The Best Way to Enjoy Craft Beer at Home
Nothing quite matches the taste of a craft beer coming right from the tap only a few dozen feet from where the brew-master originally crafted it. When you have a meal that pairs perfectly with the one-of-a-kind flavors of a specialty brew, your mouth experiences a delightful journey in beer and cuisine.
Many steps happen behind the scenes to create a successful brewery experience. Everything from the way the drink gets poured, the freshness of the brew, the pairing of the food and drink, the shape of the glass and the company you keep will impact the quality of the flavors and your overall experience.
When you can't make it out to your local brewery, you may feel like you can't enjoy the same level of quality at home. Fortunately, with a bit of research and planning, you can replicate each of the careful steps that go into your brewery experience in your own at home.
Stock up or Miss Out
While some batches are exclusive to the restaurant attached to the brewery, many breweries now offer carryout beer options so you can bring the tastes home with you.
Over time, different innovators developed various methods to bring brews safely back home to you in a way that preserves their freshness and flavor. Some methods go back hundreds of years, and some have only come around recently thanks to modern technology. Let's take a look at some of the different practices available at most breweries to get your craft beer to go.
Crowler? You Mean Growler, Right?
Even though only one letter separates the names, there's a world of a difference between a crowler and a growler. They have vastly different histories and features. Learning more about their history will help you understand their modern-day use.
Let's start with the historical growler. The growler traces its roots back to the 1800s when people traveled to their local tavern with a reusable jug to get their fill of beer and bring it home.
While today's growlers come in a variety of different options, nothing much has changed except the bottle's engineering. Depending on your state's regulations, you can buy a growler filled with beer from a local brewery and then return the next time with the same growler for a refill. You can also buy a growler of your own, depending on your preferences.
While growlers are popular among hardcore beer enthusiasts, more casual drinkers may not have an interest in lugging around a bottle you have to wash constantly. Additionally, you have to worry about damage to the growler, and the container only keeps the beer fresh for a few days. Don't let them sit — stay mindful of the shorter shelf life.
Enter the crowler — the modern adaptation for your takeaway beer needs. Developed in 2002, the crowler plays with the concept of the original beer can.
If you can make a 12-ounce can, why not 32 ounces?
Although it seems overly simple, it actually solves a host of problems that come with the growler. Here are some of the benefits to crowlers over growlers.
They stay fresh until opened.
They don't spoil under UV light
You have enough to share with a group of friends.
They're legal wherever you can have alcohol.
When you're finished, rinse with water and toss in the recycling.
They're simple to ship without damage and you can easily toss a pack in your car on your way to a buddy's house so you can bring your favorite craft beer to their home without worrying about damaging your growler or wondering whether the beer is still fresh.
Four-Packs Get the Job Done
You can also drop by your favorite brewery and pick up a four-pack of 16-ounce cans without waiting for the bartender to fill a crowler.
If you don't plan on drinking with a group of friends and you don't want to finish 32 ounces of beer in one sitting, the four-pack gives you another great carryout option. Like the crowler, the cans stay fresh as long as they're stored correctly, so you can enjoy your favorite craft beer whenever you want a taste of your favorite brewery.
Four-packs also make great options for gatherings, because you don't need to bring separate glasses to pour out like you do with a crowler or growler. Everyone gets their own pint in a can they can recycle. These are great to take to campgrounds where you can legally drink since you don't have to bring extra glasses or find a way to store unfinished beer.
Sometimes you might even find a four-pack of brews that are no longer available on tap!
Learn to Pour a Beer Right!
Once you figure out which method works best for you to bring your favorite to go craft beer home, you should learn how to pour it properly. Making sure you have the proper technique down will ensure you can enjoy the beverage the way the creator intended. The way you pour the drink will impact the aromas and flavors while making sure you get the proper head to round out your brew.
Step by Step
Here are some handy instructions for a general beer pouring guide that works for most brews. Some brews like Guinness have their own methods specific to their beers alone.
First, hold your glass in front of you, tipped at a 45-degree angle.
When you start to pour, aim for the beer to land at the midpoint of the glass.
Once you filled the glass halfway, turn the cup upright and pour directly in the center of the glass.
Stop pouring once you have a half-inch to an inch and a half of foam. This foam is referred to as the beer's head.
Be prepared to drink up, because perfecting the pour takes practice. Every brew responds slightly differently to the pour, but this classic pouring technique works as a great baseline for most brews.
Why Does My Beer Have Too Much or Too Little Head?
Even if you followed the instructions, you might end up with a foamy beer. You're pouring a beer, not making a latte, so too much foam could spell trouble for your brew-drinking experience. Here are some reasons why you might end up with too much or too little head.
You started with a sudsy glass. If your glass had some leftover soap from the dishwasher, the residue could cause more bubbles or it could prevent the bubbles from forming. Rinse and wipe your glass clean before pouring.
Your ABV impacts the foam formation. The higher the alcohol by volume (ABV), the more the alcohol impacts the formation of foam. A lower ABV could create too much foam or a high ABV could prevent enough head from forming.
You kept your beer too warm. When a beer raises above 38 degrees Fahrenheit, the carbon dioxide gets released and increases your foaming dramatically.
So What's the Right Temperature?
Big beer businesses constantly claim they offer ice-cold beer. This marketing technique created this national perception that beer should be as cold as possible.
These companies market their beer cold because the temperature masks the subpar flavor. Anything tastes refreshing at 34 degrees! When you drink a beer with quality, serving it too cold will mask the finer notes and flavor. To enjoy craft beers properly, you should serve your beer between 38 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The specific temperature varies depending on the beer. For example:
Light lagers sit at the colder end of the spectrum at no warmer than 40 degrees.
IPAs sit in the middle between 45 and 50 degrees.
Cask ales and strong lagers should be served between 50 and 55 degrees.
Choose the Right Glass for the Job
Now you've mastered the pour. What do you pour it into?
If your answer is, "A glass, obviously," we've got some interesting facts to share with you.
There are 12 different types of drinking glasses, all with unique purposes and capabilities. Each type was specially crafted to complement a specific kind of beer to accentuate the taste, mouthfeel and aromatic experience.
Who knew a glass could have such an impact on the beverage it holds?
Since there are so many options available, you might wonder what glass to use for your beer. It might seem like a glass is a glass is a glass, but there's more than meets the eye when it comes to beer glasses. Each shape plays a role in your experience of the brew. Some shapes keep temperature stable, and some open up the aroma of more aromatic beers. Here are some guidelines for when and how to use glasses to accentuate the subtler notes of your beer drinking experience.
When do I use a pint glass?
Shaker pint glasses are the classic go-to for most brews and most restaurant drinks in general. They're easy to stack, wash and grab in a pinch. They neither detract nor add to the drinking experience of any beer. These are great to have on hand due to their versatility. When not drinking beer, you can easily use them for any other drink.When can I use a beer mug? The most sturdy glass available, beer mugs are great for stouts, lagers and porters. These strong, malty tones pair well with the sturdy glass. The most structurally sound beer mug is the dimple beer mug. The dimples across the glass make it more durable and more comfortable to hold. This comfort comes in handy since they can hold anywhere between 15 ounces to a liter of beer.What about goblets and chalices? Similar to the snifter and the tulip glass in appearance, the beer goblet looks like a bowl on a short, thick stem. This goblet helps you sip and savor beer with a high ABV. On well-crafted glasses, etching on the inside helps release the carbon dioxide, maintaining the effervescence of the brew. This glass pairs well with ales, Saisons and barleywines.With so many different glasses and so much to learn about the various types, you might ask yourself the ultimate question: Does the glass really matter?It does. But in the end, a quality beer will taste great no matter how you serve it, so any glass will do in a pinch.
Make Your Own Flight or Tasting Tray
One of the exciting parts of eating and drinking at a brewery itself is the opportunity to order flights. Being able to sample different beers before you commit to a pint helps you know what you're signing up for and maybe helps you stumble on a favorite you would not have tried otherwise. Local breweries offer a lot of hidden gems that you may not have felt bold enough to order if it weren't for the flight.
Flights are a series of four to six beers ranging from 2 to 6 ounces. The brewery gives you a set of samples to try to get you better acquainted with the offerings of the brewery.
Luckily, they're easy to replicate for an at-home experience.
Choose a Variety of Beer
You can organize the make-up of your flight in multiple ways. Some people like to try different versions of one beer type — for example, you could get four different ales. Some like to organize by color, choosing a variety of lighter beers. On the other hand, some like to choose whatever sounds the most exciting and pick anything and everything they think seems worth trying.
Try Something New
There's no wrong way to select your samples for your flights. It gives you a chance to step out of your comfort zone and try something new — after all, you're only trying a couple of sips of each one, so you can't go wrong.
Once you select your flight, sample them from lightest to darkest. The darker brews will have heartier, deeper flavors, and if you drink them first, they will mask the softer notes of the paler beers.
Get Creative With Your Serving Tray!
The flight's presentation adds to the fun of the experience. Breweries each have their own unique way of serving the samples.
Since you probably don't have a flight tray of your own at home, it's time to get creative.
So many different breweries serve flights in so many different ways, so there are really no rules when it comes to making your own. All you need is four to six small glasses and a tray.
For example, you could use shot glasses from your vacation collection and a cutting board from your kitchen. There are no rules, so get creative!
Make It a Meal
Even if you're staying inside, there's no reason you can't have a romantic date night at home. And if you're single, don't let the fact that you're flying solo hold you back from treating yourself to a delicious meal paired with a fantastic brew.
Appetizers Start the Meal Right
When planning a meal, you're looking to achieve balance — balance between courses, balance between ingredients, and balance between your brew and your food. When selecting your appetizer, pick something that will complement your entree. If you plan on making burgers and fries, serve something lighter for your first course so you don't fill up. If you're planning on a salad and soup, you can stand to choose something heavier.
Pair Your Beer to the Entree
When selecting your meal, pay attention to pairing your beer to the entree of choice. Here's a general guide to follow to create a meal to pair perfectly with your favorite local craft beer.
IPA: These ales cover a wide range of flavor profiles, making it hard to have definitive rules when it comes to this brew. However, a hearty steak or rack of barbecue ribs is a surefire success.
Lagers: Light lagers pair well with almost anything because of their refreshing taste, but their light flavor especially helps balance spicy food or meaty burgers.
Stouts: Because of the dark, chocolatey notes, stouts pair well with coffee or vanilla-flavored desserts. They also pair very well with any seafood because of their smooth flavor.
Amber ales: The crisp, dry finish helps round out greasy, filling fried food. They make a great choice for pizza night.
Share a Dessert
Finish the meal with something sweet. Planning a dessert shows that forethought went into making a cohesive culinary experience. This isn't just another weekly dinner you make to eat. This time lets you experiment with flavors and savor the food and the time spent with your partner.
Cooking not much of your thing? Thankfully, many breweries offer a robust menu of their own and would happily serve as your take out brewery. They could make suggestions if you want to get the best pairing of food and brews possible.
Get Carryout Craft Beer From Thompson Island!
Thompson Island Brewery in Rehoboth Beach is here for all your beer to go needs. We offer carryout beer and food so you can save your craft beer for a rainy day or you enjoy our flavors as soon as you get home. Our Rehoboth craft brewery and wood fire grill are ready to serve you whether you dine in or carry out. Check out the beers we have on tap right now so you can start planning your beer experience from home today!
