4/5 pawan k. 4 years ago on Google • 60 reviews
We
are
living
in
a
golden
age
of
craft
beers.
Originally
invented
by
the
ancient
Egyptians,
every
culture
now
has
its
own
tastes
regarding
beer.
The
process
of
making
beer
is
so
multi-faceted,
it's
a
miracle
that
any
gets
made
at
all.
However,
there
are
lots
of
steps
along
the
way
that
could
quickly
torpedo
a
beer's
chemical
composition
which,
in
turn,
affect
its
taste.
In
order
to
bring
out
the
best
flavor
in
any
beer,
you
need
to
know
a
few
key
pieces
of
information
to
truly
savor
beer
like
a
connoisseur.
Getting
great-tasting
beer
is
easy
when
you
know
the
right
info.
Image
by
Wagner
T.
Cassimiro
"Aranha"/Flickr
Drink
Draft
Beer
from
Clean
Tap
Lines
Most
restaurants
and
bars
keep
their
beer
kegs
far
from
the
actual
tap.
The
lines
that
get
that
beer
to
you,
like
any
type
of
plumbing,
need
to
be
cleaned
since
beer
and
air
sit
in
them
when
not
in
use
(mostly
at
night
and
when
the
keg
is
kicked).
If
not
cleaned
regularly,
the
lines
can
accumulate
mold
and
bacteria,
leading
to
sickness,
or
at
least
add
a
gnarly
hangover.
The
good
news
is
that
beer
from
a
dirty
tap
line
will
be
easily
detected
by
smell
and
taste.
If
your
beer
tastes/smells
skunky,
has
a
cabbage-y
note,
or
an
overly
slick
mouthful,
you
might
want
to
stop
drinking.
Serious
Eats
has
more
on
this
here.
Draft
lines
have
to
be
clear
and
free
of
buildup.
Image
by
Thomas
Cizauskas/Flickr
That's
why
it's
important
to
know
how
often
the
tap
lines
are
cleaned.
Though
health
requirements
vary
around
the
country,
the
Brewers
Association,
a
national
organization
that
represents
small
and
independent
brewers,
recommends
that
lines
be
cleaned
once
every
two
weeks.
If
your
nose
or
tongue
tells
you
something's
up
with
your
beer,
simply
ask
the
bartender
or
manager
how
often
the
lines
are
cleaned.
As
a
general
rule,
if
the
establishment
seems
like
it
values
cleanliness,
then
go
ahead
and
drink
with
confidence.
If
you're
in
a
divier
type
place
and
don't
think
that
hygiene
is
big
on
the
bar's
list
of
priorities,
stick
to
bottles.
Avoid
Green
Beer
Bottles!
Beer
has
three
enemies.
One
is
heat,
the
second
is
air,
and
the
third
is
light.
Heat
is
obviously
bad
for
beer.
A
warm
beer
tastes
like
urine
because
heat
changes
the
chemical
composition
of
beer.
With
air,
it
not
only
allows
the
carbon
dioxide
to
escape,
thereby
flattening
the
beer,
it
also
causes
the
beer
to
oxidize
and
lose
complexity,
depth,
and
flavor.
The
last
element
is
one
that
not
many
people
think
of:
light.
Why
is
light
so
bad
for
beer?
Professor
Charles
Danforth,
the
chair
of
the
Food
Science
and
Technology
Department
at
UC-Davis,
explains
that
isohumulones
in
the
beer
are
sensitive
to
light.
They
are
the
bitter
compounds
in
hops
and
break
down
quickly
when
exposed
to
light.
As
we
know
from
tinted
windows
on
cars,
light
travels
easily
through
clear
glass
and
has
trouble
getting
through
dark.
But
over
at
Wired,
they
ran
a
simple
experiment
that
shows
how
ultraviolet
light
makes
it
through
green
bottles.
Dr.
Eric
Allain
(of
Appalachian
State
University
and
the
Wired
author's
brother-in-law)
further
explains
that
the
UV
light
that
makes
it
through
creates
3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol,
also
known
as
MBT
in
the
beer.
MBT
gives
off
a
nasty
taste
that
has
the
same
chemical
component
that
skunks
have.
Hence
the
name,
skunked
or
skunky
beer.
Note
the
thicker
shadow
on
the
brown
bottle.
That's
less
light
to
skunk
your
beer!
Image
by
Mario
Hernandez/Food
Hacks
Meanwhile,
amber
bottles
were
shown
to
block
out
the
most
UV
light.
It's
even
better
if
you
can
pick
up
a
six-pack
where
the
cardboard
carrier
with
very
high
sides,
for
the
ultimate
in
light
protection.
Canned
Is
Better
We've
been
conditioned
to
believe
that
canned
beers
are
somehow
less
sophisticated
then
bottled
beer,
but
there's
a
growing
movement,
particularly
among
craft
beer
brewers,
to
bring
back
cans.
The
attraction
for
brewers
is
aluminum's
ability
to
prevent
light
from
getting
in
at
all.
In
addition
to
not
letting
light
in,
cans
are
better
sealed,
which
let
in
even
less
air
than
bottles.
Craft
beers
are
bringing
back
cans
to
the
masses!