15 dumbest myths about beer

Many succumb to herd instincts, forgetting about elementary facts. It is thanks to such storytellers that fables about beer are born, myths that are not supported by a single weighty fact. Some of them I dispelled when I worked in a pub, some by reading trusted sources. So, 15 myths about beer that marketers, politicians and other swindlers of this world have imposed on you.

Myth #1. Cold beer tastes better

Perhaps this is the most common misconception – the lower the temperature of any drink, the more difficult it is to reveal the taste and smell. We wrote about this in an article on the correct use of whiskey. This is elementary physics and it is difficult to dispute this fact. Of course, on a hot summer evening it is nice to quench your thirst with a glass of cold lager, but nothing more. Extremely cold keg beer is more like an ice-cold unsweetened soda, a la Maca Cola.

The optimal beer temperature is 12-14 degrees, not lower!

Myth #2. Draft beer is better than bottled beer

The same beer is poured into kegs and bottles from the same tank. It is foolish to think that business sharks will build another production line in order to brew beer for other containers. Of course, “non-tasting sensations” from keg and bottled/canned beer may differ slightly: the bartender sets the level of carbonation of the drink himself or he can carbonate the beer not with carbon dioxide, but with a nitrogen mixture, which radically changes the perception of hoppy. However, it is this myth that is at the head of the success of the stalls with “live beer” and people fall for it.

The only exception: some breweries in England brew less strong beer for bars.

Myth #3. Dark beer is thicker and stronger than light beer.

Basically a false statement. Dark beer differs from light beer only in the addition of the last caramelized and/or roasted malt to the wort. There are a lot of dark varieties with low density, the strength is not related to color at all. This myth is based on the lack of education of the consumer, however, like the next one.

Myth number 4. All beer is divided into light and dark

Error. All beer is divided into ales and lagers, which differ only in the way of fermentation: ales are fermented with “horse” yeast at a temperature of about +18 ^оC, lagers – “grassroots” at +10 ^оC. Lagers additionally undergo the lagering procedure, that is, ripening at 0 ^оC. The color of the drink does not say anything at all, except perhaps about the method of processing the raw materials. In fact, there are many more beer styles, dozens, but color has nothing to do with it. It’s just that we are accustomed to eurolagers, about which in the next myth …

Myth number 5. Eurolager is bad

Everyone is used to the “same type” light brands of beer and this is not bad. If someone thinks otherwise, it means that he is simply not included in the target audience. Most people like to drink light euro lagers, they do not need a rich bouquet of taste and smell. Eurolagers are chosen by the majority of consumers, and this is banal evidence in favor of refuting this myth.

Myth number 6. Real beer should be stored no more than 3 days

Another trick of some marketers, they say, real beer cannot be stored longer than 3-5 days, and if it is stored longer, then it contains preservatives. In fact, beer is not a fresh product, as it has already gone through the process of fermentation (fermentation). Of course, the drink will spoil if third-party, wild yeast and other microorganisms that cause spoilage of many other foods get into it. Therefore, “real” beer can be stored for a very long time if all sanitary standards were observed at the production site, sterile equipment was used, the drink was hermetically sealed, etc.

On the contrary, if the manufacturer claims that the shelf life of his beer is only 3-5 days, then something is wrong with him in production. A vivid example of this, again, is the stalls with live beer – far from everything is so smooth with sanitation, so the beer sours quite quickly. And then, it’s not 3-5 days, but much more. By the way, live beer means a non-pasteurized drink (that is, not heated to a certain temperature), in which live yeast cultures still remain.

Myth number 7. Modern breweries add preservatives and other chemicals to their product.

Yes, there are preservatives in all beer: E1510 – ethyl alcohol and E290 – carbon dioxide. These are the real preservatives that protect the beer from premature spoilage. There are also hops, the bitter alpha acids of which have an antiseptic effect.

Some varieties also add ascorbic acid, in microscopic amounts. It does not affect the taste, but the beer becomes more resistant to external factors. But rather an exception to the rule and, again, there is nothing shameful in this.

Myth number 8. Most breweries make beer from powder using accelerated technology.

Believe me, all breweries, whether it’s a handicraft shop in the backyard of a beer restaurant, or a huge beer conglomerate, brew beer according to approximately the same technology: sweet wort is obtained from grain, then it is boiled with hops, fermented for several days and ripens a little more. Everything.

Powders, by the way, are used, but mainly by microbreweries and amateur brewers, but this is not the right powder. In powder form, dry malt extract is used, which in fact is dehydrated beer wort. This is very convenient, especially if mashing and mash filtering equipment is not available. And by the way, this extract is on average 5 times more expensive than regular malt, so using it for mass production is simply not profitable.

Myth number 9. Alcohol is added to strong beers

Perhaps the most stupid and unfounded myth. It is simply impractical to use alcohol, because it must first be obtained from some raw material. In beer, alcohol is formed due to natural fermentation, ordinary brewer’s yeast can ferment up to 12,5% ​​alcohol, after which it dies. Have you drunk beer of this strength? Even the strongest beers are produced without the use of alcohol, just strains of yeast that are more resistant to ethanol are involved in the fermentation. Fermentation in this case lasts up to 1,5 years.

Myth number 10. Get fat from beer

Beer is not a high-calorie product; wine and lemonade contain much more calories. But this drink increases appetite and this is the main reason for weight gain (if you need to gain weight, you can try beer with sour cream), because beer definitely needs something tasty, for example, high-calorie nuts or chips. This is a consequence of another myth …

Myth number 11. Beer should be eaten with fish or heavily salted snacks

A good beer does not need to be accompanied by bright-tasting products at all (this does not apply to some faceless Euro lagers, which are difficult to drink on their own). In a good way, you need to eat before drinking intoxicating. If you really want to have a snack, then cheese, in particular mozzarella, is optimal for these purposes.

In general, for certain beer styles, they have long come up with their own diet. For example, Belgian wheat blanches go well with salads sprinkled with lemon juice, pilsners with grilled sausages and chicken, pale English ales with spicy and smoked dishes. Taranya is only eaten with “tailor” beer from a local bottling, which is only a consequence of the low level of beer culture.

Myth number 12. Beer contains female hormones

They are – phytoestrogens in hops, namely 8-PN, which are a plant analogue of female sex hormones. This is the favorite argument of beer haters, who will not be able to answer the question: how much hops are added to beer? Believe it or not, only 100-300 grams per 100 liters of drink, in some varieties up to 1 kg, however, there are no such varieties in the CIS. And here it should be remembered that in almost all legumes 8-PN is contained in much larger quantities than in hops. Agree, eating 100 g of beans is easier than drinking 100 liters of beer – even an experienced man is more likely to quit from cirrhosis of the liver before he grows his chest as a result of drinking beer.

There is another argument in favor of the belonging of phytoestrogens to plant hormones, which are fundamentally different from hormones of animal origin, but we will miss this and leave it for others.

Myth number 13. Real beer is just water, malt and hops

Many experts in the dispute on this topic cite the law “On the Purity of Beer”, which was issued by the Duke of Bavaria in 1516. But for some reason they are silent about the fact that this law was issued solely to combat waste – in those years there was a severe famine, the poor people died, while the nobility brewed drunk from expensive wheat. Believe me, in such countries as Belgium, this law was spun in the causal place.

Myth #14. Americans don’t know anything about beer

Believe it or not, it is the Americans who know more about beer today than anyone else. It was there that many beer traditions began to be revived and this is one of the few countries where you can taste almost all types of beer, from imperial stout to classic wheat blanche. There are especially many beer connoisseurs in the States in the south, in particular in California, where it has recently become fashionable to open your microbrewery.

Myth #15. Beer should be drunk quickly, in three sips

Yet another marketing nonsense. Of course, if you drain glasses in three sittings, then there will be much more orders for beer in the bar. If the next time your friend starts a dispute on this topic, starting his arguments with “but in Germany …”, remind him of Oktoberfest, where liter mugs are used as standard containers. Let him drink such an amount of foam in three sips with you.

Be vigilant, tell your friends about this article and do not fall for banal nonsense!