The modern-day beer drinker has evolved past the point of simply asking, "is it cold?'

Epic Brewing Co. owner, brewer Luke Nicholas takes us on a journey through the mind of a craft beer convert in the latest instalment of The Beerhive's summer guest blog series.

OPINION: We live in an age where beer and beer drinkers are changing right in front of our eyes.

Most people don't think about it. Craft brewers are excited and embrace it. The large, industrial brewers are freaking out about it.

SUPPLIED Epic Brewing Co. owner and brewer Luke Nicholas believes we live in a time where the best beer in the history of man is being brewed.

What is beer? It's no longer just, "I'll have a beer thanks" or "that tastes like beer". Beer has become as complex and diverse as people are across the planet.

Today's beer drinker is mirroring the changing beer market.

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KIRK HARGREAVES/FAIRFAX NZ Today's beer drinkers can describe aroma and flavour, identify different beer styles, spot good examples of style, and know a beer's faults.

Many drinkers start with the cheapest beers and get as many as they can for the lowest amount of dollars. After price, purchase decisions are made on the brand(s) your friends drink.

As this group of drinkers mature and their disposable income grows they move up to 'premium' beers, usually in green bottles, or sometimes imported Mexican beers in clear glass bottles.

Life is good. You don't need to worry about much as long as the beer in your hand is cold and tastes like beer - actually, the less it tastes like beer the better.

iStock The current onslaught of new beers hitting the market can be a bit overwhelming.

Then one day something happens.

Someone hands you a beer you don't recognise and BAM! You drink it and the experience goes so far beyond any expectation or comprehension you could possibly have about beer at this point in your life.

It is beer with incredible flavour, something that lights up you brain in a way you can not believe. This is your 'beer epiphany'.

ROSS GIBLIN/FAIRFAX NZ Even politicians like Chris Bishop and Trevor Mallard are on the craft beer bandwagon.

You become a kid in a candy store. You want to try one of everything.

You start to track downthe best places with the best selection of beers. You start to visit your local breweries, and you start to meet the brewers and get to know them on a first-name basis.

Before you know it, your holidays are being built around visiting popular breweries. You don't just want the beer, you want to go there and buy the t-shirt.

Now your calendar has all the important beer festival dates on it. You attend every new beer launch and tap takeover. Your confidence builds and you start recording the beers you drink and writing notes.

Then one day you find you are struggling to get your hands on every new beer being released. You find you don't actually care as you have become a little overwhelmed by what feels like a new beer launch every week.

Something else has happened during this time. You have become educated about beer. You can describe aroma and flavour, identify different beer styles, spot good examples of particular styles, and you know when a beer is faulted.

You are no longer buying every beer you can get your hands on, you are hunting out the rare ones, the limited releases - beers you can put in the cellar you've just set up.

Now you have a shortlist of the best breweries who you can go back to time and again because you know their beer will be good every time.

Wait a minute. What just happened? How does a beer drinker go from 30 cans for $30 to one bottle for $30 that they plan to cellar for 10 years before they drink?

Is this the future of beer? Is it the beginning of the death of industrial beer?

Will all the multinational breweries ultimately end up merging into one global mega-brewery, and then just disappear?

Whatever happens, you can be assured that we live in a time where the best beer in the history of man is being brewed.

But don't forget there is no universally accepted 'best beer'. Beer is situational. It's the location, the people you're with, the food you're eating, the time of the day, the music, temperature.

All of these things make the beer in your hand the best beer.