craft beer faux pas

Just Say No

Everyone has gone to a bar or restaurant, or a friend's house for that matter, and has been given a frozen glass mug of beer. This might be okay if it's a macro produced light lager (the only way to enjoy those beers is almost frozen so your taste buds freeze upon the first sip so you can't taste the subtle hints of cat urine). However, in the craft beer world, this is a big faux pas. Unfortunately, this isn't the only prevalent hiccup in the craft beer world.

Here are just a few examples that make me cringe whenever I see it happening.

Frozen Glassware
This seems to be the most common mistake for bars or restaurants serving craft beer. Always ask for a non-chilled glass, or politely decline a beer served in one. 'Why?' 'Everyone enjoys an ice cold beer!' you might say. The term 'ice cold beer' is commonly used for macro produced light lagers (i.e Coors Light). These beers are 'best enjoyed' (this term is used very loosely here) ice cold, and for a very good reason. When a beer is ice cold, your taste buds can't pick up on any of the subtle flavors, which is a good thing for those macro light lagers. When craft beer is served in chilled or frozen glassware, the second it's poured into the glass, condensation occurs. This eventually leads to the diluting of an otherwise delicious beer, which will result in you not enjoying the beer to the fullest extent.

For me, when you go to a restaurant or bar, the default should always be a clean, non-chilled glass. This shows that the establishment cares enough about the beer to allow the patrons to truly enjoy it. If a patron wants a chilled glass, they can always ask for one.

Fruit Enhancing
The most obvious example for this...Corona. Have you ever taken a sip of Corona without a lime? It makes me cringe just thinking about it. Some beers advertise 'Best enjoyed with a slice of 'x''.  However, I'm in the boat that says if you need fresh fruit to 'enhance' those artificial flavors, you should be drinking a different beer. Not only does the citrus overpower the flavors of the beer, but the oils in the skin of the fruit can ruin the head of a beer. Read this for more information on why you shouldn't put fruit in your beer.

Ice Cubes in Your Beer
Please read No. 1 above, and just realize that this one is just a more horrifying and grotesque version of that. Never, ever put ice in your beer. Ever.

Seriously, don't ice your beer.

Salting Your Beer
Oh wow, this one is just weird, and how it came into existence is beyond me. Go to a liquor store or beer store and more than likely you will find 'beer salt' advertised somewhere. This is similar to No. 2, only worse. There's an old wive's tale that says adding salt to your beer will prevent cramps later on. Confused? Me too. Read this post within BeerAdvocate on the reasons why it's done, and why NOT to do it.

I hope I educated you a little on things not to do to craft beer. Just remember, if you're drinking a good craft beer, nothing extra should have to be done in order to enjoy it. Simply pouring the beer into a clean pint glass will suffice, and I guarantee the experience will be wonderful. 

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fredericksburg brewing company

Yesterday, Meggie and I decided to venture on down to Fredericksburg, TX, a small and beautiful town of about 9,000. It was a great day filled with shopping, hiking, pie, and of course, beer. It's a German community, founded in 1846, so it's safe to say that it is also a good beer community. There are a few Biergartens (Beer Gardens) spread all along Main St. We didn't go to any of them this day, since we had limited time. However, there was one place on my horizon that we had to go to...the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.

The Fredericksburg Brewing Company is a pretty standard brewpub upon entrance. Large seating area, long bar, and of course, brew tanks for all to see. But enough about that, let's get on to the beer.

Here is their beer menu:

The great thing about this place is that their flight sampler comes with all six of their beers! And for only $7.50, you can't beat that price. Unfortunately, they were out of their Imperial Stout, which would have been nice to try.

Helles Keller, Not So Dumb Blonde, Enchanted Rock Red Ale, Peace Pipe Pale Ale, Harper Valley IPA, Pioneer Porter

My favorites, from least favorite to favorite, are as follows: Harper Valley IPA, Not So Dumb Blonde, Helles Keller, Peace Pipe Pale Ale, Enchanted Rock Red Ale, Pioneer Porter

The Helles Keller was your standard lager. Light, crisp, bready and yeasty flavors. The Not So Dumb Blonde was one of my least favorites. Too light on the body, not a lot of flavors and aromas (didn't finish the sample). I like more full bodied, full flavored, hazy blondes (but that's just me). The Enchanted Rock Red Ale was one of my favorites. It had a nice deep red color with nice head retention. Very malty aromas and flavors. The Peace Pipe Pale Ale was a good pale ale. It had nice floral aromas. The flavors were nothing great, didn't stand out to me. The Harper Valley IPA was, unfortunately, my least favorite by far. I love IPAs, and I love hops. At 77 IBUs, I was anxious to try this one. However, it let me down. Upon first sip, you're greeted with this really harsh bitterness, and not in a good way. It was almost like a bad bitter coffee went sour. I told myself to try another sip, maybe your taste buds weren't ready for that. But alas, it happened again (didn't finish the sample). Last, and by far my favorite, was their Pioneer Porter. After having that IPA, this was their saving grace for me. Great head retention, nice dark brownish amber color. Coffee and chocolate aromas dominated the nose. Full bodied, and great malty flavors. I highly recommend their porter for a full flavored, full bodied experience.

All-in-all, their beer for me was average. I did thoroughly enjoy their Enchanted Rock Red Ale and their Pioneer Porter, though. I actually regret not getting a growler of the porter.

So if you're in Fredericksburg and want to sample some local brew, head to the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.

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