Good beer can be sensitive, so it's important to treat it with kindness and respect, if not out right pampering. To help you treat your pint right, we've put together this comprehensive beer care guide.
Two words: cool & dark. Pyramid Ales and Lagers, like many quality craft beers, are not pasteurized. While this helps them taste fresher and more full-flavored, it also means that extended exposure to warm temperatures may cause them (especially if they are unfiltered) to taste, well, less fresh. So keep 'em cool! As for the dark part, let's just say that sunlight can negatively affect some brews (it makes 'em smell "skunky"). That's why we put our beers in light-blocking brown bottles and take extra caution to keep them out of the way of direct sunlight.
Note: If you're deliberately trying to mature a strong beer such as Snow Cap - ales containing more than 7 percent alcohol (by volume) are best suited for such treatment - then be sure to store it in a cellar-like environment (around 55 degrees F) rather than an ice-cold refrigerator. Corked bottles should be kept on their side, crown-capped bottles stored upright.
Most "standard" beers should be served as soon as possible after purchase: they taste fresher that way. (This seems obvious, but we're all guilty of letting bottles lurk around the back of the fridge for six months).
When dispensing a keg with an air-pump, relatively quick consumption is best - at least for beer quality, if not the consumers - to prevent any remaining beer from oxidizing and tasting "stale" and going flat.
When pouring a bottle, there are two ways to go: either dump the beer down the center of the glass, blowing out excess carbonation (making it taste more draft-like) and releasing its aroma; or "sneak" it down the side of the glass, preventing over-foaming and preserving the bottle's extra fizz.
The most important element of serving a beer, however, is temperature. Ales can be served at a cool 55 degrees F - what the English call "cellar temperature" - and lagers can be served around 48 degrees F. The logic here is simple: the colder the temperature, the less you taste (this holds true for all foods, not just beer). The more flavor a beer has, therefore, the better it will taste at warmer temperatures. Cleaner, lighter ales (such as cream ales) can work well closer to "lager" temperatures. Darker, stronger lagers (bocks, doppelbocks) can benefit from approaching "ale" temperatures. But only the richest ales (stouts, strong ales, barley wines) should be served near room temperature.
OK. Your beer's been properly stored and served. Now, to help it taste its best, follow these easy steps.
1) Use a clean, clear glass
Brewers carefully blend special malts to create just the right color in their beer. A clear glass won't hide the yeasty haze of a Hefeweizen. Whatever glass you choose, make sure that it is totally clean: dishwasher detergents and hand-washing soap can leave residue that, although imperceptible to the taster, will ruin a beer's otherwise-foamy head. We recommend washing your favorite glass thoroughly with hot water alone, or at least rinsing it repeatedly with such after a standard washing.
2) Your Nose Knows
We won't be pompous enough to say beer has a "bouquet" like wine, but it clearly has an aroma. One which the brewer has worked diligently to impart. Both malts and hops affect a beer's aroma, with the latter frequently being chosen solely for their aromatic qualities. A beer can smell "malty" - sweet, in a grainy kind of way - or, more specifically, "toasty" or "chocolatey" or even "burnt" (those roasted malts!). Hops can impart floral, spicy, or "citrus" aromas (American varieties are famous for their lemony-grapefruity character). After a while, you can become familiar with the aromas of specific hop types: to learn about the Northwest's Zeus hops, for example, start sniffing ThunderHead IPA. Overall, it pays to take time to appreciate a beer's aroma. Leave enough room at the top of your glass so you can gently swirl the brew to release its fragrances. Try this complex sampling procedure: Swirl, Sniff, Swallow... repeat!
3) Don't Waste Tastebuds
Instead of just gulping down a beer, consider how it tastes in your mouth. How it feels on your tongue. It may be sweet at first, then bitter and dry as you swallow. Or perhaps it is mouth-coatingly rich, with flavors that remind you of toffee and "fresh-baked bread." Wheat beers may be refreshingly crisp and clean, while a stout - with all its licorice, coffee, and chocolate notes - only can be described as a "complex." The key to all craft-brewed beer is flavor, so always try to think about the way your chosen brew tastes. Your tongue will thank you.
4) Think About The Beer's Finish...
... not just finishing the beer! After each swallow, examine the brew's lasting flavors and qualities. Does a hoppy india pale ale linger longer than a clean, soft wheat beer? Does a malty brown ale seem sweeter going down than a dry stout? "Aftertaste" is something to be desired in a good beer. It provides a final impression of the brew's qualities and, possibly, its overall quality.
Now that you've completed our short course in sensory evaluation, it's time to hold your own beer tasting! There are a couple of ways to proceed: First, you can sample different beers in different styles (pale ale, hefeweizen, india pale ale, barley wine, etc.). Or you can taste or a whole bunch of beers that are in the same style, like "pale ales" (this is called a "horizontal" tasting). Or you can compare several examples of the same beer from - get this - different years (a "vertical" tasting, best held with beers that are vintage-dated such as Pyramid Snow Cap Ale). Vertical tastings are done constantly and on all our beers. We taste beers of the same type of varying ages to determine how they are holding up.
If you're planning to try several different brews, you'll fare better by drinking "samples" of each (say, three to four ounces) instead of whole bottles. Try four-ounce servings, which will allow a standard 12oz. bottle to be shared among three people. Even then, it's probably best not to try more than 10 beers in one sitting - you're taste buds won't be able to go much further, regardless of whether the rest of your body can. Be sure to use glasses that leave plenty of room for swirling and sniffing (and which ideally curve in towards the top, to concentrate aromas). Jot down your impressions of each beer's aroma, color, flavor, aftertaste and other qualities.
Finally, if you're sampling beers in the same style, you may want to compare a few at a single time. Consider tasting in "flights" of around three beers, recording your impressions of each. If you're sampling different styles of beer, on the other hand, always start with the lowest-strength, lightest-flavored (and usually lightest-colored) brew. Work your way up to richer, more powerful examples. This way, one beer's flavor won't overpower another's. And remember to have lots of plain, cold water on hand: It will help refresh your palate between brews, as well as keep you from enjoying the tasting too much (if you know what we mean...).