No. 1. Yup, the hefeweizen aromas were all there. I took a taste. Ditto.

I repeated the process for Beer No. 2 with the same results. I snuck at glance at Fred for a clue. No luck. If that guy ever wanted another career, he could play high stakes poker.

I turned my attention back to the beers. Both were spot-on, style-wise. But one tasted … fresher.

I delivered my verdict. Pointing at the fresher-tasting sample, I said, “This one is yours.”

Fred looked a bit surprised. He affirmed that I made the right decision, and asked me how I knew. I told him that my only clue was that one tasted fresher, and I deduced that, because his brewery was a mile away, and the other was thousands of miles away, the fresher one was his. He smiled.

In retrospect, I think he wanted me to not be able to tell the difference; that he asked me there to prove that Portland Brewing was making a wonderful Bavarian hefeweizen. And they were doing just that. But the difference was in the freshness of the beer.

Most beers, including virtually all lagers and a bunch of ales, are matured at the brewery and are ready for consumption when they hit the shelves and taps. Freshness does matter for those beers. The ones I want to talk about next time are the beers that can stand – and in many cases, improve with – the test of time.

By the way, if you are in Portland and are planning on being at the Holiday Ale Festival this week/weekend, look me up. I will be the gal with a beer and a big smile on her face.

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