Canned Beer Vs. Bottled Beer – Is there a difference?

There has been a lot of debate on the beer boards about whether beer is negatively affected if it is packaged in a can. The truth is, despite what some know-it-alls say, once you pour it into a glass you can’t tell the difference.

In fact, if anything cans are better than bottles for three reasons. First, cans are less prone to breakage. Secondly, they are lighter – so it costs less to move them around. Thirdly, cans protect beer from harmful UV rays better than glass. And fourthly … well, cans are just better ok?!

Ok, ok, so in the name of science I got a six-pack of bottled Pilsner Urquell and a four-pack of canned Pilsner Urquell. I poured them into glasses and tasted them both.
The result? They taste the same. I drank one, then the other. Then I tried it again. And again. And then one more time, just to be really sure.

My wife was walking by while I was doing this, and asked me what on Earth I was doing. I explained it to her, and she graciously volunteered to help taste. She drank my beer until it was gone and confidently announced there was no difference.

A part of me suspects she was just thirsty and wasn’t really all that interested in my little experiment. Sometimes she doesn’t share my zeal for this stuff.

Of course, there is another side to this. Glass is more enjoyable to drink out of than metal. Since many people drink out of whatever the beer is packaged in, this might also explain why many beer snobs prefer bottles to cans.

Not us. We’re civilized Drunks, so we pour our beer into a glass the way we’re supposed to.

Beginners Guide to All-Grain Equipment

If you have been homebrewing for a while and you are using extracts, then you are probably a little curious about all-grain brewing. What is necessary to make the leap? Is it really as difficult as it seems?

As usual, the process of brewing your own beer from grain is much less complicated than many brewers would have you believe. But it does require some specialized equipment, and that’s what our first all-grain article is about.

Read our article on All Grain Equipment for Beginners.

Beer Review – Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

Uh oh… Samuel Smith disappoints! As much as it pains me to say it, I just cannot recommend this beer. It isn’t that it’s BAD. It’s just that… Well, read our Review of Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

Beer Review – 2 Below by New Belgium

I was driving on I-70 with a friend of mine last week when I saw it - the New Belgium beer truck. And that was when it dawned on me that if I was going to hijack any beer truck, this should be the one. Right here, right now... Read our Review of New Belgium's 2 Below

Beer Review - Never Summer Ale

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I opened this beer, but the hops are so strong that the taste hit me in the face like a shovel – I just wasn’t expecting it. Therefore I would say that if you like hops a lot, or if you like to be hit in the face with a shovel, then you’ll really like this beer. That's not a bad thing either... Full Review of Never Summer Ale

Beer Review - Samuel Adams - Winter Lager

Our second installment in our "Winter Brews" beer review is the Samuel Adams Winter Lager.
If you happen to live in a part of the country that doesn't usually have a very good beer selection, then the Sam Adams offering is usually a good bet, and this one is no exception.

The beer is a wheat lager, and it really delivers on taste, body and texture. This is a great beer! Read our review of Samuel Adams Winter Lager.

Or, better yet, buy a six pack and try it yourself!

Beer Review - Snow Plow by Widmer Brothers Brewery

We have decided to start our "Reviews" section here at Drunk Man's Guide. That means that each week we will feature a new beer, liquor or wine and give you our honest opinion.

The rating scale will be in beers, and the scale goes like this:

5/5 is a "Must Try" beverage. This is a rare rating that we will only bestow on the most deserving beverages. You should definitely try these.

4/5 is a "Damn Good" beverage. If you see these in the store, then you can't go wrong with a 4/4 beverage.

3/5 is a "Good" beverage. This is worth buying - especially if it is on sale.

2/5 is an "OK" beverage. Keep it is someone gives it to you, but don't buy it. It's ok to regift a 2/5 beverage, but only to someone you don't care about, and who doesn't know much about alcohol.

1/5 is a "Only Drink it On A Dare" beverage. Don't drink this beverage even if it's free. Use it to marinate meat, or distill it for fuel; but only drink it if you are getting PAID to drink it.

Our first review is of a really good beer that we knew we wanted to include in a review as soon as we tasted it. The beer is called "Snow Plow" by Widmer Brothers, and it receives a 5/5 rating. Definitely seek out this beer and try it. Especially if you like stouts.

Since it's a seasonal, who knows how long it will be on store shelves. View our review of Snow Plow here: www.drunkmansguide.com/reviews/snowplow.php

When we talk about chasers, we usually are talking about taking a shot and then “chasing” it with a beer. However some people do it the opposite way, they chug a beer and chase it with a shot. Many recipes also call for dropping a shot of liquor into a beer, or layering the liquor with the beer.

Check out our Chasers page for a five great recipes that combine beer and liquor.

Friday 5 o’clock Cocktail – Beer

This is, of course, Super Bowl weekend. So, we aren’t going to yuck it up with a bunch of fancy-pants drinks. If you’re watching the game, then you don’t want to be busy shaking up cocktails. This weekend, it’s beer.

How to make a Beer

Ingredients:1 Can or Bottle of Beer

Directions:Open your can or bottle of beer and pour into glass. Consume. Repeat.

Beer Glasses, NOT Beer Goggles!

If you go into most bars and order a beer, chances are very high that you’ll get it in either a Pint Glass, or a Mug. Generally speaking, that’s fine. Not like we’re going to turn the beer away because it’s in the wrong glass, right?

That said, there are some glasses that are designed for different kinds of beers.

So, to help alleviate the confusion about the differences between a Wheat Beer glass and a Pilsner Glass, we’ve created the Drunk Man’s Guide to Beer Glasses.

You may never be confused about beer glasses again!

Oh, and the picture of the funky looking beer glass to the left here is a Kwak glass. They are fun to drink out of, but unfortunately they aren’t dishwasher safe.

Beer Pong Table

I found this pic of an excellent Beer Pong table on this guy's MySpace Page. While there are some commercially available beer pong tables, you really have to tip your beer to someone who takes the time to produce craftsmanship like this. I do appreciate his dedication.

If you are not familiar with Beer Pong, then never fear. We at the Drunk Man's Guide have put together a little Beer Pong rules page for you. Now, this is one of those situations where everyone has their own rules, so make sure everyone is playing by the same rules before you start.

How to Play Beer Pong

We will also be adding more Drinking Games to the Drinking Games section over time, so if you are into drinking games, then be sure to check back often.

Goodbye Flying Dog

This month, Flying Dog Brewery is leaving Colorado and moving its operations to Maryland.

Yes, that’s right, the hands-down winner of the WTF Label Design Prize is leaving its roots behind and running East as fast as they can. Hey, good riddance. We didn’t need ‘em anyway.

Actually, all kidding aside, they make some great beer. Hopefully this move means they are looking to ship more product overseas and give the good ‘ol U.S. of A some good international representation in the beer department.

Oh, and don’t worry about us in Colorado. We still have over 100 breweries in our state, including the little guys - Coors, and Anheuser-Busch. Combined beer production for the state of Colorado is around 35 million beers per day.

We can still party.

• Screaming Epsilon
• Imagination
• Amnesia
• YoYo Blow Out
• Los Cabos Clout
  

Beer Review – Samuel Smith Lager

I have to admit that I’m a big Samuel Smith fan. In fact, I’m such a big fan that I have the following rule of thumb when judging beer: if you need to know what a particular style of beer is supposed to taste like, just taste the Samuel Smith version and you’ll know.
So, when I decided to do a review of their Lager, I was already a little prejudiced, and my standards were probably set artificially high.

A little history on the brew.

The Samuel Smith Brewery was founded in 1852 in Tadcaster England, and it utilizes a rare fermentation technique that is almost completely extinct called the Yorkshire Square system. Essentially, the system uses square (usually limestone) fermentors that have a deck on top that captures the yeast in the head of the foamy krausen.

These yeast cells are extremely active and would be the best if you were trying to isolate the strongest cells for future batches. The yeasty foam is then kept on the deck until the next batch of beer is pumped onto the deck. The beer then drains back into the fermentor through the deck.

This system both aerates and inoculates the new batch with the yeast cells from the previous batch. The cycle repeats itself over and over, and in this way Samuel Smith has been working with the same strains of yeast since the early 20th century.

The Yorkshire Square System is expensive, difficult to do consistently, and impossible to scale up to megabrew levels. It also produces some fantastic beer. Which brings us to the Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Lager.

This beer is one of the “pure” beers that Sam Smith makes. Although it is English, it is made in the German tradition of Rheinheitsgebot whereby the only ingredients allowed into the brew are barley, hops, yeast and water.

But this is definitely an English Lager. When you pour a Sam Smith Lager, you will notice that it isn’t the same as a Czech or German style Pilsner. This is a little heavier on the malt, a little toastier, and a little lighter on the hops - as if you took a normal Lager, and gave it more body, and malt character.

If you are an Ale-lover, then this is a great Lager. If you don’t like Ale, then this English style of Lager will probably taste too thick. I won’t geek out on you and start talking about the beer’s “nose” or anything like that. I will say that it is damn good, and exactly what I have come to expect from this incredible brewery.

It is so good, in fact, that I would encourage you to be careful not to drink this Lager next to a MegaBrewed beer. Your Sam Smith’s superiority will just make the other beer jealous.

P.S. Also try their Oatmeal Stout – it’s the best I’ve ever had.

You can get more information on beer, homebrewing, and mixed drink recipes at http://www.drunkmansguide.com/.