Beerista: How can we separate the beer from the event?

Was it the beer or the occasion?

This is the question that is posed in Beer Trip to Llandudno, a short story by Kevin Barry, when a group of men from the Real Ale Club try to identify their best beers of all time. "Big John" describes a draught Bass he had with his father when he was 16, his first wage slip in his pocket. But, he adds, to sighs from the rest of the group, how can you separate the beer from the event?

A beer sipped while sitting on a beach on the first day of your holiday might taste like the best you’ve ever had, though that may have had more to do with the sunshine, or how relaxed you felt.

I remember having a can of Tesco lager while living in Edinburgh, and kind of broke, in my early 20s, and thinking it was the most amazing, thirst-quenching drink ever. I'm pretty sure it wasn't, but for some reason it's become one of my most enduring memories of drinking and enjoying a beer.

But memory is a funny thing when it comes to taste. It forms part of the so-called cognitive element of sensory experience.

So while your taste buds respond to the rudiments, such as sweetness or bitterness, your conscious awareness is also stimulated when you smell or eat something, often triggering emotions or memories.

All of which is to say that taking a little time to think about what you’re drinking can really pay off. Noticing the grassy aroma or the sweet malty aftertaste of a beer can all add another layer to your drinking experience.

Here are two great new fruity India pale ales (IPAs) I tried during the week: Trouble Brewing’s Wired IPA, which is bursting with tropical fruit from a range of American hops; and Brewdog’s Elvis Juice, a wacky and seriously delicious IPA infused with grapefruit, peach and orange – worth a try; you won’t forget it.

@ITbeerista

[ beerista@irishtimes.com ]