I knew we turned the clocks ahead, but I had to check the calendar to make sure it isn't April 1st. How Nitrogen Powers St. Patrick's Day Beer Business... and, no, it ain't just the Guinness brewer (who claims it's "... the greatest beer innovation of all time,") who comes out in favor of it. Also, no "alternative viewpoint" given.
everyone already knows beer gas is the work of the devil. if you like beer on nitro, you hate cask. and if you hate cask, you hate beer. very clear. seriously, interesting from a mainstream rag. looks like they got it more or less right too. Cheers.
Must have missed that rule. Are my beer drinker's credentials revoked because I don't subscribe to that?
An interesting article. I'd like to try more styles on nitro, though it's hit or miss for me. In many styles, I like having a thicker, heavier body. Old Rasputin, a good stout, on nitro tap was pretty revolting. The sweeter and creamier aspects from the nitro really clashed with Raspy's robust and bitter characters, giving it a bile-like quality that made it nearly undrinkable. A local brewery has a sweeter RIS brewed with raspberries that is delicious on nitro, though.
It's true. It's physically impossible to enjoy Lefthand Milk Stout on nitro one night, and then Uncle Teddy's Bitter on cask another. One has to suck, that's the rule.
Well, there was this little tidbit about the origins of the process: "First used by Guinness in the late 1950s and early 1960s to maintain its beer's wooden cask character when the industry started switching to aluminum and fabricated metal kegs..." ...which implies, incorrectly, that true cask ale cannot/does not exist in metal kegs/casks and disappeared when wooden cooperage began to all but disappear. And the largest percentage of Guinness' sales had always been primarily in bottled form - that was certainly the case for their vast export market of their various different stouts.
Damn. First, I can't be a good beer drinker and like lagers, now I can't enjoy cask and nitro equally. Next you'll tell me that I have to choose between light and dark beers. My choices just keep diminishing! ()
It seems like the beer police are out. One of the things I enjoy about the craft beer revolution is the sheer number of styles and tastes available. While I may not enjoy the BMC offerings, there are a lot of people who do. I tend to find the seasons and food choices impact what I will enjoy pairing with the Beer. And, as summer approaches, I will again enjoy Lagers. right now, I'd like to find a good Cream Ale to remind me of my long departed youth.
If it tastes good to you drink it, stop caring about what others write about. Its just beer, life will go on.
To be fair, I think Alcaheute and I are exchanging sarcasm slathered fun-poking at the "beer police."
Not too mention "It's the greatest beer invention of all time". I would say refrigeration was a fantastic invention that we are all better for. Hell, aluminum cans was a good idea too. Even still, there are not many articles that explain the physics very well, not even beer mag articles. Also, Guinness has but one use for beer gas. But the gas has other advantages, for long dispense lines, that most people are unaware of. There is alot of confusion between beer gas causing the creamy texture and beer gas used to push beer.
I think it was Fritz Maytag who used to claim Pasteur's work had the greatest influence on the brewing industry. Not everyone feels the same way about pasteurization, but certainly Pasteur's work is equally important for the brewers who chose NOT to. But, yeah, it seems to me that the greatest "inventions" in the brewing industry - like refrigeration, canning, pasteurization, even microfiltering/sterile fill - were attempts to preserve the natural goodness of beer (not that they all succeed). "Nitrogenation" OTOH is an artificial attempt to duplicate an authentic beer serving style. Yes, I agree- and that information works for both the pro and con sides of the argument. Funny how facts'll do that sometimes (even here on the internet where "opinion" often rules the day...). That's certainly the case, both the fact and the confusion over it.
