As for beer being filling, I’ve heard people say that. For many years I have considered beer an ideal aperitif. In fact I try to do my serious tasting and making of tasting notes before dinner; one of the reasons for this is it stimulates the appetite. I preferentially pair beer with food, as I find beer more versatile than wine and have never noticed that the beer was filling me up.

I know the filling sensation is probably subjective and differs from person to person, but I suspect that the roots of this common impression is that people generally drink larger quantities of beer when they drink it.

Also, beer tends to be very filling, which could detract from serving it with or before a meal?

You have access to some great beers in Long Island, from the region and afar, so I’m looking forward to seeing what you pick.

And perhaps commenting on them ;>)

Both Secret Ale and Cuvee de Fleurs are excellent beers. I opened a bottle of Cuvee de Fleurs to have with Christmas dinner last year. Indeed it did mark the occasion.

I hope that readers of The Spirit World will visit Appellation Beer (http://www.appellationbeer.com/) and read the excellent articles there.

One more thing, your book, Brew Like a Monk, is excellent. I also have Phil Markowski’s Farmhouse Ales and Jeff Sparrow’s Wild Brews all of which I plan to review for the readers of The Spirit World.

But not all great beer has to cost more. For instance, and since you mention Long Island, there are good reasons that Phil Markowski’s Cuvee de Fleurs costs more than his Secret Ale.

Understanding why should be part of the education process you are talking about.