How to Make Beer Taste Better: In my quest for the perfect pint, I have faced the challenges of enhancing beer flavor. Through trials and discoveries, I have gathered insights that transformed my brewing experience. Join me as I share valuable tips to elevate your beer enjoyment and help brewers craft beer that tantalizes the taste buds.
How to Make Beer Taste Better
Making beer taste better is easy and can be done according to your taste. It is one of the flexible processes beer drinkers can carry out to match their unique taste without compromising the quality. The process can be carried out by both drinkers and brewers. If you are a homebrewer, there are things you can do to improve the taste of your brew.
Here, we will talk about how both drinkers and brewers can improve the taste of this staple drink. Remember, if you are a drinker, it is not a must to be in a bar or any drinking joint to enhance the taste of your beer. You can still buy the beer and carry out the process from the convenience of your home.
Improving the Taste of Your Beer
Let’s first dive in and see how drinkers can enhance the taste of their beer before talking about the brewers. The following are the tips:
Add Your Favorite Flavor
Adding flavor to beer is the most common way of improving the taste of your drink. Most flavors have a sweet taste, which is what people seek. Now that we are more interested in taste, adding your favorite flavor will be ideal. Here is what to add to beer to make it taste better:
- Mix with soda: There are many different types of sodas, so you must find one that suits your preference. Ensure you use a light-colored soda on light-colored beers (in correct ratio), as it creates a perfect shandy. Some of the light-colored sodas include Sprite, Ginger Ale, Mountain Dew, and Krest.
- Citrus: Citrus is another common flavor that works well with lighter beers. The flavor comes from oranges, lemons, or limes, and when mixed with beer, it creates what we call beermosa.
- Add some margarita mix: The mix contains both citrus and sweet flavors, ideal for covering the bitter taste of beer. Add margarita mix drop by drop until you reach your desired flavor to avoid overpowering your beer.
- Add Apple juice: Adding apple juice to beer improves taste by introducing sweetness and fruity notes. A common ratio is 1:1, creating a “Radler” or “Shandy.” This blend balances beer flavors with the crispness of the apple. The shandy also reduces the gas, resulting in a refreshing concoction that elevates the overall drinking experience.
- Mix with tomato juice: Not many people know about adding tomato juice to beer to enhance the flavor. The fact is that this flavor can bring out an ideal taste that will leave you wanting more. Prepare your tomato juice and add it slowly to your beer until you get the taste you want.
- Add frozen berries: Adding frozen berries to your beer has two benefits: enhancing flavor and keeping the drink cold for longer. So, if you prefer drinking cold beer infused with berries, then using frozen berries will greatly help.
- Add a creamer: A creamer enhances beer by adding a velvety texture and a touch of sweetness. It smoothens the mouthfeel and can mellow bitter notes, creating a more balanced and enjoyable taste.
- A simple syrup: Using syrup is one of the easiest ways to influence the taste of your beer. It is a sugar water that you simply pour into your beer to make it sweeter. Syrup is best used in dark and bitter beers like Guinness or Adnams SSB.
- Mix with salt: A beer salt is another flavor that improves your beer’s taste. It helps reduce the beer’s bitterness, making it drinkable. Salt also helps retain beer in the body, hence reducing washroom visits.
Pour the Beer Properly
Pouring beer properly also plays part in making your beer taste better. It may seem unlikely, but be sure that how you pour beer before consuming can affect beer taste. The best way to pour beer is to tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle and pour the beer slowly.
Tilting the glass at a 45-degree angle ensures the beer lands directly in the middle of the side of your glass. This helps reduce the foams that would rather fill your glass.
Use a Proper Glass
Not all glasses serve the beer to your satisfaction. Different glasses go well with some beers as they improve the visual and smell of your drink. Some glasses, like thinner pilsners style-glass, are ideal for Fizzier beers. The glass ensures a small head by limiting the contact between the liquid and its bottom.
Thicker glasses are also not left out, as they also play part in improving your beer’s taste. Their thickness is ideal as it helps insulate the beer inside from the warmth of your hands. This ensures your beer stays cold for an extended period. Thick glasses are best used during warm days or when you want to drink beer for longer.
The type of beer will also determine the glass to use. For instance, lagers and IPAs are best served in American pints, while goblets are ideal for heavy beers. If you prefer Scottish ales, use thistle glass to enjoy its taste.
Serve Beer in Warm Temperatures
People usually prefer drinking cold beer because it is nice and refreshing. What most drinkers don’t know is that drinking warm beer can have a more pronounced flavor. As the beer warms up, it reduces its carbonation and, at the same time, releases more volatile aromas.
Different beer styles are served at different temperatures to enjoy their full taste and aroma. Here are some styles and the best serving temperatures:
- Stout and Porters- 55 to 60°F
- Lagers- 38 to 45°F
- IPA- 50 to 55°F
- Pale Ale- 45 to 50°F
Brew Your Own Beer
Another great way of enhancing the taste of your beer is brewing it. Brewing your own beer gives you full control of using ingredients that align with your taste. If you decide to go the brewing way, the following tips will help you have a better-tasting beer:
- Use high-quality ingredients: Using high-quality ingredients during brewing will guarantee you better-tasting beer. The yeast, hops, and sugar should be of high quality to have a better-tasting beer at the end of the process.
- Ensure optimal temperature throughout brewing: The mashing temperature should range between 150-154 degrees Fahrenheit. That of fermentation should be between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit for ale yeast and 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit for lager yeast.
- Up the yeast count: The more yeast count you have, the better tasting beer you will have. For a normal batch of beer, you should aim at pitching at least 1 million yeast cells per milliliter of wort.
- Understand the role oxygen plays in your beer: Oxygen is an essential factor in the first stages of brewing. Yeast needs oxygen to consume the sugars in the wort, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. However, you must limit oxygen exposure when transferring beer to a second fermenter, as it can oxidize your beer. Oxidized beer can impact aroma, flavor, and overall quality.
- Control your water: Ensure you have clean and pure water during brewing. Also, use water with essential elements such as calcium, which is ideal for yeast health and flocculation.
Store Beer Properly
Storing your beer properly may be underrated but it is another way to make it taste better. These are some of the ways to store your beer properly:
- Store beer in a dark place: Ensure you store your beer away from the sun, as UV lights can make your beer skunky. A spoiled beer can never taste good, right?
- Store beer upright: The beer should stand upright when storing it for longer. When stored upright, the yeast sediments will settle at the bottom of the bottle, leaving your clear beer at the top.
- Don’t agitate beer: Ensure you handle your beer gently, as excessive movement can cause it to lose its carbonation and flavor.
- Keep beer away from strong odors: Beer can easily absorb odors from its surroundings. It’s best to store it away from strong-smelling foods or chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Drink a Skunk Beer?
Drinking skunk beer is generally safe but not enjoyable. The off-putting flavors result from the breakdown of compounds in the beer. It won’t harm you, but for the best experience, it’s advisable to choose fresh beer stored away from light and enjoy it before it becomes skunked.
Can Expired Beer Still Taste Good?
While drinking beer beyond its listed expiration date is still safe, it may have lost its refreshing original taste. As time goes by, the beer develops off-flavors due to the breakdown of compounds. Always store such a beer in better conditions, such as dark places, to avoid further taste deterioration.
What Is Best Hangover Cure After Drinking Beer?
The best way to cure a hangover after drinking beer is to eat bland foods with complex carbohydrates. Some of these bland foods include melon, potatoes, apples, breads, crackers, or refined hot cereals. Also, take a lot of water to curb the dehydration caused by beer. If you experience stomach issues, take antacids to relieve the pain.
Conclusion
You can make beer taste better in many ways, ranging from adding flavors, using a proper glass, and storing it correctly. Other methods include serving in warm temperatures or brewing your own beer. Always use a method that works well for you. This way, you will enjoy this staple drink to the maximum. Remember to drink responsibly.
