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Best Beers for Golf, Ranked for 2026

Thomas Short — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:50:40 +0000

Some things in life are always worth appreciating. A good beer. A nice round of golf. Of course, any golfer knows that you can’t just drink any beer on the course. Aside from the fact that you can’t bring your own beer (you would never do that, right?), some beers might have a more negative impact on your game and day. So, picking the right beers for golf is key. Here are the best beers for golf that you should be able to find on your course. Best Golf Beers, Ranked 1. Firestone Walker 805 There’s a lot to love about the 805. This beer is perfectly light, has good flavor, is 4.7% ABV, and doesn’t sit too heavily in your stomach. There are plenty of good occasions to grab an 805 outside of golf, but the course is a great place to enjoy this beer. 2. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA I know that adding an IPA is a bold call since IPAs, sunshine, and physical activity don’t mix very well. However, I think the Grapefruit Sculpin IPA gets a pass because the grapefruit flavor is just too perfect. It’s a 7% IPA that leans juicy and crisp, making it perfect to sip. Start your round with a Grapefruit Sculpin, or have one at the turn. Or have one after your round. If your golf course (or area) doesn’t carry this delicious beer, look for the regular Sculpin IPA or a Hazy Sculpin IPA. 3. Heineken Silver I don’t want to crowd this list with the “light lager” types (think Michelob Ultra, Coors Light, etc), but I’m going to highlight Heineken Silver. Why? Because it’s low-calorie and I legitimately like the flavor. It’s pretty close to the regular Heineken flavor while still being light and low-calorie, which is a great combination. 4. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale The Mirror Pond is a nice pale ale with real flavor, which I love. This beer does lean a little bitter and hoppy, but it’s just 5% ABV, meaning it packs a lot of flavor into a relatively light beer. It’s also available in most areas of the country, so it’s a safe pick if you see it on the beverage cart. 5. Local Lager Okay, this pick is a bit of a cop-out since it’s not a specific beer, but seriously consider buying a can of a local lager next time you’re golfing. Lagers are the perfect beer for sunshine, and you might find a local brewery that you enjoy! As an example, the Bandon Dunes Sheep Ranch Lager was the perfect pairing for Sheep Ranch, and I’m glad I gave it a try. 6. Athletic IPA The Athletic IPA, a great non-alcoholic beer, is legitimately one of the best beers to have on the links. Athletic does an incredible job of nailing beer flavor without any of the booze, perfect for someone who is taking their round seriously and doesn’t want alcohol affecting their swing. Golf Beers FAQs

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What’s the Strongest Beer in the World?

Thomas Short — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 02:17:06 +0000

Update on 2/19/2026: There‘s a new strongest beer! Before getting into this, here’s a quick question to ask yourself: what do you think the strongest beer in the world is? Better yet, what’s the strongest beer you’d be willing to sit and enjoy? Let’s start with a high ABV beer I love: barleywine. Barleywines vary, but you can expect somewhere in the 12-14% ABV range. Compared to IPAs in the 6-7% range and light beers closer to 4-5%, that’s pretty steep and hardly feels qualified to be counted as a “beer.” However, barleywine is a beloved beer style. But we’re not here to talk about beloved beer styles. No, we’re here to talk about the booziest beer ever created. Previously, the booziest beer in the world was Snake Venom by Brewmeister, which clocked in at a paltry 60% ABV. But Snake Venom’s time in the sun has passed, and we have a new strongest beer. Scottish Beithir Fire: The Strongest Beer in the World Scottish Beither Fire by 88 Brewery is a 75% ABV monster that comes with a warning label because, yes, it’s just that strong. The beer is a barley ale brewed over two months, presumably to pump up the ABV as much as possible. Oh, then it’s blended with Scottish spirit (read: Scottish everclear) to push it to a nice, rounded out 75% alcohol. You shouldn’t sit and drink an entire bottle of this; instead, you’re advised to enjoy just one shot. Because, you know, it’s got the ABV equivalent of two shots of vodka. No, you can’t reseal the bottle, but I have a suspicion that something made almost entirely of alcohol won’t go back if left open in the fridge for a few days. Heck, it says best before November 4, 2121, on the label, so it’ll probably be fine for longer. You can purchase a bottle for about $60. I’m not sure how badly I need to try a beer this strong, but if you’re so inclined, be my guest and let me know how it tastes. If it tastes like anything other than alcohol.

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What Is a Pint of Beer? Size, Meaning, and Types

Thomas Short — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 23:55:30 +0000

You’re out at a bar or brewery and you order a pint. But, depending on where you are, you don’t get the same size pour. The bartender may even pour less than you were expecting. A pint of beer is a 16-ounce pour in the United States, or 20 ounces in the UK (called an imperial pint). However, not all beers are 16 or 20 ounces when served as a full pour, and your bartender may assume that asking for a pint means a full pour. How Many Ounces Is a Pint of Beer? In the United States, a pint is a 16-oz pour of beer, which is four ounces more than a standard 12-oz bottle or can. It’s pretty much the universal go-to size at any bar or brewery for lagers and ales. Pint Type Size US Pint 16 oz Imperial Pint (UK/Ireland) 20 oz Half Pint 8 oz An imperial pint is a 20oz pour. If you order a pint in the UK or Ireland, expect to get an imperial pint, since over there, a pint is closer to 20 ounces. Some bars in the US offer imperial pints on certain beers, too, so it’s worth knowing the difference before you assume you’re getting a deal. Then there are airport bars, which sell 22-oz beers. That’s not officially a pint, but I would call a 22-oz beer an “airport pint” if given the naming rights. The “Cheater Pint” Problem Just because you order a pint of beer in the US doesn’t mean you’re getting 16 ounces, because some bars use what’s called a “cheater pint.” The cheater pint is a pint glass that’s supposed to look normal-sized but actually holds just 14 ounces of beer. You’ve maybe noticed out at the bar that some pint glasses are bigger than others, and this could be the culprit. If you do get a full-priced beer in a 14-oz glass, I encourage you to stop frequenting the bar that did that. When a Pint Isn’t 16 or 20 Ounces At a craft brewery, you might order a “pint” of beer, but only get a full-poured 12-oz glass. This is because some beers, like triple IPAs or sours, might have a full pour of just 12 ounces. Don’t blame your bartender, though; it’s pretty common to exchange the terms “full pour” and “pint,” the same as we might interchange “half pour” and “half pint.” Types of Pint Glasses (And Why They’re Different) Depending on where you go, your beer might show up in a glass that looks like it belongs at a wine bar. These are probably chalices, goblets, or tulips, which are designed to hold 12–14oz, though some do hold a full 16oz just to keep things interesting. Why use a specialty glass instead of just marking “12oz” on a standard pint? Because glassware actually affects the beer. Depending on the shape, a glass can bring out more aroma, control how fast bubbles rise, affect the size of the foam head, and change how the beer tastes. It’s not just aesthetics. There are even more niche types of glassware out there, with my personal favorite being the Teku glass. Glassware is a rabbit hole worth going down. How Much Beer Do Steins Hold? Everyone knows that a stein is the big beer mug with a handle, the one you picture at Oktoberfest. Steins can hold anywhere from 16–32oz. A full Oktoberfest-size stein holds nearly 34oz, which is exactly 1 liter for anyone keeping metric score. Knowing your glass sizes matters for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll know how much you’re actually drinking, which helps you pace yourself. Second, the glass tells you something about the beer. Nobody’s pouring PBR into a chalice, and you won’t be drinking a Belgian tripel out of an Oktoberfest stein.

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What’s an Ale?

Thomas Short — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:59:41 +0000

In some places around the world, people might ask for an ale when they really want to get any type of beer. It’s sort of like when someone asks for a Coke but actually wants a Sprite (I’ve seen it happen). So, to some people, ale just means beer. But there’s more to it than that, right? After all, we have all sorts of types of ales, such as the IPA, pale ale, and blonde ale. Ales come in different forms, but can we have an ale that’s just an ale? What Exactly is an Ale? To answer the whole “what is an ale” question, we should stop and break down the main ingredient. When ales were first becoming popular hundreds of years ago, brewers were not using hops. Instead, they used all sorts of other bitter ingredients and mixed them to create a flavouring called gruit. As you can imagine, this created a very unique style of beer. At some point in human history, gruit started to fade away and was replaced by hops. Flavor-wise, hops and gruit both add that sort of bitterness to your beer, so both are perfectly fine for making an ale. Sure, you can still find some old-timey breweries that might brew with gruit, but hops are considered the norm and are one of the five main ingredients in beer. The whole hops thing shouldn’t come as a surprise – after all, IPAs are hoppy and they are ales (with a few differences). Is There Such a Thing as a Regular Ale? If we were to make an ale that’s strict to the recipe – warm fermentation, hops, or even gruit – then yes, we would have one plain old beer…that somebody would be bound to categorize. The truth is that people don’t want to sit down and order an ale. It’s too boring. Why order an ale when you can order a brown ale? One of them sounds like a mystery beer, while the other is going to be brown. No mysteries in brown flavor. Why not order an IPA instead? An ale could taste like anything, but an IPA is hoppy. See the problem here? We like to subdivide all these beer types to get as specific as possible. It’s sort of like how business people use all these fancy terms. Synergize all you want, business people, I still hate your lingo. If you’ve had an IPA, brown, pale, old ale, or even a barleywine, then you’re drinking ales. It’s a style of beer that has created a million more sub-styles, so we can get as specific as possible, all while somehow also making it incredibly difficult to become fluent in beer speak. (Pro tip: I’ve compiled a list of beer buzz words you can use next time you have a beer with friends to impress them and make them like you more.) So, next time you’re out talking about beer, and as long as you aren’t drinking a lager, just keep calling your beer an ale. You’ll sound like you know exactly what you’re doing.

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What’s Peat In Beer?

Thomas Short — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 01:42:03 +0000

Beer nerds, I just got my hands on a bottle of Fremont Brew 2000 with peat. It’s basically the tastiest barleywine ever created with peat. It’s like a combination of barleywine, Scotch and all happy thoughts. So, obligatory post coming: what’s peat? Most of the time when someone says, “wow, this Scotch is peaty!” I would say something like, “yes.” I knew the flavor and I get it, but that’s about as far as it went. For those unaware, peat is that smoky flavor that you find in some Scotches and whiskeys. But now, dear readers, now that I have a BEER with peat, I’m inclined to learn more. Why not share this adventure with you? From the Bogs of Scotland Peat is basically dirt and dead plants. In Scotland, there are bogs that are made up of decaying vegetation. These bogs are specific to areas like Scotland and Ireland, and they’re affectionately called peatlands. I don’t know why or how, but someone out realized that these peaty bogs were an excellent source of fuel. At some point, the Scottish began chopping peat into bricks. These bricks could then be burned, sort of like one might burn coal. However, there were a few differences with peat. First, peat burns fast and hot. Second, peat has an incredibly unique smell. So, some Scotch distilleries (Scotcheries?) will use peat in the Scotch process. Scotch is always aged in barrels, as is tradition – but these barrels take on the flavor of what’s inside them. The malts in whiskey (one of the key ingredients) need to be smoked, and for some Scotches they’re smoked with peat. Then the peaty blend goes into the barrel, as is tradition. And now we go to beer. Bog Beer (aka Peat Beer) From now on I think peated beers should be called Bog Beers. One popular trend among brewers is to age beer in old, used barrels. For example, I recently had an excellent saison that was aged in old gin barrels for six months. During those six months, the saison absorbed the flavors of the wood and gin, and the result was a tasty treat for Thomas. This is how barrel aging works – the beer not only takes in the flavor of the alcohol, but it also takes in the flavor barrels. So, what happens when you put a barleywine in a peated keg? Peated barleywine. Ok, I get that peated beers aren’t common, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn more about them! Especially since peat is being harvested at industrial rates. The flavor is in high demand year-round, and as more people start drinking Scotch, the demand for peat is only going to grow. This poses a threat to peat. Like any resource, peat is scarce – and it’s not something that we can just go out and make more of. Peat is sort of like oil, taking years and years to break apart and become what it is today. It’s sad knowing that, someday, real peat will be gone. Sure, the flavor could be artificially recreated in some way, but it’s not the same. If you’re curious to know what a peated beer tastes like, I recommend spending the money to find out…because they won’t be around forever. The more you know.

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Food That Goes With Beer

Thomas Short — Sat, 27 May 2023 19:15:27 +0000

Forget about pairing your white wines with whatever type of food goes with white wine. We’re here to talk beer! Finding foods that go with beer isn’t as easy as “white beers for fish” or “red beers for steak.” Alas, if only it were that easy. Beers are complex, and different styles can have wildly different flavors. Honestly, the flavor from one IPA to another IPA can be so different that it’s tough to accept that they are both IPAs. The best we can do is generalize the styles and find out what works well with them. Don’t worry, you don’t need to sit down and come up with your own pairing list – I’ve done it for you. Food and Beer Pairing: The Basics I’m sure that some culinary experts could create a list of fantastic basic rules for beer paring with food, and I’m also sure that experts can disagree on just about every point. So, here’s my amateur opinion on food and beer pairing that, considering my years of experience, holds some value. Think About Regional Trends Having sausages? Try something German. Eating a burger? An American ale or lager would be great. Cuisine isn’t just some happy accident — experts in flavor and taste have spent years honing in on regional ingredients to create the perfect dishes. It only makes sense that beers from the same region would match the broader taste profile. Drink What You Enjoy If you absolutely hate sours but some random internet article is telling you that you have to pair your meal with a sour, just don’t. Trust this random internet article instead and drink what you enjoy. Just don’t mistake this tip for “don’t try anything new,” since I encourage trying new things. But I don’t encourage intentionally having things you don’t like. Don’t Do Too Much Don’t do too much. Don’t maple syrup on a steak. Don’t deep-fry fruit. Don’t pair a DDH IIIPA with a funnel cake. Just don’t do it. Too much is too much, and you’re going to literally destroy your ability to ever taste anything again if you do too much. You’ll also gross out everyone around you, and maybe even yourself. So just don’t do it. Trust Your Gut If it sounds good, it’s probably good. If it sounds bad, it’s probably bad. Truly, pairing beer and food can be this simple. Beers to Pair with Foods Instead of doing a long list of foods and saying “drink this and that,” I’m going with the quicker, more sensical route of starting with the type of beer and suggesting the foods that pair with it. This just seems so much simpler to do, and it saves you from having to scroll down a full page of text looking for some specific meal. What to Pair with Ales The trusty ale should be paired with trusty foods, and nothing is trustier than a hamburger. Also, good with ales are just about any fried food, anything with nuts, cheddar cheese, nachos…basically anything that you’d find on a traditional pub menu. What to Pair with Lagers Lagers are going to be your closest thing to white wine, and by that, I mean you should drink a lager if you’re eating seafoods, sushi, shellfish, etc. Also, good with a lager: chicken and spicy foods, as well as many pasta dishes. What to Pair with IPAs The bitterer brother of the ale, IPAs are going to pair well with the same foods as ales. I’d also say that spicy food work well with IPAs since the bitter hoppy flavor and the spice can really pack a 1-2 punch. What to Pair with Pilsners Like lagers, pilsners will go better with seafood than most beers. However, if you’re planning a salmon dinner then you should definitely pick a pilsner. Spicy foods pair will with pilsners as well, so Mexican or Asian dishes with spice will taste even better. What to Pair with Porters Anything that feels heavy should go with a porter. Chili, barbecue and most meats are going to be good compliments to the classic porter style. What to Pair with Stouts Because stouts and porters have so much in common, you can easily get away with substituting one for the other in a beer pairing. Since stouts can sometimes run a little sweet, salty foods might taste particularly good. What to Pair with Hefeweizens Light beers like hefeweizens deserve lighter fare. Any type of salad should go well with a hefe, as well as different types of fruits. There’s a reason people put citrus in hefes, you know! What to Pair with Barleywines I’m not sure how anyone can make room in their stomach while drinking barleywine, but the only way to pair with this has to be a dessert. Something decadent and small might be good, like a cheesecake, something with cinnamon or even cookies. Just grab some dessert!

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What Is Barleywine?

Thomas Short — Wed, 10 May 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Back in the good old days of the ancient world, there weren’t really alcohols like there are today – especially barleywine. If we had been living in ancient Greek times, we would probably spend our time drinking something close to a mead/beer hybrid instead of barleywine. Sounds pretty gross. Pretty gross. The term barleywine actually comes from ancient Greek. Of course, those cups of joy you’d drink today are pretty different (largely because hops weren’t used in alcohol at the time). In fact, beer has a beautifully complicated history which you can learn all about here. But you get the idea…barleywine is like wine, but isn’t wine. It’s beer. What Does Barleywine Taste Like? Here comes the annoying answer: it depends on your barleywine! No matter what, you can expect some strong malt notes, as well as some bitterness. After all, this bad boy is probably going to be in the double digits of alcohol by volume. A lot of people find that barleywines taste like porters or stouts, even though the actual recipe is going to place it much closer to ales. This could be because of the darkness of the beer, the nose and the “sweeter” flavor you tend to find in barleywine. On the other hand, barleywine haters will probably say it tastes like liquid garbage. Only one way to find out if you like it or not! Is Barleywine A Beer or Wine? Barleywine is not wine. In fact, to make the distinction between beer and wine, many breweries or beer drinkers will write it as barleywine instead of the traditional “barley wine,” dropping that useless space between words. But either form of spelling is acceptable among most circles. What makes this beer like a wine? Well, it’s pretty much the ABV. In your typical glass, you’ll get an ABV of somewhere in the 10-12% range (much like wine). Aside from that, the two basically have nothing in common. One reason is that beer is made from grains, hops and such while wines are made from grapes. Barleywine is made with grains and yeast, and while we could easily add some fruit to it (not always recommended), the grain will make it a beer through and through. So, the million dollar question: why isn’t it called barelybeer? I don’t know.

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Beer Terms: Buzz Words To Describe Beer

Thomas Short — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 16:38:22 +0000

Every now and then, you taste a brand-new flavor in a beer that you aren’t quite sure how to describe.Or you try a new style and think, “wow, I like this, but I have no idea what DIPA means.”Why not use beer buzz words?In breweries and beer communities around the world, there are certain universal beer terms that describe that-which-cannot-be-described. Maybe you’ve heard some, maybe you use some, maybe you hate buzz words and everything they stand for.Regardless of you how much you actually know about beer, here’s some common beer terminology you can use to impress your beer-drinking friends: Beer Buzz Words and Terms: The Beer Glossary ABV: Alcohol by volume. The higher the number, the boozier the beer. Ale: An ale is a style of beer that uses hops and warm fermentation. Back-end: Also known as finish, this is the flavor that hits after you swallow the beer. Barrel-aged: Pretty much what it sounds like. This is a beer that enjoyed some aging in a barrel. The barreling process takes residual flavors from the barrel’s wood (and other alcohol if it was used before) and generally bumps up the ABV on beers. Body: This is how the beer “feels” in your mouth. As an example, stouts often have a “full body” where lagers might have less body. Clean: When the flavors aren’t overly powerful and the beer has a pleasant taste to it. A clean brew should also be relatively flawless. Crispy: A clean, neat, and dry flavor found in lagers. You can also call lagers “Crispy Bois.” Dark: Dark beers (generally your stouts or porters) are dark in color. They’ll have a heavier body, and they usually are more flavors than a light beer. They’re also generally higher in ABV. DDH: Double dry hopped. Usually means that hops were added on the hot (boil) side and cold (fermenting) side. Definitely means that there were many, many, many hops used during brewing. DIPA: This just means a double IPA. Generally speaking, a DIPA is an IPA with a higher ABV. Dry: Essentially any beer that isn’t sweet. Think IPAs. Dry-hopped: A beer that had additional hops thrown into the brew several days before kegging/bottling. This increases the hop flavor. Farmhouse: A type of ale that emphasizes bitter and/or tart flavors. These typically aren’t sweet and tend to have a foamy head. Filtered: Most beers are filtered to remove leftover particles of yeast, hops, and whatever else was used in the brew. This gives beer a clear, transparent color. Figgy: When a beer smells like figs. I’m convinced that nobody actually smells figs, but they say “figgy” to fit in. Sure, I’m probably wrong…or maybe it’s a conspiracy. Flat: When something loses its carbonation it becomes flat. Frothy: A frothy beer has a thick head and a thick taste. It’s just a thick ole beer. Gose: A top-fermenting, malty beer that often tastes both sour and salty in flavor. These have lower ABVs than most other styles. Gravity: Literally how heavy the beer is. Thick, heavy beers will have a higher gravity. Haze: Cloudy looking beers, typically an East Coast IPA, should be referred to as hazy. Why not cloudy? The world may never know. Head: That film of foam that sits on the top of your beer. Hoppy: The more hops used, the hoppier the beer. This adds a bitter flavor in most cases, but it depends on the flavor of the hop. Most people assume this means bitter. You can always point this out to your friends, but that’s a little snobby and instead of impressing them they’ll probably just like you less (trust me, I know). IBU: International Bittering Units (IBUs) measure the bitterness of a beer. IBUs are mostly influenced by the hops used and utilization. IPA: The India pale ale, which lives off hops. These can be bitter, juicy, hazy and all sorts of things. Juicy: If your beer tastes like it has some juice in it, you can go ahead and call it juicy. Also, juicy and hazy are going hand in hand a lot right now. Lager: Usually pretty light beers that have a crisp taste to them. Perfect for baseball games. Light: Beers can be light or dark. Light beers are light colored, light in the body, light on strong flavors, light on ABV, etc. This is an “umbrella term” and perfect for trying to impress friends. Malty: Sweeter notes and tones in beers come from the malt. Mouthfeel: Literally just how it feels in your mouth. People like to use words like “velvety” or “creamy.” NA: Non-alcoholic. As in there is no alcohol, but still plenty of beer flavor. Nose: How your beer smells. To check the nose, just put your nose over the beer. Inhale deeply through the nose, and then proclaim to all your friends what you think it smells like. Or, just say, “what a great nose on this one.” Pilsner: A type of lager that is notable for being light and malty. Porter: Like a stout, but not. There’s no true distinction between stouts and porters, but nowadays porters tend to be a little lighter than stouts. Rye Beer: Beers that use rye in lieu of barley in the brewing process. This leads to a maltier flavor. Saison: Or farmhouse ales, these are more carbonated than other beers and therefore have stronger subtle flavors (if that makes sense).Single-hopped: Pretty much exactly what it sounds like, this is a beer that only used one hop variety in the brewing. Sour: Sour beers are made with different yeasts, and this makes the beer sour in flavor. Stout: A type of beer that embraces malt and everything it stands for. You might also get chocolate, coffee or nutty flavors from this type of brew. Thin: These beers are the ones that don’t have that much flavor, and the seasoned beer drinker might mistake them for water. Think Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite… basically most mass-produced beers. Unfiltered:

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10 Beer Decisions To Make This Summer

Thomas Short — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:30:14 +0000

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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