Trying a new beer can be a tricky situation.
If you buy a six pack and don’t like it, then it sits in your fridge until you can pawn it off to an unsuspecting guest. And if you order it at a restaurant, there’s almost an expectation that if you get a beer with dinner that you finish it – no matter how much you would rather pour it down the drain.
But you don’t want to be stuck drinking the same beer over and over again. Everyone needs a little variety in their adult beverage world. It is the spice of life we’ve been told.
So we have the perfect solution: Go check out a tasting. Every Thursday, Barb’s Beer Emporium brings in brewers or beer reps to hand out samples to customers.
Last week, Bill and Mark from Oddball Brewing Company in Pembroke were passing out tasters of their Albino Moose IPA (a white IPA), Idle Idol IPA and the Sandman Stout. And yes, we took a little sip of each.
The Albino Moose IPA was light and summery, while the Idle Idol IPA was more of an English version of the hoppy creation. Now we’re not typically one to sit down and order a stout, but this one had nice flavor and didn’t make you feel like you just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner.
And while you’ll have to keep an eye out for Oddball’s return to Barb’s, you won’t have to wait long for a sample of something else.
The tastings, where vendors usually pass out little glasses of three to four varieties, are Thursdays, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and coming up this week is Victory. Pabst Old Tankard Ale is on the schedule for June 9 and 16, while Magic Hat makes an appearance on June 23.
So go and try a couple new beers. You might just find a new favorite. And as we found out last week, there are also snacks.
