INTO THE BREW Why Drink Local?


Because Fresh Beer Always Tastes Best By Sam Tierney


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Sam Tierney began his love affair with great beer while studying and traveling abroad in Europe during his junior year at UC Santa Barbara. He began homebrewing shortly after, and has since won multiple awards. Sam is a graduate of the Siebel Institute, a professional brewing school in Chicago, and he’s been working as a brewer at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California since May.


t West Coaster, we aren’t shy about proclaiming our love for homegrown beer, nor the impor- tance of drinking it. Besides having an almost obscene wealth of brewers in a 45 mile radius, beer bar and bottle shop owners are also to thank for San Diego’s vibrant community of craft beer fans. By drinking local, we’re supporting the movement, and the passionate individu- als that make it all possible. But drinking local goes beyond economic and social spheres; simply put, beer tastes better fresh, and there’s no fresher than what’s brewed just down the street. Getting beer from breweries to consumers with as little flavor deteriora- tion as possible is a constant struggle, and by drinking at the source, we’re able to enjoy the freshest beer possible. Great tasting beer is dependent on


its stability, which is broken down into three categories: microbiological stabil- ity, colloidal stability, and flavor stabil- ity. Microbiological stability concerns the presence or absence of contamination organisms that have the potential to spoil beer. Colloidal stability is the ability of a beer to remain clear and free from haze formation for a period of time on the shelf. When it comes to beer fresh- ness, flavor stability is a main concern, and oxygen is the single worst enemy of fresh beer. As beer ages, oxygen in the package reacts with compounds to form carbonyls, which manifest them- selves as various aromas from dried fruit, bread, and honey, to wet cardboard. Trans-2-nonenal is the culprit for this last, unpleasant aroma, caused by beer oxidation. Hop compounds also react to oxygen by breaking down, which is why IPA aromas fade with age. As time passes, flavors soften, deteriorate and are replaced with carbonyls; off-flavors start to take over after a period of time, result- ing in a dull, papery-tasting, stale beer. Replacing that wonderful hop aroma is a harsh, metallic bitterness from the oxida- tion of hop beta-acids.


Fresh beer starts with good brewing practices and high-quality ingredients. Every step of the process, from mash- ing to packaging, has the potential to negatively impact its flavor stability. The most overriding concern is the elimina- tion of oxygen from the process. Once fermentation begins, brewers try not to let oxygen come in contact with the beer. Packaging is the most challenging step in the process, especially for small brew- ers. Kegs provide the best package for fresh beer because they allow the lowest amount of oxygen in, and are typically kept cold from brewery to customer. Initially, cans and bottles contain similar amounts of oxygen, but over time, bottles tend to allow more in. Once the beer is packaged, storage and handling conditions influence also influence staling rates. For every 10 degree Celsius increase in temperature, oxidation reactions double, so keep- ing beer cold is one of the best ways to


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Fresh local beer serving vessels at Rock Bottom La Jolla


keep it fresh. Constant movement also promotes oxidation reactions, so long-dis- tance truck rides result in less fresh beer, too.


Light is the last of the main culprits. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Heineken outside on a sunny day, you know what I’m talking about: skunky beer. Light reacts with the hop iso-alpha-acids that give beer its bitterness, producing a compound that smells remarkably similar to skunk spray. Brown glass is fairly effective at stopping some light that skunks beer, but green or clear glass offer almost no protection. Some beers in clear glass, like Miller High Life, are brewed with chemically modified hop extracts that do not react with light to form off-aromas, but many other brands aren’t, and even brown bottles are damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight. Artificial light isn’t as bad, but several weeks on a store shelf is enough to do noticeable damage. Cans and kegs have an obvious advantage here because they do not allow any light to touch the beer. Hopefully you can see that beer’s ideal package is a keg that’s kept cold, and moves as little as possible.


While the case to drink local beer is


solid, I don’t mean to discount breweries from all over the world. Modern technol- ogy has allowed brewers to ship shelf- stable beer all over. Pasteurization and sterile filtration guarantee microbiological stability; depth filtration, and colloidal stabilizers like silica gel and PVPP allow for beers that maintain perfect clarity even after months on the shelf. By using the best packaging technology, practically no oxygen gets in and beer doesn’t go stale. The proof is in all the awesome variet- ies of beer found our local stores and pubs that come from around the world in surprisingly good shape, considering what it’s been through.


Modern brewing technology really is a marvel, but most small craft brew- ers have neither the ability nor desire to process their beer to this degree. These operations typically brew using tradi- tional styles, making the product more interesting and flavorful in effect. So it goes, more flavorful beer is inherently less stable, and this is where drinking local comes in. San Diego loves its intensely flavorful beers, hoppy or otherwise, and there is no amount of technology that rep- licates the experience of drinking a fresh pint straight from a brewery’s tap.


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