“Now That’s a Good Beer.”

“Now That’s a Good Beer.”

I drink a lot of different beers—across a wide range of styles, from a variety of breweries both local and international. That’s probably the most obvious thing I’ve ever written.

But every now and then, I come across a beer that makes me pause and think, “Now that is good beer.” No need for elaborate tasting notes or poetic descriptors like “airy juiciness” or “prickly bitterness.” Just good beer. That’s all it needs to be.

Sometimes, others agree with me. You might think they’re just being polite, but I don’t believe that. People know quality when they taste it.

So what makes a beer good? Can that moment of enjoyment be distilled into a single thought or feeling?

The last time I had a “That’s Good Beer” moment, I wrote:

“This really is a break from the general mediocrity—no standing still, just moving forward. A standalone, just good beer.”

That beer was Hop Federation – Inflation.
It looked brilliant, like someone had captured the sun in a glass. The aroma was lovely. The bitterness came in a prickly wave—balanced, not aggressive. The body was soft and moody, packed with tropical lushness.

Sure, “good beer” might often align with a favorite hop or style. But Inflation used Nectaron, Rakau, and Idaho 7—none of which I’d usually single out. I’m no hop expert, and I wouldn’t have chosen that trio based on name alone. But that’s the beauty of it: I didn’t know the hop bill beforehand, and even now, I’m not sure it matters. What mattered was how it all came together.

So what made it stand out?
I think it was the evenness. No harsh bitterness. No dominant fruit note. Just balance. Just good beer.

And yet, that still doesn’t answer the question: What makes good beer?

Brewing is an art. Brewers are craftspeople, working to create character, complexity, and harmony. It’s not easy. Appreciating beer is like appreciating art—we all have our preferences, and they don’t always align. But when something resonates, it often resonates widely, even if we can’t quite explain why.

With beer, maybe it comes down to the basics: how it looks, how it tastes, and how it makes you feel.