Guest Writer: Brittney Perreault
Northwest Wine Night TV Senior Producer
As a lover of wine it’s very hard for me to grasp that there are people (sometimes men) that won’t give wine a chance. Ladies, have you tried to get your husband to trade his generic beer for a nice glass of wine at dinner and failed, over and over? I have a few girlfriends whose spouses enjoy wine and some who avoid it. Stephanie’s husband Pat for instance, loves and appreciates wine at its essence. “For good wine, each bottle is essentially a snapshot of the year printed on the bottle that you can see, smell, taste, and experience.”
Allison’s husband Chris, not so much on team wine. “Since I was young I have always been told that wine is an acquired taste. I guess I have never ‘acquired’ it. For me, all wine tastes tart and bitter. I feel like the guy in the bitter beer commercials from the 90s.” And Danielle’s husband Kolin, he isn’t a fan of wine, not even a little bit. He like Chris described wine as bitter and sour adding that, “There’s nothing manly about drinking a glass of wine.”
Well guys, meet my new friend Tyson Schiffner. I asked Tyson if he could help me educate the anti-wine drinking husbands. It doesn’t have to be wine or beer, it can be wine AND beer. From a brewer at Redhook, to Cellarmaster at Chateau Ste Michelle, to working with Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery, to current Head Brewer at Sumerian Brewing Co. Tyson knows both worlds very well.
What would you say to a man who isn’t open minded about drinking wine?
Tyson: If you’re a domestic lighter beer consumer, look at wine not to use a tool to consume during your favorite activity be it sports or juggling chainsaws, look at it as a tool to complement a special meal or special event that you can share with someone. It’s more of an intimate beverage no doubt.
Why is it important to appreciate both wine and beer?
Tyson: Because they are both yummy and both have a time and a place for consumption. Weddings, football games, working in the yard, fancy dinners, and holidays. There is a beverage to pair with all occasions!
Are there elements of your wine making history in your beer?
Tyson: Absolutely, I have aged our Pilsner in a white wine barrel, thrown some of our pale ale in a cabernet barrel. It’s fun to play around with stuff like that. That is where you can bring the art and science into your product and make it more than your run of the mill pale.
Now that you’re a brewer do you still enjoy wine?
Tyson:Of course! My wife is a fantastic cook and I love digging through our cellar to come up with the right bottle. And when I say that, I don’t necessarily mean a fancy bottle, sometimes that wonderful $7 Riesling is the right pairing for a salmon r. But it’s had to beat a well-made red with that delicious steak dinner!
Why do you think that beer is associated with men and wine with women?
Tyson: Culturally it has been built into us, however all the early brewers were women, and sorry guys, women have better pallets than us (scientific fact). What I like to see is no bias across the board. Talking wine as a male doesn’t take your masculinity down a notch… it just makes you sound wicked cool!
Go see Tyson and try his awesome beers at Sumerian Brewing Co. in Woodinville! From their hop forward IPAs to their Lucidity Pilsner, these award winning beers are loved by all! Tyson gets wine, and Tyson gets beer. Anti-wine drinking guys, be more like Tyson. Cheers!
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