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There is a bit of a new trend of picking different brews that best compliment the meal you are having much the same as picking the right wine. I can't drink beer at meal times. The carbonation mixing together with food is uncomfortable.
There are a great number of great beer styles and food pairings out there. Sadly, most waitstaff and servers (and bartenders) really know little about beer styles.
There are a great number of great beer styles and food pairings out there. Sadly, most waitstaff and servers (and bartenders) really know little about beer styles.
You're 110% right.
Ale has almost the same complexities of wine and plays just as much a part to food pairing as vino.
As a former owner operator, front of the house staff is required to be a knowledgeable on our taps as our bottles/by the glass. It's all part of the program/experience.
I haven't had beer with dinner in a long, long time...but this thread made me remember how good a beer can taste with pizza! But a Coke tastes pretty good with pizza too!
There are a great number of great beer styles and food pairings out there. Sadly, most waitstaff and servers (and bartenders) really know little about beer styles.
No kidding.....had a friend order a certain stout at a bar in NYC....they had a great selection...so whom ever is doing the ordering knows something...but was served a ale. He questions the bartender who argued with him that was a stout and that's what he ordered.
Well..the bar manager comes around.....sees it's not a stout....bartender argues with him. Turns out that the clueless person behind the bar...because let's face it....he's not a bartender.....thought any beer on a nitro tap was a stout. SERIOUS lack of training or even basic knowledge.
The only way I would drink beer is if I was in the desert dying of thirst and it was the only thing available. I never could get it down. Someone told me once that it was an acquired taste and I told them if you have to force yourself to like it why bother? I've tried all kinds and yep it all states like beer. Yuk. You guys enjoy it for me. More for you
The only way I would drink beer is if I was in the desert dying of thirst and it was the only thing available. I never could get it down. Someone told me once that it was an acquired taste and I told them if you have to force yourself to like it why bother? I've tried all kinds and yep it all states like beer. Yuk. You guys enjoy it for me. More for you
No kidding.....had a friend order a certain stout at a bar in NYC....they had a great selection...so whom ever is doing the ordering knows something...but was served a ale. He questions the bartender who argued with him that was a stout and that's what he ordered.
Well..the bar manager comes around.....sees it's not a stout....bartender argues with him. Turns out that the clueless person behind the bar...because let's face it....he's not a bartender.....thought any beer on a nitro tap was a stout. SERIOUS lack of training or even basic knowledge.
The problem with this story...is that a stout *IS* an ale.
Generally speaking, there are two divisions of 'beer'- lagers, which are fermented at cooler temperatures using bottom-flocculating (bottom fermenting) yeast; and ales which are fermented at warmer temperatures using top-flocculating (top fermenting) yeast. The two strains of yeast are slightly different, and ale yeast tend to go dormant at the lower temperatures that lager yeast thrive in. The type of yeast used contributes a great deal to the flavor of the finished beer, and lager yeast can sometimes be fermented at warmer temperatures but this will cause it to taste 'off'.
A 'nitro tap' uses 'beer gas' and a special restrictor plate. This results in less CO2 in the beer (which reduces the 'crispness' and slightly changes the flavor) and causes it to have smaller bubbles and a "creamier', thicker head.
Ales come in a range of flavor profiles which are created by varying the grain used in brewing them. Stouts typically have one or more of the following: roasted malt; Black Patent malt; and chocolate malt. Some also include oatmeal. These malts result in a darker color and a deeper flavor. The malt is made from barley, and variations in or after the malting process (roasting/toasting) produce the variations in color and flavor.
Not all stouts are meant to be served from a nitro tap, and stouts are not the *only* ales meant to be served from a nitro tap- for instance, "Old Speckled Hen" is not a stout, but it *is* meant to be served from a nitro tap. Any ale can be served in such a manner, but it will alter the flavor slightly. It is unlikely that anyone [in his right mind] would serve a lager from a nitro tap, which would reduce the 'crisp' sense for which the type is characteristic.
In the story, if the customer ordered a particular brand of stout, the tap would have been labeled and all the bartender needed to do is pull the tap with the correct name on it. The bartender is not likely to be able to tell which tap is a 'nitro tap' and which is not, since the restrictor plate is on the inside and not visible, nor would he be likely to know if the pressure tank is pushing 'beer gas' or straight CO2. Either the bartender was a complete moron and got the order wrong, or somebody who wanted to appear like he/she knew more than he/she does and told a BS story.
I drink beer because I'm thirsty. I have no interest in a beer that is so thick I have to chew it. I prefer a good German Lager, or Czech Pilsner, their version of a Lager. If nothing else is available, I will settle for an India Pale Ale, which was also designed and brewed as a thirst quencher. Unfortunately, far too many craft breweries are in a competition to see who can remove the most water from the bottle. The lower the IBU the better, as far as I'm concerned.
IBU is the measure of bitterness, which is imparted by the type(s) and amount(s) of hops added. The point in the boil at which the hops are added to the wort also affects the flavor profile. Lagers and IPAs are generally very 'hoppy', and often get hops added later in the boil or after the boil has been completed ('dry hopping'). Hop additions which are added later in the boil (or after) allow more of the hop flavor to come through. IPAs are very highly hopped, with high IBUs.
Stouts actually tend to be sweeter, with lower IBUs and little or no hop flavor. The hops are typically added at the beginning of the boil, and all of the flavor is boiled off, the remaining alpha acids impart the bitterness is used mainly to balance out the sweetness of the malt, so that it isn't too sweet.
The branch of chemistry that deals with fermentation processes, as in brewing.
... the branch of applied chemistry dealing with fermentation, as in winemaking or brewing.
... a branch of applied chemistry that studies fermentation processes, as in brewing.
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