HeresToBeer.com Expands
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 | posted by Mike
Considering what I did this weekend (and there will be a lot more about that shortly), it took me a few days before I was able to get back in the saddle and write about a beer-themed topic. However, I will soldier on for you, my dear and loyal TVFF reader, in order to bring you the latest info on the Here's To Beer campaign featuring Dave Lieberman that we mentioned last month.
As we said at the time, www.herestobeer.com is a website dedicated to teaching its audience about the finer points of beer. The site is part of a campaign which is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch to raise awareness of beer as a more "refined" beverage for enjoying with your gourmet foods, like you would wine. To that end, they've brought on board Dave Lieberman. This past weekend saw the launch of a bunch of new content, including Dave's video series, "Beer School."
Dave gives an overview of the whole program in the video that introduces the Beer School, with a preview of what is up there now and what will be available in the months to come. The key to the whole video series is that, if you go through all of the lessons, you can be certified as a "Beer Connoisseur," a title that I am probably already well on my way towards. But there is always more to learn, so I'll certainly be tuning in as they roll out the new videos. Lieberman (or his copy writers) do a good job of pointing out one of the most underappreciated aspects of beer, the fact that there are a wide variety of flavorful beers that can compliment everything from buffalo wings to chocolate cake. It's unfortunate that beer suffers such an inferiority complex at the hands of wine, but lessons like this that encourage people to step outside the realm of lagers and pilsners go a long way in fixing the problem.
The lesson even goes so far as to guide you through how to properly "taste" a beer, including the visual appeal, smell, taste, mouthfeel and finish. The info is detailed and helpful, and included many of the same tasting strategies and terminology as seen at last weekend's big beer tasting event. There is a ton of information here, and it will take you a while to get through it all, so be sure to set aside some time. In fact, I'm still working my way through the first round of lessons.
Each learning module has a number of subsections, with little clickable facts and even printable information, including a PDF of the five tips for the beer connoisseur. (I was slightly disappointed to learn I couldn't print down a fantastic looking flavor wheel for use at my next tasting.) You can also sign up to get an e-mail when the site updates with new content.
There really is some great information here for the beginner, and there is even plenty of material in the first couple of lessons for the more advanced "beer geek" such as myself. Dave Lieberman is a good match for this program for the same reason he's likable on his show -- he's enthusiastic without being over-the-top and he gets you excited about what he's talking about. In short, he's the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with, so I guess he's right in his element.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
