Part 2 of Always Drink Your Beer from a Glass: Your Senses will Thank You!

I don’t know that I would call myself a “foodie,” but maybe I am. It is thrilling to me to try special and or novel foods and beverages. When it comes to beer, I want to experience it fully. As with everything, moderation is important, so striving to experience food or drink with as many of your senses as possible is key in fully savoring whatever it is that you are treating yourself to. This is how I try to experience a craft beer, and I would encourage you to do the same!

Remember: brewing is a craft that has been artfully honed over the last 5,000 years.

If you are drinking a craft beer, a lot of thought, care, and work has gone from the start of yeast grains and water to the beverage you are about to experience. 

It’s like art, science, and history in a glass! 

Enjoy it to its fullest!

Here’s how I attempt to focus my senses…

Sound

That POP! That FIZZ! For me, the sound of opening and pouring a fresh carbonated beverage is beyond satisfying. It’s that first step in savoring your beverage. That sound signifies the level of carbonation of your beer and what will soon start to release the aromas of your drink. From here, I hope you will grab a glass. As covered in Part 1, be sure to pour your beer in a way that will release some of the CO2. Allow for a head to form on your beer if possible.

Smell

At this point you should have started to pick up on the various aromas released by the beer and carried by the CO2 as these bubbles are released from your beer. Some beer specific glassware is etched on the bottom to perpetuate the formation of bubbles as the remaining beer sits in the glass.  

Sight

One of my favorite things about pouring from a dark bottle or can is getting to see the color of the beer. Some beers have beautiful and surprising hues of red, pink, gold, or auburn. Sometimes the color is what you expected, sometimes it is not.  Sometimes a beer which many would just call “dark” can reveal beautiful hues of copper, ruby red, or a multitude of other gorgeous colors, when held to the light.   What is also neat is that color can be so emphasized in the crafting of specific beer types. As you look at the color of your pour it is fun to note the contrast in head color to the rest of your libation. As you drink your beer you may notice rings of bubbles left on the sides of the glass. This effect is known as lacing. Several factors can come into play determining the laces or lattice left behind as you sip your beer. Some beverage glasses are purposefully etched to provide a site for bubbles to form, this is known as the site of nucleation. Not only can you see the bubbles form, but you can feel them as you sip! This leads me to touch.

Touch

Bringing your beer to your lips you may feel the frothy bubbles from the head. Or you may notice a thickness found in some styles of beer. Different levels of carbonation, or even the use of different gasses (as in “nitro” beers) can lead to completely different experiences while drinking.  Different styles will sip differently and will be experienced differently in one’s mouth. This is known as mouthfeel, and can add a whole other level to enjoyment and classification of beers.

Taste

This is the most obvious sense that we employ in the beer experience, and pouring your beer into a glass can greatly impact the experience.  Different shapes and styles of glasses have been painstakingly developed to accentuate the various flavors in various styles of beer.  Whenever possible, it’s always nice to have the right style of glass for your specific brew.  Remember, the pouring process helps to release CO2, which releases aroma. Smell is closely associated with taste, and is generally our first recognition in tasting. Drinking straight from a bottle or can, you will miss many of the aromas liberated from a pour, and thus, miss out on the full experience of your beer's flavor profile.

Emotional

To me, the setting in which I drink my beer can greatly affect the overall experience. I love getting together with friends and loved ones to try a new beer together. Like brewing tea or coffee, the ritual or the pour can only elevate the experience for all. Selecting pretty glassware and watching as the frothy liquid hits the glass, is not unlike opening a special gift. 

If you have followed the tips above, you will be able to fully enjoy all of the multisensory experiences that your brews have to offer.  

I hope that when you open your next craft beer, you too grab a glass and enjoy to the fullest!

Cheers! 

Here are some great options to help your build your glassware!