Lagers and Life Lessons

By Ian Guevara

I’ve often waxed poetically about Dad Beers. You know, those lagers, pilsners, and ales that often, but not always, require a pair of New Balance shoes and a collared shirt tucked into jean shorts to drink. Each dad beer I drink brings me closer to the inevitable. The day I become an inhuman conglomeration of all the father’s in my life. No, it won't be time or age. It will be the lagers, pilsners, ales that will do it.

On this particular day, Green Man Brewing Company’s Green Man Lager sends me into the land of nostalgia.

Family vacation trips, particularly family camping trips are sources of a varied array of emotional memories. I was privileged to be a part of many family camping trips, from extended weekend trips to two week jaunts across the south. By the time I was ten, these trips mostly involved the family pop-up Coleman Camper… in which I never once actually slept.

You see, from my young perspective, I was the family mule. I would be required to help set up the camper. Lowering the support arms, leveling the camper precisely ensuring that the floating bubble rests in perfect equilibrium, and pulling out the expansion portions of the camper. I would set up the kitchen inside, puff out the sleeping vestibules, connect the compressor to the butane tank… pretty much everything except tow and park the damn thing.

Never once did I ever sleep in the family camper.

The setup was meticulous and involved Mr. Groom puffing on his Havana Tampa cigar and performing play-by-play of my work like John Madden.

“That’s not level,” he would dryly observe between draws of his cigar.

“Make sure to turn the crank to the right, that way the legs will lower,” just keen observations from the booth.

“That’s not right, what are you missing?” He would ask as if I had a playbook on camper construction in front of me.

I would grab the tent and search for a flat spot to pitch it. Did anyone assist me in setting up my sleeping quarters after I labored preparing theirs? No, I would prepare my musky domicile in the dark, and prepare my slumber on a foam pad and lumpy sleeping bag.

I’m intentionally making this sound terrible. I’m simply remembering this from the perspective of an angsty teenager who had supreme disdain for sweaty labor and yearned to just relax on camping trips… you know, the ones where I slept in a tent and not in a camper.

But that work, labor, and preparation had its purpose. Age and time has a way of properly fermenting lessons provided that were not appreciated when bottled. Setting up camp quickly, the process of putting up the base canopy and storage area, making sure everything is sturdy and ready for inclement weather, and finally setting up the sleeping areas are all hallmarks of camping protocol now ingrained in my soul.

That’s not it though. Helping others set up their camp first, making sure that all people are taken care of so when set up is finished we all get to take a rest and relax together. Paying attention to detail, making sure everything is set up safely, securly, and properly, assessing and reassessing, critiquing your work and making sure that it's finished right. That’s the long lasting lesson learned… except for that teamwork part… I’m still salty about having to set up that musky tent alone in the dark.

These endless preparation, setup, and execution routines are not just isolated to camping and the outdoors. These are the techniques I use and execute for my beer journey. Planning and plotting out the locations and routes and most importantly, preparation and setup. Before I even order, view, smell, or sip a brew I take notes, look at the beer list and prepare my plan of attack. I continually question my observations directly, readdressing them, and either confirming or changing my ideas. Ironically I have to go back to the campsite and sleep in a tent I set up in solitude… How did that old man have the foresite for such things?

Established in 1997, Green Man Brewing Company is one of Asheville’s original breweries nestled in the heart of the South Slope Brewery District on Buxton Avenue. Housed in a massive building towering over three stories with tap rooms located on the first and third floors, Green Man offers over 20 exceptional brews, stunning balcony views, and a comfortable atmosphere to drink beers.

My first flight flowed with “Red Barchetta”, “Too Damn Fine”, “Still the Willow Weeps”, and “Tart Berry”. Obviously the brewer is a Rush fan, Red Barchetta is a Red IPAshowcases a fire color and a clear IPA with hoppy and sweet aromatics. This IPA is a splendid change in pace! It’s piney and sweet to start with a balanced hoppiness to finish, possessing a delightful and slightly caramel-like IPA.

Too Damn Fine is a tasty Pilsner displaying a clear and enticing straw color that just screams crispiness, with a slight hoppy smell. Sports. Sports is all I think when drinking this. It has a sweet start with a slight hoppy finish. A perfect beer for sitting in the stadium and pounding some brews. Still the Willow Weeps is a Baltic Style Porter revealing an umber colored and a sweet malty aroma. It starts smooth and sweet with a malty ending.

My favorite of the day was the last of the first flight. Tart Berry is a Sour parading a deep magenta with a berry sour punch. Tart, tart, tart. Tart Berry starts airy, possessing a berry sweetness with a lovely sour finish. A tasty sour I can sip and enjoy with a raised bougie pinky finger.

My second set of flights were filled with “Trickster”, “Green Man Lager”, “Forester”, and “No Room for Cream”. Trickster is a Tropical IPA revealing a psychedelic yellow with that citra IPA aroma. It’s hoppy from start to finish with a delightful tropical sweetness to balance. Green Man Lager is an American Lager that puts me on “Dad Beer Alert”. Just imagine Captain Jean Luc Picard calling “Red Alert” on the bridge of the Enterprise D, but instead tells Commander Riker to ring “Dad Beer Alert, Number One.” Green Man Lager expresses a classic lager gold color and smell. It’s crispy and neutral flavored. Clearly a member of the dad beer hall of fame making it perfect for the great outdoors... and setting up campers.

Forester is a Stout exhibiting a deep and brooding coffee color with a coffee fragrance. It’s smooth and surprisingly light, starting with a malty sweetness and ends airy with a muted coffee bitterness. No Room for Cream is a Coffee Blonde Ale expressing an old gold color and a delightful coffee smell, reminding me of New Orleans’s own Community Coffee. It’s light and just odd in a good way, like a fresh cup of coffee. No Room for Cream is tasty, sweet and slightly bitter making for a refreshing end to the set of flights.

Green Man Brewing Company is open Sunday through Thursday from Noon to 9pm and Friday and Saturday from Noon 11pm. The brewery provides a consistent lineup of events ranging from Tuesday trivia, “Thirsty Thursdays”, and live music on Friday nights. With a massive venue providing seating on three different floors including a street patio and third floor balcony, Green Man is a lively venue for enjoyment and beer.