Three Pints

[Thuck Phat]

A recent discussion raised the vitally important question of just how much of a beer do you need to drink to fully appreciate it?

Many decent pubs are good enough to provide 'tasters' but these can often lead to the ordering of a pint whose appeal has diminished after the first half. There are also a number of beers which just seem to get better with drinking and these can easily be overlooked with a taster. I don't understand the science and technicalities of how taste buds work but I suspect that the result of a taster may be just as dependant on what the taste buds sampled previously as on the taster itself.

Is a half the correct measure? Again there are a number of beers which seem fine for the first half but by the time a pint has gone you never want to see them again. The Warwickshire Beer Company used to specialise in these.

A pint? There are times as the days shorten and the cold sets in when a hefty, traditional winter warmer is just the thing. these though can be so malty and sweet that once the pint has gone, the job has been done.

Two Pints? The intricacies and nuances of very good beers are often only fully appreciated on the second pint. Again, why the taste buds work this way I don't know but it seems to be a common phenomenon. And if the beer is that good then it often demands a third.

Three pints? Having got to know the beer on the first pint, appreciated its finer points on the second, the third pint is the one to sit back with and really enjoy its company. Having done that, an exceptional beer, such as Marble Lagonda IPA for example, may simply demand a fourth or a fifth.

So what is the correct measure required to really appreciate a beer?

[Al 10000]

I usually drink halfs when on a pub crawl and i think i can judge a beer fairly well on a half,in my case its either good,bad,not to my taste or off,i dont claim to be a expert on beer.
When in a pub for a few drinks if i have more than one pint then i class this as a good pint.
There is a pub in Nottingham that i hav'nt reviewed yet and this is my wifes favourite pub and she is far better than me at deciding what is good or bad in a pub,the pub in question is the Fox and Crown in old basford,we visit this pub fairly regular and always have at least 9 drinks each,pints for me and halfs for my wife,this is drinking Alcazar Ale,we could drink this beer untill the cows come home,so this must be a really good beer in my opinion as we dont ever get fed up of drinking it.

So in my opinion there is no real way of saying how many pints to appreciate a beer.

[Mobyduck]

I think its totally down to the fact some beers can sock it to you straight away, some are slow burners,some are so unique in their taste it takes a few to acquire the taste ,some are just damn good and immediately suit your particular taste,we all have different tastes ,it would be boring if not.My own tastes veer towards hoppy citrus beers these days although a good dark beer is more than welcome.Iv'e not to often had much in the way of Brodies in the past so when the chance arose I tried their Citra, pretty low abv at 3.1 and on my first taste although there was some flavour to my liking I found it all rather thin tasting, anyway persevering to the bitter end (pun intended), I was undecided so risked a second pint and by the time I was half way down that I was getting the most wonderful accumulating aftertaste so much so a third pint followed the second and I left the pub very satisfied with my latest discovery.
So the moral of all this rambling is give the beer a chance you never Know,having said that I have tried some god awful pints that have never got near a second pint.:confused:

[NickDavies]

Much of it depends on your temperament at the time of course. If you have a major hangover the hair of the dog will taste like the hair of a dog. However all other things being equal I would say that the first gulp will tell you whether the beer is either bad as in off or that it's too warm or just too unpleasant to carry on. I've usually reached an opinion on a new beer by two thirds of the way down but the last third tends to clinch whether I'm going to invest in a second or look elsewhere.

Despite all of that I don't take my own advice with some beers. I know I don't like Pride. I'd rather avoid the catspiss-ishness. Yet the times I've gone in a pub where all they've got is Pride and rediscovered by the first third of the second pint that I don't like it are innumerable.

[Aqualung]

Personally I never drink less than a pint as I don't believe a half or a third is enough to judge a beer.

If a beer is totally undrinkable then I will send it back. My nearest conflict with this principle came with the Brodie's Ice Saison, an 8% sour Belgian style sour beer that to me tasted like a totally rank rough cider.

It would seem from his twitter site that Mr Brodie is on something of a Sour beer trip at the moment. I will try them if they meet my price/ABV constraints and will report my findings.

[Brewguru]

This often leads me to think when drinking at beer festivals how good a beer is this? At beer fests I always drink halves as I like to try as many beers as I can and having a pint limits the number. Sometimes when drinking a beer the preceeding beer affects your taste (e.g a light hoppy bitter followed by a less bitter darker beer) and you certainly don't get the full effect of the latter in 1/2 a pint, probably not even a pint (plus there's the residue left in your glass if there isn't anywhere to easily rinse your glass). Hence I often make a judgement (probably in error in many cases) based on a very small & contaminated sample.
This leads me to mention that a lot of beers that win "beer of the festival" at smaller events tend to be those that hit you in the face with flavour but are not necessarily very well balanced beers.
There is certainly something in having 2-3 pints to properly judge a beer. Some brewers think just by throwing sackfulls of hops into a beer they make it good. I find some pale beers over bittered, and am gasping for a full bodied malty beer to take away the gum curling bitter flavours after a couple of pints of liquid hops. There are also lots of pale beers that are very well crafted and balanced and leave you wanting more - these are good beers IMHO.

[Thuck Phat]

this is drinking Alcazar Ale,we could drink this beer untill the cows come home,so this must be a really good beer in my opinion as we dont ever get fed up of drinking it.


I agree with you Alan on the Alcazar Ale. I've only ever tried it once at The Railway Tavern (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/64013/) in Langley Mill and it flowed down but sadly, it being lunchtime, time was limited. I had three pints!

[Al 10000]

I agree with you Alan on the Alcazar Ale. I've only ever tried it once at The Railway Tavern (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/64013/) in Langley Mill and it flowed down but sadly, it being lunchtime, time was limited. I had three pints!

Well that says it all about this beer,short on time and you managed three pints of it.

It is a shame that Alcazar beers are not that common in pubs in the Nottingham area which is why we take the tram to the Fox and Crown, their brewery tap and always have an all day session there.

[aleandhearty]

As those who have endured my company will vouch, I usually have a brace of halves on the go, as I like to try different beers. Certainly, at the beginning of a session, I think I can assess a beer pretty well on just a half. However, It's the absolute minimum, when swapping over from one beer to another.

[london calling]

i only drink halves and think that is enough to judge a bad beer or one thats not to my taste.if its good then a pint is the minimum.i like hoppy beers and some of the strong ones although brilliant get less good after the first pint.

[Aqualung]

Some brewers think just by throwing sackfulls of hops into a beer they make it good. I find some pale beers over bittered, and am gasping for a full bodied malty beer to take away the gum curling bitter flavours after a couple of pints of liquid hops. There are also lots of pale beers that are very well crafted and balanced and leave you wanting more - these are good beers IMHO.

I have to disagree with this. I am a big fan of highly hopped beers whatever the strength. I remember the original Boddingtons from the seventies which was incredibly bitter. Before the Micro explosion, one of the things that created a North / South divide was the bitterness of the beer. The North also falsely claimed that their beer was stronger than the South, something that was obviously false with the likes of Young's Special, Gale's HSB and others. Happily nowadays I only have to make a short bus ride to the William IV to drink some of the bitterest beers I have ever tasted and to be honest I don't care a fig if they are well balanced!! As long as the hop bitterness takes the roof of my mouth I couldn't care less.

I recall reading somewhere that the hop flavour is addictive, as is the heat of the chilli. As a lover of spicy food it looks like I am a hopeless addict!!

[sheffield hatter]

I remember the original Boddingtons from the seventies which was incredibly bitter.


Yes, but it was also well balanced. I think Brewguru's ire was directed at brewers who think just putting loads of hops into the brew makes a good beer. Well balanced bitters are becoming increasingly hard to find, as brewers cater for the demand for "hop bitterness that takes the roof off your mouth". Interestingly, I discovered one last night at the Three Cranes Hotel (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55985/) here in Sheffield: the awkwardly named Blue Bee Bees Knees Bitter, a dark but not overly malty brew with an interesting bitterness - a well balanced beer that just demanded that I drink a second pint even though I'd only intended to have one.

[Brewguru]

I have to disagree with this. I am a big fan of highly hopped beers whatever the strength. I remember the original Boddingtons from the seventies which was incredibly bitter. Before the Micro explosion, one of the things that created a North / South divide was the bitterness of the beer. The North also falsely claimed that their beer was stronger than the South, something that was obviously false with the likes of Young's Special, Gale's HSB and others. Happily nowadays I only have to make a short bus ride to the William IV to drink some of the bitterest beers I have ever tasted and to be honest I don't care a fig if they are well balanced!! As long as the hop bitterness takes the roof of my mouth I couldn't care less.

I recall reading somewhere that the hop flavour is addictive, as is the heat of the chilli. As a lover of spicy food it looks like I am a hopeless addict!!

Everyone is, of course, entitled to their own tastes, I was merely stating mine.

Interesting point about the addictiveness as hops are related to cannabis.

[Bucking Fastard]

Interesting point about the addictiveness as hops are related to cannabis.

That is an interesting angle.I wonder if the addiction is psychosomatic with the hops causing a release of endorphins.......where is a doctor when you need one ?

[Wittenden]

[QUOTE=sheffield hatter;50248]Yes, but it was also well balanced.

I blame the beer bloggers, (can't remember which one)-balance is a dirty word. If that's the case , we'd just as well drink fermented hopjuice. Thinking of that, some of these me-too "IPAs" are just that! As much as I'm seduced by a pale 'n' hoppy,what I really like is a good old fashioned saloon bar stalwart Best Bitter,with bushels of malt and pockets of hops.Except when I fancy something dark and satanic.

[NickDavies]

That is an interesting angle.I wonder if the addiction is psychosomatic with the hops causing a release of endorphins.......where is a doctor when you need one ?

I'm not a doctor but herbalists will tell you that hop oil is a sedative and can be used for insomnia, stress and anxiety and various remedies are available which contain hop oil - look on the complementary medicines shelf in Boots. You can also get hop pillows which are supposed to ensure a good night's sleep. As for beer: the main active ingredient is a proven sedative and one which causes often intractable addiction with misuse. Its effects will surely overwhelm any effect that the hops have.

[Bucking Fastard]

I'm not a doctor but herbalists will tell you that hop oil is a sedative and can be used for insomnia, stress and anxiety and various remedies are available which contain hop oil - look on the complementary medicines shelf in Boots. You can also get hop pillows which are supposed to ensure a good night's sleep. As for beer: the main active ingredient is a proven sedative and one which causes often intractable addiction with misuse. Its effects will surely overwhelm any effect that the hops have.

Thanks Nick ,a very fair point about misuse.Having said that, a very hoppy beer does seem to initially shock my body into action,but maybe that is more to do with age and the stress of trying to find a decent pint in GK/McMullens land.;)