The first beer that you loved

It just gives whatever flavors are there a bit more punch and definition.

 

I have fond memories of "Granny" throwing a shake or two of salt into her beer as I sat on her lap on the outskirts of Fond du Lac, WI.

Mem'ries.

 

Well, did you see the coupon in the Reno paper?

Records show that the Crown Beverages in Sparks, NV, was a Stroh distributor and carried Schlitz in the 1990s - so it was available in the state (and, given that Stroh was the #4 US brewer at the time, likely had other NV distributors in Las Vegas and other areas of the state).

What's the pull date of the "dusty" Schlitz bottles you found? Should be stamped on the neck. If it's as rare a beer as you say in your region, it is probably also well-past its freshness period - so not an accurate sample of the beer at its best.

The poster drank Schlitz in 1975 as a 5 year old - that would have put it smack in the middle of Schlitz's period of extreme cheapening (both process and ingredients), resulting in the infamous "Schlitz Bits" period when at least some of their breweries had a problem with flakes and sediment, due to a change in recipe and negative interaction between two different brewing "aids" the brewery employed at the time. Schlitz's so-called ABF - "Accelerated Batch Fermentation" - method, which sped up the fermentation and lagering periods, was also blamed as well a rumored bad crop of barley. They apparently increased the percentage of their corn syrup adjunct and switched hops (some claim to pellets, others to extract).

As the company began its slide to its eventual demise, they hired a former AB brewmaster, Frank Sellinger, as its chief executive and he reformulate the recipe around 1977.

After being sold to Stroh, likely the beer was further changed as it became a discount brand during that period (1982 - 1999), and, probably again when Pabst bought the brand and the brewing was moved to Miller breweries.

 

This is what Anheuser-Busch thought about salt in beer (circa 1970s):


The salt crystals acted as nucleation points and restored the head, but given that many US beers were so bland at the time people often did come to enjoy the "enhanced" flavor from the saltiness.

Conversely, some claim the salt would kill the head on a glass with excess foam.
(Another even more revolting "trick" to do this is, supposedly - thank god I never saw it - is to rub your finger on the side of your nose and then stick your finger in the glass of beer. The oiliness from the nose kills the head.)

I guess all you guys in love with those Hamm's 30 packs should sacrifice a few 50¢ cans of beer and give them all a try and see which happens.

 

The nose oil bit I believe since I’ve seen what happens to the heads on two beers served at the same time when one person is wearing lipstick, or what happens when one person is eating a grilled cheese and fries (or pizza) while the other is eating a lettuce salad with no dressing.

 

Nice. Yeah, they’ve been in six packs for a few years now. I hear you, in regards to it’s limited availability. I wasn’t able to find any here in South Jersey so I reached out to a Paulaner rep (email form via website) and he got me in touch in a place in PA that sold cases of Weisn. Needless to say, I jumped on it.

It’s sorta strange though, I think only 6 packs (and cases of sixers) were available this year aside from the gift pack. In 2014/15 I was able to get 12 packs in Tucson, AZ. I bought that on the regular (until it sold out lol) but the rep said they were not available. Would love to see the 12 packs again!

 

Henry's private dark was among my first steps into a new world after I moved to Eugene in the early 90's. When I left Reno, I remember I was rather fond of MGD, but of course that didn't last. I began to frequent places like the Steelhead, Spencer's Butte, and other local brew pubs. Those experiences were where my love for microbrews first sprouted roots.

 

Tongo is exactly right. Salt brings out the flavor. Why? Well German lagers were originally fermented and stored (or lagered) in cellars, which is colder than room temperature, but not as cold as the temperatures at which American lagers are traditionally stored and served. Of course we 'Muricans demand our beverages ice-cold or filled with ice.

A colder fermentation with "bottom-cropping" yeast gives a lager beer a crisp, clear finish, but serving it really cold also robs it of some of its potential flavor. So if you were drinking a draft beer in a European pub, depending on the beer, there might not be any need to salt it, but if you're in the US, drinking an ice-cold American beer, a dash or two definitely helps bring out the flavor.

So why not drink beer at a warmer temp and thus eliminate the need to salt it? Well, for one, when I open a beer, I want to drink it now, not 20 or 30 minutes from now, and I don't have a basement, so my beer is stored in a fridge. I'll warn you now - if you try salting your beer, you may eventually find yourself addicted and salting every beer you drink.

Everyone has their own tastes, but I've found I also like to salt some ales (generally I think because they're served ice cold). I don't feel the need as much with a heavier-bodied beer like a stout or porter, especially if they're served on nitro, but anything else is fair game.

 

I don't know about others, but for me, salting a beer has absolutely nothing to do with the head. In fact, I'll often wait until the head has dissipated a bit before salting the beer. Yea it comes back up a little, but that's totally not the point. It's about one thing: the flavor. An ice cold lager needs a dash of salt or it just doesn't taste right.

 

Nose grease definitely does work on beer head, but I think it works much better on soda head

 

Apart from my regional obligation to love Moosehead (only half kidding), Samuel Adams Boston Lager was one of the first beers that really "wowed" me. To be honest, I still pick up a six-pack quite frequently and still enjoy it, even though my palate has definitely changed since I first had it years ago.

 

I would have been in Eugene in 97 but even before I left Reno in 94 (moved back in 98) I didn't read the paper.

The bottles I found at Total Wine were brewed in December of last year so they're fine. I've already had several and I've been really impressed. I would buy them again, but I definitely would not have liked this beer in my late 20's (except maybe for the nostalgia), but my tastes have come full circle. I spent 10 years brewing and drinking nothing but IPAs - thank god that's over. Now I can taste again. I mean, I can still drink a pale ale, but I've so burned myself out on IPAs I don't care if I ever see another. And of course they've become the "rage" so now IPAs are all I can find in the craft beer case at the corner supermarket.

By the way thanks for ruining my childhood memories! Just kidding.

 

I distinctly remember my grandfather salting his beer years ago. Always wondered why that was!

 

I recall some men of my Father's generation (WW2) shaking salt into beer which I figured was a dietary thing due to salt being heavily used in meat preservation during the prerefrigeration days of their childhood which developed a taste for salt in other foodstuffs as well.

 

Pabst's beers brewed by at MillerCoors facilities typically use MC's coding method, which only list the "Pull Date" not the packaging date.

From their pdf HOW TO READ CODES:


Only a handful of specialty beers note the actual brewing date.

 

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen was my first craft and I fell in love immediately.

 

ssr by stone god I miss it

 

Ok. I must have misread but I did see a "best before" April 2018

 

Fat Tire. The beer that got me interested in the craft.

 

I would have to say....Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin.