Beer Tip of the Week - Episode 10 - How to store your beer - Part 2
Happy 4th of July everyone. This week we took a look at what temperature to store your beer to keep it from losing flavor. I think we can all agree that the easiest is to just keep it in a nice cold refrigerator. But what about those times when you can’t store it in your fridge (like when your frig is already full of beer)?
The best thing to keep in mind when storing your beer is to avoid extreme temperatures. Extreme heat and extreme cold both have the ability to change the flavor of your beer. So whether you live in Pheonix or Toranto, you need to find a place where to keep your beer from the far edges of temperature.
My suggestion is to get a dedicated beer frig. It doesn’t have to be big to do the job…it just has to be able to keep you beer at a cool temperature.
Beer 101 - International Bittering Unit Scale - What is IBU?
Most people can tell you what ABV stands for when it comes to beer (alcohol by volume), but a little less known term is IBU’s. International Bittering Units are used to describe how much bitter content is in a beer derived from hops in the brewing process.
Depending on where you look, IBU’s are either determined by how much isohumulone or isomerized alpha acid is in a beer (one part per million = one unit) or it is determined by an empirical formula [Wh × AA% × Uaa ⁄ ( Vw × 1.34 )].
In general if the the beer has a higher IBU, it will taste more bitter. But this is not the rule. We know that the bitter flavor is added to beer to help offset or complement the malty flavor of the beer. Therefore those beer’s with a higher content of malts will also have a higher content of hops. This then gives you a higher IBU for the beer but not more bitter flavor in the beer.
Here’s an example. Guinness Stout has a high malt content and therefore starts out with about 50 IBU’s. Most people would not say that Guinness is a really bitter beer. On the other hand, take the same amount of IBU’s and put it in a beer with less malt, and you have an Indian Pale Ale (IPA) which is desired for it’s strong bitter flavor.
But in general you can say the more IBU’s a beer has, the more bitter a flavor it will have. For those of you who are wondering, here is a general guide that I found on the web for how many IBU’s different styles of beer have.
A General IBU Guide:
Ales
Pale Ale / Amber Ale – 20-50 IBU
India Pale Ale – 40-60 IBU
ESB, aka Extra Special Bitters – 28-40 IBU
English Brown Ale – 20 IBU
Porter – 20-40 IBU
Irish Stout – 30-60 IBU
Barleywine – 50-100 IBU
Lagers
American Pale Lager – 10-15 IBU
Pilsner – 25-45 IBU
Bock – 20-30 IBU
Forget Church Pot Lucks…Have a beer tasting!
Yes you are reading the above graphic right. This is a beer tasting being hosted by a church. Now I don’t know much more than what you see above. But Brad Ruggles sent me this so I had to share. I don’t know about you, but I think beer tasting should replace potlucks as the main staple for church functions. What do you think?
Beer Tip of the Week - Episode 9 - How to Store Beer - Part 1
For next three weeks, we are going to learn some simple tips for how to store your beer. This week we take a look at how light affects your beer while it is being stored.
The simplest thing to remeber when it comes to storing your beer is that light is evil. Sunlight, floresent light, and incondesent light will all cause you beer to change flavor and become skunked. The hops in beer releases an oil that is sensitive to light in a negative way. Therefore light is bad.
Until next time, wheter you eat or drink do it all to the glory of God.
My First Beer - Am I alone?
I wish I could say that the first time I tasted beer that the heavens opened up and that I heard angels sing. The reality was quite the opposite. It was more like the can opened and I began to cringe. Most kids get their first sip of a beer from their dad before they’re even able to read. My story is a little different.
I was probably still in Jr. High because it was while my parents were still married. My brother (three years older) and I were staying at a friend of the family’s house (I didn’t know it at the time…but he was going to be my step-dad one day) while my parents were off doing something. While staying the night, I had my first opportunity to taste of the nectar that I love so much now.
My parents didn’t drink. They weren’t against drinking beer…they just didn’t drink. So I had never been around alcohol. I had seen my friend Coy’s parents drink beer all the time, and I was very intrigued. But I never had the chance to try it until then.
I still remember the experience like it was yesterday. After a few beers, all the adults had gone to bed for the night (well passed out), and my brother and I had free reign on the house. After watching a porno (I forgot to mention this was pre-Christ), the following conversation ensued:
My brother: “Have you ever drank a beer.”
Me: “No.”
My brother: “I have. I drink beer at my friends house all the time. His dad doesn’t care.”
Me: “What does it taste like?”
My brother: “It tastes really good. You should try it.”
At this point we went into the other room and got one of the left over beers. The tall silver can seemed to glow in the light of the tv-lit room. My mind began to race with excitement at the thought of tasting this adult-only beverage. As I began to lift the warm half-drank beer to my lips, I had images of grandeur in my head. But I was snapped back into reality as the warm cat’s piss flavor filled my mouth.
Fighting back my gag reflex, I did what any Jr. High boy would do in my same situation. I told my brother that it tasted awesome and continued to finish off the can. It was nearly a decade before I would try beer again.
We could talk all day about the things that are wrong with this story (and probably should do that with a therapist at some point), but I’m more curious as to what everyone else’s first beer experience was like. What was your first beer? Did you like beer from the start? Who introduced you to the world of beer? Inquireing minds want to know.
Beer 101 - An Introduction into Beer Glasses
You’ve heard if from me before if you truly want to enjoy your beer, you have to drink it from a glass. A beer glass is more than a transport device to get the beer from point a (not in your mouth) to point b (in your mouth). It allows the beer to engage all of your senses. It is really the only way to drink your beer.
But what glass goes with what beer. There are about as many different beer glasses out there as there are styles of beer (most breweries actually make a specific glass for each beer). There are pilsners, flutes, chalices, mugs, steins, pints, snifers, stanges, tulips, wiezens, and red dixies. Every beer style out there has a specific glass that is suppose to be paired with it (we’ll take a look at each one individually in the future).
The main thing to keep in mind is that there is a certain amount of science that goes behind the pairing of a glass with a beer (some breweries have been known to actually create the glass before creating the beer). Each glass is designed to enhance flavor and aroma of the beer bringing out the unique characteristics of that beer. Not only do they allow you to see the beauty of the beer, but they also assist in the development of the head of a beer. Which helps to retain and produce the aroma of the beer. Which in turn enhances the flavor of the beer.
There really is no option as to whether you should use a glass or not. The absence of a glass is the absence of the full flavor of a beer. And that…is truly a shame.
To read more about beer glassware and what glasses go with what beer, check out these websites:
Beer Tip of the Week - Episode 8 - To Chill or Not to Chill
Here is the reality. Most beers are served too cold and this is a bad thing. I remember growing up and seeing signs at the local bars that said, “Coldest beer in town.” The only problem with this is that most beers aren’t meant to be served at super frigged levels. By drinking your beer extremely cold, it does two things.
- It doesn’t allow the beer to “open up” and reveal all of it’s wonderful aromas.
- It numbs your tastes buds and inhibits you from being able to experience the full flavor of the beer.
Now certain beer companies serve their beers at extremely low temperatures to disguise the real taste of the beer (which would be categorized as disgusting). I see this as one of Big Business’ greatest conspiracies to dupe the American beer drinker. They want you to think that you need to drink beer really cold. Then they can sell you their crap and have you think that it is good. To use a friends analogy, “It’s like the Wal-Mart greeter. They’re there to make you feel happy about all the crap you’re about to buy.”
Well I’m sorry…I’m not happy.
So what temperature should you drink your beer at? That is a wonderful question, and I’m glad you asked. Each style of beer actually has a different temperature. The general rule is to drink it at the same temperature that it was fermented at. If you’re like me, you’re not going to go out and research to see what temperature your beer was fermented at. So I’ve included a handy chart from herestobeer.com that will give you an idea of what temperature your beer should be served.
So here is your homework for this week. Get a beer with which you are familiar with the flavor. Now take your time drinking it and take note of how the flavor and smell changes as the temperature of the beer changes.
Until next time, enjoy your beer.
When should a Christian not drink beer?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I could care less what a legalist thinks about my drinking habit. In fact I would go to the point of taking a shot in front of one. But I think there are definitely situations where we need to abstain from alcohol.
Drink for any amount of time (shot you don’t even have to drink) and someone is going to bring up the weaker brother. But what exactly is a weaker brother (cause most people who mention weaker brothers aren’t one and have never seen one). Paul talks to the Corinthians about not eating meat sacrificed to idols. There were brothers who just came out of the world where they sacrificed that meat to false Gods. Paul says there is nothing wrong with the meat, but understands that these brothers are still new to their faith and can’t easily separate the meat from the idols. They can’t eat the meat without stumbling back into their old lifestyle.
So where does the weaker brother come into play with alcohol. If we use Paul’s conversation with the Corinthians as our basis, a weaker brother in the world of alcohol is someone for whom alcohol is more than alcohol. A beer is more than just a beer. It is a gateway into a world were they worship something other than God. I’ll talk about this more at another time.
But the main idea is that alcohol has power over them and not the other way around. It leads them away from God and not towards a closer understanding of who He is. Beer disconnects them Jesus. It doesn’t give them a greater understanding of the glory of God. For those of us that alcohol doesn’t have any hold on us, Paul warns us that we aren’t to tempt our weaker brother. We aren’t to put them in a position where they would be tempted.
I have several friends that I don’t drink around because they struggle with drinking alcohol. But that is the case, they struggle with drinking it. They don’t struggle with the concept of drinking alcohol. They actually struggle with being able to control how many drinks they have. They use alcohol to escape pain (emotional and physical), to gain approval of friends, to pump up their egos, to do all these at one time. So I don’t tempt them by drinking around them.
I do have some other friends that are new in their faith and are still trying to figure out where their freedoms lie. I don’t drink in front of them either, but I do help them to understand that drinking in itself is not a sin. I try to help them realize that not only is alcohol in itself just a drink, but that it can actually be used to bring glory to God. I help them to see the thing they think is a sin…is actually a gift from God.
How about you guys? Are there any times when you won’t enjoy a beer?
Beer 101 - How many beers can I drink before I get drunk?
As I’ve stated on this blog before, it isn’t a sin for a person to drink beer. But it doesn’t take very much time in the bible to figure out that getting intoxicated is a sin. The abuse and overuse of alcohol does constitute as a disconnection between us and Jesus. So this poses the question, “How many beers can I drink before I get drunk?” (the wording my be a little off on this question but the main thought is…how many beers = drunk)
If you didn’t know, I work for UPS doing sales. I sale the services that UPS provide, mainly shipping. One of the most common questions I get from customers is, “How much does it cost to ship with UPS?” Every time I get asked this question, it takes a lot of self-control to not start laughing hysterically in their face. There are so many variables that go into determining the cost to ship a package (weight, distance, level of service, size of package, additional charges, ect.). The answer isn’t cut and dry. The same goes for how many beers it takes for a person to get drunk.
I worked my way through college as a waiter at a steak and sea food joint (one of three jobs). In order to work there, I had to get licensed to serve alcohol in the state of New Mexico. The majority of the class was spent learning how to tell if someone was intoxicated. Just like the cost for shipping, the variables that go into telling if someone is drunk are numerous:
- How many drinks?
- How much time was between each drink?
- What is the persons height?
- How much do they weigh?
- Did they eat anything?
- Are they male or female?
We could go into the intricacies of how these variables work together to determine whether or not you are intoxicated. But here are some simple things to keep in mind.
- Your liver can process one drink of alcohol per hour (one single shot, one glass of wine, one glass of beer). Therefore, the faster you drink the more likely you are to get drunk. Space out your drinks and you will be less likely to get drunk.
- The bigger you are…the more area the alcohol has to cover. Therefore, the larger you are…the more you can drink before you get drunk.
- If you have food in your stomach, it slows down how fast the alcohol gets into your system. Therefore if you eat before you drink, you can drink more.
Those are some general rules. But the main rule is to just know your own body. I’ve known 6′5″ guys that get smashed with one drink, and I know 5′7″ women who could drink Ted Kennedy under the table. Each person needs to know and set their own limit. For instance I generally don’t drink more than two beers in an hour. I know that if i get over that amount that I’m starting to push it. I feel light headed and loose a little bit of physical control. So I just keep to two drinks an hour.
So how many beers can you drink before you get drunk? That’s a good question and one that you need to figure out for yourself.
Reader Week Recap
I have to say thanks to Clayton, CJ, and Ross for their help last week while I took some vacation time to spend with Shannon and Asa. It was great knowing that I didn’t have to worry about this blog while I was enjoying time with family.
If you missed the posts, here is a quick recap.
Clayton Bell reminded us of the need to amplify and centralize Jesus.
CJ Mills gave us a great post on how beer is made.
Ross Middleton posted the question about what to do when a Christian brother is getting wasted.
Once again thanks guys for all your help. I really enjoyed getting to read posts from the readers. It was great getting to see views and writing styles other than my own. If anyone else is ever interested in doing a guest post, the door is always open. Just shoot me an email with your post to greg [at] thebeerean [dot] com.
