Going Wild For Beer

Foraged beers bring a taste oF the region to tailgates

- Amity Moore Joyce

 When attending the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) for the first time, you learn that the longest lines lead either to promising beers from past winning breweries or to new beers that are generating buzz. Last year, many of the brews worth waiting for fell into a wide category known as foraged beers.

Not a reference to beer style as much as a step in the brewing process, foraged beers are those that contain ingredients that have been foraged, meaning the ingredients literally have been procured from the wild. These beers give drinkers an authentic taste of the region, which can be fun for folks who might be in town for a game or locals who want to extend their fan loyalty to the cheers in their cups. Tailgating gets a whole new palate twist when regional flavors are part of the craft beers served.

Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Boulder, Colorado-based Brewers Association, says that “foraged beer is definitely a trend, and in a way nothing new, but getting more attention.” These handcrafted beers have been around for a while—since brewing began, in fact—because beer makers had to use what was immediately available around them. But the category has evolved.

“Brewers today are more than ever like chefs,” says Herz. “They’re using herbs, spices, whatever is available to them to flavor and enhance their new beers.” Artisanal chefs focus on farm-to-table fare, while brewers are seeing what they can pull from fields or forests to create unique combinations.