Beer is meant to be fun. Everyone knows that . It’s an intrinsic part of beer.

The beer writers tell us that as they attempt to steer the conversation down cheery beery lines.

Beer is meant to be fun.

The retailers tell us that as brighlty coloured , cartoon canned, fruit flavoured , alcoholic water sells like that old beer never did.

Beer is meant to be fun.

The brewers tell us that as they launch their brand new ground breaking mosiac hopped concoction inspired by blueberry vanilla vape but with chardonnay grapes in the mash ’cause the brewer was drinking wine before he smoked it. ‘

Beer is meant to be fun.

Chocolate covered , tropical scented, lactose sweetened FUN! Fun. Fun. Fun.

Beer is meant to be fun. Its always been like that.

But has it really? And is it really?

Well to first question clearly no, and to the second I think right now it could do with a whole lot less fun.

Once beer was food. Once beer was meant to be safe. It was much like bread a way of preserving what you had. Saying beer was meant to be fun would of been like saying bread is meant to be fun. Bread is meant to safe yes, it is meant to be well made yes , and it is meant to taste good. But I don’t look to my bread to be fun.

And yes that time when beer was an important part of our food is gone.

But the idea of beer itself being fun is incredibly recent.

Until recently the effects of beer were all things going to plan, fun. A moderate way to ingest alcohol , often in sociable situations and an important part of Northern European social and gastronomic culture. But the beer itself? Well that all things going to plan was safe, well made and tasted good.

I think we have come to a point where we would do well to focus more on ‘beer is meant to be good’ than ‘beer is meant to be fun’. As beer winds itself further into a novelty flavoured, ‘do it once and move on’ / ‘buy it once and move on’ knot , we are losing the good and the well made in the name of fun.

Im screaming into the wind however I know.

P S. And yes as a brewer I stand guilty with the herd. My mortification is real.