Comments on: Review of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout-Ep008

By: mikebiewer

mikebiewer — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:29:08 +0000

Awesome!

Thanks for the tip. I do really want to get myself a set or two. I just like having things like that. For example, I've got a decanter with my initials on it for my whiskey. When it comes to my beer/booze, I enjoy all the little details and such. If I wasn't so poor, I'd have a set of beer glasses by now. LOL.

Again, thanks for the tip!

Do you have a set of glasses?

Mike

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:40:13 +0000

You don't even need a specialty glass – just use a wine glass. There are two reasons to use a specialty glass:
1) Head retention – this is why tulip glasses are so popular for full-bodied, bubbly beers. The lip at the top will help suspend the head above the glass and keep the bubbles from essentially collapsing in on themselves (diminishing head). I don't worry too much about this.
2) Aroma concentration – this is why wine and brandy lovers use snifters. Essentially, they concentrate the aromas into your nose. A wine glass works just as well for this.

While a pint glass will let more aroma escape and won't retain the creamy head on a lot of beers, any wine glass will fix that.

By: mikebiewer

mikebiewer — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:40:09 +0000

Mikey,

I agree with you 100%. I just really hate when I'm sitting at a table with people and they all order a Bud Light and I get a Vanilla Porter and they go, "ewe..." I ask them why and I get the same response. Oh, thats bitter, thick and gross...I say, well, this one might surprise you. When you take a drink, imagine your drinking a cold coffee from Starbucks.

I usually end up getting a surprised look and a, "thats not bad, but I still won't drink it" response. Either way, my point was made.

I love talking and teaching beer. Its part of the reason I started the blog!

Thanks for stopping in.

Mike

By: Mikey

Mikey — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:08:36 +0000

I totally get that feeling sometimes. But it's usually with people who talk like they know about beer even though it's obvious they don't.

I almost got into a screaming match last week because of someone who was arguing with mme that "dark beers are typically bitter". It's one of the most tired misconceptions about beer ever. That or "dark beers are typically high in alcohol content".

Ugh. But when people come up to me and ask me questions because they legitimately want to learn more about beer instead of showing off how much they don't know about beer, it's easy to be a spokesman for better beer.

By: mikebiewer

mikebiewer — Fri, 07 May 2010 00:04:20 +0000

Good tips for sure!

Thanks for the advice too. I really appreciate it. I agree, we are beer geeks and I just like to drink beer and help others learn to appreciate it more. It is tough sometimes, with even a let loose kind of attitude, to sometimes not come off snobby. You ever get that feeling?

Thanks again!

Mike

By: Mikey

Mikey — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:23:58 +0000

I actually stumbled across this blog entry that's worth a quick read regarding this subject:
http://www.hop-cast.com/?p=1053

As for having the glasses branded, whenever I'm drinking a non-Chimay out of it, I just turn it around for when I take my pics most of the time (if I care, if not then whatever).

The other thing you could do if you want take advantage of a good deal like the Chimay gift pack would be to just use a paint remover to get rid of the logo if it really bothered you.

As for the snobs calling you out, tell 'em to piss off. We're beer geeks and we should have no time for beer snobs. They're the ones that give the rest of us a bad name.

Cheers!
Mike