March 20, 2003

Gregg Smith, some of whose work is archived in the Realbeer.com Library, once wrote:

"The toughest task in beer writing is figuring out what to call the legions who enjoy beer. Specifically, how does one address that broad category sometimes called, for lack of a better name, beer lover. After all, doesn't that term seem rather simplistic? The title 'Beer Lover' belies the sophistication of our drink."

He went ahead to examine some alternatives before finding his personal favorite: Cerevisaphile.

"Can't you just see it in the dictionary?" he wrote. "Cerevisaphile (Cer-a-vehs-a-file) 1. an aficionado of beers and ales, 2. a devotee to the decoction of barley infused with hops and fermented, 3. an imbiber of beer on the highest order, bordering on devotion, 4. one who pursues the very finest in malted beverages."

We don't think he had a bad idea, but it never took off with beer drinkers. Perhaps the suggestion was too close to oenophile and folks remembered when Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing said, "It's very hard to get pretentious about beer. You can become knowledgeable and start to talk with a highfalutin' vocabulary. But you can only go so far with beer, and I've always liked that." If you feel that way about beer you certainly don't want to use a highfalutin' noun to classify yourself.

So what should we use? Cervisaphile? Beer lover? Beer enthusiast? Beer geek?

How do you describe yourself? How do your friends describe you -- either behind your back or when they introduce you?

Drop us a line to make other suggestions.

To kick-start your brain, grab a beer and check out Gregg's whole story.

If you've been following the Battle of the Beers, you know that Montana's Moose Drool Brown Ale has stormed into the quarterfinals. It would be a bit of overstatement to say that Märzen Madness has taken the country by storm, but the amount of email we get not only from Missoula, home of Big Sky Brewing, but from Moose Drool fans in Southern California, Florida and other far-flung regions is pretty impressive.

The best so far, though, came right from the brewery. Brad Robinson sent us a great anagram for Moose Drool Brown Ale:

A bordello owner moos.

BULLY! PORTER
Brewed by Boulevard Brewing in Missouri
Michael Jackson writes:
A delicious and attractive brew, from its coffee-colored, dense head to its smooth, mocha-like palate, with coffee flavors developing to a late, espresso-tinged finish. On the way, there are touches of chocolate, toffee, licorice and earthiness. Lightly, enwrappingly oily in body. Ruby to black in color. Somewhere between a porter and an imperial stout.

BELL'S JAVA STOUT Brewed by Kalamazoo Brewing in Michigan Roger Protz writes:
Jet black beer with - suitably - a cappuccino-colored head, the delectable aroma is like walking into a specialist Belgian chocolate shop and being drawn to the coffee liqueurs. Hops mark their arrival on the tongue, their bitterness balancing the richness of dark malts and coffee. The finish is dominated by the bitter sweetness of the coffee but the complexity is marked by tart, dark grain and bitter hops. Entrancing - but do I need caffeine as well as alcohol?