1. What is Belgian Lace?
- A traditional Belgian coaster made of high quality linen
- The foamy residue left on the inside of the glass as you drink a beer
- A deceivingly strong Trappist beer with 19% alcohol
Belgian lace is a sign of a well crafted beer with a hearty, resilient head that lingers in the glass. It is also the sign of a well-rinsed glass. A glass dirty with soap residue will produce poor head retention because soap pops the little bubbles that make up the head of beer. Take note of this next time you’re at your local not-so-pristine pub drinking a not-so-heady beer.
2. Which country drinks the most beer per capita?
- Czech Republic
- Germany
- Ireland
- United States
Surprised? Me too. According to wiki.com, the Czechs drink about 338 pints/year. Ireland is right behind with 277 and Germany follows with 244. The US ranks #13 with a measly 172pints/year. I think I’ll do that next year…keep a running tally of how many pints I drink in 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_consumption_by_country
3. What Chicago beer bar did I go to last night?
- Map Room
- Small Bar
- Innjoy
- Hopleaf
Yes I did. Made the trip all the way up there. Tell you about it soon.
Speaking of cleaning out your beer glass well…or not so well. I sat at a bar here last Friday with the best view of the barback (is that one word?) “cleaning” the glasses. It was a busy night, so perhaps that’s why he was dunking and rinsing in about 2 seconds flat. S I C K. Makes me seriously want to bring my own cup to a bar…can you do that beerded lady?
you could do that. just say you’re being ‘green’. that’s trendy. maybe you could bring your own glove to hold the glass. a drinking glove in case the beer is cold…