Newfound taste prompts exploration of craft beers

For the most part, I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle. I work out most days of the week, rarely touch plate lunches and drink tons of water. Sure, I’m a fan of pizza and Spam musubi and lying around for half the day, but I don’t indulge in those things all the time.

And then, well, there’s beer.

Is it healthy? Not particularly. Is it delicious and worth enjoying alongside my reasonably good habits? Definitely.

I was not a beer drinker before I met my boyfriend. But thanks to him, I’ve discovered the world of craft beer and all its tasty iterations.

Craft beer is quite different from the brews folks are most familiar with — the Budweisers and Miller Lites. Craft beer is made by microbreweries, which lack the reach and history of companies like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors but excel in creativity and taste.

That last statement isn’t popular with Bud or Miller fans, but it’s true. One craft brewery can produce a wide range of beer styles, from amber ales to saisons to India pale ales to stouts. The differences lie in how they are fermented, other ingredients added for extra flavor or depth and even the vessels in which they are stored.

If that sounds complicated, it is. The complexity only adds to the enjoyment, though.

I can’t discuss flavor profiles as easily as my boyfriend can, but I know what I like. Rich, dessertlike stouts or porters top my list, but I’ve also come to love the fruity, puckery joys of saisons and goses.

Some beers taste intensely of hops; I’m not a big fan of the bitterness. But I’ll still try them, just so I can better understand and appreciate the variety of craft beer available.

Hawaii’s seen a surge in restaurants and brewpubs where my boyfriend and I can indulge our craft cravings, including some that sell their own creations.

Our favorite spots include Beer Lab Hawaii, Honolulu Beerworks, Lanikai Brewing Co. and Waikiki Brewing Co. All brew their own beer and we’ve already found our favorites.

For nonlocal microbrews we head to REAL a gastropub or Village Bottle Shop &Tasting Room. And there are a number of shops that sell bottled beer when we want to indulge at home.

What I love most about these places is the number of women who are behind the bar, pulling pints and chatting with customers about their favorites and their recommendations. The beer industry can seem awfully male-centric, so seeing the opposite at places like Honolulu Beerworks is just as refreshing as the beers on tap.

It almost makes me fantasize about joining their ranks someday.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Celia Downes at cdownes@staradvertiser.com.