Tumbler, the Tim McGraw of Beers

I have a theory that no one hates Tim McGraw. You might not like his music but I just can't imagine that you could dislike him. I just don't think there's a nit to pick on the guy. He's wildly successful, undeniably talented, has a great looking wife, I can't think of any bad press I've ever read about him, he's in good movies. The only bad thing about him is that he's bald and I think that only serves to endear people to him. Seriously, have you ever had a bad thought about Tim McGraw? He even made a character as creepy and mean as Billingsley's dad in the "Friday Night Lights" movie kinda likable let alone what he did with Sean Tuohy in "The Blind Side". He's the kind of person people would love to hate, I just don't think anyone could find it in their heart to hate him. I can think of only 2 other people in this class, Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. That's it. Everyone else has their detractors for right or wrong.

Tonight, I had my first bottle of Sierra Nevada Tumbler. It's a good beer. It's not my favorite beer. It's not the most technically perfect beer. But, there's nothing wrong with it and much to like. I think it might be the Tim McGraw of beers. There's nothing bad anybody could say about Tumbler. I think it's very similar to a Newcastle Brown but with a little hoppier finish. In the hands of a beer novice, Tumbler would be a great beer with a lot of malty taste with maybe a little bit too much hop bitterness at the end. In the hands of the geekiest of beer geeks, Tumbler would be a nice session beer but not that complex. But, both ends of the spectrum will drink the hell out of Tumbler if given the chance.

To somehow skirt the divide between novice and geek is difficult in both the celebrity world and beer world is a difficult task. You have to somehow be uncontroversial, yet offer substance. You can't play down to your audience but you can't go all arty on them either. Sierra Nevada has satisfied both bases nearly perfectly with Tumbler.