"Love the Beer, in the Simplest Sense..." - Beerview #015 with Mehmet Yalçın
We have an exclusive guest on our Beerview interview series: Mr. Mehmet Yalçın, who is known as Turkey's first beverage writer, kindly accepted to answer our questions. He is not only a journalist but also an instructor with his courses dedicated to beer, wine and whiskey. From the first beer he tried to the drink that started his hunt for new beverages, we have already learned many things from his nice answers. You can follow his account here to keep a track of Turkey's beverage history and contemporary developments in the beverage culture. (Original Turkish version of the interview: Link )
. Can you tell a bit about yourself?
I am known as
Turkey’s first “beverage writer” as a result of clustering my occupation that
is journalism and my hobby which is a passion for drinking culture.
· How and when your interest in drinks started?
One glass of Grand Marnier (famous French cognac and bitter orange liqueur) that I tasted in the
mid 1980’s when world beverages started to be imported freely to Turkey,
created such a taste shock for me that I said “I have missed so many things…”
and I started to hunt down different beverages.
· Why did you decide to start your
Instagram account about beverages?
Nowadays, it is
not enough to write in just one medium to reach the mass audience. Even if you
are a well-known and widely-read journalist, to meet new audience you need to
use social media as well.
· How many different beers you tried so
far? Any guess?
It has probably
surpassed one thousand…
· Which country’s beers you like more and
why?
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| https://www.instagram.com/gurmemehmetyalcin/ |
Czech, German,
English, Scottish and Irish beers… But of course if you don’t ask “What else is
left?”…
· Do you remember your first beer? What
was your reaction?
I have tried
Altınbaşak beer which was produced and freshly served in the Tekel facility in
Atatürk Forest Farm, and I have found it a bit bitter.
· What is your opinion about craft beers?
Which is your favorite?
I find beers from
Brewdog of Scotland in the world and Gara Guzu in our country exciting. In
fact, Frederik IPA of Tuborg also left an impression on me.
· Which 3 beers would you take with you
to Mars?
1) Pilsner Urquell to cool off in the hot Mars summers,
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2) Rauchenfels
Steinbier for the cold days (this stone beer of Germans which is stoned by hot
rocks is one of the most interesting beers in the world and has a taste of
smoked hot dog),
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3) ...and the most
special Trappist beer of Belgium, Westvleteren, for very special moments…
· What would you recommend to people who
started interest in beers?
I recommend them
to try many different beers and take notes about the ones they liked in a
notebook.
· Anything else you would like to
add?
I advise them to
drink every beer at its ideal temperature and in its own glass if possible. I
recommend them not to be a “beer snob” who is chasing just fancy beers, and
primarily love the beer in the simplest sense…
We thank again Mr. Mehmet Yalçın for answering our questions and recommend you to follow his social media accounts:
https://twitter.com/gurmemyalcin
https://www.instagram.com/gurmemehmetyalcin/
https://www.facebook.com/gurmemehmetyalcin
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