Monday Rant: Love/Hate Relationship With Dark Beers

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Superior never gives up her dead.

Just like in the movies, sometimes your closest friends start out as your enemies. I wouldn't say that I'm exactly enthralled by darker beers, but I still know when one should be appreciated. Keep in mind that I've only been searching for exotic and different beers for about the last four years, since I've turned 21-years-old.

My most memorable battle with dark beers began exactly three years from yesterday on the very same porch I sat on for yet another Easter Sunday. That day an Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing was set in front of me.

Being one whose taste buds weren't yet attuned to the strong tastes of porters, trying to drink that beer was a massive struggle for me. It just tasted burnt and looked like a dark, muddy abyss. My tongue would rather have been on the actual ship the night it sunk rather than take another swig of that beer. I couldn't finish it.

Another incident was with Guinness. It tasted like burnt coffee. I couldn't stand it. One could understand why I didn't prefer darker beers. I really couldn't understand what was so good about them.

That was until a trip to Piper's Pub on Pittsburgh's South Side and had a friend buy me a Guinness on draft. That's when I learned that the beer was meant to be served off of draft, and not from the bottle like I had during my first time with it.

It was also the beginning of my theory that some beers are a totally different experience from bottle to the tap and vice versa. It's very frustrating when you are stuck in a situation where you are forced to have one or the other type of beer serving, but that's just the way it is.

Today, my outlook has completely changed on the darker beers. I've discovered a few ways to drink the different types as well as trying them on draft or through a cask system. The Edmund Fitzgerald has even become one of my favorite beer names due to my love of the story and the song by Gordon Lightfoot. Research has even shown that some of the darker beers are even a healthier choice than the lighter counterparts. Don't be afraid like I once was. It's alright to travel over to the dark side once in a while.