Get Ready for the Small Beers

Just because most of the beers we love to drink are big beers doesn't mean the smaller, less heavy stuff is bad. I'm not talking about Budweiser or Coors or Miller or PBR. Those beers are best consumed ice cold on a hot summer day after mowing your own lawn and maybe also your neighbor's. But there are good beers that have plenty of flavor and don't hit you over the head with high alcohol and taste bud overload.

The fact is, small beers can reveal more flavors than heavier ones because, as Beervana's Jeff Alworth says, they have "more molecular space to unfold and blossom." Small beers often have subtle aromas and flavors that you would never taste in an imperial IPA or medium bodied ale. Those beers contain overbearing textures and flavors that dominate what you taste.

I am the first to admit that this small beer concept seemed a little sketchy to me. When I go to the pub, I tend to drink a pint or two and I always like a beer with plenty of flavor and IBUs. What Alworth is saying is you don't have to order a big IPA to enjoy a lot of flavor. If you don't believe it, come to the Mighty Mites Beer Festival on August 27. There's no admission charge and you can use a mug or glass from a past festival. I know I'll be there.

Details 
Saturday, August 27, noon - late 
Coalition Brewing, SE 28th and Ankeny (in the parking lot behind the pub with the Grilled Cheese Grill) 
Bring a mug or glass from a past fest (or buy one at the door), tokens $1 a pour. 
Cruise over to the Beervana blog for a partial list of participating breweries.

Bring an open mind about how tasty small beers might actually be.