Voices > Battle of the Beverages
Battle of the Beverages
Our columnists wash down this issue with one sobering question: beer or wine?
You say lager, I say merlot
By Sara Wedding
Wine isn’t just a marvelous drink; it is a pleasurable stimulant to all senses and comes in a variety of flavors. There is nothing finer than a velvety red merlot to go with a prime rib or a sparkling shiraz with a hearty pasta. Wine enlivens conversation, intellect, celebration and food. Historically, not all wine drinkers were wealthy and educated, even the poor and illiterate would partake in wine’s pleasures.
Wine makes a dining experience 100 percent better. Beer only goes well with brats, burgers, tacos and pizza, but wine can go with almost everything. And come on, who’s ever heard of a “wine belly?” So why not savor, sip, and enjoy a glass of wine with a group of close friends and let the natural stimulants do their job.
Wine contains a psychotropic drug, ethanol. Its effects vary by an individual’s metabolism and quantity consumed; immediate effects begin with relaxation and stimulation. This can be a positive reaction and can promote social interaction.
Winemaking adds beauty and elegance to this beverage. Winemakers cultivate, train, prune, nourish and harvest grapes at the peak point of the perfect fruit chemistry. Then they carefully ferment, clarify, blend, age, and bottle the result. At the end, you get a product that is uniquely made in an amazing combination of art and science.
Not only do wine drinkers benefit from wine’s cardio-protective effect and tend to live longer, they have a better diet and eat healthier foods than non-wine drinkers. There is evidence that shows the disease-fighting antioxidants present in fruit and vegetables is also present in wine, according to a British Medical Journal on the Science Daily.
Overall, wine tastes better, it’s less filling, it ages better and so do its drinkers.
The beer’s just better
By Scottie Tuska
Sometimes it seems like winos run the world; they even get better movies, à la Sideways. When you see beer in popular culture, it’s a bunch of frat boys doing keg stands or sad saps in sad bars. I don’t want a wine list longer than the Yellow Pages. Hand me a Surly, Fat Cat or Mothership and bring a few friends. That’s what makes me happy.
I’m from Cudahy, Wis., This little town lies in the shadows of one of the world’s largest breweries: Miller. That certainly isn’t an argument on beer’s side; in fact, it should probably have turned me off. But somehow, the aroma of hops and barley must have permeated my subconscious, because at some point I became a devotee to many a brew, just not Miller.
When I’ve told this story in the past I’ve claimed that God spoke to me, telling me to drink a wheat beer, or Weißbier as it is known in Germany. In reality, it was a good friend from my Milwaukee days whom pointed me to one of the world’s great brews, Weihenstephaner Weißbier. Ironically, I ran into him waiting for a tour while staying in Berlin. Later that day, we decided to head over to Prater Garten, the city’s oldest beer garden.
For the five days I stayed in Berlin, I ended up there. It was part park, part pub with rows of picnic benches under ancient trees, laced with big white Christmas lights. The Weißbier was light and airy, like an Italian soda for big boys.
Looking back, it probably didn’t matter what beer I was drinking, though it didn’t hurt that it was great. It was the atmosphere, the cool spring air and the conversations, not to mention the pretzels, brats and wiener schnitzels. There was no grandstanding or swishing of glasses. You could see and taste the beauty without pretense. We drank mug after mug. The night slowly faded, but I still remember it vividly. So next time you drink a beer, find a friend and start a conversation. That’s what really makes beer great.