Is Beer the Next Wine?

If you’ve slowly moved away from drinking beer toward the more interesting and varied world of wine and spirits, it may be time to revisit the beer aisle—but it won’t be for just another six-pack of Bud or Mille Lite. Things have changed in the beer world. Although U.S. wine consumption recently outpaced that of beer for the first time ever, most of that gain came from the mega brands, in terms of lost market share.

Several forces are at work to get you back to the joys of beer drinking. Local brewpubs are nothing new but they have expanded to the suburbs in most cities, bringing fresh, interesting “craft” brews to more people. And the quality seems to consistently improve. Import lines increase every year. From Belgian Ale to Oatmeal Stouts and Smoked Beers, things are getting a lot more exciting. In the case of “Extreme” beers with unheard of alcohol levels, some as high as 20 per cent, things get much more exciting.