When I take a sip of beer—professional or homebrew—one thing it has to have is flow. Not flow in the sense of pure liquid dynamics, but flow like a great mountain-bike trail or a long wave with a perfect tube—a quality similar to what psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi referred to as “flow state,” where distractions melt away and one can achieve immersion in the activity at hand.
Maybe it’s strange to think of beer this way, as beer is almost always tied to social activity or (among certain crowds) consumed in tiny amounts among large groups that produce nothing but choppy and disjointed experiences. But when I’m drinking in a contemplative way and considering the beer at hand, flow is the first thing I look for.
There are plenty of things that can take me out of that flow state while enjoying a beer—flavors that are either unexpected or unpleasant, rough edges or textures that cause me to ask a question about the experience, clashing notes that produce noticeable dissonance, levels of intensity that seem out of place, etc.—and when brewers ask me for feedback, it’s usually one of the first things I mention. Classical off-flavors aren’t intrinsically “bad,” for example—they’re undesirable when they pull you out of the experience of that beer and make you wonder why you’re tasting that flavor. Don’t break the flow.
That search for flow is one I find myself chasing often, as the zone of pure focus and complete immersion is energizing and rejuvenating. The smooth zip of my tire as I weave through a ribbon of singletrack, the crisp attack and gentle release of a well-crafted Pilsner, the measured build of tropical-fruit flavors with scrubbing bitterness in an IPA, or the ponderous depths of layers unfolding in a rich imperial stout all can conjure a similar state of flow when approached with the right mindset.
It’s certainly not the only valid way to experience beer—everyone is entitled to his/her own approach—but that quest for the perfect flow is one I’ll remain committed to no matter how much the style winds shift and change.
Speaking of style winds, this issue in your hands with its focus on lagers is a particularly exciting one for us. We’ve harbored a love of lagers for many years and are ecstatic to see interest in beers brewed with Saccharomyces pastorianus experiencing an upswing among brewers and beer drinkers.
For too long, craft drinkers have harbored a style bias based on opposition to the “fizzy yellow beer” of the macro world, and it’s time for lagers to get their due as craft brewers apply their boundless creativity and technical acumen to classic styles.
Whether you’re an avid lager brewer or drinker now or have yet to see the lager light, we hope you enjoy this issue. We made it for you.