One thing that I appreciate about the microbrewing movement is that price rarely plays a role in the quality of the beer, or the effort to make it. Once you are willing to pay a $3-4 more dollars for a six-pack, the a world of diversity is open to you. Also, wine is not refreshing. :)
That's one of the reasons I got into the craft beer movement as much as I did. You're never looking at a six pack for more than 15, and the top end bombers are $20. And then you make the mistake of falling in love with sour beers too and that will hurt your wallet.
I fell in love with a girl who knows perhaps 500-600 beers, for her job. To everyone looking to have a better retirement fund... if you can just delude yourself in the world of boring/cheap domestics, more power to you. Just try not to die young.
One of my favorite aspects of the wine list at a restaurant I once helped run, eve -the restaurant, was its "excursions" section of its wine list. All of the bottles were specifically sleceted to be awesome AND under $30. I would argue that wine can be far more refreshing than beer at times. White wines can be wonderful on a warm day. The acidity, the cool temperature, the light body of a nice white can make it a better quencher than many beers.
I hear ya, but the truth is I'm not looking to chug a beer either. Very rarely do I ever want a beer because I'm thirsty. When I'm thirsty I want water. Otherwise, I'll take a beer/wine.
I'm not a drinker of wine so often, so I can't really comment on the video. But sparkling's a whole 'nuther story. I might not be able to tell a $50 from a $100 champagne, but I can sure as shit tell either from a $20 bottle. There is no question that when it comes to sparkling wine that there is a clear correlation between price and quality. I don't think there's a way to make good sparkling wine inexpensively. At least, nobody has yet found one. The most expensive wine I've ever purchased was a Krug Grand Cuvee (non-vintage), and it was in celebration of selling my house. I could afford it, and I wanted to have something special to enjoy the moment. It was unlike anything I'd drank before, and very tasty. However, I wouldn't say that it was worth 3x a bottle of, say, Taittinger. But Taittinger is sure as shit worth 3x as much as a bottle of Asti or whatever shit they peddle for $15 at the liquor store. That said, I wouldn't buy a bottle of Taittinger every day or even every month. It's a special occasion thing, and I'd rather buy quality every now and then than shit all the time. To address your broader point, though, beer >>> wine. I could give up wine, even champagne, and not feel like I'm missing out on too much in life. I would never voluntarily give up beer.
Agreed. Micro-brewing seems to be far more about adventuring into new tastes of a great beverage, than reaching new levels of exclusivity. Not that wine need be exclusive either. It's all in what we make of it. I don't have two buck chuck available near me, dammit. I've been paying upwards of $4.50 per bottle for some pretty good red Zinfandel at Kroger instead. Tough huh?