Adventures in near-beer
Dec. 27th, 2011 21:25![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillI 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. :)
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. :)
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no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 11:46 (UTC)What I'm really curious about though is historic beers. For some reason that just appeals to my geek side. And considering that hops was a relatively recent addition I might like the taste of some of them better. Dog Fish Head looks like they make a few historic beers that I'd be interested in, such as a wheat beer based on an Ancient Egyptian recipe. Another one sounds fascinating, it's based on an ancient Mesoamerican beer like beverage made from cocoa beans and seasoned with chilies. Unfortunately based on their web site, it looks like these are made in fairly small batches. And their store finder shows the closest for these is in Sonoma.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 18:54 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 17:55 (UTC)St. Pauli Girl NA is, as I once said, the second nastiest thing I've had in my mouth.
By all that is holy, avoid any USA-made NA beers.
I'd suggest Clausthauler NA, but if you didn't like Becks...
Kaliber, I found drinkable, but not terribly memorable. YMMV, of course.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-28 18:57 (UTC)I'll look for Peroni or something equally Italian. My current source right now is BevMo, so we'll see what they've got...
I had the impression that US near-beers have about as much flavor as their standard counterparts. Growing up around a homebrewer instilled contempt for "piss-beer" at an early age. :)
Thanks for the tips.