I’ve been thinking about the forthcoming hop shortage and wondering what impact, other than price, it will have on American beer-making in the coming months. You could argue that the American craft brew scene has been somewhat dominated in the last few years by big hop profile beers, of which I’m a huge fan. The ingenuity and access to ingredients from all across the globe has spawned a generation of American craft brewers who are not bound by a regional or brand tradition and who certainly aren’t afraid to push the recipe envelope. It’s my opinion that American beers, much like American cars, have traditionally (with a few major exceptions) been run-of-the-mill and bland compared to the rich history and collective knowledge of European beermakers. However, right now American craft beers are, across the board, kicking ass.
But have we forgotten the art of the malt? Are we on the verge of a malty beer revolution, where we take the same reckless abandoned creative approach to our grains as we have in recent years to what we can do with our hops? Will continuous hopping during the boil, ridiculous quantities and dry-hopping just about everything give way to creative roasting, blending and grain adjuncts? As much as I love a 90-minute, Terrapin Imperial Pilsner or even a Stone IPA, I’m feeling excited about what the American Craft beermaker can do with an economicly-induced change of direction. I want a quadrupelbock, or an Imperial Brown, or maybe even a triple cervesa. I don’t know if it will happen, but I *do* know that regardless of the perceived limitations of ingredients with which to make our beer, the American craft brewer has earned the benefit of the doubt. And to me, there is no doubt that the future of American beer looks pretty damn tasty…
Cheers ~G
