Sometimes enjoying a beverage requires the correct glassware. Many of us have our favorite glass or mug that makes beer taste better; then there are some beers that tell you what kind of glass you should use. Rather than run out to Pottery Barn for some outrageously priced barware, take a look at what you have at your disposal.
You have your standard issue pint glass, Sea Dog and Yuengling, which are perfect for drinking any beer. I like using the Yuengling style glass for Guinness style beers due to the shape of the glass. The Sea Dog style is great if you have nothing else.
The Long Trail glass holds 22 ounces, and I use it when I have a large bottle. Some beers will tell you to use a wide mouth glass, and this fits the bill.
The Shipyard glass is for tasting or trying a sample. If you want to try a bit of something, you always can use a small glass, or fill half a pint.
The Einbecker mug I use for strong dark beers. It can retain the cold a lot better and also is a good root beer float glass.
The red wine glass is requested by certain beers, like the Pangaea. That beer has a lot going on, and the brewers want you to get the full experience. This type of glass funnels the smell to your nose before you drink and can make the beer better. A large snifter also can be used in place of a wine glass.
Finally, the solo cup is an old stand-by for many college students. Chances are if you are still drinking beer from one of these, you won’t be reading this article. Do yourself a favor and hit up Pottery Barn.
Bottle/Tap: Bottle
If you’ve ever been to a good sushi restaurant, you know they give you a few ginger slices to help cleanse your palate between bites. Imagine that flavor with a little bit of lemon and honey, mix it with hops, barley and water, and you’d have this beer.
I’ve had beers that boast about the flavor being ‘up front’, this one can boast all it wants to. Right off, you would think you are smelling Canada Dry, and the carbonation almost leads you to believe that this is ginger ale you are drinking. But, no, it is beer. I enjoy ginger in any form, and now I can add alcoholic beverages to my list.
Harpoon figured out how to harness the essence of the ginger because I swear I could taste a piece of ginger root. The lemon helps out plenty as far as balancing out the bite of ginger. Believe it or not, ginger is pretty spicy, and the lemon juice brought that bitter taste down a good deal. You really don’t notice the honey until the very end. The sweet of the honey helped to create a smooth finish to this beer, not totally smooth though. The ginger still managed to burn a spot on the back of my tongue like it always does.
This beer is part of the 100 Barrel Series that Harpoon has been working on and is entry 29 on the list. I’ve managed to sample a few off of that list, and so far this is my favorite. I really enjoyed the copper color and the big aroma. If you a want a beer with bite that will bite you right back, trust me, find as many bottles of this as you can.
Bottle/Tap; Bottle
A few weeks ago, I found myself in Nashua buying a few Bavarian beers. Considering I’m not too familiar with beers from this region, I picked up a few bottles to help educate myself. You learn something new everyday, right? That’s what I was thinking.
I decided to start with the lager, since I enjoy lagers and just made my own. I find lagers to be an easy beer to drink any time of year. I had this beer chilled in a big glass, and I was very happy with the golden color. I had a healthy swig and found that it was smooth, not bitter at all. To be honest, this beer wasn’t complicated at all. The label reads: water, barley, hops. Simple, and that is what I like most about this style of beer. Lagers don’t have to be crazy, and the Bavarians have been making them before there was water.
If you have a friend that is a Bud drinker, you may be able to talk them into drinking one of these. Remember: Bud was brought over by a Bavarian immigrant, and the beer has just been ‘Americanized’ over the course of time. If you wanted to try and convert a Bud drinker, give them something they might recognize with a twist. The twist is, the original beer with all the calories in tact. If you are too worried about the calories in your beer, then you should just drink water. There are other places in my diet I could lose calories, but I’m not going to compromise taste for a lousy beer.
I spoke with a fellow that spent his childhood in Germany before coming to America, and he told me that his hometown had nine breweries in it. One thing is for sure, at that rate I won’t be able to sample every Bavarian beer; I’ll do my best, though.
Bottle/Tap: Tap and can
When it comes to Scottish ales, we got off on the wrong foot. I’ve had Sam Adams and a few other variations that did not impress me. For a long time I stayed away from Scottish ales because I thought they all had that burned bitter flavor to them, and I didn’t want to have any part. Then one day I was out with friends, and one of my buddies got a Belhaven and soon after I got a Belhaven. I wish I had this Scottish ale before all the others.
Either way you pour it in your glass, this ale looks like a Guinness. The separation as the head builds at the top just made this ale look delicious. I was happy that there was no bitter flavor at all, or burned notes, nothing like that all. This beer was too smooth to drink, and I almost was going to ask for a half and half with Boddington’s, but I’ll save that for some other time.
I have a feeling that all Scottish ales should taste like this as opposed to what Sam’s puts out. To be honest, the Sam’s reminds me of burned whisky, if that is possible to conceive. Belhaven was the perfect substitute for Guinness, and I was happy to find it in Hopkinton.
There are directions on the can to make sure you enjoy the beer. All you need to do is chill it for a bit and pour it in a glass slowly. There is a rich taste if you let it get to room temperature, the key word is ‘if’ because I drink mine too fast. If you are the type that likes a creamy looking stout, with a dark color and smooth taste, you will enjoy Belhaven.
Bottle/Tap: bottle
I know what you’re thinking: sour ale? Why would anyone want to drink something that is sour? I’ve heard of sour ales before, but I had never tried one. When I came across this I thought I would give it a try. Much to my surprise, I kind of enjoyed it.
When I poured this into my glass I noticed that it had a really nice red color; this had a better red tint than most red ales I’ve drunk. As soon as I opened the bottle I smelled something strange. It wasn’t an overpowering sour smell, it reminded me of vinegar in a way. I held my nose, I closed my eyes, and I took a drink. (more…)
Sometimes enjoying a beverage requires the correct glassware. Many of us have our favorite glass or mug that makes beer taste better; then there are some beers that tell you what kind of glass you should use. Rather than run out to Pottery Barn for some outrageously priced barware, take a look at what you have at your disposal.
