You win another beer
In a classic Family guy episode, Quagmire created one of the best games ever: Drink the beer. When Peter plays, Glen tells him You win another beer. Well, today is dedicated to the best of all games: Happy Drink beer day! That’s right, a holiday with instructions right in the name. There is no guessing here, simply drink beer. Of course, there is no instruction on how much beer to drink. We’ll leave that up to you. Some say it’s a gallon. Others say more… or less (no. nobody says any of those things). Really, it’s up to your free will… and your tolerance level, or state of addiction. So, we should remind people with addictions that this is not a holiday for you. But, before you get upset, there are plenty of holidays that are only for select subsets of the population, so don’t feel slighted.
For example: today is also National Women’s health and fitness day.
So, who should celebrate “Drink Beer day”? Well, if you’re old enough to drink, and have access to beer, as Boston Radio Personality and Trivia master, Morgan White Jr, says: “You qualify”. So, what are you waiting for, start drinking. Don’t give me this “It’s only 7 AM” crap. Today is a special day, and deserves to be shared. It’s time to spread the love. If you don’t have any beer on hand, first, what’s wrong with you?, and second, go get some. Stores aren’t open? call a friend. If you don’t have friends, you probably don’t drink beer. So, this is the perfect time to start.
Table of Contents
If you win another beer, you are doing it right
So, today’s game is pretty simple: Drink beer, win another beer. But, there’s always that one person who says, but I don’t drink beer. So, I’ll toast with my Kombucha. F— You! Drink a beer or you’re out of the game. And, don’t give me this “I don’t like beer” crap. Beer comes in a wide variety. Let’s look at the base ingredients: Grain, water, yeast, and hops. And, the original versions of beer didn’t even have hops. They were added to help preserve it. When you look at the ingredients, it’s bread. And, bread is a basic building block of life. Christ broke bread with his disciples. And, the history of bread demonstrates its importance in the founding of civilizations dating back 14,000 years. Nomadic people found purpose in staying put in one place when growing, cultivating, and sharing the grains and bread thereof created a societal bond.
Beyond its status as a basic necessity of civilization, beer also comes in a wide variety of styles and flavors. So, to make a blanket statement that you don’t like beer is misguided at best. For most people, it’s the hops that throw them off. While hops preserve beer and add flavors and complexity, they also add bitterness. And, some people don’t find bitterness appealing. They prefer girly drinks to manly drinks. Ironically, a lot of people who claim they don’t like beer like coffee. Well, isn’t that bitter too? Of course, many use coffee as a vehicle for cream and sugar, thus tamping down the bitterness. But, you can get less bitter beers.
A beer for everyone
Throughout history, people found ways to counter the bitterness. Belgian monks add coriander, Some German brewers add fruit, and others add corn or root vegetables to sweeten the brew. And, there are plenty of examples of adding things to your beer. Corona suggests adding a lime. Blue Moon calls for a slice of orange. Berlinerweiss mixes in a raspberry syrup. Then there are beer Cocktails like a lagerita (Margarita topped with lager), Bodega dog (gin, grapefruit, and grapefruit flavored beer), or a twist on a bloody Mary: Michelada (see more here). So, there are options for those turned off by beer.
Even if you have a gluten intolerance or celiac, you can still enjoy certain beers. There are Gluten free variations employing grains like millet, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, and more as substitutes for barley. So, there’s no excuse (at least at home, maybe not in a local bar).
But, for the rest of you, if you’re not that into beer, start with a lighter beer that is lower on the IBU index (International Bittering Units). The index goes from 5 to 120. Blue Moon comes in around 11. Corona is just under 20. So, they are on the non bitter side. Guinness comes in around 50. Of course, there are some micro brews who purposely blow up the index, like Dogfish Head with a 650+ IBU ale, or Mikkeler with their 1,000 IBU ale. If you’re not a seasoned beer drinker, you might want to steer away from those.
What to look for
For those of us who enjoy all kinds of beer, keep on exploring. There are hundreds of styles and varieties, and with the current proliferation of local breweries and taprooms popping up, there’s no excuse to not win at today’s game. Congratulations: you win another beer!
If you aren’t well seasoned in the Zymurgic arts, Start light. Ask your server for a lighter, less bitter beer. IPA’s may be a little further down the road for your palate. Just like getting used to coffee, you want to develop an appreciation for bitterness. Until then, if you need something to cut the bitterness, adding fruit or syrups to your beer is okay. Start with a lighter, less hoppy beer, and add in something like pear puree, peach nectar, or, if you’re one of THOSE PEOPLE, Pumpkin Spice. Actually, Shipyard Brewery from Maine has a Pumpkinhead ale that is often served in a glass with a cinnamon sugar rim. It’s quite refreshing, and even non beer drinkers like it.
So, now that you have no excuse, let’s get back to the game and do what this day was made for Drinking beer. Congratulations! You win another beer! And, while you’re at it, why not brew a batch of beer for next month.
Suddenly Last Summer Autumn Ale
Ingredients
- 6 Gallons Water
- 1 Lb Caramel malt
- 1 Lb Dingeman's malt
- 1/2 Lb pale Ale Malt
- 1/2 Cup Green Cardamom Seed
- 1 Pint Fresh Blackberries
- 9 Lb Golden Malt extract
- 1.5 oz Cascade Hops pellets
- 1 Oz Mighty axe Tropica Hops pellets
- 2 Oz Mosaic Leaf Hops
- 1 oz Tetnang hop Pellets
- 1 Each Flocculation tablet or 1 oz Irish moss
- 11.5 g Safe Ale T 58 yeast
- 2 Oz cascade Hop Pellets for Dry Hopping
Instructions
- Sanitize all fermenting and bottling equipment before each step in the process.
- Boil 2 gallons of water in a 5 gallon pot. Place The malts and cardamom in a brewing bag. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- remove the bag and drain it into the wort. Whisk in the extract and the berries. Bring back to a boil. Then add the cascades, mighty axe, and mosaic hops. Boil for 30 minutes. Then add the tetnang hops and flocking tablet. Continue boiling for another 15 minutes.
- Strain the wort well through cheesecloth into a sterilized Brewing bucket. Then, transfer to a carboy. Add clean cold water directly to the wort in the carboy until you get to about 6 gallons. Allow the wort to continue cooling.
- Once it is down to room temperature, add in the yeast. Place a blow-off tube in the top of the carboy to allow excess material and gas to escape during the active period of the yeast. Put the carboy in a cool dry place where it won't be disturbed or exposed to light for about a month.
- After about 3 days, the yeast activity should slow down enough to replace the blow off tube with an airlock. At this time, add the dry hops, and cover with an airlock. Let it ferment for another 10 to 14 days.
- After a couple weeks, there should be little to no yeast activity. You will know this by limited or non existent bubbles in the airlock. At this time, you can bottle or keg the ale.
- Boil 1 cup corn sugar or similar sugar in a cup or 2 of water. Transfer the beer from the carboy to a bottling bucket carefully. Use a Siphon, and be careful not to suck up the sediment from the bottom of the carboy. Going through another filter is a good idea here as well.
- Once the beer has been strained into the bottling tub, whisk in the corn sugar mixture. Then transfer the beer to your bottles or kegs. Cap and allow to ferment for a couple weeks, then open and enjoy.