Drinking beer is a whole experience, but it all starts with how it enters your glass. Pouring beer is an art form, but it can be easily mastered if the proper steps are followed. (more…)

Guinness famously developed and popularized the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas — a combination that subtly alters a beer’s aroma and flavor while giving it a silky, creamy mouthfeel.

But how does it actually work?

Bubbles.

Most traditional beers are carbonated. As yeast converts sugar to alcohol, it also produces carbon dioxide. That carbon dioxide, if trapped by the brewer, infuses a beer with tiny gas bubbles that give it a prickly texture similar to soda or seltzer water.

And most nitro beers are still mildly carbonated. Nitrogen is an insoluble gas that forms smaller, more abundant bubbles than carbon dioxide. The addition of nitrogen into the process gives the beer a smoother texture and results in that stunning cascade effect when poured into the glass.

This effect occurs because the glass is not pressurized or cold enough for the nitrogen to continue to exist in its comfortable bubbly state, so its trying to escape! As fluffy foam forms up top, the nitrogen molecules are rushing around until they escapes up and out the sides of your glass. It’s a cool visual that leaves you with a glass of smooth, frothy beer.

Because nitrogen gives the beer a thicker, creamier mouthfeel, that texture works best with coffee, chocolate or caramel-like flavors — notes that are a little richer and heavier. These will be the most popular flavors of beers that are available “on nitro.”

So the next time you order a nitro beer and admire the gentle swirling and cascading colors as it settles, you’ll understand a bit about the chemistry happening right in front of you.

Cheers!

Of course, the best gift for a beer lover is… beer! Druthers Brewing Company offers a strong slate of year-round favorites, including All in IPA, 80 Shilling, Golden Rule Blonde and Uncurious. You can also give the gift of a Druthers gift card.

But if you’re looking to round out your four-pack with other beer accessories, we’ve got you covered! (more…)

The short answer is the term “imperial” is used interchangeably with “double” and “strong” to refer to any style of beer brewed with an extra dose of grains and hops to produce a higher ABV (alcohol by volume). So it’s essentially a stronger stout.

But the long answer is more fun! (more…)

Cream ale is a style that almost defies definition. For starters, it does not contain cream, and compared to many other styles, it isn’t exceptionally creamy.

(more…)

With summer picnic season in full swing, you may be assigned the most important job: bringing the beer! And with great power, comes great responsibility. Because there will be shelves and shelves of options at the local grocery store. You’ll have to decide on brand, style and even whether it’s in a bottle or a can.

(more…)

Whether you’re visiting a new-to-you brewery or sampling an ever-changing tap list from your favorite brewery – ordering a beer flight is the perfect way to get a lay of the land.

(more…)

Your glass may seem clean. There may not be any visible residue or staining, but is it “beer clean?”

(more…)

First, a French Lesson

“Saison” is French for “season.”

(more…)

Making beer goes all the way back to Mesopotamia with an ancient recipe featured in a poem about the Sumerian brewing goddess, Ninkasi. But craft beer has only been around for a few decades; it all started with an ambitious Stanford graduate.  (more…)

Beer and coffee may not seem like a natural pairing, but both are brewed! And brewers are going to brew!

(more…)

In this case, the name tells the story. It’s a beer that is only brewed in the winter and has a slightly higher ABV to help “keep you warm” during the holiday season.

(more…)

There’s an old adage, “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” But what if you’re looking to enjoy the two mixed together?

(more…)

Scotch ales are an acquired taste. But if you give them a chance, you just may grow to appreciate their bold toffee flavor with hints of smokiness and boozy ABV. (more…)

When you think about Oktoberfest or German beer in general, a boot-shaped glass of beer may come to mind. While this has become a fixture in American party culture, its history goes back much further. (more…)

If you’re a fan of a cold IPA, you may have noticed another three letter acronym on can labels or taproom chalkboards. It’s “DDH” and stands for a Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale.

(more…)

These brew names are often used interchangeably and for good reason. The main difference is easily confused.

(more…)

Enjoying a beer in the sun is a summertime rite of passage. There’s only one thing that could ruin it…getting skunked! While being sprayed by a certain black and white striped animal would certainly not be ideal, we’re talking about when a bottle of beer is exposed to direct sunlight, resulting in a sulfur taste. (more…)

In a word, yeast. These brews are made from two different kinds of yeast. (more…)

We know what you’re thinking. Beer doesn’t need all the fancy accouterments that cocktails do. It is perfect all on its own. But what if you could make it…more perfect?

When used right, a garnish can complement, enhance or mirror the natural flavors in beer to unlock new levels of flavor. Here are some of our favorites. (more…)

For starters, it’s a bit of a catch-all term for various styles of beer. “Blonde ale” generally refers to beer in the cream ale and kölsch realm. It is also used interchangeably with golden ale and summer ale.

(more…)

An IPA is an India Pale Ale. By definition, it is simply an overly hopped pale ale. That’s because hops have preservative oils that kept the brew fresh on the voyage from England to British colonies in India in the 18th century (when beer was not produced there).

(more…)

In this case, “barleywine” manages to be both a helpful description and a tricky misnomer.

Let’s start with what it gets wrong. Barleywine is not wine. It is a beer made from sugars extracted from grains. So why in the world is it called a wine? Because of its strength and complexity that are similar to that of wine. (more…)

You may think you’re pretty good at drinking beer. You may even think you’re great at it. But could you be even better? Is there room for improvement in a seemingly flawless experience? (more…)

Beware the Ides of Märzen

In the 16th Century, a Bavarian law prohibited brewing beer from April 14th to September 28th. This was in place because most brewery equipment was made from wood at that time and would pose a fire risk during the hot summer months. (more…)

When it comes to beer, we should all be glass half full people – especially if we’re enjoying it from the appropriate glassware. Because this not only improves the overall presentation but can enhance a beer’s color, aroma and taste. (more…)

Though these are all part of the wheat beer family and brewed with a large portion of wheat, that’s where most of the similarities end. (more…)

Before we can even make a single “here’s how the story gose” joke, the beer is pronounced “goz-uh.” So that won’t exactly work. But it does have a storied history going all the way back to the thirteenth century that is still worth telling today – especially for those who love a good comeback. (more…)

Hops are heroes at Druthers Brewing Company. They give beer its signature bitterness, aroma and flavor. Let’s hop in! (more…)

In this case, the name is both a helpful and slightly deceptive place to start. It is in fact a style born from the Belgian Trappist brewing tradition, but nothing is exactly tripled in its production. 

Nonetheless, we have to go back to those early days in monastery breweries to better understand how we ended up with a perfectly golden-hued thirst quencher.

(more…)

While this question may seem straightforward, the answer is as murky as the beers themselves. Because a porter and a stout are only separated by a thin line and sometimes even that becomes blurred. In order to better understand these two subtly different beer styles, it helps to go back to the beginning. (more…)