I love beer flights.
One of the things that makes craft beer so much fun is its sheer variety of styles, interpretations of those styles, and ways of using those styles for flavor experimentation. A flight is an opportunity to explore. A flight board might have an Abbey Dubbel, a Munich Dunkel, an ESB, and a Biere de Garde, taking you on a sensory trip to Belgium, Germany, England, and France a few ounces of beer at a time. Flights aren't without their critics—and valid criticisms—but at their best they represent curiosity, excitement, and joy, all qualities craft beer needs right now as it weathers its current market challenges.
Why am I talking about flights? Because today we’re talking with the king of beer flights, Joel Geier. Joel runs the @brewery_travels Instagram and Twitter accounts and is the author of the new book Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey, chronicling his beer adventures to over 1,300 breweries across all 50 states. That’s an incredible number, meaning Joel has probably visited one in every six or seven breweries in the entire country. And at as many of those breweries as allow it, he’s ordered a flight. In the book, Joel gives tips on beer travel, provides hundreds of brewery recommendations, and reminds us how much fun beer is supposed to be.
In our conversation, Joel and I discuss our love of flights, how he keeps track of his journeys and the beers and breweries along the way, and some of his favorite stops from his beer voyages.
There's been a lot of bad news in craft beer lately, but this conversation between two beer lovers is a chance to rediscover some of the excitement that got us into craft beer in the first place. Thanks for listening!
Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.
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