Essay: How to Drink Bad Beer

You know, even at restaurants, draft beer isn't actually that good. It's not bad, but it's not good either. If it's too cold, the aroma doesn't come out, so that's only natural.

That's why they boast about the 'throat feel' and the 'sharpness,' but after you gulp it down, the aroma of the wort follows with a time lag, resulting in a lackluster flavor. Since beer mugs have wide mouths, if you don't drink it quickly, it gets lukewarm, the aromatic components fly away, and the carbonation is lost.

On a hot day, it's fine if you're just having that first drink. You gulp it down, letting your throat ring out as you pour in that golden elixir of life. The bitterness stimulates your taste buds, urging your stomach to 'Hey, wake up,' and the fine bubbles wash away the impurities clinging to your throat. That's fine; it feels good, after all.

But if you really want to savor a delicious beer, bottled is the way to go. Poured into a room-temperature glass, the temperature rises slightly, and from the very first sip, the aroma of the hops rises quietly. If I had to ask for more, it would be best if they left the cap for me. I'd keep it capped until I finish pouring a glass. First, to keep the carbonation from escaping, and later, to trap the aroma.

That's why, at banquets, you see those idiots who keep topping off their boss's glass. That is the height of stupidity. It's the best way to make beer taste terrible. You've finally reached the perfect temperature, and then they pour cold beer into it, killing the aroma. If you're drinking by yourself, you can do whatever you like, but pouring a drink for someone else is an act of showing appreciation or hospitality, so you shouldn't do that. It's like pouring cold sake into hot sake.

If you really want to know the taste of beer, you have to consider the temperature and the size of the glass's rim. Once you know that, if you drink a cold draft beer, you'll clearly understand what kind of drink beer is.

After all, in places like Germany, they don't have a culture of chilling beer.

Conversely, Hoppy must be chilled. The 'three-chills' method—chilling the Hoppy, the mug, and the shochu—is essential for drinking Hoppy deliciously. Hoppy is also made from malt and hops, but its aroma is weaker than that of beer. So, if it's lukewarm, the unique alcoholic smell of the shochu takes over. The colder Hoppy gets, the better the aroma and the sharper the taste, which is why it's delicious.

It's best if you have Kinmiya shochu, which has no quirks or off-flavors and is nearly odorless. If you mix 'Shari-kin' (Kinmiya frozen into a slushy state) with Hoppy, you can enjoy the changes in aroma even more clearly.

It has a milder, subtle aroma and a slightly higher alcohol content than beer. However, because it's cold, you can gulp it down. It's like having shochu mixed with barley tea; it's truly easy to drink, Hoppy is. If you're pairing it with something, it goes perfectly with greasy food like yakitori or kushikatsu.

When there's no bottled beer, try downing half a glass of beer and letting the rest get closer to room temperature; you'll notice the difference in taste. Try doing that next time.

The End