Drink local! I do, and I can prove!

Happy 2025! (or Hoppy, as you wish 😂 ). Yes, the "drink local" mantra might seem cliché, and sometimes we talk a lot and do little. But I’m here to share a consumer's perspective, list some reasons why I embrace this idea, and show that I genuinely follow through! "Drink local" or "drink locally" can be applied to any sector of the beverage industry, just as promoting local consumption could extend to all sectors and industries. It’s about moving away from big brands and their corporate conglomerates and choosing smaller brands, preferably from our local community. Big brands have long been enticing us with multi-million-dollar TV ads, sponsorships of our favorite sports, and the acquisition of smaller brands to enhance their portfolios. What’s that? This isn’t about beer? Well, the brewing industry is no different. I’ve already shared here the story of Anheuser-Busch and how it started with Budweiser. What I didn’t mention before is that it’s now part of the Anheuser-Busch InBev group, the largest brewery in the WORLD! (controlling about 20% of the beer market with brands like Bud, Corona, Stella Artois, among others). So, is it wrong to consume these brands? I didn’t say that. If we were to debate socioeconomic theories, we’d be here forever without reaching a conclusion. What I want to talk about today are some of the reasons I mostly avoid international brands and prefer beer brewed as close to me as possible.

As many of you know, I’ve been studying to become a BJCP judge. Along the way, I’ve been exploring the commercial examples listed in the guide as references for each style. Naturally, almost all the commercial examples are internationally renowned brands. And more often than not, I’ve come across samples that don’t align with the style. The main reason? Loss of sensory attributes that once made them benchmarks for that style. Beer is meant to be consumed, not stored. Processes like pasteurization increase product stability and shelf life but come at a cost. We buy that famous label with six months of shelf life remaining, yet we risk tasting something that doesn’t match what’s served straight from the brewery taps. Being within the expiration date mostly guarantees it won’t harm you but doesn’t assure the vitality and flavor of the beer in the bottle. For supermarket lagers, this might not matter much, as there aren’t significant flavors or aromas to lose. (Although the skunky smell in green-bottle lagers, often loved by some, is a storage issue caused by light-exposure.) But in other cases, the disappointment can be immense! Over recent months, this happened with styles like "Doppelbock," "Dunkles Bock," "Weissbier," and "Strong Bitter," all supposedly within their expiration dates. Thus, drinking local also means enjoying a fresh product that hasn’t suffered much from transport or storage and delivers the full flavor and aroma as intended. That said, I can’t wait to finish my BJCP studies and return to consuming as seasonally and locally as possible.

Ah, enough talk—actions speak louder than words. Let’s look at the facts, and once again, I turn to our beloved Untappd. As promised, it’s time to share the 2024 beer retrospective Untappd offers. Among the brands I consumed most, four were Greek. I moved to Greece in May this year and accessed the Untappd data in the first week of December. So, five or six months were enough for Greek local brands to climb to the top of my consumption. The best part about drinking local is being recognized as a loyal customer and meeting the passionate people who pour the beer into your glass (and occasionally getting a beer on the house, of course! Haha). It’s impossible not to return. That’s the case with "3 Brothers Brew," the brand I consumed most in 2024. The sunset at their beer garden in Epanomi is reason enough to visit, but the beer and family-style service make it truly unmissable. Other fun facts from the Untappd report: My most-consumed style was "Hazy IPA." The day of the week I drank most was Thursday—after all, who has the patience to wait for Friday? I drank 144 different beers from 103 different brands. Looks like it was a great year to me.

But back to the topic—now with the festive season approaching, I got ahead of things. From Greece, I ordered beers to be delivered to my in-laws in Portugal. I ordered from Barona, which, in my opinion, is a benchmark in the Portuguese market. At the same time, I ordered some beers from a Spanish website, ones that are BJCP examples and that I hadn’t been able to find in Greece. When I arrived in Portugal, I good amount to start! This situation clearly highlights the effect of drinking local. The Barona bottles have an expiration date extending to October or November of 2026. Meanwhile, the international brands I ordered have expiration dates only up to February, March, or April of 2025. This means I’ll be drinking Barona beers produced and bottled just a month or two ago, alongside beers that may have already spent nearly ten months in storage. Fingers crossed they won’t be too bad. Ultimately, the fault doesn’t lie with the brands themselves. They craft and handle their products with the utmost care. However, once the beers are handed over to transporters and distributors, they might be exposed to high temperatures, excessive light, or other factors that can significantly impact the sensory quality of the beer.

So, drink local! If you genuinely enjoy flavor, prioritize consuming fresh beer (fresh in terms of production, not just temperature), as close to the production date as possible. Malt-forward styles may suffer less, but hoppy styles and those where yeast plays a major sensory role are particularly affected by time. These can have volatile compounds that are easily lost over time or delicate components that undergo oxidative reactions, altering their flavor and aroma. Of course, some styles age well, but the vast majority are meant to be consumed fresh—ideally straight from the tap. Lastly, storing beer in a refrigerator also helps preserve its sensory attributes. And so, we start the year! I hope you’ll stick around, and that 2025 brings us plenty of joy and reasons to celebrate—preferably with great beer! It’s going to be a year full of BrewVentures, and you’ll always be the first to hear all about them. Cheers to 2025!