The Naked Pint by Christina Perozzi Read Free Book Online Page A

the stupid choice you’ve just seen her make.
    But be careful; while you may know more than your friends do, you don’t want to become the person no one wants to have dinner with. Realize that knowledge is power. If you’re talking more than tasting, telling more than teaching, and insulting more than inspiring, then you’re not doing craft beer any favors.
    If you know good beer, consider yourself an ambassador for it. Beer knowledge is exciting. You’ll want to spread the word. Just do us a favor and do it in the nicest way possible.
    DON’T SEND YOUR BEER BACK WHEN YOU’VE ORDERED THE BEER JUST BECAUSE OF THE FUNNY NAME AND THEN YOU DON’T LIKEIT. Ask about the flavors first, then order the Arrogant Bastard because it makes you laugh. Otherwise, you made your beer bed, now drink it.
    DON’T SEND BACK A BEER BECAUSE IT’S“TOO FOAMY.” Once you delve into Chapter 6 you will learn that beer is meant to have a substantial head on it. This relates to the aromatics and enjoyment of the beer. In fact, if you are served a pint with no head at all (what we call the dirty dishwater look), you should be suspicious. Beer should have at least a two-finger head, and many Belgian beers have an even thicker head due to the yeast, carbonation, and glass shape.
     
    DON ’ T DRINK FROMA DIRTY GLASS. It is perfectly okay to send back a beer if the glass is dirty. Just because beer is often more casual than wine doesn’t mean you are supposed to drink your Pale Ale from a dirty glass.
     
    DO SEND BACK YOUR BEER IF IT TASTES OFF. If you’re drinking a beer you are very familiar with, perhaps your new favorite Porter, and it tastes wrong, skunky, or sour, it is perfectly good manners to send it back. There may be something wrong with the keg, or perhaps the draught lines at that bar have not been cleaned in some time. Just like wine, if beer is not kept well, it can go bad. And it’s good for the bartender to know that he may have a rotten keg, so that he can send it back as soon as possible.
    We can guarantee you that if you walk into a beer bar after taking basic Beer 101, you will outshine every other joker in the joint with your newfound beer manners. Not that this is a competition, but we all like to feel sexy and special, and competing for best outfit in the bar is a bit passé. The best way to stand out is to start dropping your beer lingo, to know what you want, and to ask for it directly. This intelligence and confidence is sexier than the blink of a skirt that model is wearing at the end of the bar.

    Okay, you’ve passed Beer 101. Easy. How do you feel? You should feel like beer has been demystified a bit. You are now way ahead of most of the drinking public, and as you learn more about the beer styles and can pick out specific flavors, you will see the craft beer list begin to lose its mystery. You will start to group the beers together in your mind based on flavor and style guidelines, and you will know where to go when you want a bitter beer and how to find a sweet one. You’ve begun the Beer Journey. It only gets better from here ...

TWO
    The Art of Beer
    In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer.
    —ALAN JOHN PERCIVALE TAYLOR, BRITISH HISTORIAN

Understanding What Makes a Great Beer Great
    G reat beer is indeed an art form: Part science, part creativity, part perfect palate, and a special dose of a certain je ne sais quoi. One must have a strategy to create a great beer. The masterful brewer will lay out quality ingredients, make a specific recipe, and execute each step with great care and attention. She or he must, of course, use what is available, and the brewers from years past did the best they could with their environment, working with and sometimes combating wild yeast, wide temperature variations, failed crops of hops, or disappointing yields of barley. Whatever the circumstances, they brewed on. The great brewer will approach all of these setbacks with a quick