gunhaus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
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I am stuck at home - and I am bored! Earlier I tossed out a few theories on the role magic and mysticism play in beer and cooking. Now i thought i would like to discuss the blatant violation of beer rules.
Now I am all for adhering to style, and tradition in brewing. And I fully accept many people take this all very seriously. But I must confess that when no one is looking I routinely break any number of the seemingly staunch beer rules. I figured that baring my soul on this topic, might prove both personally cathartic, AND might encourage a newbie or two too occasionally rebel against convention if the mood strikes! I am SURE it will all work out if you do!
Now I have noticed that many people categorize beers by season - drinking rules. Fall brings us the season of Oktoberfests, and brown ales, and all those wonderful fall flavors. Winter is the season of big beers, stouts, barleywines, etc. Then spring and summer roll around and it is time for crispy citrusy IPA's, and light pilsners and lagers, spicy saison, and so on. For ever season its flavor! I see folks who set their calendars by the beer style.
Then we have the set rules about things like serving temps, carbonation levels, serving styles, proper glasses, correct gasses, and all the fashionable regulations that govern proper beer consumption.
The thing is - If I want to wear white after labor day - I'm gonna, and the same applies to my beer drinking. A goodly portion of the time, I toe the line like a good trooper. I drink my browns and Stouts at proper temps, I serve my blonde ale chilly, I drink lawn mower beer during lawn mower season. But at times, the wickedness grips me and the anarchist rises to the surface and i break the rules:
I like IPA when i like it. And sometimes that is right smack in the dead of winter. In fact i have been on a hoppy binge of late. And although i know the proper temps for IPA - I often chill it to the point it runs into a squishy! Even in the winter! because sometimes I LIKE IT THAT WAY!
I make a nifty brown ale in the Newcastle vein. I drink it a lot in the fall. I often as not drink it slightly cooled. BUT, I also get in the mood for it in the high heat of summer, and what's more, I will chill it and serve it in frosty mugs, and guzzle it like I am auditioning for animal house. Because sometimes i like it that way! Oh and what's worse - my family and I all like it with more carbonation than is supposed to be fashionable - so i usually install more bubbles that prescribed by the rule book.
Then we have my favorite beer of all Stouts - the reason i got into beer making to begin with. I make several styles, and drink many more. I have some I always get ready for winter. And one that will be ready on schedule for St Patrick's Day. And an export style that is always on hand. And I drink them often at close to room temp. I also will chill them like a miller lite, and pound them down on the 4th of July if the mood takes me. I push my kegged stouts with CO2, and i don't really care for nitro pours.
Other indiscretions of the past have included drinking Belgians out of pint Mason jars, barley-wine out of a pub pint, dry pub cider out of a coffee mug.
I bottle finished some APA once - And i know the rules say that you can sneak ONE newly bottled beer after a week just to see if it is growing bubbles and gaining flavor. It was a little under carbed, and slightly green, but actually was quite tasty so i drank three. I was ashamed, and was afraid i might die for about a week, but i got over it and all was well.
So there it is - my personal confession of beer drinking indiscretions. I beg the authorities for absolution, and promise to be contrite and to obey as best i can.
Now six of the ten voices in my head are telling me to go see if i have enough of anything to brew something on this house bound day off. I might try a Two-Hearted type clone . . only with a third or so less IBU's . . . Or would that violate the rules . . . . . ?
Now I am all for adhering to style, and tradition in brewing. And I fully accept many people take this all very seriously. But I must confess that when no one is looking I routinely break any number of the seemingly staunch beer rules. I figured that baring my soul on this topic, might prove both personally cathartic, AND might encourage a newbie or two too occasionally rebel against convention if the mood strikes! I am SURE it will all work out if you do!
Now I have noticed that many people categorize beers by season - drinking rules. Fall brings us the season of Oktoberfests, and brown ales, and all those wonderful fall flavors. Winter is the season of big beers, stouts, barleywines, etc. Then spring and summer roll around and it is time for crispy citrusy IPA's, and light pilsners and lagers, spicy saison, and so on. For ever season its flavor! I see folks who set their calendars by the beer style.
Then we have the set rules about things like serving temps, carbonation levels, serving styles, proper glasses, correct gasses, and all the fashionable regulations that govern proper beer consumption.
The thing is - If I want to wear white after labor day - I'm gonna, and the same applies to my beer drinking. A goodly portion of the time, I toe the line like a good trooper. I drink my browns and Stouts at proper temps, I serve my blonde ale chilly, I drink lawn mower beer during lawn mower season. But at times, the wickedness grips me and the anarchist rises to the surface and i break the rules:
I like IPA when i like it. And sometimes that is right smack in the dead of winter. In fact i have been on a hoppy binge of late. And although i know the proper temps for IPA - I often chill it to the point it runs into a squishy! Even in the winter! because sometimes I LIKE IT THAT WAY!
I make a nifty brown ale in the Newcastle vein. I drink it a lot in the fall. I often as not drink it slightly cooled. BUT, I also get in the mood for it in the high heat of summer, and what's more, I will chill it and serve it in frosty mugs, and guzzle it like I am auditioning for animal house. Because sometimes i like it that way! Oh and what's worse - my family and I all like it with more carbonation than is supposed to be fashionable - so i usually install more bubbles that prescribed by the rule book.
Then we have my favorite beer of all Stouts - the reason i got into beer making to begin with. I make several styles, and drink many more. I have some I always get ready for winter. And one that will be ready on schedule for St Patrick's Day. And an export style that is always on hand. And I drink them often at close to room temp. I also will chill them like a miller lite, and pound them down on the 4th of July if the mood takes me. I push my kegged stouts with CO2, and i don't really care for nitro pours.
Other indiscretions of the past have included drinking Belgians out of pint Mason jars, barley-wine out of a pub pint, dry pub cider out of a coffee mug.
I bottle finished some APA once - And i know the rules say that you can sneak ONE newly bottled beer after a week just to see if it is growing bubbles and gaining flavor. It was a little under carbed, and slightly green, but actually was quite tasty so i drank three. I was ashamed, and was afraid i might die for about a week, but i got over it and all was well.
So there it is - my personal confession of beer drinking indiscretions. I beg the authorities for absolution, and promise to be contrite and to obey as best i can.
Now six of the ten voices in my head are telling me to go see if i have enough of anything to brew something on this house bound day off. I might try a Two-Hearted type clone . . only with a third or so less IBU's . . . Or would that violate the rules . . . . . ?
