In the current issue of Planet S, I write a short piece on “guilty pleasures” – in this case about those beer that you secretly don’t mind so much in certain circumstances. The kind of beer you wouldn’t admit to your fellow beer geek friends that you have ever let slide past your lips.
I didn’t have to tell anyone about these beer. I could have kept them locked away in a closet, never to see the light of day. But I am a beer writer and educator. I have a moral obligation to shed light on all aspects of beer. And that means sometimes enjoying a glass of beer that normally makes me go “meh”. Or at least this is what I am telling myself as I realize that thousands of people now know that from time to time I slum it – beerwise.
But, admit it, you all do it, too. I am providing a public service in admitting my beer guilty pleasures. In fact the list provided for Planet S is incomplete – I restricted it to beer available in Saskatchewan. I could add a couple more for Alberta readers – but won’t for now.
You can read my shameful admission here. And now it is your turn. What is your guilty pleasure (keep it focused on beer, people!!)? Don’t be ashamed. Admitting it is the first step to acceptance. Go on. No one will judge (well, at least I won’t judge)
July 25, 2011 at 2:09 PM
I really like Russell lemon ale, despite a general preference for something with a bit more hops and flavour. The lemon is balanced perfectly; much better than the other flavoured “beers” out there like Aprikat.
July 25, 2011 at 4:05 PM
I guess I’m too much of a beer snob! If there isn’t a beer available that I like, then I will drink water. I spent enough time in my mis-informed youth drinking crappy beers, that I’m not willing to go through it again.
July 25, 2011 at 4:10 PM
I’d hardly call Kilkenny a guilty pleasure. I have no shame in enjoying a pint of Kilkenny, nor should you.
July 26, 2011 at 1:41 AM
Not that I’m ashamed or guilty…currently have 3 Kilkenny Cream Ales in the fridge. Along with a Naramata Nut Brown from Cannery, a Wellington S.P.A.(Special P…) & a bottle of Alley Kat’s White Tail Hefeweizen. I drank a Wellington Trailhead Vienna Lager this afternoon and a Wellington County Dark Ale this evening.
July 26, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Pil, preferably on tap. I grew up watching my grandfather drink cases of Old Style Pilsener (no, he wasn’t from Saskatchewan – he actually emigrated from Germany), and he would give me an occasional sip. The flavour and aroma of Pil takes me back to my childhood… er, I mean early adulthood. Pil does have a lot more flavour than most macro brews out there: for an enlightening experiment try cracking a Kokanee and a Pil side by side.
July 26, 2011 at 9:24 PM
Ditto what Chad said but for Molson Canadian.
July 27, 2011 at 3:35 PM
Chad, some of us refer to Pil as “Boh Light.” Bohemian and Calgary seem to have the most flavour of various brands of “swill.” http://alesclub.com/media/images/Profiles/mheise.jpg
July 27, 2011 at 8:30 PM
You all offer interesting admissions. Thank you. I would not consider many of those beer embarassing, and I take Ernie’s point that neither is Kilkenny. I appreciate how some of the beer have a memory association, which is totally fair.
I find I still wonder what people do when in a bar with a poor selection. Sid says he orders something else, but I imagine most of us suck it up and buy something sub-standard. Usually places with lousy beer also have lousy house wine, is my experience…
Jason
July 27, 2011 at 9:21 PM
This weeks candidate for-so called-‘guilty pleasure’, radlers. Had a couple Austrian Stiegl’s at Wunderbar just awhile ago & I’m seriously(very seriously)thinking of picking up at least 3 or 4 next time I’m at Sherbrooke – great summer beer variation!
July 28, 2011 at 7:54 AM
I VERY rarely go somewhere with a bad beer selection (usually it is only when I go to see live music in small clubs), so when I do, I will sometimes order a single beer just to see what some of this stuff still tastes like.
July 28, 2011 at 5:33 PM
Mark,
Yeah, I hear you. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t go out of my way to go to places with bad beer selection (quite the opposite – I work hard to direct my friends to good places when we go out), but sometimes you just find yourself there. I think I know what you mean about ordering one out of curiousity.
My biggest issue is going to events organized at hotels. You know – a meet and greet or reception connected to a conference or something. The hotels always have HORRIBLE beer and LOUSY wine. What is a man to do? That is often where I find myself gulping and ordering a Kokanee. At times like that I wish I liked Rye or Vodka…
Jason
July 28, 2011 at 11:57 PM
When there isn’t another option, I’ll go for a Big Rock (which sadly seems to be getting worse and worse…did they learn what an IPA is from Alexander Keith’s?), or Rickard’s White (probably the best Molson product ever, mainly because it never really originated from Molson to begin with). But generally, I’ve trained my soccer team to skip the “deals” that the sponsor bar offers and head to the nearest Brewsters instead, and I usually try and drag the team we played against with us.
July 29, 2011 at 8:32 PM
Ended up at Earl’s yesterday with my work group. Thought I would have to “take one for the team,” but amazingly, they had Paddock Wood 606 on tap! Or should I say “Paddock Pale,” according to our waitress.