Typical Beer Misconceptions.
The darker it is the stronger it is. Many people think that the darker the beer the stronger it is and therefore you will get drunk faster. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, Guinness Stout is typically in the lower 4% abv range. Just about the same (or lower) as many typical American lagers.
Canadian beer is really potent. Although it is typically higher in alcohol content than most of their American counterparts, the difference is not a great one. Most Canadian beers start in the high 4% to low 5% abv range. Most typical American lagers are in the mid 4% range.
Ales are just strong beers. Well, in a word, no. A very strange and stupid labeling law in the state of Texas might have something to do with this one (a beer in a certain alcohol range must be labeled an ale in Texas no matter whether it was brewed with ale yeast or not). A beer can be an ale based solely on one thing, what general kind of yeast was used to produce it. Beers are (under most circumstances) either ales or lagers. An ale yeast is called a top fermenting yeast and will ferment at higher temperatures (65-75 F). A lager yeast is called a bottom fermenting yeast and ferments best at lower temperatures (40-55 F). Distinct qualities are imparted to the beer based on the yeast used.
Old beer is bad beer. OK, so you’ve got me on this one, but not really. For most beers that are of average alcohol content (< ~6%) this is very true. These lower alcohol level beers really can noticeably change for the worse through age. Especially if they are subjected to higher temperatures, light and the like. However, there are many beers that can be aged (and some should in some cases) like wine. A good rule of thumb is that the higher the alcohol content, the more likely that a beer is a good candidate for aging (or cellaring, if you like). As with wine, a lot of other variables come in to play for successful aging of beer. Many of these aged beers have been known to continue to improve after 5, 10, 20, even 25 years or more.
The tastes of beer are just not as diverse or sophisticated as wine. Another big fallacy here. In fact, with all of the different yeast strains and ingredient variations that can make up beers of many different types and styles, beer is probably one of the most versatile alcoholic beverages. From the incredibly complex flavor profile of a Westvleteren 12, to the sublime pleasure of an aged Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine in top form or the intense flavors of a Guinness Stout, to a refreshing German Helles lager or even an American Light beer (if you happen to like that stuff), no alcoholic beverage can tout as great a diversity or sophistication (as with the first two examples) as beer.
Beer must be served freezing cold for it to be good. In all actuality, the cold numbs your taste buds. The colder it is, the less flavor from the beverage (beer, soda, anything) you will taste. For your typical industrial pilseners, this really isn’t much of an issue as they typically have very slight flavor profiles, and in fact, it (the cold) makes them feel more thirst quenching to most people and therefore more pleasurable to drink. Even so, for all beverages (beer included) the closer you get it to freezing, the less flavor it will have, period. Beer, like wine, will have different optimum serving temperatures depending on the style of beer you are dealing with. Typical optimum serving temperatures for beers range from around 40F to about 55F. I know of one style (Gluhkriek, somewhat rare) that is best served “hot” (about 100F). Lagers (pilseners, dunkels, bocks, schwarzbiers, etc.) will typically occupy the lower end of this scale and ales (porters, stouts, ESBs, pale ales, IPAs, barley wines, etc.) will occupy the higher end of the scale. As a rule of thumb (as usual there are exceptions), the higher the alcohol content the higher the temperature and the lighter the beer, the lower the temperature that it is best served at.
The British all serve warm beer. This is basically a build on the previous fallacy. What the British typically do is serve warm”er” beer than most Americans are used to so that the best flavors of their ales can come out. Since normal body temperature is 98.6F, even the way the Brits serve it (typically around 50-55F or cellar temperature), it should still feel at least a bit cold to you (but, of course, not ice cold). I have had your occasional ale at slightly below room temperature and it indeed is not really that good. If you get one at this temp, I most likely would protest (as usual, there are exceptions… ;-) ).
Beer is best served with BBQ, Burgers, Chili and Mexican food, it has no place paired with a sophisticated entrée. Complete bollocks (to use one of my favorite British words) here. I am still learning about food/beer pairings, but I have had my share of fantastic combinations, where just like a good food/wine combo the sum is greater than the parts (and sometimes the parts are pretty darn good all by themselves). As with wine, not all beer goes with all food, some beers are very versatile with many foods, and some are best with only a few foods. The only function beer really has with Mexican food is to have the alcohol numb the taste buds that have just been assaulted by Jalapeno, Habanero or other hot peppers (and that beer better be cheap, because you more than likely won’t taste it). Research, my friends, research….
Got any other things that people typically say about beer that you would like to either refute or confirm?? Feel free to send me a message or e-mail me. I will take the best ones and add them to this list.
Mitch Mather
mitchmather@yahoo.com
Chef2Chef News Desk