Ludicrous statement, that headline, isn’t it? I mean, why on earth would someone eschew boiled, fried, broiled, braised, roasted or raw food of any sort in deference to grilled fare? That would imply that the form of preparation is more important than the flavour of the food, wouldn’t it?
Welcome to the world of cask ale enthusiasts. Or at least some of them.
On the heels of the latest Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) controversy detailed in the story below, many, many bloggers and commentators have waded in with their views, from Martyn and his close to 100 comments (!) to Young Dredge to Tandleman to the Reluctant Scooper and even Mr. McL. By far to my mind the most extraordinary comment, however, is the following from a self-described “Prize winning brewer and beer blogger” named Ed:
And as a beer blogger that loves cask beer above all else I happen to think that good beer and form of beer are inextricably linked.
Which led to the headline above. As I have stated previously ad nauseum, I enjoy good cask-conditioned ale as much as the next guy, but I’ve also tasted my fair share of both good and bad cask ale, and good and bad bottled beer, keg beer, canned beer, kellerbier, bottle-conditioned beer, etc. For me, it’s all about how it tastes in my glass, not how it came to be there. To think otherwise would be, well, akin to only eating grilled food.
I’ve always likened CAMRAs efforts to the California cuisine movement in food, during the late seventies and eighties – the use of traditionally local, California ingredients akin to traditonal brewing techiniques and serving standards.
That being said Wolgang Puck is not badmouthing Pat’s Steaks in Philly and the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, for not using avocado and bean sprouts in thier cheesteaks and buffalo wings.
This wouldn’t sound so clever if you substituted “prefer to” for “only” which would be nearer the truth of it.