how do you hold a beer? (bottle)

ok, sorry for another seemingly useless question (as a noob, I'm still examining the phenomena). So, I was at the LHBS talking to Woody (what else would his name be) and he tells me I should try a Belgian Stout (just bottled a batch last night). I said ok. he got one outta his fridge and started to describe it. I noticed something about the way he held the bottle that spoke of.........smooth experience (can't really describe any better). it was sort of like an inverted pen grip towards the top of the bottle. I grabbed it from him like I hold a can of soda (like I usually do when I drink them) by the fat part. So how do you hold it (the bottle) when you're drinking from one? (and why, if you have a reason)

If the beer is the right temp, I hold it by the neck so I don't transfer body heat into the beer. If it is too cold, then I hold it like a soda can.

I never thought of that.

cageybee said:

So how do you hold it (the bottle) when you're drinking from one? (and why, if you have a reason)

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I don't. I always pour my beer into a glass/cup, even if it's a bmc type beer. You're loosing so much in flavor and aroma drinking it out of a bottle.

BigJack said:

If the beer is the right temp, I hold it by the neck so I don't transfer body heat into the beer. If it is too cold, then I hold it like a soda can.

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+1. I do the same thing. And to Revvy's point, I actually do the same thing when I drink out of a glass. Usually thumb and two fingers on the top of the glass just below the rim. My thumb almost touches my lower lip. My ring and little finger hang out just off of the glass (not quite like a little girl drinking from a teacup).

Keeps the beer from warming and, as a lesser issue, keeps my hand from getting cold.

Revvy said:

I don't. I always pour my beer into a glass/cup, even if it's a bmc type beer. You're loosing so much in flavor and aroma drinking it out of a bottle.

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Revvy nails it again. A big part of beer drinking experience is getting the aroma, and you simply can't get any aroma from a bottle. Anytime I am drinking a beer for flavor, I pour it into a glass.

I really only drink BMC (or any macro American lager) when I really don't care too much about the taste (e.g., tailgating outside of a football game in the hot sun). In that case, I am not too worried about being able to smell the aroma, so I will drink from a bottle. I don't just sit there holding the bottle; I pick it up to take a sip and then put it down. So, I don't worry too much about body heat transfer.

I pretty much use a beer stein now all the time. It keeps the bugs and sawdust out of my beer and the handle keeps the beer cold.

Kind of silly to use it in the winter but I have got used to it.

rklinck said:

Revvy nails it again. A big part of beer drinking experience is getting the aroma, and you simply can't get any aroma from a bottle. Anytime I am drinking a beer for flavor, I pour it into a glass.

I really only drink BMC (or any macro American lager) when I really don't care too much about the taste (e.g., tailgating outside of a football game in the hot sun). In that case, I am not too worried about being able to smell the aroma, so I will drink from a bottle. I don't just sit there holding the bottle; I pick it up to take a sip and then put it down. So, I don't worry too much about body heat transfer.

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Of course, ideally, I prefer my beer in the proper glass at the proper serving temp. But in some social settings in my neck of the woods drinking straight from the longneck is proper etiquette.

BigJack said:

Of course, ideally, I prefer my beer in the proper glass at the proper serving temp. But in some social settings in my neck of the woods drinking straight from the longneck is proper etiquette.

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How is your neck of the woods so similar to my neck of the woods when we live 2000 miles apart?

Revvy said:

I don't. I always pour my beer into a glass/cup, even if it's a bmc type beer. You're loosing so much in flavor and aroma drinking it out of a bottle.

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+1 This!

Proper glass when at home, at least a simple pint glass when out, but sometimes the bottle is best. BigJack nailed it with the etiquette... sometimes that's just what ya do (at least if it's a BMC or similar). Sometimes though... the bottle is part of the experience.. like mowin the lawn on a hot day (wouldn't want skunked beer from a pint glass in the sun) or knockin a few back while working outdoors. Sometimes bottles/cans are just easier...towards the end of a party when your balance ain't so great or when it's just easier to hold and carry around than a glass. And of course, the best reason for a bottle, you don't lose precious beer to sloshing out when the golf cart gets bumpy

*edit* of course, I could also be less retarded and actually answer the OP question without going off on a tangent lol...

By the neck.

BigJack said:

Of course, ideally, I prefer my beer in the proper glass at the proper serving temp. But in some social settings in my neck of the woods drinking straight from the longneck is proper etiquette.

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That falls within my exception of drinking BMC! I'm originally from Texas (and lived in Ft. Worth for a while), so I get what you are talking about. But the same people who would have considered it an etiquette violation to ask for a glass would also look at me sideways if I drank anything but Bud Light or Coors Light.

Why would Sierra Nevada put their Pale Ale in a can if it so much flavor/aroma/etc was lost by not drinking from a glass?

Some beer is totally "acceptable" to drink from the bottle/can. BMC and pretty much any pale ale. I typically don't have a frosted pint glass when I'm on the lake or river.

Jon73 I've been told recently that canning beer is coming back big time......supposedly because cans are easier to recycle... I don't know if my source is reliable on this though since I've not heard confirmation elsewhere

For me, it doesn't matter if its a bottle, can, glass, mug, pitcher, whatever... it's held in the left hand. Something I picked up in college...that way when you go to shake hands with someone you're not doing it with a slimy hand and you don't have to put your drink down/switch hands.

How do you hold a beer?


with my hands.

Jon73 said:

Why would Sierra Nevada put their Pale Ale in a can if it so much flavor/aroma/etc was lost by not drinking from a glass?

Some beer is totally "acceptable" to drink from the bottle/can. BMC and pretty much any pale ale. I typically don't have a frosted pint glass when I'm on the lake or river.

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Well, Sierra Nevada can't exactly deliver beers to the public in pint glasses, so their options in can or bottle. The difference between those two delivery systems is rather minimal in my view. That being said, you are missing out on a lot of the aroma (which affects flavor) if drink a pale ale out of a can or bottle.

Agree that if you are out on the lake or river, you won't be using a pint glass. But at that point, you aren't really worrying too much about how you hold the bottle either (and probably aren't too worried about body heat transfer).

cageybee said:

Jon73 I've been told recently that canning beer is coming back big time......supposedly because cans are easier to recycle... I don't know if my source is reliable on this though since I've not heard confirmation elsewhere

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There has definitely been a resurgence in canning. My theory is that it has much less to do with the recycling than with other factors. I would guess that long term, canning would be cheaper for the brewery, but I don't know for sure.

I think one of the driving factors is the hipster factor. For so long, cans were looked down on by beer drinkers (I guess based on the very early ones that screwed with taste). So in the natural evolution of things, that led to people who were "cool" wanting to be different and drink out of cans. That has led more and more breweries to offer their beers in cans. At some point everyone will be drinking beer delivered in cans, and the hipsters will have to find another way to be "cool" and "different." See also The PBR Resurgence

Jon73 said:

Why would Sierra Nevada put their Pale Ale in a can if it so much flavor/aroma/etc was lost by not drinking from a glass?

Some beer is totally "acceptable" to drink from the bottle/can. BMC and pretty much any pale ale. I typically don't have a frosted pint glass when I'm on the lake or river.

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Also a can prevents skunking. Brown bottles block a lot of bad uv rays but not all. The can blocks all light. Therefore preserving the wonderful hop flavor.

cageybee said:

Jon73 I've been told recently that canning beer is coming back big time...

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This is absolutly true, at least up here in Anchorage.

I see a lot of canned craft brews as of late.

You also just reminded me about the canned beer photo contest
Deadline is the 17th, hopefully one of my pics will be displayed in the brewery.
The Midnight Sun Brewery that is.

EDIT:
My bad, didn't mean to hijack without answering the question at least!
I almost always pour my beers into a glass, but that really wasn't the question either.
When I do hold a bottle I tend to do the 3 finger around the neck sort of thing, but my fingers point downward. Almost like I'm holding chopsticks.
Seems a little weird now that you bring it to my attention lol

cageybee said:

how do you hold a beer? (bottle)

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It's all about the pinky . . .

Jon73 said:

Why would Sierra Nevada put their Pale Ale in a can if it so much flavor/aroma/etc was lost by not drinking from a glass?

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Because a can is superior to a bottle for STORING your beer. It STILL needs to be poured into a glass to get the best flavor/aromas out of the beer.

rklinck said:

There has definitely been a resurgence in canning. My theory is that it has much less to do with the recycling than with other factors. I would guess that long term, canning would be cheaper for the brewery, but I don't know for sure.

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The biggest reason craft beer is now becoming available in cans is because a few years ago the Ball company which makes the beer cans for just about every brewer lowered the MINIMUM order on cans from millions of units to hundreds of thousands instead, so smaller breweries could now order them, additionally they worked out a partnership with a company that builds canning lines for brewery so it's been a win win for the small breweries.

WELCOME TO CASK.COM

Revvy said:

The biggest reason craft beer is now becoming available in cans is because a few years ago the Ball company which makes the beer cans for just about every brewer lowered the MINIMUM order on cans from millions of units to hundreds of thousands instead, so smaller breweries could now order them, additionally they worked out a partnership with a company that builds canning lines for brewery so it's been a win win for the small breweries.

WELCOME TO CASK.COM

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So in other words, cans are cheaper but were simply not an option for smaller breweries until recently?

I still like my hipster theory.

AnOldUR said:

It's all about the pinky . . .

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Yep. Doesnt matter what it is, gotta keep the pinkies up otherwise the peasants win

Several points to agree with.

Love the holding it in your left so you're ready to shake hands with your right.

Also agree with the hipster can revolution. Doubly agree with the whole PBR bs that is happening. I have a friend who, about 8 years ago, decided he was going to start drinking it because nobody else did. I made fun of him at the time, little did I realize he was predicting a horrible trend.

Revvy, I formed that first sentence in my last post just to see if I could get a reaction from you. Just poking the hornets nest.

I am a fan of the can. If the integrity of the beer doesn't get compromised then I see nothing but benefits from using them. If you drop them, they do not break. Easier to stack in the fridge/cooler. Lighter than bottles for hiking. Safer targets to shoot at (when empty). Much easier to crush against your forehead. I don't know for sure, but they seem as though they would be easier and more efficient to recycle. Here in S. Oregon we don't have a way to use the recycled glass, so it gets crushed and used in road beds. I'd rather it get re-processed into more bottles than buried.

And as 21st Amendment claims, "Everybody likes it in the can."

I hold it in my stomach .

In all seriousness, for me it depends on what I'm drinking. All dark beers go into glasses because I like a big foamy head on them, the other beers I drink from the bottle; Except for bombers, All bombers get glasses. All Hard ciders I drink right from the bottle.

But no matter what it is, anything homebrewed I drink from a glass. But when I'm holding a bottle I hold it by the neck because I don't like my hands getting cold (but I still drink Iced coffee in the Winter).

I typically nail Ballast Point IPAs when I am in the Sound fishing. No way I am pouring bombers into a cup.

doomsday, I think that's how Woody was holding his with the ring finger curled around.....thumb in opposition. probably making a mountain out of a molehill....but there might be something interesting to it.

Just like in golf... "Grip and Rip"... who gives hoot how you hold it.

Disclaimer: I suck at golf.

Gary

what a coinkydink Gary, beer drinking requires suction too!

Revvy is right on - from a can, bottle, cask or keg put it in the proper glass. That said, when I'm outside and don't want to risk glassware and just want a cold one, I'll drink lower aroma/flavored beers so I don't "miss" as much.

As for the cans, a small brewery that started in our town has been canning for years and is a big cheerleader for it. This year they've introduced a can with a wide top so in effect you "pop" it and are drinking from a glass. You can check it out here. Cans are the wave of the future because they are lighter, light safe, result in less breakage and allow the brewery to do a lot more marketing on the packaging.

*edit* ... I also forgot to really answer the OP's question. I will hold it by the fat part because I have butter fingers and would drop too many if I held it by the neck. If I'm drinking from the container though, I usually won't hold it to keep the body heat transfer down - I'll take a sip and set it down.

cageybee said:

what a coinkydink Gary, beer drinking requires suction too!

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LOL!

Gary

mcbaumannerb said:

As for the cans, a small brewery that started in our town has been canning for years and is a big cheerleader for it. This year they've introduced a can with a wide top so in effect you "pop" it and are drinking from a glass. You can check it out here.

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This is freaking cool.

In the rare case I don't have access to a glass I always grab the bottle with my finger tips to minimize heat transfer. Neck or body just depends on what works out more handy at the moment.

Revvy said:

This is freaking cool.

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Yes, that is the coolest idea I've seen in a long time.

For those who don't want to click the link...

Cool. But if more craft brewers go to cans, it seems like it will get harder to find bottles for home brew.

Imma set up a kickstarter for my kegging equipment!

GASoline71 said:

Just like in golf... "Grip and Rip"... who gives hoot how you hold it.

Disclaimer: I suck at golf.

Gary

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Thats just like in powerlifting (deadlifting, specifically). Grip it and rip it.

I too suck at golf, so I stick to picking heavy things up just because. Its significantly less technical.

I hold my beer in my hand. When raise the bottle/glass to my mouth my pinkie finger sticks out.

A symbol of royalty.