Adventures in near-beer
I can't tolerate more than tiny amounts of alcohol. That's always been the case; my first introduction to booze was a few ounces of hard cider, which just about put me on the floor. As a result, I've never really known what I was missing. I drink non-alc bubbly on holidays with my teetotaler mom, and as I like sweet wines, Fre is just my speed. When I took a class on the types and making of wines, I did wish I could actually appreciate the finer qualities of the varietals, and perhaps someday I'll see how many sips I can handle and whether they even taste good. But on the whole, I've just skipped the whole thing.
Recently, however, I decided to try beer. My best friend in elementary school had a dad who brewed, so the smell of beer is a familiar and comforting thing. Even good beer is reasonably cheap, so experimenting isn't as cash-intensive as liquor or wine. And the restaurant I was at carried St. Pauli Girl NA. What the hell, I thought.
My parents informed me that it was on the hoppy side. I was a little surprised by the bitter edge, frankly, though I knew hops was supposed to add bitterness; I thought it would be more like a dark bitter, not the cucumber-bitter I got. Still, the malt flavor was tasty, and I could see drinking it with food. I joked it might even go well on breakfast cereal. I finished it off over dinner, and I was reasonably satisfied with this little induction into adulthood, however non-alcoholic it was.
The next one I tried was at a trade convention, where the reception had Beck's. Good. Lord. If I were used to IPAs, I might appreciate it, but for the beginner -- novice wine drinkers like sweet wine, and I doubt beer drinkers are any different -- it was nearly undrinkable. When icy cold it was extremely bitter and not much else; when it warmed up it was even more bitter, and not much else. I dubbed it "hop soda" and left half the bottle.
My third one was at a local Mediterranean place; I trusted the waitress when she said they had a good one, and she poured me a glass of Buckler. It was everything St. Pauli Girl NA had promised, with much more background flavor and a little less hops. I happily drank it along with my fish dinner (beer and fish do very nicely together, as I had suspected) and ended up very slightly tipsy. Still safe to drive, I made sure of that, just pleasantly warm and relaxed. Ah, I thought, so this is what a drink does for most people! I was content to stay with that level, but made a note of Buckler.
I bought a six-pack for the holidays, figuring I could sip on one while I sat around and talked with people. When the time came, I pulled one out of the fridge and took a swig -- and was a little stunned to get hop soda. I kept trying, but it kept being so bitter that not only did it overwhelm anything I was eating, it unsettled my stomach a bit. Not at all what I had hoped for. It got a little better later in the evening.
A thought occurred to me a day or so later, and I pulled out another bottle. I warmed a large wide glass under the tap, then I poured the beer into it. It ended up cool, but not cold. Over the next ten minutes, it lost a great deal of its bitterness and grew into the broad malt flavor I recalled from the restaurant. Aha, I thought: this one wants to be served "warm" like Guinness, and prefers to breathe a little too. Don't chill it, don't drink it out of the bottle, and let it stand for a few minutes after pouring. I tried that tonight, and I was quite happy with the result... It had just enough of an edge to act as a counterpoint to the malt. I note that it even stayed carbonated down to the last quarter-inch, despite its exposure. (It was awesome with the leftover green olives from Christmas dinner.)
These are the things I've never been told about beer. Most of the people I know like IPAs if they like beer at all, so why would they mention how to diminish hop flavor? IPA is supposed to be bitter as hell. I suspect I'm more of an ale person, the kind who'd order a pint of bitters or a Guinness in a bar. Guinness actually makes a near-beer, Kaliber, which is on my list to try next. I'd also like to find out whether anyone other than Anchor Steam makes small beer, as I suspect I can handle up to about 2% if I'm careful. (I can drink most of a Hornsby's hard cider these days, if I take it slow and I'm not driving.) That's something to talk to the local brew supplier about. If all else failed, I could make a 5-gallon batch of small beer from time to time, if I had a contact or three among the local homebrewers -- small beer is typically brewed with the leftover ingredients from a full-strength beer.
It's a pity de-alcoholizing beer takes special equipment (at least it does if you want anything worth drinking). You can pull the alcohol out, but it pulls most of the flavor with it -- witness most distilled spirits. I hear the best companies do it with reverse-osmosis, which is a bit beyond me. Ah well.
I know some of my friends love mixing liquors or trying flavored vodkas or doing a wine-of-the-month club... I don't know a lot of beer drinkers. Maybe this could be my "thing". There's certainly at least as much variety in beer as there is in wine, and near-beers are getting better. (Better than the NA wine field, from what I understand.) Small beer could open things up even more. Who knows. At least I'm learning some of the ropes. :)
I have an account as Torquill on Dreamwidth, and that's where I posted this. You can sign in with OpenID to comment on the original post, or you can go ahead and comment here; either way works.
Recently, however, I decided to try beer. My best friend in elementary school had a dad who brewed, so the smell of beer is a familiar and comforting thing. Even good beer is reasonably cheap, so experimenting isn't as cash-intensive as liquor or wine. And the restaurant I was at carried St. Pauli Girl NA. What the hell, I thought.
My parents informed me that it was on the hoppy side. I was a little surprised by the bitter edge, frankly, though I knew hops was supposed to add bitterness; I thought it would be more like a dark bitter, not the cucumber-bitter I got. Still, the malt flavor was tasty, and I could see drinking it with food. I joked it might even go well on breakfast cereal. I finished it off over dinner, and I was reasonably satisfied with this little induction into adulthood, however non-alcoholic it was.
The next one I tried was at a trade convention, where the reception had Beck's. Good. Lord. If I were used to IPAs, I might appreciate it, but for the beginner -- novice wine drinkers like sweet wine, and I doubt beer drinkers are any different -- it was nearly undrinkable. When icy cold it was extremely bitter and not much else; when it warmed up it was even more bitter, and not much else. I dubbed it "hop soda" and left half the bottle.
My third one was at a local Mediterranean place; I trusted the waitress when she said they had a good one, and she poured me a glass of Buckler. It was everything St. Pauli Girl NA had promised, with much more background flavor and a little less hops. I happily drank it along with my fish dinner (beer and fish do very nicely together, as I had suspected) and ended up very slightly tipsy. Still safe to drive, I made sure of that, just pleasantly warm and relaxed. Ah, I thought, so this is what a drink does for most people! I was content to stay with that level, but made a note of Buckler.
I bought a six-pack for the holidays, figuring I could sip on one while I sat around and talked with people. When the time came, I pulled one out of the fridge and took a swig -- and was a little stunned to get hop soda. I kept trying, but it kept being so bitter that not only did it overwhelm anything I was eating, it unsettled my stomach a bit. Not at all what I had hoped for. It got a little better later in the evening.
A thought occurred to me a day or so later, and I pulled out another bottle. I warmed a large wide glass under the tap, then I poured the beer into it. It ended up cool, but not cold. Over the next ten minutes, it lost a great deal of its bitterness and grew into the broad malt flavor I recalled from the restaurant. Aha, I thought: this one wants to be served "warm" like Guinness, and prefers to breathe a little too. Don't chill it, don't drink it out of the bottle, and let it stand for a few minutes after pouring. I tried that tonight, and I was quite happy with the result... It had just enough of an edge to act as a counterpoint to the malt. I note that it even stayed carbonated down to the last quarter-inch, despite its exposure. (It was awesome with the leftover green olives from Christmas dinner.)
These are the things I've never been told about beer. Most of the people I know like IPAs if they like beer at all, so why would they mention how to diminish hop flavor? IPA is supposed to be bitter as hell. I suspect I'm more of an ale person, the kind who'd order a pint of bitters or a Guinness in a bar. Guinness actually makes a near-beer, Kaliber, which is on my list to try next. I'd also like to find out whether anyone other than Anchor Steam makes small beer, as I suspect I can handle up to about 2% if I'm careful. (I can drink most of a Hornsby's hard cider these days, if I take it slow and I'm not driving.) That's something to talk to the local brew supplier about. If all else failed, I could make a 5-gallon batch of small beer from time to time, if I had a contact or three among the local homebrewers -- small beer is typically brewed with the leftover ingredients from a full-strength beer.
It's a pity de-alcoholizing beer takes special equipment (at least it does if you want anything worth drinking). You can pull the alcohol out, but it pulls most of the flavor with it -- witness most distilled spirits. I hear the best companies do it with reverse-osmosis, which is a bit beyond me. Ah well.
I know some of my friends love mixing liquors or trying flavored vodkas or doing a wine-of-the-month club... I don't know a lot of beer drinkers. Maybe this could be my "thing". There's certainly at least as much variety in beer as there is in wine, and near-beers are getting better. (Better than the NA wine field, from what I understand.) Small beer could open things up even more. Who knows. At least I'm learning some of the ropes. :)
I have an account as Torquill on Dreamwidth, and that's where I posted this. You can sign in with OpenID to comment on the original post, or you can go ahead and comment here; either way works.