8
votes
How to open a beer without a bottle opener?
Almost anything can be used to open a bottle of beer. What we used as university students: spoon (fork, knife), key, table, park bank, fence, another bottle of beer.
My preferred way (when there's no ...
- 1,042
7
votes
Why would one choose to use Nitro vs CO2 as a beer gas?
Just wanted to add to some of the already great answers…
Although it has been mentioned what the characteristics of Nitro are, and why that might be good for the beer drinking experience, it hasn't ...
- 121
7
votes
Why do steins have lids?
The steins with their lids seem to have come about as a result of the
bubonic plague to serve as sanitary measure and thus keep flies and other insects (fleas) out of the beer.
From about 1340 ...
- 10.5k
7
votes
Ice cubes in rum
When it comes to what is socially accepted in the US, ice is mostly reserved for the harsher stuff like bourbon and scotch. The ice serves a purpose of diluting the liquor, thus making it smoother on ...
- 186
6
votes
Accepted
Red wine service
As a safe bet, dry still red wines should be served between 18-20°C
Of course exceptions apply...
Opening time prior to service depends on the vintage, older wines (4+ years) need to breathe longer ...
- 86
6
votes
What kind of alcoholic beverages would've been common in a 1950s-1960s USA home?
What kind of alcoholic beverages would've been common in a 1950s-1960s USA home?
As far as beer goes in 1950, the top brewer was Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co., produced 3.4 million more barrels than the ...
- 10.5k
5
votes
When does the pour matter?
This is very broad so I will stick to wine in my answer. There are many considerations for pouring, you have the aesthetic aspects and presentation, and you have the mechanical aspects which can ...
- 493
5
votes
Accepted
Is chilling champagne in the freezer detrimental to its taste?
English is not my native language and I am not sure of the meaning of the word freezer. I believe it is the part of the fridge that goes under 0°C.
In France, according to my habits, the champagne ...
- 321
5
votes
Accepted
Can I re-use a spirits measure cup for different spirits?
A purist would say always rinse.
A normal person would say don't worry about it.
A pragmatist would say measure the vodka before the gin and no one will be able to tell the difference.
- 257
4
votes
Accepted
When and how to drink cellared beer?
Beers that are high in ABV, have been bottle-conditioned or have been barrel-aged are prime for aging and cellaring. Usually the brewer will say on the bottle or their website what the max amount of ...
4
votes
Accepted
The King's Shilling
The origins of the King's Shilling seems to have appeared about the time of the War of 1812, because of the need for recruitment was so necessary due to the fact that the English were already at war ...
- 10.5k
4
votes
How to pair a beer with a glass?
It might sound snobbish to be peckish about the type of glass but the glass does influence the taste of the beer.
Some things are:
- the thickness of the glass. A thin glass invites to a more ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Why is some beer kept in/served from a firkin in a bar?
Yes the same beer from a cask and a keg will be VERY different.
To your first point, breweries and bars will often have specially treated casks in ways that are impossible to do with kegs. Stuff ...
- 3,417
4
votes
Accepted
Why are some beers warm and some cold?
Why is it that some beers are served Cold and why are some served Warm?
At what temperature should a beer be served can be answered by the following statement:
Most beers have an ideal serving ...
- 10.5k
4
votes
Why are some beers warm and some cold?
I don't think anyone would deliberately or professionally serve warm beer, if by warm you mean something close to body temperature. Generally speaking, cask ale (as opposed to pressurised keg beer) is ...
- 141
4
votes
When does the pour matter?
Guinness' perfect-pour is actually a marketing scheme that gives them an exclusivity factor. They have training courses and will invite patrons that visit Guinness to become masters of The Perfect ...
- 2,394
4
votes
Is chilling champagne in the freezer detrimental to its taste?
I don't know if it somehow hurts the carbonation in a freezer, but I do believe that chilling in a bucket of water and ice is faster than chilling in the freezer. Heat transfer to air is much slower ...
- 1,152
3
votes
Accepted
How to drink kvass?
You need to pour carefully as normally you have quite thick tankage and/or parts of kvass (sometimes bread pieces and crumbs if it`s homemade one) can float in it.
My ancestors (and still my ...
3
votes
Ice cubes in rum
Ice in any spirit is always about personal preference. Adding ice does two things to any spirit, regardless of category:
It lowers the temperature, slowing down evaporation of the ethanol, making the ...
- 306
3
votes
Ice cubes in rum
I find rum good when it is served neat, but then I am far from a connoisseur on the subject of rum. It really is an amazing drink because it’s made in so many different places and in so many different ...
- 10.5k
3
votes
How to pair a beer with a glass?
Beer glasses are mainly a product of the region in which the beer was originated and therefore tied to a specific beer.
Belgian beers - Normally served in goblets because the beers have very complex ...
- 930
3
votes
What's the difference between a cask beer and a kegged beer?
Depends on who you ask. Both of these answers are correct but some would take the definition of cask ale a little further by defining it as an ale that is unfiltered and unpasteurised and conditioned (...
- 1,146
3
votes
Why would one choose to use Nitro vs CO2 as a beer gas?
In general, beers that are served with nitro tend to be smoother than their CO2 counterpart. Personally, I've had Left Handed Milk Stout Nitro and Standard side by side and much preferred the Nitro ...
- 51
3
votes
Why is it important to have foam on a beer?
One of the most important tasks of the foam is to protect the beer against oxidation. This is why some beer glasses have a rough patch at the bottom so the bubbles will have place to "sprout" from. In ...
- 71
3
votes
What does the absinthe ritual do?
What does the absinthe ritual do?
It is a tradition and it makes the absinthe go cloudy!
It is simply the traditional way of drinking absinthe.
Absinthe is a distilled highly alcoholic drink. It ...
- 10.5k
3
votes
How to open a beer without a bottle opener?
The most common method that I have seen and used is "ye ol' lighter trick." With which, one uses the butt of an igniting lighter as a lever and one's own finger as the fulcrum. Technique is important ...
- 1,680
3
votes
Accepted
Why does/should my bartender let the ice cube sit before pouring?
I don't have an answer based on prior knowledge, but based on the info in your question about preventing cracking, it makes sense that it would also prevent ice melt.
Each crack increases the surface ...
- 245
2
votes
Why is it important to have foam on a beer?
Here in the Netherlands, we mostly drink poured beer with like 1/4 of the glass filled with foam and we think the beer is not as good anymore when there is no foam in it as the carbonation is gone. ...
- 48
2
votes
The King's Shilling
When you joined the army the final part of recruitment was to be paid a shilling. When the recruiters came to a village they would go to the local bar to try to persuade young men to join. One way ...
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