Beer Cocktails, Really?
Beer, it has a bad rap! Or does it?
But it does take some getting use to, if you are going to drink it. It's popularity is on the rise, though. Making it a booming biz.
I personally don't like it!
Which my kids find puzzling because i love something called Vita Malt, which can only be described as beer without the alcohol. It's something i am use to! That's the only way i can explain it to them, since i grew up drinking it.
Yet, from all accounts beer is gaining a new foothold through it's fan base especially when one is eating out. The nod for drinking beer is maturing past the college years. Or the cheap alternative.
Restaurants, fine restaurants are now endorsing the drinkable value of the brew pairing some varieties with their signature meals.
Wine used to hold that spot on it's own. But with the increase of interest in beer, it's distribution and the chemists making magic when it comes to flavor - beer is now among the star alcoholic offerings in fine dining.
It's no longer relegated to the bar or the big game or to the college crew that can't afford anything else.
What a comeback!
Main ingredients
- hops
- barley
Varieties
- cheap
- expensive
- flavored
- plain
- dark
- light
- lager
- pint
- brew
- alcoholic
- non alcoholic
Flavors, nowadays can range from sweet, tart, strong or subtle. There are beers, which is new to me that have infusions of flavors from hibiscus to lemongrass, or even nutmeg. These have changed the face of beers popularity and included it into a booming business.
- malty
- hoppy
- fermentation - forward (yeasty)
- flavored - fruits and spices
With it's new attitude the whole industry has expanded and developed to instruct so called beer operators and dispensers, from conducting promotions, holding tastings, dinners and brew master visits.
All of this is so those who are selling the beer, and those behind the bar are clear on how to profile a beer, do proper pour, beer and food pairings. They are given the right words to convey the character of the beer much like the language used for a good wine.
How is it made?
- Beers are brewed, using a malt, the fermentation process that utilizes hops, grains and yeast.
- The malt sugars, hops for seasoning, yeast for fermentation - releasing CO2 and ethyl alcohol , etc
- spices etc are added
What i have found as fascinating is the new, at least for me, the idea and creation of Beer cocktails.
I know beer purists would scream, say 'it ain't so', but i have always tried to use up beer when left after a party in some ways other than wash my hair. To me that has always left me with beer that still sits around.
So, i would experiment from time to time and concoct something palatable but not always appealing.
So, when i discovered an article and recipes about Beer Cocktails i got excited. For one i felt i'd just received some sort of accolade or pat on my back that someone else was doing more with the brew.
In researching beer cocktails though i have discovered that they are not typical. Not when it comes to altering or combining the recipes to make them 'cocktail', like. From what i can gather is they are not sweet, per se.
Beer cocktails, according to an article written by Lucy Saunders, 'beer cocktails offer a bridge for training and tasting.
Beer cocktail names
- Mad Botanist
- Great Pumpkin
It does seem though that experimentation is an ongoing process and some of the best samples have another sweet alcohol like rum or some type of heavy syrup along with a beer that has a brew with a sweeter bent.
If you still don't enjoy drinking it remember these other things you can do with beer.
Alternatives
- make bread or batter
- rinse your hair
- tenderizing or marinating a frugal cut of meat
- in the garden to kill bugs
- plant food
- Thanks to Garrett Oliver, American Craft Beer Comes of Age | Newsmakers - Yahoo! News
From the blog Newsmakers: Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster behind the popular craft brand Brooklyn Brewery, did not set out to become one of the nation’s foremost authorities on beer. He simply followed his thirst.