SOPHIE BREWSTER – OCTOBER 28, 2016
Believe It or Not
The word “myth” is derived from the Greek work “mythos”, which literally means “story”. A myth can be a traditional story used to explain some natural phenomenon in a peoples’ history. Or it can be a widely held false belief – like “Beer Myths” – those collectively popular stories about beer that we tell one another are true, though they have no real basis in fact. Funny how that works…
I’ve listened to the beer chatter in pubs, restaurants, and my own home and perused a variety of sources to confirm or deny the wily tales that are told about my favourite quaff. So here’s Sophie’s Seven Beer Myths – my favourites to de-bunk. Peruse at your leisure:
1. Beer is best served ice cold
Here’s the thing. Coldness numbs the tongue and diminishes the aroma of a beer. Moreover, if you pour a beer into a frosted glass, the carbonation bubbles stick to the frost crystals, which can cause extreme foaming. So sure, if you’re going for effect rather than flavour, ice those puppies down! You’ll likely drink more of them the less you taste.
However, a well-brewed beer deserves a proper serving temperature that brings out the flavour and aroma the brewer intended. There’s a general rule of thumb that says the darker the beer, the warmer the serving temperature. Most craft beers are served between 35 -55° F. A light lager would be at the low end (35 - 40°F), a stout on the warmer side (45-55°F); Though really, 55° F/ 13° C is hardly “warm”, is it? Aim to serve your good beer a few degrees cooler than the target temperature to account for warming from the glass and the drinker’s hand.
2. All lagers are light and ales are dark
The difference between an ale and a lager is in the yeast. Ale yeasts are fermented at warmer temperatures (12-21°C) and give off a fruity character (called “esters”). Lager yeasts, on the other hand, ferment at lower temperatures (3-10°C). The cooler fermentation temperature inhibits the release of esters, giving lagers a cleaner taste. Because lager yeast imparts little to no flavour, it tends to showcase the malt and hop flavours added to the beer.
The colour of both lagers and ales is affected by the colour of the malt. There are such things as dark lagers – these use lager yeast with darker roasted malts. A prime example of this would be a German “Dunkel” – it has a malty, caramel taste with a clean finish associated with lagers. Try one!
3. Dark beers are stronger in alcohol than lighter coloured beers
The colour of a beer is not a flavour. Colour has no bearing on the alcohol content or bitterness of a beer. As noted above, the colour of the beer is determined by the type of malt used. The darker the roast of a malt, the darker the beer.
The classic myth-debunking example here is Guinness versus Budweiser. That well-known black beer, Guinness Draught, has a 4.2% ABV and is 125 calories. A bottle of Budweiser is 5% ABV and 145 calories. Another little tidbit for you when pooh-poohing the dark beer: a 2003 study cited by Professor Joe Vinson at the University of Scranton shows that stouts, porters and brown ales on average have twice the antioxidants of a lager. So next time, reach for the lower alcohol, healthier dark beer alternative and see you how you feel.
4. Beer that’s cloudy has gone bad
The cloudiness in a beer usually comes from small remnants of the yeast which has finished with its fermentation. Most mass market beers filter out yeast and other materials that can shorten the shelf life of a beer – their appearance is clear, but the filtering can also sometimes strip the beer of its colour, body and flavour.
Alternatively, some beers are designed to be hazy. Hefeweizen (wheat beer) has a cloudy appearance due to its unique yeast and high protein content in the wheat. The majority of craft beers will be hazy, not because they’re bad, but because they don’t filter their beer.
5. Bottled beer is better than canned beer
Oxygen and light are enemies of beer. While bottled beer may seem classier, oxygen can get in under the cap over time, causing stale “off-flavours”, and light gets in through the glass causing “skunking”. Exposure to light can ruin a beer in minutes. The colour of the bottle has an impact on how quickly beer can go bad. Brown bottles block 98% of light’s harmful wavelengths. Green bottles block only 20%, allowing beer to go bad within 5 minutes. And Corona drinkers? A clear bottle of beer offers 0% protection against light.
Beer is best protected in cans. Nowadays there’s a chemical liner that prevents any metallic taste from entering your beer. The cans have a better seal, are lighter to carry and easily recyclable. Most importantly, cans allow zero light to get into your beer.
6. Once a beer is taken out of the fridge, it can’t be put back in
The less time beer spends in a warm environment, the better. Heat is another enemy of beer, and exposure to heat makes beer age faster and go stale. That being said, beer can survive at room temperature for a while. Buying beer that’s been kept cold at a store, taking it home in a hot car, and returning it to a cold fridge won’t ruin it. The issue isn’t how often it goes from cold to hot or vice versa, but how hot the beer actually gets and for how long.
The ideal storage temperature is 2-7° C. Try not to store it above room temperature. It’s ok to allow cold beer to warm up to room temp once or twice as long as it is returned to cold storage.
7. Beer should be poured down the side of the glass
Gently pouring beer down the side of the glass avoids creating a big head that spills over the side of the glass. But beer foam is a unique, gratifying natural protein structure to be appreciated! You want to create that big head of foam. Pour that beer boldly down the center of the glass, allow it to settle, and repeat until you have a full glass.
Allowing a large amount of foam to build up and shrink serves several purposes. First, it knocks the excess gas out of the beer, keeping it out of your stomach (BURP!) and making you feel less full. More importantly, you create a dense, creamy foam that carries aromatic compounds that help you appreciate the flavours in the beer. Beer guidelines call for about one inch of head (though ½ inch is acceptable). And sure, if you’re working in a busy bar and pouring from a tap, for efficiency you pour at a 45° angle down the side, then shift to the centre after its two-thirds full to allow a head to form.
As Oscar Wilde once said, “the pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple”. There is always more to discover about beer. And it makes for a mighty fine relationship. Enjoy!