Seven rules of drinking craft beer
Rachel Hosie
Time was when pubs were simple, unfussy places, serving mainly pints, pies and packets of peanuts. Over the past few years, however, with the rise of gastropubs, craft ale and of course, the hipster, our pub culture has been transformed.
Beer is now trendy, and showing an interest in artisan brewing has never been cooler. But how have the rules of boozing down your local changed as a result?
Now that we’re all so knowledgeable about beer (or at least pretending to be), it’s increasingly common to try samples before deciding which one to order. But according to industry bible craftbeer.com, one of the greatest difficulties of the moment is knowing just how many it’s acceptable to try before you buy.
No one wants to seem like a freeloader, but if you’re going to order a pint of the stuff, you understandably want to make sure you really like your choice first, right?
Fortunately, most brewers seem not to mind punters trying out a few: “I encourage people to try a few beers, two to four, before getting a full glass. I would not be offended if they tried all of our beers,” said Adam Harrington of Mother Road Brewing in Arizona.
But what else do we need to know?
The six other modern day pub etiquette rules you need to know:
1. Remember that there’s a difference between not liking a beer, and that beer being bad. It’s all a matter of tastes.
2. If you have questions, ask the staff, especially if you’re in a proper brewery — unsurprisingly, brewers love talking about beers.
3. Don’t complain if high alcohol beers are served in smaller glasses — they’re more expensive (and you don’t want to be falling off your chair two beers down).
4. “Watered down” beer is not a thing, so don’t accuse the bar staff of diluting your beverage. They will not take kindly to it.
5. Never ask for a frozen glass. The reason is that such cold glasses create foaming due to a sheet of ice forming when the beer is poured into the glass.
6. Be patient and enjoy your beer — downing pints to get drunk will be highly frowned upon.
— The Independent
