Jack Curtin’s LIQUID DIET

After I mentioned Fritz Maytag’s thoughts on beer styles in this post, Ray Daniels was moved to comment.

Who is Ray Daniels? Ray is the founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program. After  a long career as a writer, much of it with the Brewers Association, where he filled many publishing and educational roles, he set up his program in 2007.

Here’s a brief explanation of what it’s all about.

In other words, this is one of the major figures in  helping to  create the craft beer success story, a man who, when he speaks, we would all do well to listen and think about what he’s said.

What he said here (scroll down) was this:

I see a fundamental dichotomy on styles: Michael Jackson popularized styles as a way to talk intelligently about beer. In that role they are not only useful, but essential.

But the BA–and yes, Charlie P–have used style promulgation as a way to stoke entries at GABF and World Beer Cup. This tactic has worked very well, generating growing support for GABF and WBC among brewers not only in the US, but worldwide. Ultimately it is that support from brewers that has fed this creeping growth in styles: brewers want medals for their beers. More categories = more medals. Pretty simple equation.

Unfortunately, the BA style guidelines have become fairly irrelevant for anything involving consumer dialog. There they obfuscate nearly as much as they clarify.

Those are strong words on an issue which has so far only caught the attention of the beer geeks. It’s something that needs more discussion and I’ve pulled this up into a post of its own so we can perhaps stimulate same.

To get started, click on the link above to his original comment and see my own following that, where I offer the thoughts of one brewer who chose to email me privately.

And I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have Ray Daniels join the discussion here.

Talk about raising the bar…

Tags: Beer Styles, Commentary, Craft Beer, GABF, History, Personal //