Beer Drinking

Crazy Beer and Drinking Laws

Legislators go to work every day and just to have something to do, they create more and more laws. There are so many laws on the books, it is literally impossible for us to know them all. And I would be willing to bet that just about all of us have broken a law a time or two.

It wouldn’t be because we’re all criminals. It’s because there are laws that we have no idea are even there. The best laws are the ones that come from some weird activation or an era we no longer understand.

In Indiana, liquor stores are not allowed to sell milk. I’m not sure why when White Russians are a great drink that is made with milk. But, they might have outlawed milk to keep all the infants from hanging around.

In Ohio, it’s illegal to get a fish drunk. Now, that has to be one of those laws that was made because of one idiot who thought it would be cool to get a fish drunk. I mean, I can’t imagine it becoming such an epidemic that everyone was doing it and the fish were developing major family issues.

In Pennsylvania, beer can’t be sold in quantities less than a case. Good news for the liquor stores. That’s bad news for anyone who just wants a six pack. In other words, it’s illegal to be a lightweight.

In Maryland, the western counties prohibit the sale of beer on Sundays. If you want to drink a few beers while watching football, you have to stock up the night before. Of course, you can always drive across the state line into West Virginia to buy some beer if you drink your stock. There are even signs welcoming all Marylanders and thanking the governor of Maryland for helping the economy in West Virginia on Sunday when half of Maryland drives over there.

In Florida, men may not be seen in public in a strapless gown. I included this law because I’m thinking the lawmakers were drinking the day they made it. But, it begs the question. What was happening in Florida that was so important that the lawmakers left the issue wide open for men to be seen in public in regular gowns?

Sometimes you hear about a law and you wonder what happened to bring that law into existence. I mean, did a fish swim across the lane and kill an entire family? Did it develop psoriasis of the liver and sue a beer maker for not displaying a warning on the side of the bottle? The one thing for sure is that at least one person did feed alcohol to a fish and that guy had way too much time on his hands.

Author: Stan Schubridge
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Beer Party Craft Necklace from Drinking Straws

A Beer party theme can be added to just about any kind of party event, from Mardi Gras, to Luau, to Oktoberfest. Why not liven up your Beer party event with a craft item that adds a little color to the party.

Beer Party Drinking Straw Lei

Thick paper, like cardstock or thick construction paper, Drinking straws (two straws for each lei), Yarn (about 2 feet of yarn for each lei), Scissors, Paint, Markers, glitter and glue.

This craft is so easy that even the slightly intoxicated can enjoy making their own Straw Lei. You’ll start by, drawing and cutting out many flowers from thick construction paper. Create your own fancy or simple flower shapes. From here you’ll apply a thin layer of glue to your lei flowers and sprinkle with glitter. Shake off the excess and let dry. You can also apply paint and use the markers to outline your flowers.

From here, your beer necklaces need to be made by cutting a drinking straw into 1 inch long segments. You’ll need to place a segment of straw between each flower on the necklace.

Next, cut a piece of yarn about 2 feet long. Tie a thick knot at one end of the yarn. Thread the smallest flower through the other end of the yarn — push it down to the knot. Then, thread a segment of drinking straw; push it down to the small flower. Continue threading flowers and straw segments onto your beer necklace. When the last flower has been threaded onto the yarn, tie the ends of the yarn together. Voila! You’ve completed a Drinking Straw Lei for your Beer party.

Try out different variations on this party craft and you might be able to come up with a reusable drinking straw Lei for that Beer party event.

Author: Gail Leino
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Favourite Types of Beer

Beer is believed to be the oldest alcoholic beverage on the planet, with a history dating back thousands of years. Today, it remains the most popular alcoholic drink, coming in many different varieties.

More modern brewing history tends to have been dominated by European monasteries, where beer was often made to help quench the thirst of pilgrims from far and wide.

Some of the finest European beers can trace their histories back to the monks, notably drinks produced in Belgium, France and Germany.

Northern and Central Europe are seen by many as being the real heartland of the brewing industry. From the famous lagers of Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic to the traditional ales of Britain and Guinness, that famous stout from Ireland.

Each country, or region, has its own brewing traditions. Variations in those traditions and local tastes have led to the wide variety of beer production that we see in evidence now.

Of course it’s no longer the case that the most famous beers are always to be found in production in Europe. There are now strong rivals from Asia, Australia and North America.

When it comes to talking about my own favourites, I tend to appreciate local brews that have a unique taste to them. It always confuses me why people would, for example, choose to drink a popular North American lager when in a British pub.

As a rule, I would look to drink ales when in England, just as I’d opt for Guinness when in Ireland. Many beers don’t travel well and will actually taste better when close to their source anyway.

So how about you? Do you have a favourite beer? Maybe you’ve never tasted much of a variety because you stick to what you know. If so, you’re missing out.

There are thousands of beers in this world, many of them varying considerably in taste and appearance. Be adventurous and make the most of them.

You never know – you may discover a new favourite. If you really get a taste for beers then you might even consider making your own.

That’s a new adventure altogether!

Author: Keith Barrett
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Bottling, Storing, and Drinking Your Homebrew

Bottling the Beer

Bottling is not a hard part of the home brew process, but is important that you take your time and not contaminate the beer or the bottles during the procedure.

Things to consider when choosing beer bottles:

1. Made of glass
2. Colored glass (brown and green) is favored over clear bottles. Light damages beer and the colored glass helps in protecting your brew.
3. Do not use twist off bottles. The caps will not seal along the threads.
Bottles can be bought at a local beer-brewing retailer, or to save money you can reuse bottles that you have consumed in the past. I prefer to reuse bottles because it saves money and either way, you will still have to sanitize the bottles.

Equipment Needed:
Bottles
Caps
Siphon
Tubing (usually part of siphon)
Bucket

You may notice that your beer (before bottling) is still flat. It will remain flat if you do not add supplementary sugar to the beer right before bottling. Although your beer seems to be inactive, there is still a little amount of yeast left in the brew. Adding sugar gives the yeast something to consume and create the CO2 needed for carbonation. Like many stages in the brewing process, it is important that you get the proportions correct.

Storing the Beer

Sunlight and florescent light will cause beer to become skunky, so when storing your beer, try to minimize exposure to any light. Bottling your beer in brown bottles helps minimize this effect too.

Your beer should sit for at least a week before you drink it. During this first week, you should try not to move your bottles too much because there will still be some reactions taking place. It is also important to store your beer at a temperature that will let your yeast continue to react. If you are using yeast for an ale beer, store your bottles at room temperature (65-75 degrees.) If you store them in the fridge, the cold temperature will prevent the yeast from creating CO2 and your beer will remain flat.

Don’t store your beer for too long. The longer your bottles sit, the greater chance your beer will become oxidized. It is my recommendation that you drink your beer within a year of when you brew it. Beyond this point and there is a good chance that your seal has leaked and effected the taste of your beer. However, don’t rush. A year is a long time.

Drinking the Beer

You may notice that there is a thin yeast layer at the bottom of your homebrew. This has to do with the final yeast reactions that take place after your beer is bottled. When drinking from the bottle, the extra yeast will not bother you until then end of the bottle when it is stirred up. There is no way to avoid this layer, so I recommend pouring all your homebrews into a glass before you consume them. If done slowly, the yeast layer will not be transferred to the glass or mug and you will have a perfect brew to enjoy.

Author: Pat McLoughlin
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Beer Glasses

I’m not talking about beer goggles – those invisible glasses you’re suddenly sporting after a night of drinking that make the man with the missing teeth and awful comb-over suddenly the most attractive man you’ve ever seen. I’m talking beer glasses – the kind that can make your beer drinking an even more enjoyable experience (and far more enjoyable than a night with Mr. Bad Comb-over ever could be).

Below is a list of the essential glasses any good beer geek is going to want to own.

Pint glass – You’ve had a beer on draft at a bar, right? Chances are it was served in a pint glass. These are pretty basic glasses and are popular in bars because they’re quite durable. The British-style pint glass, which is bulged near the top, is good for pale ales, bitters, and stouts.

Pilsner glass – The pilsner glass is tall, slender and cylindrical. These glasses are meant to help focus the hop aroma of the beer, while keeping the head intact. It should come as no surprise that this a great glass for lagers, including pilsners (obviously, given the name), maibocks, and dopplebocks.

Weizen glass – Love wheat beers? You’ll want a weizen glass. The attributes of this glass – tall, slightly bowed-out shape, narrower top – help concentrate the aromas of the beer, while allowing enough room to accommodate the big heads that often accompany them.

Goblets (or Chalice) – Goblets and chalices are in the same family of glass, although there is a technical difference between the two: a goblet is thinner and long-stemmed, while a chalice is heavier and thick-walled. Both, however, are great for heavier, malty beers (dubbel, tripel, quadrupel, Belgian IPAs). That’s because the hop aroma doesn’t need to be concentrated in order to really enjoy the taste of the beer; rather, the bowls on these glasses are designed to be big enough to hold the entire beer.

Tulips – Unsurprisingly, the design of this glass is tulip-shaped, meaning that the top of the glass pushes out to form a “lip” and a bulbous body. This shape is perfect for strong ales, imperial IPAs, and imperial stouts because they tend to be more aromatic.

Mugs – Mugs are sturdy, heavy, and come with a handle. They typically hold a lot of beer – and are featured in a lot of German beer drinking commercials. Mugs were made to be clinked! They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their large, open mouth allows the herbal bouquet of the beer to be released, while maximizing the malty aroma.

Author: Helene Roper
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Enjoy a Beer With Dinner

The story of drinking habits in Britain over the last twenty years has been all about the rise in the popularity of wine. Can brewers tempt people to enjoy a glass of beer with their dinner, rather than wine?

When you think about alcohol consumption in the UK you may well tend to concentrate on the idea of drinking a nice pint of beer in a traditional British pub. Pubs are a fundamental part of the landscape of the country and they’re always closely associated with beer drinking.

This traditional scene has changed considerably in the past couple of decades. Brewers of real ales have faced increasing competition from wine and lagers. Now, some are concerned about the possible impact of the smoking ban too.

How are breweries going to hit back? Efforts from organisations such as the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) have centred on emphasising how great it is to drink traditional British ales. They would question why anyone would want to opt for a tasteless imported lager when there are so many better options available.

The the number of British vineyards being relatively small, wine drunk in this country is largely imported.

If you at what is being drunk in pubs and homes up and down the country then you’re likely to notice a large amount of wine that’s been imported from the likes of Italy, France and the New World producers, including Australia, South Africa and Chile.

Wine seems to appeal to women in particular. It’s a drink that can be enjoyed with a meal, or which can be refreshing on a summer evening. In this context, how can the breweries hope to compete?

The answer must lie in the number of beers that are currently to be found on the market. With so many varieties, offering so many different taste experiences, there are beers to suit all occasions.

Just like wines, some beers are perfectly suited to accompanying red meat dishes. Others go better with poultry and fish.

Experiment with the various beers on the market – you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

Next time you fancy a drink with your dinner, why not opt for beer rather than wine?

Author: Keith Barrett
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Who Drinks the Most Beer?

Some countries of the world are renowned for their abilities to produce fine wines, while others are better known for their capabilities at brewing beer. Which countries consume the most beer though?

Living in the UK, I often feel rather fortunate that we have such a good supply of varied beers available to us. No other country is probably as well known for its pub culture.

The tradition of brewing also goes back many years here, as it does in much of Europe. In years gone by, most large scale brewing in what is now Great Britain would have been carried out in this country’s monasteries and abbeys.

In more recent times, the influx of continental lagers has changed the drinking habits of many people here. As the UK market has been swamped by popular overseas brands, such as Stella Artois, Heineken and Fosters, there has been a lot of consolidation within the brewery industry.

Fortunately, the resurgence in sales of real ales that we’ve seen in the past ten years has also seen a lot of new breweries appearing on the scene. Many of us are now able to benefit from the presence of a relatively local brewery.

So has this helped Britain to top the charts in terms of beer drinking? If we look at the average number of litres of beer consumed by someone in this country within a year then we find that the figure stands at a hefty 95.6 litres. That’s the equivalent of 168 pints per year.

That may seem like a large amount but according to the latest figures, which examine the year 2005, the UK ranks only 5th in the list of the biggest beer consumers.

So which four countries are the real heavyweights when it comes to drinking beer?

In fourth place is our near neighbour, the Republic of Ireland. With 106 litres per person, it seems that the Irish penchance for Guinness is still strong.

The third largest consumers of beer are Austria (108.9 litres). That may come as a surprise to many, with neighbouring Germany being better known as beer fans.

Indeed, it’s German drinkers who come in second with an average of 115.2 litres per person. With their strong brewing and drinking tradition, this might come as little surprise.

But if Germany is in second place then who is top? The answer is the country that is the home of Budvar, Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen.

We are, of course, talking about the Czech Republic. Average consumption stands at 164.1 litres. That’s the equivalent of a massive 288 pints per person.

When it comes to drinking beer, it seems that nobody can compare with the Czechs!

Author: Keith Barrett
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The Best Beer Gardens and Beer Halls of Munich, Germany

If you’ve ever been to a beer hall in Germany, you must know that beer drinking isn’t for the faint of heart. And in Munich, in particular, beer drinking is a serious past-time. There is etiquette, there is terminology, there are pairings, and ultimately there is ambiance. But briefly, here’s what you’ll need to know.

Ordering Beer

Beer is served by the liter or ‘Mass’, or by the half-liter or ‘Halb’. Ordering quantities smaller than that is generally frowned upon. For non-drinkers, even though sodas and colas are available in some of the beer gardens, a customary drink is ‘Apfelschaftschorle’, which is soda-water mixed with apple juice. This is of course not only much healthier but also more refreshing than a cola. And then there is the ‘Radler’, which literally means ‘cyclist’, and is half-beer, half-lemonade.

Food with Beer

The staple food in beer gardens is large, soft pretzels and sausages of all sorts, usually served with sauerkraut and potatoes. A favorite in Munich is ‘Weisswurst’ or white sausage, which is traditionally served in the morning, often with sweet Bavarian mustard and beer. Etiquette requires that you eat ‘Weisswurst’ by hand and leave out the skin. In most of the beer gardens, you are also permitted to bring your own food, although never your own drinks.

Seating in a Beer Garden

It is also not uncommon to share tables with strangers in some of the busier restaurants, and beer gardens that sport long tables and bench seats are no exception. All you have to do is ask if there is free space: “Ist das platz frei, bitte?” However, it is advisable to not sit down at a ‘Stammtisch’ even if you find it to be completely empty, since this is a table reserved for members of a group or society, available to their membership only or by invitation.

The Best Beer Gardens of Munich

The Hofbrauhaus, located at Platz 6, is perhaps the best-known and most popular beer garden in Munich. It enjoys international notoriety and is generally packed at night, with locals and visitors alike.

The Augustiner Gaststatten, Neuhauser Strasse 27. The Augustiner is the second most famous beer hall in Munich, after the Hofbrauhaus, and is historic to boot. In fact, until 1885, Augustiner beer was brewed right here, at this very location. The building is in part Art Nouveau and the beer garden is especially delightful.

The Paulaner im Tal, at Tal 12, is a rather nostalgic restaurant that comprises a terrace and beer garden. It serves primarily local cuisine that incorporates a fairly good vegetarian selection as well as some Austrian favorites.

The Lowenbraukeller, located adjacent to the brewery at Nymphenburger Strasse 2, is quite close to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in a rustic locale. It boasts a delightful beer garden where the food is undeniably Bavarian. This is also a good place to go to get a whiff of the local flavor, for the beer garden tends to cater more to a local clientele than foreign tourists who seem to be drawn increasingly to the breweries in the Old Town section of the city.

The Bratwurstherz, located at the Viktualienmarkt at Dreifaltigkeitsplatz 1, is a pleasant establishment and as traditional a bratwurst restaurant as one is likely to find. The food emphasis here is on homemade sausages grilled over a beechwood fire.

The Nurnberger Bratwurst Glockl am Dom, at Frauenplatz 9, is pretty similar to the Bratwurstherz. It known primarily for its Nurnberger Bratwurst (finger-sized grilled sausages) and traditional Bavarian fare. And this is one establishment where you should stick to beer and not even think of asking for cola as the latter is genuinely frowned upon here.

The Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Pagoda), located in the Englischer Garten, is the second-largest beer garden in Munich. It has a seating capacity of approximately 6,000 people. Here, you can bring your own food, but, as with other such restaurants, not your own drinks. Several other smaller beer gardens are also scattered through the Englischer Garten.

Author: Baljeet Sangwan
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Drinking Your Way to Good Health – The Health Benefits of Beer

If you read the newspapers, you probably see a lot of stories about the health problems that the country is facing. You see headlines of people suffering from heart attacks, cancer, and other illnesses, but you may not have heard an easy (and delicious) solution to some of these headlines – beer.

Remember, that you should definitely consume all alcoholic beverages in moderation, and if you have any questions about whether this will benefit your health, you should talk to your doctor. Ok, we’ve told you the legal disclaimer, let’s get down to the facts and the research that show that beer, consumed in moderation, can actually help your health.

So how can beer help you to keep you healthy? Well, studies have found that it can actually be good for your heart, just like wine. If you are worried about your heart health, you should obviously exercise and eat right, but drinking two beers a day for men (and one for women), may give some people an extra boost. Remember, the advice is one to two beers a day, so drinking three or four beers a day won’t triple or quadruple these effects of the beer.

What exactly can beer do to help your heart? Well, according to a study done by Tufts University, the consumption of beer in moderate amounts can decrease your cholesterol level, reduce the amount of fibrinogen in your blood (which is a protein that is responsible for blood clotting), and increase the level of antioxidants in your body.

Are all beers created equally? Not really, because although you can get health benefits from all beers, dark beers are actually better for your health than lighter colored beers. Dark beer contains more flavonoids than light beer. Flavonoids come from plants, and are also found in chocolate and red wine. What are the benefits of flavonoids? Flavonoids have been proven to prevent cancer and promote a healthy heart. Sure, you can find flavonoids in other foods, such as fruits and vegetables, but they are also present in high numbers in dark beer.

If heart disease runs in your family, you may want to listen to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, which found in their research that drinking a moderate amount of beer daily can decrease your risk of coronary disease by about 30-40%. This is a great study to show your wife when she complains about you drinking a beer or two every evening. You can just reply with “Sorry honey. I’m doing it for us, not for me.”

No longer do beer drinkers have to switch to wine if they want to get the health benefits of alcohol, because now they can get them from their favorite beverage. Of course, if you want more information about the effects of beer on your health, you should definitely consult your physician. Beer drinking can be dangerous for people who have certain health conditions or who take some medications. If you are already a casual beer drinker, you don’t have to give it up to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Author: William Swan
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Is Beer Replacing Wine As the New Fad?

When I first started socially drinking alcoholic beverages, the “in” thing to drink was beer. Not designer stouts, mind you, but juts your regular, average Joe beers in the light variety or in their full calorie splendor. On a night out, if you wanted to get a little creative, you might order something a few notches up on the scale, like a Honey Brown or a Guinness, but generally, these were reserved for special occasions in my circles.

Back then, the full range of microbrewery beers that you see now even on the grocery store shelves really didn’t exist. You had a few kinds of regular beer to choose from, and then maybe a few token microbrews. Then along came the whole wine craze. It suddenly was out to drink beer and “in” to drink wine. Wineries started popping up allover, and suddenly taking a weekend trip to wine country was all the rage. What better than to cozy up to a fireplace with a nice glass of Merlot and get that warm feeling that wine tends to give when it slides down your throat?

Not to mention, the different type of warm and fuzzy feeling that wine gave you was a draw away from your typical mixed cocktails and beer. After all, wine was more of a “socially acceptable” form of drinking. Drinking wine didn’t seem so much like you were drinking an alcohol, but more like you were showing what good taste you had and how good you looked drinking from the slender, elegant glasses they were poured in.

When you drank this beverage, you were much less likely to be called a lush, but more likely to be looked at as a sort of connoisseur or the finer nuances and tinges of flavor the different varietal grapes offered, a recreational drinker who enjoyed drinking wine as a sort of upscale pastime. You could pair it with dinners, and not only that, it became quite the event to pick out just the right flavor that would perfectly complement your fish, chicken, beef, or pasta dish.

The wine phenomenon is still happening now, except it is getting a bit of it’s draw siphoned by a newer craze for designer adult beverages, the all American (ok, ok, it’s truly derived in Ireland, but boy did America adopt it readily) BEER. I’m happy to admit that I’ve fallen for this new phase in adult beverage enjoyment, having enjoyed the various microbrews and flavors that higher end stouts have to offer.

Whereas I used to view beer drinking as a necessity in college, it’s now fallen more into the connoisseur category like wine has, but only if you have the adventurous spirit of a true beer fanatic. Sure, I still have Bud Light or Coors Light here and there, but once I tasted the glorious explosion of flavor from brewery beers like Christmas Ale, which his a local favorite here in Ohio where I live, and the varieties of the Leinenkugels brand, I was forever a changed beer drinking woman.

I had transcended into the discerning beer drinkers corner from the casual crowd that only enjoyed the occasional domestic beer here and there as a social convention. Once I tasted the various touches of flavor that designer beers had to offer, like the subtle hint of honey, cloves, or cinnamon, my taste buds were forever altered in favor of more expensive, tasty and heavy beers.

Microbreweries are capitalizing on this phenomenon, as the expanding beer aisles at your local market will attest. And we consumers are more than happy to oblige this latest expansion in the market. Whether you are a frequent social drinker, the occasional recreational drinker, or you enjoy experimenting when you do participate in the imbibing of spirits, I can assure you that good beer is an acquired taste, and once you’ve taste one that exploded on the pallet, you will never want to go back.

Author: Danna Norek
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