Proud to be an American beer-drinker

Clay Risen, of The Atlantic, reposted an article that he wrote a few days ago for a German paper (the Berlin Tagesspiegel) defending American beer. He says that the reaction from Germans wasn't too good, but that's to be expected. I think he makes some good points.

You can also read it in the original German, if you prefer.

In general, there's not much of a contest to be had. But Risen makes at least two really good points for why American beers (at least the 5% of the market that is made up of craft beers) are as good or better than what Germany can offer. For one, America has a much wider selection of types and varieties. Most German breweries make only a light and dark variety, with perhaps one or two seasonal brews. Some of the bigger small breweries in America offer more than a dozen varieties, ranging from English pale and brown ales to Czech pilsners to German-style lagers.

And that's where the second point comes in. American breweries don't have a long tradition with a certain style of beer, so there is more innovation and new trends that are constantly evolving. While you'll never see a German brewery making a Belgian beer or an English pale ale, American craft breweries make all those without feeling like they are infringing on the national tradition.