I like my beer flat. Is that weird?

[lostmind]

Seriously, the samples I take for gravity readings are pretty darn good. I'm not really sure I want to carbonate them.

Anyone else like me?

 

[gallagherman]

Are you british?

jk

Minus the yeastiness, I love taking readings,

 

[Zul'jin]

Old Speckled Hen is good warm and a bit flat. Other than that, I like mine a bit bubbly but not super soft drink carbonated. Too much carbonation distracts from the flavor. Hides it sometimes.

 

[lostmind]

Old Speckled Hen is good warm and a bit flat. Other than that, I like mine a bit bubbly but not super soft drink carbonated. Too much carbonation distracts from the flavor. Hides it sometimes.

Exactly! More refreshing without all the bubbles too.

 

[lostmind]

Are you british?

jk

Minus the yeastiness, I love taking readings,

About 15 generations ago on one side and 3 on the other. So yah, I guess so!

 

[dummkauf]

Have you ever had cask ale? If not I think you might enjoy that one(which is what I think the British comment was getting at above)

 

[262andbrew]

And if that is your style embrace it. Use less sugar when you prime and bottle. Does it screw up the established 'style', yeah...but who cares? Do what your taste and gut likes.

I have noticed that kits from most providers give you a standard priming packet, but to match some styles that is way too much. Play with this calculator and you might find the right combo of flavor, style, and carb to make yourself the perfect brew. http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

 

[mullenite]

I enjoy a good cask pint and carb my beers to the lower end of the style so yes. I also like my beer flatter than most probably do.

 

[pcollins]

Count me in here.

I force carb in keg with set and forget. I start sampling from day one as I'm always curious about the progress. I usually get to the proper volume within a week but I find by about day four or so there is a distinctly cask-like carbonation to the ale which I really like. I also like proper carbonation but even at that I tend to stay on the low side: 2.1-2.3 vs the standard 2.3-2.5.

Rest assured, you're not alone!

 

[michael88n]

I'm with you. I aggressively pour my beers to release the CO2 and in-between sips (gulps) I have a tendency to swirl the glass to release the gas. I don't know if I like a flat beer, but I know that I like a less carbonated beer.

 

[Superkabuto]

Not me. I love a good bubbly brew. I think the co2 bubbles exploding in your mouth really bring out the flavor. But, to each his own . . .

 

[Marius]

When you are a singer it's great that you like your beer flat, I'm trying to find a recipe that I like without carbonation, since I have lots of problems with beer on stage. Every two words a burp scapes.

 

[lostmind]

I've never had cask ale. It sounds like this is simply bottle conditioned beer?

The closest I have had to a beer in the UK was paying 10 pounds for a pint in Gordon Ramsay's stall at Heathrow. That was not a worthwhile purchase.

I like some carbonation, but I too always find myself swirling my beer at the end. I also think it's more refreshing to have beer without massive carbonation. The typical cold kokanee or molson that others seem to find so refreshing on a hot sunny day is not refreshing for me. The carbonation in those is almost aggressive...

 

[bradneal]

Although I am getting used to tasting the flat beer while making it, I can't see ever drinking it that way as a finished product. I really enjoy the carbonation.

My wife likes flat Pepsi though. She'll open a couple of cans and put them in the fridge for a couple of days. Acheeeee!

 

[mullenite]

I've never had cask ale. It sounds like this is simply bottle conditioned beer?

The closest I have had to a beer in the UK was paying 10 pounds for a pint in Gordon Ramsay's stall at Heathrow. That was not a worthwhile purchase.

I like some carbonation, but I too always find myself swirling my beer at the end. I also think it's more refreshing to have beer without massive carbonation. The typical cold kokanee or molson that others seem to find so refreshing on a hot sunny day is not refreshing for me. The carbonation in those is almost aggressive...

For real cask ale the beer is added to the cask (usually a pin or firkin) before it is finished fermenting. The sealed fermentation carbonates the beer slightly (between .5 and 1 volume) and it is served via gravity. The oxygen that comes in from the gravity pour oxidizes the beer which adds a bit of character to it.

http://www.camra.org.uk/

 

[BeerJorge]

I do know many people who like less carbonated beer, but I don't know about flat beer... although every time I take reading and sample half a cup of beer, it ends up in my belly

 

[Manfish]

I much prefer mine to be nice and bubbly, yet from having done taste tests before carbonation, I too have started to like the beer when its "flat"... I have yet to leave any that way for drinking purpose though.

 

[ajf]

You mean you guys actually carbonate your brews?

-a.

 

[impur]

I like mine cold and carbed.

I have a buddy who likes it warm and flat. Just seems wrong to me.

 

[rayg]

The appropriate amount of carbonation really depends on the style.
German lagers don't taste that great (to me) if they are not carbonated
enough. German lagers served on draft aren't nearly as carbonated as most
American/Canadian lagers in the bottle, but lagers like Sam Adams taste
great on draft. On the other hand, British ales you get here are way
overcarbonated. The beers I had in England on draft weren't
completely flat, but they had nowhere near the CO2 that American
beers have.

Part of the point of pouring your beer into a glass is to
release some of the carbonation, part of it is to warm it up a bit from
ice-cold, which also kills flavor. Another reason to pour it into a glass
is so you can smell the beer better, because most of the flavors you
perceive are a combination of smell and taste. The people who drink ice-cold
lager directly from a bottle are missing most of the flavor. Many
homebrewers seem to be trying to duplicate that flavorless "ideal".

Ray

 

[brewmonk]

Anyone else like me?

no, i don't like you (OH! howl with mirth!)

i also like 'taking samples'. and lack of bubbles is no barrier to enjoying them.

however, i also LIKE those round, rising, little fellers.
s'why i also put seltzer in my tap.