Stockton Beer Week brought out the experimental side of beer drinkers.
Every day drinkers gave up the plain Budweiser & Coors Light to allow their palates a taste of more defined, specialized brew.
Local breweries were on display, taking over Stockton’s taps with hundreds of new brews to taste.
Experimental drinkers are the new wave of beer drinkers whom have graduated onto craft brew and have begun to create the beer culture.
From IPA’s to stout’s and all types of lagers, local brews are creating new flavors and changing the beer we though we knew.
“This fad is growing and will last maybe 10-15 years,” said Josh Dick, a bartender at The Abbey.
“People now treat & drink beer like wine,” he added.
The premiere location in Stockton for craft brew consumption is The Abbey, Trappist Pub on Miracle Mile.
New kegs are put on tap daily to avoid monotony.
Working with a variety of West coast breweries to distribute hundreds small beers, putting on display the city.
The Abbey even hosts tap takeovers on Thursdays where they showcase one local brew by putting a variety of beers from that brews selection on tap.
Stockton is a prime source for the people to learn about the more complex side of the beer and craft brew fad,” he added.These beer drinkers are your typical nerds; they exude passion and knowledge that may seem intimidating.
There’s even an app for them to track and share their beer experience called “Untapped” available on all iOS & Android phones.
Craft brews are not new, but this trend is enabling the growth of many dedicated brewers to create and experiment with all types of processes and flavors.
Brewers are even aging beers in wine and scotch barrels.
Scotch is for the older generation of men, and as long as Napa continues pressing out wine those grapes will remain a king in Northern California.
However, craft brews are taking over the youth and middle aged of the West Coast.