WTF! Someone please explain...

[arturo7]

Both of my grandpappys would add a pinch of salt to their beer on summer days. I also see it often when traveling to Mexico.

As for the Michelada, there are several ways to make them. Most involve salt and lime and it goes from there. Tomato juice, Magi sauce, hot sauce, English sauce (worcestershire), and occasionally tequila. Given a choice between Corona and a michelada, I'll take the latter.

Last year in Queretato we stopped in at a restaurant that had "Sangre de Hitler" on the cocktail menu. The German guy I was working with found it hilarious when he heard the translation; Blood of Hitler. Of course we ordered a couple. It was beer, tomato juice and hot sauce.

 

[bluehouse]

On a hot Texas night at the picnic table outside & someone hands me an ice cold Tecate with salt & lime, I'm gonna drink it. Is it my favorite beverage? No but it's not the worst thing either. That being said, budweiser smells like rhino farts, I have never tasted it, can't get past the smell.

 

[Zul'jin]

I've had Tecate with Twang lemon/lime beer salt. Not too bad, really.

 

[Buford]

My dad drinks BMC (Natty Light or Busch Light usually) and he salts the stuff too.

 

[Madman]

I suppose I'd do what I could to make BMC taste good, too. However, I think my recipe would be one part BMC per 750 parts Hop Devil.

 

[llazy_llama]

I learned my lesson after trying to convince a friend that beer is meant to be drank from a glass, not a bottle. He claimed that pouring the beer into the glass made it taste watered down.

"Well, yeah, if you pour it into a glass full of f***ing water!"

We argued for a while until I just gave up. There's no helping some people.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I understand what he means. Drinking out of the bottle seems fuller, probably because of the way the carbonation hits your lips. With a glass, however, you can appreciate more of the subtle flavors

I do both, depending on mood, beer type, and laziness.

 

[Korben]

You can't fix stupid.

+1

Also, I know this guy is not your friend but i have had friends kinda do the same thing. If you have friends like this - Take them to what I call a beer lovers bar. For me that would be the flying saucer. They have about 70 beers on tap, but a good beer similar in color and buy it for them. I have converter several "XXXBMC is the only beer" to wow i have been missing alot. all it takes is a nudge...

 

[homebrewer_99]

My dad has been salting his bud (in cans) for decades. It does make it taste better (not a BMC bash, just an observation). It was quite common for me to see that as a kid.

Obviously, he doesn't understand the concept of flavor. Sure salt seasons, but it is way more powerful in flavor than the beer itself.

Now that I think, I don't know why the salting thing ever got started for light lagers. hmm.

To put the "freshness" and a head back into and on the otherwise bland brew...

 

[wild]

There are three philosophies for putting salt into beer - all of which seem to have had a purpose at one time or another.

An old wives' tale said that putting a sprinkle of salt in your beer would stave off cramping during hard work. Dehydration can cause cramping of the muscles, because of the depletion of minerals in the body. Adding salt to the beer would make the worker thirsty, and thus he would drink more beer to relieve the dehydration.

Others add salt to beer for flavor purposes; post-prohibition (1933) beer had turned into somewhat of an ugly being. Breweries had to cut costs and started to use cheaper ingredients like rice and corn, which made for a nearly flavorless beer. These beers are still around, though most people have become accustomed to flavorless beer and so have no need for the salt. Many South and Central American beer drinkers will add salt and sometimes hot sauce and/or lemon, for flavor, or to mask off flavor in beer.

It also was added to knock the carbonation out so more beer could be drunk. Similar to cask.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

You tried to enlighten someone who doesn't want to be enlightened. Be glad you have some taste & let those who don't wallow in their swill. You might consider finding a new bar. Next time some a$$hole asks you if you think you're too good for something tell them "YES, I do." Odds are you'll be correct. Regards, GF.

 

[JoeMama]

Once upon a time I would add salt to my Milwaukees Beast Ice brews upon cracking them. It made them foam like hell, but it actually made it taste a little better. Mind you this was post HS (Early 20s) when I knew nothing about *Good* beer, and when I still drank to get drunk.

In other words, it didnt happen often, but it happened.
-Me

 

[babalu87]

You failed to grasp upon his actions of putting salt in a bland, flavorless beer.

What do you do when you have a bland and or flavorless plate of food?
Put SALT on it right?
The guy is flat out admitting the beer is bland and tasteless by putting salt on it.

 

[MNBugeater]

A friend of mine's dad used to drink Pabst and tomato juice. I'd never seen anything like it. I was horrified.

As much as I love my homebrew and more flavorful beers than BMC, this is a common breakfast drink up here. Especially when we go out on the ice fishing. Although I see a lot more Clamato + Beer than just straight tomato juice. A dash or three of Franks if its handy doesnt hurt either.

 

[srm775]

My cousin douses everything in Lawrys (except beer.) It's actually damn good when you pile it on bacon and then use the grease to cook eggs. It doesn't seem very healthy, tho :cross:

A.W.E.S.O.M.E. - that is just pure awesomeness. Salting and already salted fat meat product. Not even being sarcasitic here in the least.

 

[pjj2ba]

Putting salt in a beer will reduce the percieved bitterness of the hops. That is a major role of salt in cooking - reducing bitter flavors. It makes me chuckle to think that people find BMC too bitter. What these people need to do is to try a good Helles. I suspect they're looking for more malty flavors. Not that there is much of that in a BMC, but adding salt will help to mask the bitterness and bring out what little malt flavors are there.

Try it on an IPA, you'll be amazed with the difference. Not necessarily in a good way if you like your hops.

 

[conpewter]

So... how was the SA oatmeal stout?

 

[MikeG]

I think I have learned something. Next time I'm stuck with a BMC (usually I just pass) I'll try to locate a salt shaker and give it a try. I can't imagine that it would hurt.

 

[double_e5]

I've done it all. Salt in beer (SWMBO still does it). Tomato/bloody mary mix (we call them a poor man's bloody mary) especially in the morning trying to drink through a hangover.

And the best one yet: 12 pack of your favorite BMC, a fifth of the cheapest vodka you can find, a can of frozen lemonade, and a can of frozen limeade. Mix that sh!t together and you have what we used to call back in college mop water. Looks terrible but actually tastes decent and after a couple glasses don't stand up too fast! Of course I haven't had it for years but from what I remember it didn't taste awful.

 

[DonkeyShoes]

I can't stand when someone like that talks to me at a bar. I don't mind a random conversation (wait, I do), but don't try to make me feel out of place or like I'm doing something wrong for drinking a "different" beer.

Anyway,
I've seen bacon flavored salt at the local grocery store. I think that would be great in BMC. Or on anything. Or by itself.

 

[FireBrewer]

Good try, but some will never get it. And that's ok, 'cause that means more for us.

In that situation, when mocked I usually reply with "so you like rice and/or corn syrup in your beer, eh?" That usually stops 'em in their tracks.

 

[Korben]

I can't stand when someone like that talks to me at a bar. I don't mind a random conversation (wait, I do), but don't try to make me feel out of place or like I'm doing something wrong for drinking a "different" beer.

Anyway,
I've seen bacon flavored salt at the local grocery store. I think that would be great in BMC. Or on anything. Or by itself.

I am definately gonna pick some of this up.. it looks like Hypertension in a bottle.

 

[TexasStu]

Good try, but some will never get it. And that's ok, 'cause that means more for us.

In that situation, when mocked I usually reply with "so you like rice and/or corn syrup in your beer, eh?" That usually stops 'em in their tracks.

I enjoy the 'acceptable amounts of urea?' point.
Of course, an article like Beer for the Ignorant would make great 'light reading' at the bar!

 

[Neomich]

I was up in Chicago and a co-worker joined me at a very irish bar downtown for drinks. Now, we're from south Texas and this guy actually asks for a corona "dressed". This involves salting the neck of the bottle and inserting a lime wedge. So the bartender just looks at him with this WTF? is that look and just hands him the beer. My co-worker is trying to explain this to the bartender that sounded like he just got off the boat from Ireland what he wanted with his beer. The bartender was still like WTF? I had to explain to my co-worker that salt and lime with a beer isn't exactly something an Irish guy is going to be familiar with.

At least he didn't accuse the bartender of being British...............

 

[Boondoggie]

I salt my coaster, so it won't stick to the glass, but never my beer...

 

[Tripod]

So... how was the SA oatmeal stout?

The Sammy SMITH's Oatmeal Stout was freeking amazing! I am planning an oatmeal stout as a future brew so I'm researching different oatmeal stouts to "train" my taste buds. I figure I can read all day long but I still can't grasp a particular style unless I study the actual beer...you know?

On another note, I probably never would have even spoken to the beer-salter if he hadn't started the conversation. I doubt I would have torn my senses away from the Oatmeal Stout. Like BoonDoggie, I salt the coaster to prevent the sticky bottle syndrome. What struck as being "off" was the guy questioning my taste and THEN salting his beer. Seemed like screwy timing.

The lesson I learned is that there are plenty who do want to learn and plenty who do not. I know it isn't my JOB to convert the masses but I am in some ways evangelistic about a cause that excites me. I need to learn to identify who is willing to learn and save my energies for them.

-Tripod

 

[jpsloan]

My Dad used to do that when I was young. That is, before his heart surgeon pulled him off of salt entirely.

He's from the Ohio River Valley near the junction of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. You know... Mothman territory. So, I don't know if it's a "redneck" thing as much as a "hillbilly" thing in this case.