Janelle Patterson
jp004@marietta.edu
As I sit at the Townhouse on a Wednesday afternoon relaxing with Dos Equis in hand, I can’t help but reflect on the three years I’ve spent in this bar, and others like it. The bars downtown are happening places on the weekends. In my early years, I was “snuck in” more times than I can count by upperclassmen and alumni. I very early on became a pro at ordering a Blue Moon or an Amaretto Sour with style. Never mind the fact that I was underage for the majority of that time; I was in, I had connections — or so my young freshman mind thought.
Back then alcohol was about rebellion. It was a novelty, my way of sticking it to the man. The first time I had an alcoholic drink, I had zero experience and no idea what I would like or how I would feel. Someone bought me a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and invited me to go out dancing at Jimbo’s. Yes, it was exciting, fun, and new, but in contrast to today, where I will order a dark ale if
I’m at a pub or sit back and relax while drinking a rich red wine, the change in my tastes and behavior is clear. I’ve gotten older, the novelty of alcohol has worn off and my palate has developed.
Alcohol is a controversial topic on any college campus, and yet, is still a very prevalent part of the college experience for most students. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “virtually all college students experience the effects of college drinking — whether they drink or not.” Now this is not to say that there are not those who chose to remain sober until or even after they turn 21; simply that most students will, at some point in their college career, be exposed to alcohol.
So how did my palate change in my first years away from home? The progression was a series of seven stages and I couldn’t skip ahead or circumvent the process. Like any 18-year-old freshman, there was a certain rite of passage I had to complete.
Stage 1: The Newbie
While for me the journey began with a sugary lemonade containing minimal alcohol, for senior Nick Brady the drink of choice in his early years was Genesee Cream Ale.
“Starting off it was just whatever was cheap and at the house,” Brady said. “We started with Genesee Cream Ale, [then] moved our way up to Natty and PBR.”
The phrase “move up” is still up for debate here if we’re talking about Natty, but regardless of the exact form of the introduction, most newbies to the world of alcohol lean toward the cheap, the available and the consistent. There’s little weight given to taste because let’s be honest, if you’re not paying, you can’t complain.
“It’s also about the atmosphere,” senior Viktor Brillati said. “At the beginning of college it’s a lot of: drink as much as you can but don’t like what you’re drinking — maybe that comes with age.”
According to the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, “underage students drink more per occasion than older students: 42 percent had five or more drinks compared with 27 percent of the older students.” This is perpetuated by the novelty and pre-game culture common in the underage scene.
I attended many parties where the choices were either Natural Light, Busch Light, or Mike’s Hard. As a freshman, how was I to know any better? I had resigned to the cheap, flat taste of light beers which were provided by upperclassmen for free. I had no idea of the plethora of tastes to come — that is until a few older friends took me under their wings.
Stage 2: The Fruitcake
Stage two began with my first college spring break. I didn’t go anywhere crazy or party on a beach, I simply hung out with a couple of seniors. They introduced me to mixed drinks like the tequila sunrise and the many faces of Malibu Rum. I even played a game or two and made some memories of debauchery with the little crowd. That week, we were free from the many eyes surrounding parties and to be honest, the seniors were tired of cheap beer. I found out that alcohol doesn’t have to taste like flat Mountain Dew or off-brand soda; it can have flavor, richness and even a malty texture.
Brillati had similar mentorships during his second step in the world of alcohol.
“What helped me was a lot of the alumni,” he mused. “They would offer me different drinks thinking that I may like it, and I did. That happened to me so many times that I kind of created a palate for myself and then once I thought I liked something, I went further with it — that’s how I got into IPA’s.”
There comes a time in your college career where watery alcohol is no longer acceptable. I reached this point by the end of my freshman year. Moving up in the world, I began to try less commercialized beers, more complex mixed drinks and wines with slightly better packaging.
Stage 3: The False Expert
“Wine that comes out of a box just really doesn’t do it for me anymore,” senior Charlee Ottersburg reflected as I asked her how her tastes have changed.
I couldn’t agree more. By the third phase most young alcohol enthusiasts will emerge from their fruity stage of cheap boxed wines and Smirnoff Ice into the realm of the crafts and blends. I hit this right around the middle of my summer between freshman and sophomore years. Instead of hanging around a party crowd, I was with friends who had put their days of Natty and Busch behind them. They were looking for a more refreshing and appealing taste. Lazy days of lounging and conversation were accompanied by wild berry blends, Honey Brown, and the slightly better taste of Yuengling (that is in comparison to Natural Light).
However, here’s where the middle-school textbook version of alcohol knowledge came back with a bite. I developed a pickiness unbecoming of someone with so little experience. With my false sense of superiority I proudly announced to peers that I would never again let Natural Light touch my lips. Little did I know how naive that comment made me.
Stage 4: The Cheapskate
There’s a two year period in most college lives in which parents are no longer as happy to help out with gas money and food. This means that funds from personal jobs — originally partially intended for alcohol — are repurposed from the fun of the weekends to ramen, gatorade, and pb&j supplies. The hit to the wallet usually equates to a regression in the form of cheaper alcohol.
This stage is one that college students return to often because, let’s face it, we’re broke more often than we’re swimming in cash. Senior Cody Reese said that while he does have his preferences for craft beers and IPA’s, “with 50 cent Natty on Mondays [at the Townhouse] I can’t complain. But it’s not my first choice for sure.”
The less-expensive booze is also tied to how a night of consumption is played. Junior Megan Wrbas said that while she enjoys wine, it’s not exactly a night-on-the-town type of drink.
“If I’m going out, then I’m probably not going to buy what I would with dinner,” Wrbas mused.
The Harvard study also found that the cheaper the drinks, the more binge drinking takes place. Scientists attributed this behavior to the accessibility to alcohol and claimed that underage students “pay less per drink than of-age students and, though they drink less frequently, drink more per occasion than older students.”
However, after a while, ramifications of staying out late and the calories of cheap beer start to take their toll. By junior year I was tired of the party scene. I enjoyed calmer nights, and I wanted to save what little money I had for more enjoyable occasions.
Stage 5: The Adventurer
“As I got older, I got too used to the same thing,” Brillati said about his growth in palate. “I wanted to try something new, to mix it up. I did and found things that are just horrible… but then you find things that you really like. Now I won’t drink as much as I used to because I only want to drink the good beer. I want to really enjoy what I’m drinking instead of just drinking.”
Stage five of alcohol maturity is embodied in this transition from the late-night crowd to the calm taste-tester. The experience is filled with new flavors, insightful pairings, and a novelty shift. By emerging from the depths of the cheap nights and into the calm afternoons of variety packs and tap samples the novelty isn’t surrounding rebellion anymore – it’s focused on tastebuds.
“Now it’s about what actually tastes good,” Brady declared when asked about the current goals of his consumption. He said that his weekends are now filled with the trial and error process of exploring seasonal beers and finding out what he likes.
Oftentimes this is where most college seniors are; they’ve figured out more about the types of drinks they like and aren’t so focused on brands or major labels. By this step most know the difference between stouts, dark ales, golden ales, wheat beers, pilsners, and lagers. I spent a good amount of time in this phase, exploring my options with friends and mentors. I enjoyed the calm associated with a nice stout or dark ale accompanying dinner. That calm lasted until the end of junior year; that is, until the final countdown for my twenty-first birthday.
Stage 6: The Preparer
In the summer months leading up to my birthday, I was beyond impatient. I had a pretty good grasp on what I liked but was ready to not have to hide it or rely on others to provide the booze. I wanted to go on wine tours and waltz into 21-and-over establishments. I couldn’t wait to get carded. But alas, the three months of summer preceding my birthday were not vacant of yet another stage of appreciation.
My summer was graced by one new friendship that had a gigantic affect on my palate growth. Meredith was the daughter of a wine expert. When we met, we immediately bonded through similar interests and the love of great tastes. We then developed a delicious system, I would cook something new and she would introduce me to new wine.
Prior to that summer I would only have wine with dinner at my grandparents’ house or at holiday gatherings. I preferred the bubbly champagnes or fruity flavors of a Riesling and would always get rather sleepy after a glass of red wine.
The summer with Mere changed my entire outlook on wine. We started with different sauvignon blancs and paired them with both mild and sharp cheese, then moved our way into Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Syrah. I began to love a sharp cheddar paired with the Red Velvet blend made by Cupcake and even found one bottle that, when paired with a seven-year-old cheddar, tasted like bacon.
Those months were the penultimate stage in my appreciation of alcohol which, by the time August finally began, I was ready to order my first legal drink with confidence.
Stage 7: The Seasoned Vet
“My taste has grown up as I have,” Reese said about his development in the appreciation of alcohol.
The ability to make an informed choice about the variety of tastes available is one of the draws of drinking overage. Gone are the days of having no idea what half of the information on the draft list means, and thus begins the world of sampling and calm company.
“I drink because I want to sit down and have a drink with a conversation,” senior Danie Chirdon explained as she discussed her motivation for alcohol consumption. She said that the novelty and intensity of raucous partying is a thing of the past and that now her focus is on the taste, the environment, and the people — instead of the rebellion.
I am at the point where buying a bottle of wine is an enjoyable pastime and a relaxing end to the rigors of the day. I’m content with a glass or two and the company of a couple friends while catching up on favorite tv shows and classic movies. When I spoke to one alumna, she said that alcohol, for her, is more about the final flavor in the day rather than the exciting release associated with weekends freshman year.
While I do not claim to now be an expert on fine wine or on the perfect brew, I am more confident in my ability to choose what I like and know how to experiment with new tastes. Turning 21 comes with its own set of challenges and requires looking at a future outside of the constructs of college. But at this point, the rebellion of freshman year has abated and a new horizon is in sight.
