Not how you are supposed to drink beer (with apologies to the man in the photo, who, I discovered, is actually a beer guy).
In my life busy-ness I missed the recent publication of my recent rant in the Saskatchewan papers I write for (Planet S and Prairie Dog). It is a rant that most of you don’t need to hear – as you are already converts. However, I believe that it is a message that is long overdue for the bulk of the beer community.
I am talking about making sure you drink your beer from a glass. Yes, I am ranting about the horribleness of drinking straight from the can or bottle You can read the piece here.
It might seem obvious, but if you go to any average bar (or even watch a television commercial), you will see a disturbing number of people tilting their neck back and swigging from the bottle. It is both unnecessary and detrimental.
I have spoken before about the experiment started by the AB-Inbev scientist demonstrating the negative effects of drinking from the bottle. It is an unquestionable piece of evidence in favour of the glass.
So, this is my challenge to the readers of this website. Over the next month, don’t let anyone in your presence drink from the bottle. If you seen someone trying to do so, find a way to stop them. I don’t mean be a jerk and insult them. I mean try to find a way to engage them and get them to realize that a glass is the only way to go when it comes to beer. I have already given you the evidence you need. All that is left is an army of polite, engaged advocates to change that particular expectation.
It has already worked for me. A long time friend of mine, who happens to drink from the bottle from time to time, heard my recent CBC column on the topic (they are no longer posting my columns as mp3s so I can’t share them with you), and called me to apologize plus to chastise me for not calling her out before. I told her that I hadn’t mentioned it because I hadn’t found the right moment – but in hindsight I should have. And from this point forward I intend to gently, politely mention to the people around me that drinking straight from the bottle/can is not a good idea. And I think you should too.
February 11, 2013 at 9:49 AM
A very timely post–and Stephen Beaumont has added his voice to a parallel discussion surrounding the new IPA glassware design coming out of Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada here.
We spent an incredible amount of time and effort on designing our 20oz. glass for Steam Whistle–going as far as having the same batch tasted blind against 4 other shapes by a guy in Belgium who claims to have a perfect palate, and having him grade the drinking enjoyment of each glass (using trademark Pilsner flavour and aroma expectations as the baseline). Looking at our specially-designed 20oz–which is admitted fairly traditional in terms of Pilsner glasses–one might not suppose that more than a year of effort went into its proprietary design. The glass makes the beer. Even when no one is watching me at home, I still drink from the assigned glassware.
I even have a Sam Adams glass, for when those occasions present themselves.