Any beer skills you've gotten lazy on?

One thing I've lost is the ability to just buy and drink beer. Now I feel compelled to get a decent picture and post it on WBAYDN, NBS, and Beer Haul. Also, I am more interested in reviewing new-to-me beers than drinking the old favorites piling up in my cellar. OMG... I'm a TICKER!!!!!

 

While brewing I used to take pH readings all of the time (H20 prior to dough-in, start of mash, end of mash, end of sparge, kettle start, kettle finish, etc.) and now I don't even have a working pH meter. I've gotten by but I need to get back on that soon.

 

I tried shotgunning a Boss Tweed this morning after I ran a 5k, and shortly after I popped open the top, the beer started going more into my nose and my shirt than my mouth, but I just went with it. I considered it a complete success.

 

I'm not picky, I still drink most of my beers out of a can.

 

The Alchemist's John Kimmich has ruined me on pouring and using glassware. The habit didn't spring from laziness. The CO2 layer that sits on top of the beer inside the can really does act as a wall against oxygen as Kimmich says -- it certainly seems to for me, anyway. And while I still drink out of cans for that No. 1 reason, reason No. 2 has become laziness.

 

Not using beer glassware. I either drink out of the can /bottle or a frozen Mason jar.

I will however break out the duvel glasses and tulips if i have a guest over for ambiance

 

Yes proper glassware. I have found the perfect vessel and I use it exclusively these days. I also think that sometimes when I review I tend to forget to talk about bitterness. Bitterness matters.

 

Home brewing. I’ve yet to do it in 2018. Got to get back up on that horse!

 

I've noticed I've gotten lazier at cleaning my glasses, but that's always been an issue.

To compensate for that, I own 3 of the same Crane snifter (the one 90% of my WBAYDN posts show).

I also spend significantly less time writing reviews compared with middle of and end of last year. That evidence is particularly glaring in the NBS threads.

 

Typically glass. I will drink out of the bottle on occasion, and I think the CO2 layer exists in bottles same or similarly as cans, but generally I pour bottles.

And needless to say I'd never drink Rochefort 10 out of the bottle. Well, I'd never do that unless I had nothing to pour it in. But AALs, pilseners, American pales/IPAs/DIPAs and several other styles drink better out of cans IMO.

Two things make it work great for me that might be adverse for others:

1. I love carbonation. Obviously there's more of that when you don't pour.

2. I love cold beer. Keeping it in the can in a koozie seems to keep it colder longer.

 

It really doesn’t work quite like that. In theory, the narrow opening of the can lid prevents as much oxygen ingress, but I highly doubt the difference is perceptible in the short amount of time that it takes to consume a beer. However, I also prefer to drink from a can for hoppy beers. The beer getting disrupted over the lip of the can increases the olfactory “punch.”

One caveat to the oxygen ingress in a short period of time: One of my professors once pointed out that most traditional Kolsches can oxidize very quickly. Her claim was that was part of the reason for them being served in small stanges. I did a side by side blind tasting where I poured fresh Reisdorf into a pint and let it sit in the fridge for thirty minutes, then opened another bottle poured it and tried them both. The kolsch that sat for 30 minutes did have a classic papery oxidation character where the freshly opened bottle did not. I have tried the same thing with several other styles and haven’t noticed the same effect. When I brew cream ales I use Kolsch yeast and do notice the same thing. I’ve never noticed it with an IPA.

 

my fridge has 2 cans of dIPAs and a bunch of Carlsberg, Heineken, Bud, Coors, etc for friends

i'm gonna drink the dIPAs but leave the rest. i'll drink again when i re-up later this week.

i'd sooner go sober than drink lager bums. my former college self would murder me for being such a twat