Celebrity Baby Shower Gift

Prohibitionists and other conservatives have long viewed beer as the devil’s brew. Beer itself isn’t so bad; it’s people that have given it a bad rap. When used in a controlled, social setting, beer is nothing more than a cold, refreshing break time treat.

Rich History
There is evidence that beer has been around almost along as history itself. Pre-historic man is said to have created beer before learning that grains could also be used to produce another dietary staple called “bread”. Noah is said to have stocked his ark with beer. Ancient Babylonian clay tables revealing recipes for beer date back to 4300 BC.

Social Acceptance
Clearly, beer has always been in important element in social gatherings. It’s a staple at sport arenas, card games and dart matches. Problems can arise, however, when beer drinkers indulge privately or believe they can drink away their troubles. Of course, binge drinking or drinking in excess also brews trouble.

Worldwide Acclaim
Beer is consumed all over the world. North America, South America, Asia and Europe all have rich beer histories. Breweries can be found in Mongolia, many African countries, and Middle East countries including Iraq and Syria. Virtually anywhere a thirsty traveler stops to rest, a cold pint can easily be found. Many beers of the world are imported and readily available to North American beer drinkers looking to explore new flavours.

Rating Systems
Some avid beer drinkers actually rate the beers they consume, tally the scores and post their comments on Internet websites to determine the world’s most popular brews. Beer drinkers in America can correspond online with their Russian counterparts and swap bottles of beer through the mail. Others drink a variety of beers to keep and collect the bottles and caps. Pubs sometimes host beer clubs, awarding plaques or personalized steins to those who have purchased and quaffed every brand of beer on the menu.

Glass or Cans?
Some beer drinkers prefer to quaff from a proper pint glass, and others downright refuse to drink from a bottle or can. Drinking from a glass or stein helps to release the aromas of the beer, so the drinker is able to appreciate more than just the taste of the brew. Pouring beer into a vessel also allows a head to form on the beer, an important element for many beer drinkers. Similar to wine and spirits, there are specific glasses available for different types of beer. Many brewers produce glassware intended for use with their own brand of beer.

Temperature
The ideal beer temperature varies depending on a number of factors. More experienced beer drinkers will tell you that a warmer temperature enhances the flavour, while colder temperatures inhibit the senses of the tongue and throat. Subtle nuances are weakened, and the main flavour is downright destroyed by low temperatures. On the other hand, those who work hard and play hard expect an ice-cold beer, served in a frosty mug. Irish beer drinkers insist that a pint of Irish Guinness is best served at room temperature.

Pouring
The way beer is poured has influence over the presentation of beer. The flow rate from the tap, position of the pour and the tilting of the glass all affect the outcome. How the beer is poured determines the size and longevity of the head, and the turbulence of the pour affects how the carbonization is released. More heavily carbonated beers, such as German pilsners, need time to settle before they’re served. Many barkeeps will serve the beer with remaining yeast at the bottom of the glass to add extra color and flavor.

Served warm or cold, from a bottle or glass, beer is an important part of society from Montana to Mongolia. And sometimes, even those so-called little old ladies will gather to enjoy a pint with their mates.

Related posts:

1. Which of These Beer Glasses is the Right One?
2. A Look Back at Beer Vessels
3. Advances in the Draft Beer system improve Profits and Keg Yields
4. Proper Care for Your Beer Glasses and Steins
5. A Look Back at Beer Containers
6. Use Draft Beer to Boost Sales
7. Just Right: Storing and Serving Draft Beer
8. All About German Beer
9. Types Of Beer
10. Want to Sample a Good Beer? Do German!

Added Wednesday, May 26, 2010 in Drinking Tips Add a Comment

Tags: America Asia, American Beer, Asia And Europe, Bad Rap, Beer Breweries, Beer Clubs, Beer Drinkers, Beers Of The World, Binge Drinking, Break Time, Brew Beer, Internet Websites, Middle East Countries, Pint Glass, Prohibitionists, Russian Counterparts, Social Acceptance, Social Gatherings, Thirsty Traveler, Worldwide Acclaim

Review by Professor Donald Mitchell for Here is New York
Rating:
No one could say, “I Love New York,” better than E.B. White did in this slim volume of stylish, moving caresses for her lovely, loving face. To each of us, though, New York shows a different face. E.B. White has captured the universal elements of that face in his perceptive observations about what you have noticed and felt about New York, but never shared with anyone. I have many relatives and friends in New York City who are over 70 and have told me many wonderful stories about the late 40s there. Imagine my delight when I discovered that E.B. White had written this magnificent 7,500 word essay about his experiences in the city during the summer of 1948! I have the perfect gift now to help these warm-hearted people happily relive their more youthful days. And those who love New York, regardless of their age, will love this book, as well. So I will need to buy and give many copies of this book. The book begins with a new introduction by Roger Angell, who is E.B. White’s stepson. Mr. Angell was an editor at Holiday who helped arrange for this assignment for Mr. White. Mr. White had gone to live permanently in Maine by this time, so coming to New York was a travel assignment. You may recall that Mr. White had done a stint at The New Yorker during World War II that had brought him to Manhattan, so it was also a homecoming. Mr. Angell points out that many of the scenes described in the essay are now gone, something that Mr. White also pointed out in his introduction to the essay in 1949. In addition, many of Mr. White’s complaints would be even more vociferous if uttered today. But one aspect of the work is unchanging, “Like most of us, he wanted it [New York City of an earlier time] back again, back the way it was.” So this essay is very much about time-specific memory, and how that evokes moods and thoughts we value most. Change that dilutes those values is to be resisted. As Mr. White said, “New York has changed in tempo and temper during the years I have known it. There is greater tension, increased irritability.”The essay teems with stylish, dynamic prose that reminded me of the vibrancy of the exploding krill population during the summer months in whale feeding grounds. New York was experiencing a heat wave, and there was no air conditioning. Perhaps that’s what accounts for the often heavy mood of pessimism, relieved by only a little peek at optimism here and there. “It is a miracle that New York works at all. The whole thing is implausible.” “Mass hysteria is a terrible force, yet New Yorkers seem always to escape it by some tiny margin . . . .”"But the city makes up for its hazards and deficiencies by supplying its citizens with massive doses of a supplementary vitamin — the sense of belonging to something unique, cosmopolitan, mighty and unparalleled.” The great strength of the essay is in its many wonderful, astute observations about New York. First, Mr. White points out that there are three types of New Yorkers: Those who actually were born and live there, those who commute daily, and those who come to realize some ambition. Each adds something important to the pot. “The city is literally a composite of tens of thousands of tiny neighborhood units.” “Each neighborhood is virtually self-sufficient.” So in many ways, New York is also about small-town America at this time. While the city pulses with incredible energy and activity, the New Yorker or visitor has “the gift of privacy, the jewel of loneliness.” Small town America never had these qualities. In other words, you can be disconnected from the great events in the city (except for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, which is ubiquitous in its noise, as Mr. White points out) if you want to be, and you can retreat from human connection into solitude amongst the masses.He describes the ethnic groups of the city, from Jews (the largest group) to blacks (a rapidly growing one in Harlem), and comments on the diverse rituals of very different lives. The section on the Bowery and the New Yorker’s reactions to the people there was particularly powerful.He is pessimistic about the new weapons of mass destruction (the atomic bomb at this time), but cheered by the building of the United Nations. “But it [New York] is by way of becoming capital of the world” despite being capital of nothing. The end of the essay is a meditation on an old willow tree that has been nurtured in a courtyard, a humanizing reminder of nature and of caring . . . and the past. “This must be saved, this particular thing, this very tree.” “If it were to go, all would go — this city, this mischevious and marvelous monument which not to look upon would be like death.” After you have finished meditating on this paean to humanity’s strivings, consider your own home town. What does it tell you that is equally uplifting? Write down those thoughts, and share them with your family. You will have made an irresistible connection into the future through the present and the past.