Doing what I do, I often have many conversations with people about all facets of the beer world. Many of those folks are just beginning to get into craft beer and like to ask me for tips to enhance their new hobby. Interestingly, one piece of advice I offer seems to surprise more than I would expect: pour your beer into a glass before you drink it.
Many people look at me like I'm nuts. They say things like, "I prefer bottled beer, and I like to drink it from the bottle." Don't worry if you're one of them, I'm not going to scold you. I just want to help people understand what they might be missing.
If you drink a beer without pouring it into a glass (or even a cup), you are depriving yourself of the entire flavor experience. Remember when you were a kid and your mother told you to plug your nose when ingesting a taste you didn't enjoy? Did it help? I know it helped me to swallow some nasty cold medicine on more than one occasion. Your sense of smell is very connected to your sense of taste. That trick from mom essentially muted the message to your tastebuds, making unpalatable food easier to swallow.
Now, think of your standard beer packaging. Bottles and cans have very small openings; openings so small that your whole mouth covers them when you take a drink. Since the opening is covered, no aroma can escape to your nose. If you pour that same beer into a glass, you have a wide opening that allows your nostrils to fill with aroma while the liquid rolls around on your tongue.
Of course, don't feel obligated to drink out of a glass all the time. Hey, even I'm not going to pack a pint glass to go fishing. And when I go canoeing, I'm drinking my craft beer right out of the can like everyone else. I just hope that next time you crack open a tasty beer at home, you'll pour it into a glass. I know it will greatly enhance your taste experience.
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