(Yep, I guess I’m a beer
geek...)
How
to Talk Like a Beer Geek is a new blog series here on Beerploma. Reading beer
reviews and talking to a beer geek can sometimes seem like a separate language.
When I started getting into craft beer there were times I would read a blog or
a review of a beer and walk away knowing even less about the beer the reviewer
was telling me about!
My
idea of a great beer review was “dang this beer is tasty!”, or, “I wouldn’t
drink that with your mouth!” Over the years I have learned what these weird and
sometimes unnecessary terms mean. And, I am going to share them with you so you
can cut through the jargon us beer geeks use and get the actual info you
need!
Our
first beer term today is QUAFF/QUAFFABLE. I know, quaff kind of sounds like it
should be some sort of unpleasant bodily function. What it really means is to
drink heartily. Like you can get er down. Nice full gulps. I see this a lot
with session beers. Here is an example: “This low A.B.V. session beer is highly
quaffable.” or "Mmmm... I'd quaff that!"
Speaking
of SESSION BEER, let’s just get that one out of the way as well! The meaning of
this one had eluded me for quite a while into my craft beer beginnings. At
first I thought that it was a big robust beer that you could only drink a
little bit of during a tasting session... I don’t know, just made sense to me.
I was wrong. It is actually the opposite. A session beer is a very easy
drinking low alcohol beer. Basically you can sit down for a good long beer
drinking session and have plenty of session beers without getting just
completely obliterated or burnt out on any intense robust flavors. I was close
right?!?!
The
last beer geek term for today is LACING. Nope, this doesn’t have anything to do
with your shoes, nor does it have anything to do with the ruffles on your fancy
underpants! Lacing is the way the foamy head clings to your beer clean glass as
you drink it. A beer with a good head served in a properly cleaned glass will
leave some of the head clinging to the glass. It almost has a lace-like
pattern, hence lacing!
(Some lacing on a Bent
Brewstillery Acclivity at Ward 6)
Well, there you have it! Your first three terms to help people talk like a beer geek. One thing to always remember though; if beer tastes good it tastes good, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. There is really only one way to actually find out... Drink it!
