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.â€
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.
Reader Week – Ross Middleton – What’s a brother to do?
Ross Middleton is the author for Collide Leadership. He is married to, in his own words, his “smokin hot wife” Amy and has two little boys, ages 2 1/2 and a 1/2. They live in Tallahassee, FL and are campus ministers at THE Florida State University with Every Nation Campus Ministries.
I was at a bachelor party about a year ago for a friend of mine who is still currently a Christian seminary student and we were just hanging out at a restaurant/bar type place. Some of the guys started buying him some shots. No biggie. Then some other guys at the place found out it was his bachelor party and they started buying him shots also. He had also had some beer too that night if I remember correctly. He started drinking a lot and getting drunk and people were still bringing him more alcohol. By the end of the night he was totally trashed.
While I don’t have a problem with drinking alcohol, I do have a problem with getting drunk. I believe it is sin and it separates us from God. My dilemma in this moment is that I am not super close with this guy. I have known him for a while and he is a Christian brother but all of his close friends who are Christians were also there and none of them were trying to stop him from drinking any more except for one guy, who got overruled because of majority.
There were also some unbelievers there. So my problem was, I didn’t think that what he was doing was right, but I didn’t necessarily feel like I had the liberty to speak into his life when he had other Christian friends much closer to him than me also there.
I didn’t know if I should be that guy to stop it. If I had felt like I had known what to do, I wouldn’t have had any problem being that guy, so instead I just kind of sat there and did not encourage him to drink anymore. Looking back, I’m not sure I made the right decision. I would love to hear people’s thoughts on a situation like this so that I could learn if I am ever in a situation like this again.
Beer Tip of the Week – Episode 7 – Survival Beer Bottle Opener
This week we learn a simple trick for how to open a beer bottle with a lighter.
Reader Week – CJ Mills – Beer 101 – How is beer made?
Today’s guest post comes from CJ Mills. CJ is the author of Visual:Trademark::Blog. Take some time and go read about his family’s amazing journey as they had their son, Asher, 2 months early and on vacation away from home. CJ is an amazing man of faith and a great father and husband.
I want to thank CJ for helping out theBeerean.com this week while I take a break to spend time with my son. I know all too well now how stressful a new kid can be, but he decided to write a guest post anyways. Thanks CJ.
Not all of us have the power to turn water into wine, or your favorite lager. So, for those of us who are stuck paying for the drink, let me tell you how this drink is made.
The first step in brewing is called malting. This involves mixing grain with water for several days until it beings to germinate, converting the grain to a type of sugar, eventually creating malt. After a few days, the malt is heated and dried, preventing the malt from further germination – a process called kilning. After kilning, the malt is processed in a mill, which cracks the outer coating of the grain. The cracked malt is then moved to a mash tun and mixed with hot water for one to two hours. This process, called mashing, breaks down the sugars in the grain and releases them in water, producing a liquid known as wort. Temperature and amount of time affects the body and flavor of the beer.
The wort is then transferred to a large brew kettle and boiled, sterilizing the wort and killing any bacteria that could spoil the wort during fermentation. During this stage of the brewing process, hops are added to provide flavor and to balance out the sweetness of the wort.
After brewing, the wort is cooled, strained, and then transferred to a container where it can ferment. Yeast is then added into the wort to allow fermentation. When the yeast has consumed the fermentable sugar, wort officially becomes beer. The beer is then transferred to an airtight container where the beer becomes naturally carbonated through an aging process, lasting a few weeks to several months. To kill any remaining yeast after the aging process, the beer is heated to 180°F after it has been sealed in cans or bottles and then packaged for shipment to a town near you.
For a look into a microbrewery, take a look at the video below:
Recovering Jesus – Reader Week – Clayton Bell
Today’s guest post comes from Clayton Bell in Tallahassee Florida. Clayton is the author of Clayton Bell Online where every week he give great cultural and spiritual insights ( an Hot Links of course).
Clayton recently left his job at Moore Consulting Group to become the Family Pastor at Every Nation, Tallahassee where he will be overseeing Children’s Church, middle school and high school ministries
Clayton has become a good friend and supporter of theBeerean.com and I want to personally say thank you for everything that you do Clayton.
A running joke in Christian music circles is the “Jesus per minute” rule (JPM), a musicians’ term that is derisive of corporate Christian music’s emphasis on happy songs.
It struck me recently that in many Christian blogs, books and sermons any sense of a JPM rule has been thrown out in favor of a CPM (church per minute) rule, SJPM (social justice) rule, PMPM (postmodern) rule, or a ILJBNTCPM (I like Jesus but not the church) rule.
However, when I read through Paul’s letters I’m convicted and challenged by the frequency with which Paul talks about Jesus. Paul doesn’t avoid subjects like morality, service to the poor and the church, but always places Jesus as the motivation, reason and example for all other things. He never lets anything but Jesus be at the center of his thoughts, action, motivations and explanations.
I am so very challenged by this. My tendency is to fall back into rational arguments, formulaic answers, and plug-and-play ideas. I look back on my conversations with my wife, my friends, my family and my coworkers to find the name of Jesus noticeably absent. Not that we should be the crazy Jesus person in the office, but have we gone too far in our attempt to not offend and/or fit in? How can Christ continue to be at the center of our lives if he is continually absent from our conversations?
Perhaps the amplification and centrality of Jesus is the reason churches like Mars Hill Church in Seattle find themselves with over 6,000 people in the most un-churched city in America and some even wondering if they are in the midst of a genuine revival.
Have we become too much about the “How” and not enough about the “Why” in our pulpits and small groups? What’s the last book you read about the person and work of Jesus? When’s the last time you had a conversation where you couldn’t stop talking about Jesus and what He’s done instead of the activities you’ve been participating in?
If I’m honest, it’s been way too long.
