While doing research for a recent episode of Beer Sessions Radio (TM), an article on Diary of a Hop Head about the concept of terroir as it applies to beer came to our attention.
For the uninitiated, terroir is a term usually applied to wine and refers to the specific characteristics of the final product that has everything to do with the region from which it came. Everything from climate, to soil, to water, has an effect on the wine. Since beer is often produced with yeast strains from one place, hops from another, and grains from yet another, many would argue that few (American) beers would have characteristics that are specific to the region of production.
Michael Ironside (the voice behind of Diary of a Hop Head) makes a compelling argument about regional production, water quality, malt, hops and the specifics of the brewing environment all lending themselves to terroir in beer. I won’t spoil it for you. You should read it for yourself.
Mr. Ironside is currently a resident of Paris, France and he is enjoying access to small production French beers and his proximity to Belgium. As a former employee of the Scottish brewer BrewDog, he has spent the last year spreading the word of craft beer (mainly UK and European) through his writing and personal contacts.