Living where I do in Stockport I’m very fortunate to have some really good locals like the Magnet, Heaton Hops and Runaway Brewery. In half an hour I can be in central Manchester and from there it’s a choose-your-own-adventure scenario depending on what I’m in the mood for. I’m in my forties, I don’t have kids, and I have enough disposable income to service a few pints every week.
Because of this I rarely drink at home, which is also where I happen to work from. Heading out for a beer when I’m in the mood is a full stop on the day. It’s where my brain goes to reset. I also don’t find myself clamouring for the latest IPAs or anything like that these days. Draught beer is the best beer I can drink, especially cask, so that’s what I go and get.
Sometimes though, I intentionally drink at home. Most of the beer I have most of the time is samples sent to me by breweries, so more often than not I don’t really want to drink them, even if they’re beers I really like. This is because those beers are associated with work, and if I’m drinking at home for pleasure then it needs to be a beer that possesses that element of intentionality.
Cooking is a hobby of mine. I will spend hours in the kitchen: chopping veg, seasoning sauces, tinkering with a Spotify playlist, tasting as I go. I love to be in my kitchen, and when I am there I want to drink Augustiner Helles. I’ve written before about how I think Augustiner is the perfect “beer flavoured beer”. I find it possesses hop, malt, yeast and water in the perfect balance for my tastes, meaning they are all present, and loud, complex but not complicated. A bit like Trevor Horn’s production methods on Yes’ 1983 classic 90125. The instruments are vibrant and virtuoso, but all have their space in the mix.
Poured vigorously into my favourite glass, I drink it without thinking. But when I drink it I am also thinking deeply about how much satisfaction it brings me. It’s not my favourite beer. It’s not even my favourite lager (because, as said above, the best lagers are served on draught) but bottled Augustiner at home is pure joy. I might need to get a couple this weekend, so that I’m prepared for another personal epic in the kitchen.
This piece is a contribution to the February 2025 edition of The Session, a monthly beer blogging project founded in 2007 by Jay Brooks.