Offering us every shade of content from the practical and brilliant to the nonsensical and utterly profane, the Internet is the largest gathering space in existence, connecting billions of people through a digital network where ideas can be shared and people can find kindred spirits. Undoubtedly, the worldwide web has had a significant impact on just about every aspect of our lives, with beer appreciation certainly included.
Take even one of the oldest and most fundamental applications of the Internet – email. Still to this day, two friends and I keep track of our beer conquests in a spreadsheet, emailing the keeper of said spreadsheet with any updates to our personal beer logs.
This is perhaps sadly simplistic given how far things have come, with our emailed spreadsheet lying somewhere on the technology gradient between VHS tapes and compact discs, but nevertheless it is far more liberating than New Zealand’s old Pigeon-Gram mail service of the early 20th century, which at best would have only afforded seasonal beer list updates:
“Dear Jeff, I hope this Pigeon-Gram finds you well. Please inscribe the following beer list entries onto the parchment that chronicles our imbibements. I will eagerly surveil the skies for your notification of receipt…”
Simple message boards still have an important role to play in beer appreciation as well. If you’re a homebrewer, there’s a good chance you’ve tapped into online forums such as HomeBrewTalk.com, where you can get handy DIY instructions on subjects as specialized as installing a ball valve on your kettle, or you can engage experts to find out why a bottle of homebrew propelled itself into the stratosphere when you opened it. Indeed, all very good information to have at your fingertips.
Perhaps the two best online forums for beer appreciation (in North America at least) are Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. These sites host all kinds of content for the beer enthusiast, from lists of top brews, interesting articles, and of course forums for rating the beers you drink.
Some of the community content on these sites can be very colourful and somewhat amusing, such as this excerpt of a contribution on BeerAdvocate.com from someone who thoroughly enjoyed Founders Brewing Co.’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout (currently available through the LCBO):
“…The nose is rich caramel eggy custard, milk chocolate, toasted marshmallows and cinnamon, with the merest whiff of booze afar off on the horizon. There is no trace of coffee and it isn't missed. I could lay my nose down on the edge of the glass and take a nap...”
And no, that wasn’t borrowed from my personal profile.
There are also countless beer apps for your mobile device. If you’re not the least bit concerned about CSIS finally catching up to you through your beer-drinking habits, check out an app like Untappd for iOS and Android devices. You can check in at the pub you’re visiting and conveniently tell the world all about the beer you’re enjoying in real time, plus look up nearby venues where you can grab a beer when you’re out and about in the big ol’ world. Never a bad resource to have at your disposal!
And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the profound effect the Internet has had on my own life by connecting me to you through Beer Up North!
My, what a fascinating age we live in.
Cheers!
Jason McLellan is a self-professed beer geek. He wants the world to know he's damn proud of his Northern Ontario roots, even though he couldn't catch a fish if one jumped in the boat. His columns run Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. Find him on Facebook: Jason McLellan with the Beer Up North banner.
