There aren’t very many bad decisions you can make while drinking beer. Of course, there are plenty of bad decisions that you can make after drinking beer – but while you drink beer, not many bad decisions can be made.
That being said, you can always be making better decisions about how you drink beer. By making better decisions you can become more aware of what you’re drinking and what goes into the beer. Also, making new decisions always leads to change, and these changes can make your life even more radical.
So check out these ideas on how to take your beer game to the next level this summer!
Stop Drinking IPAs
Just stop drinking IPAs. Look, IPAs are delicious and popular and it’s hard to go wrong with them. But the more people only drink IPAs, the less pressure you put on brewers to make new, crazy beers. We can push beer evolution ourselves – let’s make it happen!
You should also think about why you’re drinking IPAs. Are you doing it because it’s comfortable? Probably. You need to get out of your shell and try something new! Grab that beer that you can’t pronounce, or maybe that dark beer that people have always said you should try.
This one doesn’t apply to anyone who doesn’t drink IPAs, though. So, if you’re one of those people that doesn’t drink IPAs…
Start Drinking IPAs
If you don’t drink IPAs, it’s time to give them a chance. Think of it as your summer resolution – drink more hoppy beers.
But wait, what exactly is an IPA? Well, glad you asked! You can learn all about it on this nifty page.
Keep in mind that not all IPAs are hoppy, either! Why, this handy guide will teach you about the different types of IPAs!
Plenty of reading material and homework for you here.
Go Somewhere New and Local
Support something local and try something new. If nothing else, this will get you out of the house and into the beautiful summer.
This is also a neat way to try some new things with your friends. Grab a friend of yours, or maybe a family member of yours (or just about anybody that can legally drink of yours) and tackle a new brewery.
Try Fancy Tasting Cups
There’s a lot beyond pint glasses in the beer world. You may want to brush up on the different types of cups there are and what they do – aside from facilitating beer drinking.
Get A Tasting Flight
I love getting flights of beer at breweries for two reasons: you get to try a lot of different beers, and each beer is so small it’s almost like they don’t count. But they definitely do count.
Flights are a good pick if you don’t know much about beer or don’t know what type of beer you prefer. Why not try a little bit of all of them?
Grab A Beer With Someone New
Beer makes some of the best friends. There isn’t any scientific proof to that yet, but I have a theory of my own – because you can’t be upset while having a beer.
Granted, there are a few little rules to follow while grabbing a beer with someone new. First, don’t talk about how stupid they are. That doesn’t go over well. Second, never tell them how stupid their taste in beer is. Third, don’t tell them how stupid they look.
If you don’t do any of that, you should be fine and well on your way to making new friends over beer!
Try A Foreign Beer
Not many people know this, but beer is brewed in places outside of the USA. Some of these places – like Europe – are actually quite famous for the beer they produce.
Don’t waste your time drinking something like Corona, though. Go get something good. Head to a bottle shop, Total Wine or something similar and grab a 22 oz foreign beer. You’ll look and feel 50% more cultured.
Get A Better Idea Of What Beer Even Does
Beer gets you buzzed, drunk, etc etc. How? Why? What are those chemicals? The more you learn about exactly what beer does, the more you can appreciate the subtleties that go into beer making.
For example, do you know why you have to use the restroom more often when you drink beer? There’s a scientific reason for that. Go learn it!
Become An “Expert” At A Certain Type Of Beer
I use the term “expert” so lightly that I have to put quotes around it. No, you don’t need to be able to guess the gravity of a beer based on how it smells. But why not learn more about a specific type of beer?
Grab a handful of different IPAs, pale ales, stouts and porters, lagers, whatevers and compare them side by side. Maybe even read one of Short Brews’ handy articles about a specific type of beer (like barley wine).
Get Your Friends Involved
Beer drinking is cool. Drinking beer in your house, alone, in the dark with the TV on static? Not quite as cool.
Get your friends involved! Beer drinking is such a social action. Why not build some memories with your friends? Why not make those memories just a little bit fuzzy? You can get so much more out of your beer drinking if you shake things up, bring in new people and all learn something cool about beer together.
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