There are so many reasons to drink good beer that exploring the reasons to avoid good beer or avoid drinking altogether would be far simpler. These reasons range from simple pecuniary concerns to more complex utility functions and, of course, unassailable yet arbitrary convictions of taste and assorted personal beliefs.
Good beer is more expensive, which sucks, so if money is a concern and intoxication the aim, good beer probably isn't the optimal means - in fact, even cheap beer doesn't offer the same efficiency as bad vodka and lemonade powder, although combining the former with the latter makes for a most potent and delectable elixir (trust me, it will defy your expectations). And if taste isn't a concern, which seems to be the case given vodka's popularity, then it doesn't make sense to even worry about anything except the ABV, price, and caloric content of the drink at hand.
Even if the price of good beer seems justified by its taste, good beer suffers diminishing returns to a more dramatic degree than most other drinks. After four or five (your mileage may vary), the taste differential becomes imperceptible and a transition to a cheaper alternative seems in order.
The personal decision to abstain from alcohol is always respectable, though the notion of chem-free dormitories puzzles this columnist. Isn't alcohol prohibited in all the first-years bricks? Perhaps they only mean to be serious about the chem-free dorms, but those rules are unenforced and nothing stops the residents from imbibing to excess elsewhere and then bringing the really undesirable symptoms of intoxication home with them?is the consumption itself really that discomforting? It's not like the taps in other dorms pour wine and spirits after classes end on Friday?no one here is forced to drink. Peer pressure is a serious concern, of course, but is segregation the solution? Isn't the onus upon the drinking majority to respect the personal choices of the abstinent minority? Doesn't ostracization draw attention to the ostracized, cloaking them with stigma (like the notion that chem-free denizens are somehow less fun and more inhibited, both of which are patently false, but the latter especially so)? Perhaps if we drunkards did a better job at PR/outreach, the teetotalers of Bowdoin wouldn't find consumption so objectionable.
Taste is another complicated and personal reason to avoid beer. The local ales are an acquired taste, to a certain extent, and the scent and flavor of yeasts, malts and especially hops seems to offend sensitive palates. A few particular brews are well-suited to converting unseasoned tongues, however, and for those of you wondering what the silly labels and luxury-good prices are all about, these beers offer a polite introduction to good microbrews.
With little of the characteristic bitterness of pale ales, Magic Hat #9 has a distinctive apricot flavor that comes in two varieties of delicious: delicious and extra delicious. The extra delicious #9 comes from the tap: Few beers improve upon an already excellent taste so dramatically by being poured from a keg as #9. Joshua's serves it on tap, and all the local markets always have plenty on hand in the bottles. A witty phrase lies under each cap, and the Vermont-based Hattery updates them frequently enough that your columnist has never bought a pack without finding a new one.
Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout embodies what Ben Franklin meant when he said that "beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." It's chocolate and beer and has 10.5 percent ABV which you couldn't discern from tasting it. The only issue is the expense and the limited places of sale: Bootlegger's and Uncle Tom's have it, but the supermarkets don't, and it goes for $10 a six-pack.
Allagash White is a local favorite for a reason: It holds up well in all seasons and situations. Typically served with a wedge of lemon, this interpretation of a Belgian wheat is smooth and lacks the sour hoppish notes of most ales, instead possessing a spicy undertone with highlights of fruits that work well with many foods. All of Allagash's beers are more expensive, but the distinctive flavors and overall quality justify the price. Allagash White can be found on tap in most of the local bars, and even in the campus pub on occasion.
Each of these beers is qualified in their merits and as worthy of a connoisseur as someone just beginning his or her exploration of good beer. They aren't plain and they aren't traditional, but they have elements of traditional styles that foster appreciation for the more fundamental flavors of beer.