What is good beer?

June 26, 8:16 AMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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What style of beer is being brewed here? Photo of
fermenting beer using classic method. See "German
Weissbier and the art of brewing."

You like beer. That’s a fact. Right?

        I’m curious about your answer to the question: What is good beer? No, not your favorite brand, but why you like the beer you like? What matters?

        Who is capable of brewing good beer? Is it local beer? “Craft” beer? Import? American? Homebrew? Does the origin factor in with regard to what makes it good to your way of thinking?
       
        Is it about the ingredients? Organic? Local? All malt? Sustainable ingredients? Does any of this matter?

        What matters when you think you can taste a difference among the 15,000+ brands of beer you have a choice in buying?
   
        Does “cheap” matter? If so do you associate value with “cheap?”

        Do taste, aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, aftertaste, drinkability really matter? Or are you sold by the label? The advertisement?

        I started enjoying beer in a time when no one would have dreamed to ask these questions? I’m wondering if things have fundamentally changed with regard to what beer drinkers think good beer is.