This Is My Blood: Alpha King

I'm currently reading a chapter in Tasting Beer entitled "Presenting Beer." It's good shit, and you'll hear much more about it next week, but here's something that it completely passes over: how to choose which specific beer to present. It more deals with how to make any particular beer look its best, and using the tools you have at hand to allow that beer to reach its full potential.

But the book is assuming that you already have the correct beer in your possession for the context of that presentation, and that's not always the case. Not in my house, anyway. I would've been perfectly content and wouldn't've thought a single extra thing about it if we were having people over and my fridge was packed with Miller Lites... but that was before. This Is My Blood is getting in my head. Am I becoming a beer snob?

It's a serious question, only because I take that type of thing really seriously (there is no chapter in Tasting Beer called "Presenting Yourself," unfortunately). I once took pride in having a refrigerator full of Hamm's, and forcing them on my guests. Today, we had a couple friends over (using Your Favorite Movie as an excuse to get together), and I had the sudden thought that maybe Miller Lites aren't good enough. What is happening to me?

It's a balancing act. I'm trying to find that middle ground between appearing cheap and impolite with beer that not everyone looks kindly upon, and being too highbrow, with a shelf of expensive beers and an empty wallet. It might have a lot to do with knowing my guests well—my boy Jeremy would've been cool with drinking a can of Miller, I'm sure, and wouldn't have complained at all, but he also had a nice selection of craft the last time we were at his house, so I didn't want to slight him with some petty mass market swill.

This might come down to my insecurities about being a good host; maybe the vast majority of people truly do not care what beer they are drinking, as long as they are drinking it. That's how I try to be when I'm in the guest position ("give me whatever you're trying to get rid of"), but hosting is a whole different thing. I want people to feel comfortable at my house. I don't want the alcohol selection to hinder that.

All this to say that, an hour before our guests arrived, I schlepped Willow down to Tiny's Bottle Shop (which we had previously visited this year), and picked up a simple four-pack of 3 Floyds Alpha King. It was mid-priced, but was definitely niche enough to satisfy a more serious drinker, if a guest decided to don that persona while at our house.

And it felt good to be able to offer it, ya know? I liked being that guy before, don't get me wrong, the guy who offered Hamm's and took pride in my own tastes. But it's nice to have a change of pace too. It's nice to have this interesting out-of-state brew to offer up. I can see now that maybe craft beer is a way to show that you think a particular guest is special, and that they are welcome in your home.

Or maybe it's possible that I'm way overthinking this, and that if it gets you tipsy, then good, that's all we need to know.

NOTES

BEER: Alpha King

GENRE: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.66% (har har)

BREWED BY: 3 Floyds Brewing Co.

LOCATION: Munster, Indiana

PURCHASED AT: Tiny's in Port Richmond

PAIRED WITH: Aramingo's Best Pizza (the best mom and pop pizza in the neighborhood)

GRADE: 3 pukes out of 5

BEER COUNT: 91.5 (drank one and a half vodka/seltzers as well)