Wow this took me back. Worked at a pizza place in the 70's. Old guy came in every night and ordered draft beers and stood at the counter for several hours. Clearly lonely. Us young guys enjoyed his stories and bantered back and forth with him. But what always got us was he sprinkled a little salt in before every sip. It did build the head. We saw it. And we all tried it. The beer was so salty it was undrinkable. Hadn't thought about this in years.
I brought some Stone Buenaveza salt and lime lager to a party where Corona is the usual beer. I had one and thought it was definitely better than Corona or any typical AAL, which was a surprise because I don’t like salt. I think a little bit goes a long way though.
It’s fairly common in Texas to see beers served with salt on the rim. Especially in Mexican joints. Not my thing, but I do enjoy a Michelada every now and then. Especially when it’s hot out.
If I was ordering a margarita-flavored kettle sour, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to drink it out of a glass with a salted rim. If it's a beer-and-tomato-juice cocktail, I'd rather it be Bloody Mary mix doctored up with suitable amounts of celery salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and liquid aminos. If it's a salted caramel stout I damn sure want to taste both. As for light lagers and Pilsners, I don't drink either very often. Next time I do I may give this salt thing a try. Then it's on to salted poked bocks! (What could possibly go wrong? )
Stole it or just picked it up when Tecate switched to a more common citrus fruit? (Limes in parts of the US at the time were seasonal, according to their ad agency.) Either way, it's Corona's now. (Kinda like Texas isn't Mexico, but that took a war.)
I will have to try a Gose if I can find one. Not easy to do here in South Georgia. Someone mentioned beer and tomato juice, yea use to do that back in the day, we called it a red eye. Added salt to it, and it was good. I tried one of those Cheladas, but didn't care for it. As far as adding salt I only use a little, don't won't to over do it. And mostly in something like a Sam Adams American Lager it works well.
Boy! , does this post bring back memories! When I used to frequent some little corner tavern's back in the Early 70`s , all the old timers would come in and have a tapper of Hamm`s. Most of them either grabbed the salt shaker , or added the tomato juice the bartender gave with their beer. Almost every corner bar had a salt shaker on the top of their bar. It was a "Given".
Adding salt - no. Salt in the beer - sure, when it makes sense. Big Island Brewhaus has my favorite: RED SEA OF CACAO IMPERIAL RED | 8.7% abv | 28 IBU | Draft & Cans Luscious malt & chocolate flavors harmonize to create an amazing “umami” experience. Brewed with local cacao, sea-salt and a special blend of malt and hops.
I don't, but I can entirely see the merits. Salt as a seasoning isn't solely about salt flavor. It's important in the amplification of certain flavors, and suppression of others. Many people add a tiny sprinkle of salt to their coffee grounds (not the final product), and while I don't do that any longer, I definitely enjoyed lower quality coffee more with a pinch of salt. And like with beer, that makes sense, as salt amplifies sweetness, sourness, and umami flavors, but suppresses bitterness. For people who don't enjoy the taste of beer or coffee, bitterness is often the prominent reason cited. (Good ol' BITTER BEER FACE commercials.) So yeah, it makes sense that some people do it. I don't, as I think beer stands on its own and doesn't need it. I also don't think modern AALs need less bitterness and more sweetness!
You should be able to find Westbrook Gose and Key Lime Gose, as well as Anderson Valley Gose. That's not the same as an imported German Gose, sure, but OG Westbrook Gose is a very good example of the style, especially from an American brewer. Creature Comforts also brews a Gose, but I can't speak to it, as I've never had it. But Creature Comforts is a grocery store and gas station beer brand in SE Georgia, so you might be able to find it, depending on how often they brew it.
I find that the pH drop from the salt is what does the trick with AALs, despite the other factors. Also, adding a bunch of nucleation points certainly doesn't hurt in the aroma department either. But to reiterate my earlier point, only when necessary
Adding a bit of salt to coffee makes sense when the water you use to make it is deficient in chloride. I add it to the grounds when I make it at home, but will add to a dash/pinch to finished product when I don't brew it myself.
This thread inspired me to do a taste test last night. Had a bottle of Wehenstephaner Pilsner. Poured 1/2 the bottle in 2 separate glasses and shaked some salt in one. Salted beer created more head, was fuller bodied, the hop bitterness/crispness seemed less, and of course subtle saltiness. The regular Pilsner had less head, seems colder, crisper/hoppier and a more watery mouthfeel. Not sure I liked one version better than the other to be honest (both tasted very good to me), but salt definitely changes the beer a little bit. I’ll try it again with an AAL sometime.
Skimming replies, it seems this is a more common practice with macro lagers. I just drink good beer and thus see no need to augment what’s already in my glass. Cheers!
So, years ago, doctors used to recommend putting salt in your beer in hot weather for your health. OTOH, apparently it was not healthy to put salt in someone else's beer. I don't know, tho' - I'm thinking that bartender's name makes me feel he was just trying to sell more coffee, when customers didn't care for salty beer. (It used to be common in factories for there to be salt tablet dispensers at water fountains for the same reason, although Stanford Medical now says Doctors no longer recommend salt tablets on hot days to prevent heat stroke. Worked in a furniture factory in high school and a kid I worked with had a side hustle in a neighboring town's high school selling grass and assorted other illegal substances. He used to steal the salt tablet dispensers and sell the pills as some sort of drug. They were kinda pink in color. Low overhead and I guess relatively legal, too.)
