This is a little out of my area of expertise, but I know a good time when I see (or taste) one. Last Thursday at the Mandarin ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Jacksonville, there was a Craft Beer Tasting. Now wine is always my first choice when it comes to enjoying an adult beverage, but I have also been known to drink a beer or two if the mood hits me. So for me and about a hundred others, this was a good chance to try some of the best examples of the more boutique or small production brews out in the market today. There was no Budweiser or Miller Lite to be found. No, this is where the true hopheads go to sample some of the truly artisan creations made from barley and hops.

I am not going to go into the unique differences of the myriad of recipes and styles of these special brews--I will leave that to our resident beer bloggers. I will tell you, though, of a couple of interesting events and nuances I saw. One of the most informative tables at the tasting was called the "Grape & Grain" table. This is an idea that was put forward by David Rigdon of Champion Brands, one of ABC’s beer wholesalers. This gives our guests a chance to see the similarities between wine and beer, not just as a beverage, but also as an accompaniment or match with food as a dinner drink. Most people are familiar with pairing wine with a meal, but more and more you are seeing restaurants hosting beer dinners to help expose the public to the compatibility of craft beer to food…and I’m not talking about chicken wings and a pitcher of Bud. We matched Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale with Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc, and it was easy to taste how much these two had in common; the beautiful grapefruit and peach notes of each would match equally well with a piece of grilled fish and mango salsa.

We also poured  Seven Sinners Petite Syrah with Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron and wow! These two full flavored drinks will stand up with any and all grilled steaks you can find. The Palo Santo is aged in handmade wooden vessels and can be aged for 8-10 years…sounds very wine-like huh? The other match was with Angry Orchard Dry Cider and Oceans 11 Riesling and again, you could easily see how well each would complement grilled chicken or pork tenderloin. Beer with dinner…who knew?

Something else I learned that night was something that dispelled a lifelong misconception I had about beer: beer in a bottle is better than beer in a can. David explained to me that in days gone by, beer from a can really wasn’t too good, that the cans were not lined, so all you could taste was the can. These days all the cans are lined and the true flavor of the beer is there for everyone to taste. The other attributes to the can is that it seals in the flavor of the beer better and it also does not let in any light that will damage the beer, sound familiar wine geeks? One of our local breweries, Intuition Ale Works, is making the can a standard vessel for their delicious craft beer.

For all you Hop Heads and novice beer drinkers, next time you hear that an ABC Craft Beer event is coming to town (August 22^nd in Fernandina Beach), be sure to attend. I grudgingly have to admit, much to Mr. Rigdons delight, that beer is more than just what you get from the giant, commercial breweries. It can be every bit as complex and interesting as…gulp! a fine wine can be. So next time you throw a couple of beautiful strip steaks on the grill ask the beer consultant for one of the many great craft beer choices that can be found at your local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits & Beer near you.

Ken Amendola, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

Follor him on Twitter @abcwinekena