7 Myths Ever Beer Lover Should Know

7 Myths Ever Beer Lover Should Know

 

Edmonton International BeerFest

Edmonton International BeerFest

If you are a beer lover, chances are you have heard stories about your favorite beverage. What you may not know is that some of the stories that you have been hearing are falsehoods, not facts. The next time you reach into your refrigerator to grab a brewski, there you should be able to tell the difference between the facts and fiction.

1. Temperature Can Skunk the Beer

Many brewski drinkers believe that if the temperature of the liquid fluctuates, it will have a negative effect on the taste. This is not true. When the beverage is brewed, the breweries fill the bottles and cans with a cold ale. It usually stays cold when it is delivered to the store. There are many stores who will put the product on the store floor until it is purchased. Finally, when you get your drinks home, you put it in the refrigerator. Through all of these temperature changes, the beverage won’t lose its taste. One thing that will skunk the brewski is sunlight. This is why many breweries use brown bottles. Clear bottles and green bottles allow the contents to be exposed to light and making them taste like skunk. This is why many breweries don’t use these color bottles.

2. Bottles Are Better Than Cans

There are many people who think that bottled brewskies are better than cans. Part of the reason for this myth is that most craft beers are usually in a bottle. What you may not know is that craft beers brewers are using cans more often. Some people say that canned brewskis have a metallic taste. While this was true years ago, breweries now use a chemical liner in the can. This will prevent the contents from tasting like metal. The truth is that cans are better. They are lighter which saves on shipping costs which is why cans are cheaper than bottles. Cans are also more recyclable. In addition, cans are often sold at sporting events and establishments where glass bottles are not allowed. Finally, cans are not transparent, therefore, the contents cannot be exposed to the sunlight which can have a negative effect on the taste.

3. Dark Beers Are Stronger and More Bitter

All dark brewskis are not stronger and more bitter than light ones. While some dark beers are, there are some dark beers that are just dark in color as a result of the malt that is used and it won’t affect the taste. When it comes to the strength of your favorite brand, color has nothing to do with it. Stronger beers will have more sugar in the initial wort. This can occur in both dark and light beers and it all depends on how it is fermented.

4. Beer Needs To Be Served Ice Cold

There are many people who won’t drink a brewski unless it is ice cold because they believe that it should be. The truth is that this beverage can be cold, but if it is too cold, it can mask the flavor. There is a certain formula that you should follow based on the type that you are drinking.

  • American Larger: Serving temperature- 34 degrees
  • Stout: Serving temperature- 55 degrees also known a cellar temperature
  • Craft Beers: Serving temperature 40 to 55 degrees

5. A Beer’s Foam Is Your Enemy

Most people believe that a perfectly poured brewski won’t have any foam at the top. These people hate the thought of sifting through the foam to get to the actual drink. This is actually a myth. A good glass of suds will have a finger and a half of head on the top. This foam will actually trap the flavor and the aroma of the beverage in the glass. While some head is good, too much is bad. If you have too much head in your glass, it will release too much carbonation, resulting in a flat drink. The foam in a brewski is just 25 percent beer. If your glass is half foam, you won’t be getting as much brewski as you are paying for.

6. Wine Is More Complex Than Most Beers

Most brewski drinkers have at least one friend who says they won’t drink a few beers because it is too simple. This is not true. Brewskis has over 700 different flavor profiles while wine has only half that amount. Therefore, a brewski is more complex than wine.

7. ”Beers Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker”

There is a drinking saying that many people abide by. It says, “Beers before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beers, in the clear.” This saying is right and it is wrong. There are no components in liquor and a few beers that make it better to drink one first. However, if you are at home sipping on a few beers, you will get a small buzz. When you get to the bar and you start drinking shots, you get drunk after the fact. If you are at home drinking shots, you will be drunk when you get to the bar and you are more likely to sip your brewski.

If you love to have a few cold beers on a night out, you should know the facts and the fiction regarding your favorite alcoholic beverage.

Our annual BeerFest in Edmonton offers some of the best selections from the micro brewing community. Tickets for the 2018 International Beerfest are on sale now! Buy tickets today before the event sells out!

Beer’s Beginnings

Beer’s Beginnings

The earliest alcoholic drink in history is a 9,000 years old Neolithic grog brewed in China’s Yellow River Valley. However, barley beer seems to have been born in the Middle East. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia were the earliest brewers. The evidence that support this assumption includes a 4,000-year-old hymn to the Sumerian beer goddess and a 3100-3000 BC beer recipe on a clay tablet.

Beer brewing also flourished in ancient Egypt. According to Smithsonian magazine, Egyptian pyramid builders were partly paid with beer. Interestingly, according to The Atlantic, the beer in Ancient Egypt was brewed by women.

Monks and nuns also played a great role in the evolution of beer. The practice of monastic brewing appears to have started in medieval times. Some monks began brewing and selling beer to live according to The Rule of Saint Benedict. The rule requires monks and nuns to live by their sweat and not accept charity.

Still, during the Medieval Times, water was usually contaminated. The beer was safer to drink than water. Monks were encouraged to brew and drink beer rather than drink germs-carrying water.

We can also trace the development of modern breweries to monks. Archeologists found the oldest drawings of a modern brewery in the Swiss monastery of Saint Gall. The drawings date back to AD 820. They show three breweries each producing beer for different groups of people. There was a brewery for monks, monastery guests, and pilgrims and the poor.

In 1200 AD, beer brewing monks discovered that adding hops can give beer its distinctive bitter edge. Hops are today referred to as “the spice of beer”.

In 1685, France’s La Trappe monastery set the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. Beers that are brewed per the order are called Trappist beers.

In the 17th Century, The Paulaner monks of Bavaria started producing a Lent beer called Doppelbock. The “liquid bread” was excellent for fasting monks.

Monks and artisans continued experimenting with beer, and this led to modern beer flavors. The first beer bottle in history was sold in 1850. Today, beer is wildly popular. There are thousands of breweries across the world and numerous beer flavors and brands.

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

The World’s Greatest Beer Museum

The World’s Greatest Beer Museum

There are a number of fantastic beer museums scattered around the globe. If you’re a beer aficionado and have never visited any of them, then you owe it to yourself to do so. Below, we’ll outline three of the best, from third place to first and tell you why they’re worth the trip!

Sapporo Beer Museum

The beating heart of Japanese beer traditions, Sapporo has been brewing since 1877. The museum is housed in a former brewery from the nation’s Meiji Period. It provides visitors with an introduction to beer and brewing in Japan, and the grounds of the museum contain a small beer garden where tastings are available after you get your fill of history. If you’re in Japan for business or pleasure, this is one destination you won’t want to miss!

World Beer Museum

Surprisingly, two of our three “best” museums are located in Japan. This one’s in Tokyo, and unlike Sapporo, this museum has a much more cosmopolitan feel to it, featuring an extensive beer garden with beers from around the world, making it truly the best of the best in that regard. A full fledged museum located in SkyTree Town along with a mind boggling array of beers from around the world, it is unlikely you could try them all in a single visit, at least not if you plan to still remain upright. A fantastic place to visit again and again.

Deutsches Brauereimuseum

Japan might have two of our top three museums, but the crown for best of the best has to go to the German brewery museum. Located in Munich, it offers tons of great information about the German brewing tradition, and in its antiquities collection, you’ll find a drinking cup from the 4th century, BC. There’s even a dedicated microbrewery right there on the grounds, which makes for a fantastic way to end our tour through the museum proper.

If you don’t have your passport yet, get it, because these fantastic museums are ready and waiting for you.

If you can’t make it to Japan or Germany, how about Edmonton for the 2015 Edmonton International Beer Festival?