Beer Bottle Babies

In the years I worked at Miller Brewing Company, I had the honor of working with an excellent brewmaster- Art Rehberger. Prior to coming to Miller, Art was head brewer for Schlitz.

We were talking one time about how people drink when they go out for a beer and the topic of drinking straight out of the bottle came up. Art graced us with a ditty that I honestly believe, if understood and applied, could save numerous marriages and relationships!

Here it is:

Into every bottle of beer I make,
I put a little extra gas,
If you don't let it out in your glass,
it's going to come out of your (body part, rhymes with 'glass')

I am hoping that you understand what he is talking about here, but let me illucidate the technical apsects of Art's concern.

Beer has a few enemies - primarily light, heat and oxygen...
Brown bottles protect against light struck beer, good handling and often Pasteurization fight the impact of heating and cooling brew. In order to eliminate oxygen from the headspace in a bottle, bottling lines usually include a CO 2, carbon dioxide, "blow off" step whereby a blast of CO2 is pushed into the bottle before the crown or cap is slammed on. This displaces unwanted oxygen in the beer.

The downside is it introduces an extra charge of gas bubbles into our favorite beverage.

The result is that you really must Pour the beer into a glass to properly taste and enjoy it. First, if the beer in hand has any good flavors- malt, hops, nuances- you want to to shake those up! Pouring and creating a head serves the purpose of allowing your olfactory skills to get to work and actually taste the beer.

I have to hold myself back when some cowboy says. "I don't drink beer as much anymore, it just fills me up". I am willing to bet that what is filling up our friend Tex is Not beer itself. Tex, or Billy Bob, or whoever is simply sucking down many pounds of CO2 and can't figure out why he is bloated or full.

Criss- if it were a baby you'd recognize and burp the kid!

Short of that, here is the drill:
Pour your beer in a glass! Let it breathe.
Experience the subtle flavors it holds.
(By the way, If the only flavors you detect are grainy rice or corn you may want to get a new beer).

Now, I've heard folks say, well, I don't trust the glasses at my bar to be clean. If a food plate came to you dirty I'd hope you would send it back to the kitchen. Show the same respect for beer. You are paying for it.

If your bar or restaurant can't give you a clean glass you may wish to avoid the place altogether. Is it really too much to ask for a beer clean glass?

So, think about it. A simple act. Pouring beer into a glass, allows you to actually taste your beer, avoid social discomfort and maybe save your love life while possibly reducing your expenditures on antacids!

Take the first step.
Think and then Drink- Enjoy.

Good Beer and Good Places

This may be something of a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg" meditation but in my mind the best public places- bars, restaurants and entertainment venues offer the best beers and most variety of beers.

In my experience, the finest beer drinking establishments tend to be locally owned and have unique character. (Conversely, they are not multiple outlet, cookie cutter chain bars that offer just the top selling national lager beers).

Proprietors of good beer places often seek out the best local or regional brews and then add world class imports to follow the "Think Global, Drink Local" chant. This quality driven melting pot mentality spawns good conversations and helps to build an interesting clientele.

[Of course, an on-premise brewery-pub may also generate the same atmosphere, with ever changing house beers and events. I'll go deeper on brewpubs in upcoming posts].

Longfellow is credited with having said "He who has not been at a tavern knows not what a paradise it is." Quality malt beverages, in my opinion, help stir up the kind of public house discussion that might have prevailed during the American Revolution.

I may be lost in the malt clouds here but I truly think that good beer and people who understand and share it help build good communities. If you look at my book list on the left side here, towards the bottom, two books speak to this in different ways- "The Great Good Place" and the new "Fermenting Revolution" titles.
I'd encourage you to look either of these up for insights.

On a more self serving note, at the top left of this blog are the events that I run as "The Beer Jockey". These, at present are local Kansas City area tastings, bus tours and more "beer-centric" experiences. Please consider attending one or more of these programs. You'll meet good people and sample great beers!

Hope to see you.

Cheers.