Everything else is different about wiezen glasses.  Wiezen glasses are larger than pilsner glasses.  While most pilsner glasses hold 12oz of beer, a wiezen glass will actually hold close to 17oz.  The larger glass is actually designed to give you more room for the head of the beer though.  Wheat beers are known for being very “foamy.”  Therefore they need a larger glass to accommodate for a larger head on the beer.

Wiezen glasses are also always curved.  Some are more curved than others and therefore have a distinct hourglass shape. While some pilsner glasses will be curved, wiezen glasses actually tapper back in at the top.  This is to hold the citric and fruity aromas of the wiezen beer in better.

Overall the wiezen glass is a very classy glass.  It’s distinct characteristics help to make any beer look good, but it’s really going to make your wheat beer drinking experience shine.

photo by: delphaber

Last week I wrote about saying the phrase, “I need a beer.”  Then a few days ago, I came across this passage in my morning reading.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who tarry long over wine;

those who go to try mixed wine.

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

In the end it bites like a serpent

and stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your heart utter perverse things.

You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,

like one who lies on the top of a mast.

“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;

they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?

I must have another drink.”

(Proverbs 23:29-35 ESV)

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

(Luke 7:34 ESV)

Everywhere you look in the book of Luke, Jesus is getting criticized for one thing or another.  He was criticized for going to parties.  He was criticized for healing people.  He was criticized for his teaching.  He was criticized for eating.  He was criticized for drinking.  At the heart of all of his criticism is the fact that he hangs out with sinners.

Here is the hard truth.  If you choose to drink as a Christian, religious tight-wads are going to criticize you.  If you choose to drink with lost people, you’re really going to be criticized! Like Jesus, they are going to categorize you as a drunkard.  Here is the point tough.  How are you going to handle the criticizing?  Are you going to fold?  Are you going to let the religious tight-wads get to you?

Will you stand strong though for the truth of the gospel?  I hope you do and where you label of drunkard with pride.  Here is a few thoughts on critics from Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church.

photo by: mecredis

Sometimes it’s the smallest phrases that can show some of our deepest sins.  I think this is the case with the phrase, “I need a beer.”  We’ve all experienced one of those days where everything seems to go wrong.  You wake up late (or too early), there’s no hot water in the shower, there’s no milk for cereal (worst, it’s sour), you’re bombarded with problems at work, you forget to take your lunch (or don’t even have time to eat it), your car has a flat, your mugged by a band of gypsies, a meteor falls from the sky and destroys your house, and your shoe laces break when you’re tying them.  You get home from work to your burning crater in the ground and utter the words, “I need a beer.”

While we’ve all done this in one way or another, there is a issue of the heart with this phrase.  In that moment, we are showing a lack of satisfaction in Jesus.  We are saying to God, “You’re good…but you’re not good enough.”  When we’ve had crappy days, we shouldn’t be seeking rest and comfort in a beer (cause it will ultimately fail us).  We should have a heart for Jesus.  David (who had A LOT of crappy days) said it this way:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
(Psalm 63:1 ESV)

So I just recently inherited a kegerator from a friend of a friend.  This might sound weird to some, but I actually got it as a ministry opportunity.  This summer I’m planning on hosting several BBQ’s and poker tournaments at my house to get to know my neighbors.  Nothing is a better conversation starter than a nice cold one.  So I got the kegerator as an opportunity to always have some beer on tap.

I’m going to get my first keg of beer next week.  So I need your help.  If you were in my place, what beer would you get?  Do you get a popular domestic beer (Bud, Bud Light, Coors, etc.) that everyone is going to know?  This goes against every bone in my body.  Or do you get a good transitional beer that they might not know, but the flavor is smooth enough that it won’t through them off?  Do you just get a beer you love so your passion for beer comes out to share in conversation?

Also, do you have any tips or tricks I need to know about having my own kegerator?

What are hops?  You hear about them all the time in the world of beer.  You hear about beers that have double the hops.  There are even tripple hop beers now too.  It’s one of the basic ingredients of beer, but it seems that everyone assumes that you know what a hop is.

Hops are actually the female flower cluster from a hops species called the Humulus lupulus (wow don’t I sound smart).  They are a climbing plant.  Farmers train the plant to grow up strings to provide them with more sunlight.  This allows them to grow easier and stronger.

Hops are used in beer to provide the bitter flavor that we have all come to love.  This bitter flavor is use to counteract the sweet/malty flavor that comes from the barely.  While some beers use undried or “wet” hops, the majority of hops are dried out before they are added in the brewing process.

Hops have many other uses other than beer…but this is theBeerean.com.  So we don’t care. If you want to learn more than anyone would care to want to know about hops, check out this wikipedia article. Otherwise that is the basics of hops and beer.

So how do start a blog up again?  What should your first “real” post be about?  I started theBeerean.com on April 20th, 2008 with one simple thought in mind.  There needs to be a blog for Christians who like beer.  My ultimate hope with the blog would be that:

God stirs in His people to redeem the world of beer for His glory and that people might come to know His Son, Jesus, as their ultimate treasure and salvation.

It was a lofty vision statement, but I still stand by it.  This blog ultimately isn’t about beer.  It’s about Jesus.  More clearly…it’s about how we can use our beer to worship Jesus. This blog isn’t another Christian ghetto for you to avoid the world.  Instead I hope to show you a different perspective on beer…a truly Christian perspective.  As I’ve grown over the past two years, I see even more clearly how this is possible.  I also see four distinct areas in our lives that we are called to use our beer with a purpose.

Gospel Identity

We are called to not find our identity in beer, beer knowledge, or drinking capacity.  Our identity is to be found in Jesus.  Any other identity we try to hold on to is ultimately worthless in comparison.

Worship

We are worshippers.  There is no way around it.  Human beings were created to worship.  Therefore we will either worship creation or Creator.  So you will constantly be hearing point you to worship our Creator with one of his best creations…beer.

Community

God lives in community.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live for all eternity in community.  Therefore if we want to image them like we are suppose to, we mus also be in community.  So why not do it with a nice cold one.

Mission

This is probably the drum the you’ll hear me beat the loudest.  We are a people who are sent on a mission.  God gave us beer to enjoy, to worship Him with, to be in community with others…but we are ultimately called to share the joy that can be found in Jesus with those that are hurting in this world.  I have always and will always see beer as a great tool that has been given to us.  We must use it wisely.

So how do you restart a blog?  You go back to the basics.  What are you about?  What is in your heart?  This is my passion.  Will you join me?

Don’t call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and puttin suckas in fear

-LL Cool J

It has been almost a year-and-a-half since my last post on theBeerean.com.  Jesus has been good to me in this time though.  I’ve done a lot and grown a lot as a Christian, husband, father, and friend.  But in all that time, don’t think that I ever forgot about theBeerean.com.

I’ve kept the site up and watched to see what would happen.  I’ve had several people email me saying thanks and asking questions.  I’ve seen traffic to the site stay pretty consistent.  I’ve even seen traffic from Google increase in my absence.

For the past year, I’ve wrestled with whether or not I should start posting to theBeerean.com again.  I’ve had requests.  I’ve had friends tell me I should.  Even Shannon said I should start the site up again. But I just didn’t know if life (and Jesus) would permit me.

I’m here to tell you, it’s time to start this little rodeo up again.  But don’t call it a come back!  Cause I never went anywhere.  I’ve never stopped enjoying beer.  I’ve never stopped making the beautiful connection between beer and my relationship with Jesus.  I’ve never stopped sharing this joy with those around me.  I’ve never stopped seeing beer as an tool to share the love of Jesus.

So keep your eyes open for new posts to theBeerean.com.  I’ve cleaned up the site, and we’re ready to go. I’ll be sharing my insights on Jesus and beer.  I’ll be helping with the basics of beer.  There will also be Beer Tip of the Week again (give me a few weeks for this though).  In addition, I’m looking to bring in some more categories to the site.  I have some great friends that will be sharing their love for wine and spirits.  I’m looking to take a few field trips to local breweries and vineyards in Albuquerque.

So tell your friends.  Tell your family.  Tell you Uncle Larry.  TheBeearean.com is open for business.  Pour yourself a cold one and belling up to bar.  I’ll bring the content.  You bring the comments.  Together we’ll do it all “to the glory of God.”

I love having a nice beer while hanging out with family waiting for the bird to cook. A glass of wine goes so well with dinner when it’s ready too. You also can’t forget about toasting in the New Year. Alcohol and this time of the year just seem to go together. Everyone seems to be offering you another beer or glass of wine or egg nog or peppermint schnops or Irish coffee or glass of scotch (I’m getting thirsty).

I want to remind you though that your relationship with Jesus is more important than your next drink. With the spirits flowing so easily this time of year it’s east to abuse it (especially if your drunk uncle is egging you on). Your sin can easily be compounded by the fact that you are around friends and family. Not only to do you sin by getting drunk, but you ruin your witness.

Therefore, remember to stop and think before you take Uncle Bubba up on that next round of drinks. It’s not a sin to enjoy a nice cold one, but it is a sin to get drunk…plus no one wants to see your Santa Claus underwear again this year.

This set-up usually leaves a lot of leftovers.

So the question is: Who gets the beer?