When it comes to de-stressing in the weekend, is your favourite pick beer? The fizzy alcoholic beverage is no doubt a popular refreshment, and thanks to the splurge of microbreweries all across the country, there are endless choices of beer one can relish. From ale to lager, stout to pilsner and even home concoctions, a beer lover is truly spoilt for choice. But just like wine and whisky, there are also few nuances associated with beer that one should know about to best enjoy the characteristic flavours.
On this International Beer Day, which is being celebrated today, here's a lowdown on three basic rules to drinking beer, with inputs from Ramita Chaudhuri from Mahou India, and Chef Ceicil Raj from I Sacked Newton restaurant:
1. The right serving temperature
Each style of beer requires an appropriate temperature to enjoy its best characteristics. As a general rule, higher the alcohol content and intensity of colour of the beer, the higher its serving temperature should be. What needs to be noted here is that at a temperature above 12 degree C, the beer loses the sensation of freshness, while below 0 degree C, the beer becomes tasteless. But in general between 4-6 degree C is best suited.
(Also read: 4 Beer Cocktails That You Can Experiment With This Summer)
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2. The rule for pouring
Not many people know that it is the barm/ foam (cream) on the top of the glass that protects the beer from oxidation and maintains its carbonation and taste. The way you pour a beer has a drastic effect on the thickness of that foam.
You should always hold the beer glass at a 45-degree angle, that is with a slight tilt, and only then start to pour it. Beer should neither be poured too fast nor too slow. If you have too much froth at the head of your beer glass then you poured it way too fast. Straighten the glass when it is half full and continue pouring it. Finish pouring when you're inches away to fill the entire beer mug.
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3. The right glassware
It is imperative that the glassware is clean, otherwise the aroma, flavour and foam of the beer will be hampered. Use an appropriate glass for each beer style, in a way that allows you to enhance its characteristics. For example, wheat beer is traditionally served in a 'flute' glass. It should be wide at the top to favour the creation of a good foam and tapered at the base to trap yeast sediments at the bottom. Lagers should be served in glasses that have a narrow mouth that concentrate their delicate aromas. In Spain, people drink beer in "cana" (small glass) that allows you to drink moderately without losing any characteristics of beer.
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Beer is not just about uncapping it, but pouring it right and in the right glassware.
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With inputs from IANS
