Editor's Letter

When we first started making plans to form The Beer Cellar late in the fall of 2002, there was only one real sticking point. It wasn’t who should do what. The group that had come together to volunteer their time and money toward this endeavor seemed to almost naturally fall into place. We already knew that we were going to cover the beer scene in the Southeast, so what to write about wasn’t an issue. There weren’t ego problems, issues of money or even arguments about style or design. The one part of the planning process that took more time than any other was coming up with a name.

Of course, part of the problem was the typical hemming and hawing over which suggested name was best. This name was too hokey. That one was too long. The other one was too hard to spell. All those were only minor, but one of the hardest arguments was based around a single word: “Beer.”

In our discussions for potential names, several in the group said they thought any name including beer would make us sound too pedestrian, too Joe Sixpack. People would just see “Beer” and think we were a bunch of frat boys reviewing the latest innovations in beer-bonging technology, or a bunch of rednecks arguing whether a certain pale fizzy beer was better because it tasted great or was less filling.

Others, including myself argued that since our passion was beer, we shouldn’t let how the beverage is seen by many in our society make us tiptoe around the truth. Besides, part of our purpose for creating The Beer Cellar was to educate and inform the public about beer that can be appreciated and enjoyed as more than just an inexpensive alcohol delivery device.

Those of us who took this approach said we could take back the word “Beer” and remove those negative connotations. Still, I’ll admit that we have an uphill battle. After all, the major beer companies – Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller-SAB – actually market their products as being exactly what we were trying to avoid. Their advertising campaigns just reinforce the perception of beer as a lowbrow, low-class beverage. As you can tell, we ended up standing up for our beer, but did use it in a name that would imply quality and taste.

If you don’t know what a beer cellar is, you’re probably not alone. For much of the beer sold in the United States, there’s no need for a cellar. What the Budweiser ads say is true for most brews; fresh beer is better. There’s a catch, though. This only applies to low-alcohol, light-bodied beers like the American Standard Lagers that the Big Three make, as well as many of the low alcohol ales and lagers that are the most familiar to us. However, there are many styles of beer that are intended to be put down in a cellar and, like fine wines, improve with age.

It is these beers and other craft beers that give us our inspiration and reason to write. During the coming months and years we hope to educate Southerners about what beer can be. For those who already know the truth about beer, we want to be your source for keeping up with what’s new in the beer industry around you. Maybe we can even help you decide where to go and what to buy next. And if you think there’s something you know that we don’t, let us know about it. You’ll not only be doing us a favor, but helping out everyone else that reads this publication.

So grab a good beer from The Cellar, and enjoy.