How to Get to Know Beer

It's easy to fall for the lure of cheap, "big name" beers like Miller Light and Coors .... but if you really want to experience what beer can be, read further...

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Happy Taste Buds
• Bottle Opener
• Stine (Optional)

1. Good Ingredients Know a little bit more about what goes into beer ... good ingredients make all the difference. Good beer should only have several key ingredients which are Starch (usually malted grain), Hops, yeast, and water. Mass produced beers sacrifice quality ingredients for cheaper components to optimize profits and increase output. Solution: Try local breweries that pride themselves on using only quality ingredients.
2. Know that there are different kinds of beer and yes..even put a name to them. To become a true beer snob, this step is critical. Ale is a beer in which fermentation by the yeast occurs at the top of the liquid and result in a sweeter, fuller bodied taste. Lager on the other hand is named for yeast which ferment at the bottom of the liquid in cooler temperatures, thus resulting in a crisper taste. The third main category are Lambic beers which contain spontaneously fermenting wild yeast and can create many different kinds of tastes including sour.
3. WIde Variety Keep an eye out for beer tasting events or festivals. An obvious choice would be Oktoberfest, however many stores/breweries have beer tastings that allow you to sample different beers from all over the world. For example, a local liquor store in my community recently held a tasting of Belgium beers.
4. It's not a matter of loyalty to one brand or one type of beer. Experiment with different brews and have fun refining your pallet against the inferior mass marketed beers.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep an open mind...sometimes beers can be an acquired taste.