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Maintaining Your Draft Beer System

Luckily, there isn’t a whole lot of maintenance that needs to be done to your draft beer system.

But here are some KegWorks pointers:

Keep both the inside and outside clean with normal cleaning agents.
Clean your beer lines every time you change your keg. Using a cleaning kit is the easiest way to do this. It only takes a few minutes and will assure your beer tastes fresh and crisp. This will also help to avoid sediment build up in the beer lines, which can cause foam.

Draft Beer Parts

Serving draft beer at home is much easier then you think. All you need is a home draft beer system. You may hear a draft system referred to as a keg tap, keg tapper, kegerator, keg pumps or picnic pumps. Below is a summary of all the types of draft beer products that we carry.

Faucet Handle
Sometimes called a faucet knob or tap handle. This is the lever that you pull on the faucet to make the beer come out. You can screw just about any faucet handle onto our faucets. Our kits come with a small, black generic one.

Faucet
This is where the beer comes out. There are lots of parts inside the faucet, so it should be cleaned regularly.

Shank
This is a long steel tube that runs through the hole you drill in your fridge door. The faucet screws into one end and the beer line screws onto the other.

Beer Line Jumper
This is a 5-foot long piece of dense, food-grade tubing that connects the keg coupler to the faucet/shank assembly. We provide you with the proper connectors to attach the beer line at both ends.

Keg Coupler
This piece attaches to the keg and actually taps it. There are six different types of keg couplers used throughout the world. Which ones you will need will depend upon which brand of beer you drink.

CO2 Tank
Most kits come with a 5-pound steel CO2 Tank. With this size CO2 Tank, you can serve about 5-7 half kegs of beer. Welding supply companies, fire extinguisher supply companies, and gas dealers can fill CO2 tanks. Look under "Gas" in the yellow pages in your local phone book for dealers near you.

Regulator
The regulator connects to the CO2 Tank. It steps the gas pressure down to a level that is right for dispensing beer. Most of our kits come with a double gauge regulator. One gauge tells you the pressure going into the keg; the other gauge tells you how much air you have left in your air tank.

Air Line Jumper
This piece of tubing runs between the regulator and the keg coupler. We provide you with the proper connectors to attach the air line at both ends.

Beer Line Cleaning Kits
Keeping your beer lines clean will help to make sure that your beer tastes its very best. Over time, your beer lines collect beer deposits that can affect the taste of your beer and even cause excess foaming. We recommend that you clean your lines after each 1/2 barrel.

Common Draft Beer Questions

What size keg will fit into my refrigerator?
A standard US quarter barrel measures: 12-13" high, with a 16" diameter. A standard US half barrel measures: 23" high, with a 16" diameter. European kegs vary in size, but are similar to US sizes.

The average CO2 tank has a diameter of about 6" and may be kept either inside or out of the fridge. There should be a little bit of room around the sides of the keg for air circulation. Also leave about 6"- 8" above the keg for the keg coupler.

So, that said, to know for sure if it will all fit – make sure to read online measurements carefully before ordering. If you are unsure – feel free to call. Or take a trip to your local beer retailer and ask for any empty keg. (They will usually charge you a $10.00 deposit). Then put the keg inside the fridge you plan to purchase to make sure that the fridge is big enough.

What size refrigerator should I buy?
That's a tough one for us to answer. It depends upon your space and your budget. We can't recommend any specific size or model because there are so many good ones out there. But we will do our best to give you some pointers.

It can be difficult to find a fridge that is small enough to fit under your counter and large enough to hold a keg. Compact fridges usually are not a good option either – they usually have a vegetable bin in the bottom, and a compressor which makes these hard to fit a keg.

We suggest you take your beer goggles off and measure!

How much beer is in a keg?
How much beer is in your keg is up to you!

Breweries no longer make whole kegs; they stopped about 35 years ago because they were just too heavy to lug around. Your options are the following:

1/2 keg: Holds 15.5 gallons, which is 7 cases of beer
1/4 keg: Holds 7.75 gallons, which is 3 1/2 cases of beer
Beer ball: Holds 5 gallons of beer, which is equal to 2 1/4 cases of beer.

If you are looking for something even smaller, you may be able to find a 5-gallon mini-keg.

What temperature should my draft beer be kept?
Draft beer is not pasteurized, so it must be kept cold, preferably between 38 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit could turn your beer sour and cloudy. So, keep it cool!

How long will my draft beer stay fresh once I have tapped the keg?
Once it’s tapped, draft beer will taste fresh for about 20 - 30 days. Longer than a few weeks it looses its fresh brewery taste and aroma. Craft/Micro brews often have a shorter shelf life.

How long does a 5-pound CO2 cylinder last?
5 pounds of CO2 should serve approximately five to seven half-barrels. Make sure that all airline connections are good and tight - CO2 can leak very easily. It’s best to leave the tank outside of the fridge if possible. You will get more air out of the tank if it’s kept room temperature.

Where can I get my CO2 tank filled?
Look in your local phone books yellow pages under the heading "Gas". There should be several gas distributors in your area. Just call a few of them and ask if they fill small tanks with CO2 (sometimes called beer gas). Also, call some local fire extinguisher suppliers and welding suppliers, sometimes they fill CO2 tanks. To fill a 5-pound CO2 tank usually costs between $7.00 and $11.00 depending upon where you live.

Why is my beer foamy?
There are a few things that can cause foamy beer: Warm spots in the beer line, or the keg itself, dirty beer lines, twists or kinks in beer line. Also, an unsettled keg can cause foamy beer. Let the keg settle for two to three hours before tapping it.

I'm planning on putting a draft beer tower on my bar, and keeping the keg in a refrigerator nearby. Is there anything I need to know?
Yes! Exposed beer lines may cause foamy beer. So, if the beer line running from the fridge to your tower is not refrigerated, you will most likely have foamy beer. There are commercial ways of actually refrigerating the beer lines, but they are VERY expensive. There are ways to reduce foamy beer in this type of situation:

Minimize the distance of exposed beer line - the shorter the better.
Wrap all the exposed beer line in thick foam tubing to keep it cool. Home Depot has it and it’s not at all expensive.
Remember to plug the hole in the refrigerator that the beer line comes from. Spray foam insulation works well.

Draft Beer Troubleshooting
On rare occasions you may experience foamy or cloudy beer, here are some great troubleshooting techniques.

Condition:	Cloudy beer Beer appears hazy and not clear.
Causes and Corrections:	Over Chilling Excessive low temperatures may cause hazy and cloudy beer, particularly when beer lies for a long period of time. Maintain refrigerator temperature at 36° to 40°F. Partial opening of beer faucet Open the faucet quickly and completely. Having anything warm on or near your keg When anything that is not cold, such as meats, vegetables, fish or fruits are placed on a keg of cold beer, the beer becomes warm long before these products chill down. This change in temperature can cause cloudy beer.
Condition:	Flat beer Foamy head disappears quickly, beer lacks usual zestful brewery-fresh flavor.
Causes and Corrections:	Greasy glass Do not wash beer glasses together with glasses that have contained milk or any other fatty substance. Lipstick is a fatty substance, be sure it is removed from the glass. Eating greasy foods while drinking beer can cause this too. Wash glasses thoroughly with a good detergent; do not use soap. Do not dry-wipe glasses. Allow glasses to air dry. Rinse in fresh cold water just before serving beer. It is best to serve beer in a wet glass. Beer Glasses should be used for beer and nothing else but beer. Improper drawing of beer into glass Open the faucet quickly and completely. Check and find the correct distance to hold the glass from the faucet when drawing. Proper foam should be a tight creamy head, and the collar on the average glass should be 1/2" to 1" high. Beer drawn without a head has the appearance of being flat. Not enough pressure Check CO2 tank; if empty, get refilled. Increase pressure if beer runs too slowly. Correct flow is to fill a 10 oz. glass in 4 seconds (approximately 8 oz. of liquid). Check that there are no obstructions in the airline. Check and replace the airline or CO2 regulator and gauge. Regulators will wear down, so be sure to replace after 4-6 years. Make sure CO2 pressure is ON; do not run the system off the keg pressure alone. Make sure temperature of refrigerator is not above 40° F.
Condition:	Loose foam Large soap-like bubbles, foam settles quickly.
Causes and Corrections:	See "Flat Beer" Causes and Corrections
Condition:	Off-tasting beer Often bitter and bitey. Sometimes completely lacking in flavor and zest. May also have oily or foul odor, carrying an unpleasant taste.
Causes and Corrections:	Dirty system Clean the entire system monthly or immediately after each keg is emptied. The faucet should be removed, disassembled and cleaned with hot water and a brush weekly. Inexpensive cleaning compounds, equipment and kits are available. Contaminated air line Examine air line and replace if necessary. Dirty air lines should be washed with a good cleaning compound normally used for cleaning beer lines, then rinsed clean. Old beer The beer in the keg may be old and past its prime. Buy a fresh keg.
Condition:	Foamy or “wild” beer Beer, when drawn, is all foam, or too much foam, and not enough liquid beer.
Causes and Corrections:	Warm beer The beer keg must always be kept between 38ºF and 40° F. Excessive CO2 Lower the amount of CO2 going to the keg; adjusting the regulator does this. Adjustments may not happen immediately. In a normal keg fridge set up, you should keep your regulator set between 10 and 12 psi. If a keg is over pressurized, pull the relief valve on your keg coupler for about 3 seconds. This will release some CO2 out of the keg. Wait about 15 minutes, and then turn your CO2 tank back on. Older regulators should be replaced completely as they do not last forever. Instructions for Connecting and Operating a Regulator Old beer lines Replace old beer lines. If you bought or inherited an older system, it would be wise to replace the beer line. Click here for replacement lines. Improper drawing of beer into glass Open faucet quickly and completely. Check and find the correct distance to hold the glass from the faucet when drawing. Proper foam should be a tight creamy head, and the collar on the average glass should be 1/2" to 1" high. Obstruction in faucet The faucet should be removed, disassembled and cleaned with hot water and a brush every few weeks. Worn faucet parts Replace worn washers as required. If faucet does not open wide, worn parts or entire faucet must be replaced. Click here for Faucet Rebuild Kits and New Faucets. Warm spots in your beer line Any warm spots in your beer line will cause foamy beer. All beer tubing should be kept inside your fridge. Long beer lines runs (6 feet or greater) can cause your CO2 pressure to be out of whack. A larger inside diameter of beer tubing may be necessary.

Common Draft Tower Questions

What is included with the tower?
All towers come with the faucet head and about 3 feet of beer line. They are fully assembled.

What don’t they come with that I will need?
You’ll have to get a faucet handle and mounting screws. The screw holes are already drilled into the base of the tower. Towers don't come with mounting screws because every surface is different and can require different types of screws.

Will any type of faucet handle screw onto the faucet head?
Yes. You can put ANY type of faucet handle onto your faucet head.

Where can I find a faucet handle of my favorite brand of beer?
If you can't find what you're looking for there, try asking the retailer where you buy your kegs. They may be able to help.

Does it matter if I use a 2 1/2" diameter or 3" diameter tower?
We suggest a 3” tower. To keep your beer line chilled and reduce foaminess, you will want to force some of the cold air from your refrigerator through your lines and into your tower. By using a larger diameter tower, there is more room for cold air to circulate up in the tower.

I have an older tower. Do you have replacement parts for it?

Each one used different pieces inside the tower to connect the beer line to the faucet so it is very difficult to match up those pieces. Most times it is just easier to replace your old tower with a new one because the replacement parts can cost more than a new whole one.

From our friends at Keg Works

The Kegulator -- Need to find out how much beer and ice you will need for your next party? This awsome calculator has your answer. Click Here..

A Good Beer Blog

http://beerblog.genx40.com/

2008-10-08T23:09:00Z

Session 21 Announced: What's Your Favorite Flavour?

I think that's it...no, it's this: what is your favorite beer and why? While I did like the music non-beer theme, I'd prefer something more of a beer theme for The Session. All these non-themes that use beer as illustration, like last month's about beer and memories, are really treating beer as a constant - a mechanism if you will - to help us describe the other variable element of the question. Beer should be more than mechanism, more than the straight guy in the comedy duo. But that's me. And I'm a bit grumpy.

So, in November's session, we will explore the process of establishing a favorite. Sure, why not? There will be lots to learn about favoritism as there was about perception of memory last month for session #20 or a ways back for #15 and how it started for you. That's fine and you may love it. Me? I may still be just a bit grumpy.

2008-10-08T01:01:00Z

Belgium: Ultra Amber, Brasserie d'Ecaussinnes, D'Enghien

A small gift to myself from Tulley's last August. $3.25 from the discount rack. "Discount rack?!?" you say. Yes, discount rack. Don't you recall what your mother told you as she lent over you and cooled your brow with the wet wash cloth when you had that fever back in grade five? She said "remember: it's not off...it's Belgian." That's what you heard. You never understood at the time. You thought it was the fever. But now you know. Because it is true.

Massive waves of yeast, rising bread and apple rise from the massive mouse head over clouded amber ale. Sweet and malty with a lager-ish roundness. Creaminess with the sweetness that is a bit like MacKintosh's McCreamy McCandy - slight butter, slight smoke - but a jag of alcohol which that 1960s Canadian tartaned schoolyard treat never boasted. Also very close to a higher test version of a 1995 Algonquin Hunt Club cream lager, according to herself who obsesses over that long lost Ontario microbrew. A worthwhile rich and sweeter take on a pale ale from Brasserie D'Ecaussinnes. Nutmeg in the finish.

BAers vote with their first initial, not their second.

2008-10-07T01:23:00Z

Charleston Business Journal - Beer News Horn O'Plenty

In amongst all the daily beer news items about this guy beating up that guy over a case of beer...or these guys passing a law that will never work to stop this guy beating up that guy over a case of beer...you find a gem like an article in the Charleston (Regional) Business Journal by Molly Parker (but not that Molly Parker, as illustrated) entitled "Debate Brewing Between Local Beer Brands, State Law" about the state of craft brewing in South Carolina.

Why such praise for a rather humbly sourced piece? First, it neatly summarizes the three-tier system - something that confuses every non-American (not anti-, just non-) I have ever met. Then, it contextualizes that system into the current moment and the need for change to assist in the development of local craft brewing. Illustrating how specific beer-related legal reform makes for economic development is always a winner for me. Then the whole thing is interspersed with interviews with a range of craft brewers, providing the reader with a basic entry into the scene in the state.

Good beer reporting...unless it is all rubbish. But that's always the case. Yet in this case, I don't get the sense as Molly Parker's bit carries the right sort of confidence. Plus she is not a dedicated beer writer as the news about her 2007 move to South Carolina from Peoria indicates. So, unless it is all a pack of lies, good work for a regional non-beer publication and good for Molly Parker...the other one.

2008-10-05T20:19:00Z

Jeffery Amherst's Spuce Beer Circa 1759

I am a bad home brewer. I have had supplies in for months to do a couple of all-grain batches but still they stiff wrapped and wrapped again in plastic in a cool, dark place. I did buy another mash pot yesterday but, given my failure to avoid napping and reading this afternoon, no beer again was made. Yet, beer knowledge expanded as I was reading The French and Indian War, a pretty good read by Walter R. Borneman, and came across this recipe for spruce beer from 1759, taken from an order by General Jeffery Amherst, to be supplied to the British troops moving to take the fort at Crown Point from the French:

Take 7 Pounds of good spruce and boil it well till the bark peels off, then take the spruce out and put three Gallons of Molasses to the Liquor and and boil it again, scum it well as it boils, then take it out the kettle and put it into a cooler, boil the remained of the water sufficient for a Barrel of thirty Gallons, if the kettle is not large enough to boil it together, when milk warm in the Cooler put a pint of Yest into it and mix well. Then put it into a Barrel and let it work for two or three days, keep filling it up as it works out. When done working, bung it up with a Tent Peg in the Barrel to give it vent every now and then. It may be used in up to two or three days after. If wanted to be bottled it should stand a fortnight in the Cask. It will keep a great while.

Yum. You see the key phrase, don't you: "till the bark peels off". The British army was using whole branches, not just needles and boughs. Again I say - yum. Google gives us that recipe, too, but give up has more on the brew - in the form of a digitized copy of the 1759 orderly book from Amherst's expedition north up Lake Champlain, setting out how the army brewed:

Spruce Beer will be Brewed for the Health and Conveniency of the Troops, which will be ƒerved at prime Coƒt ; 5 Quarts of Mollaƒƒes will be put into every Barrel of Spruce Beer ; each Gallon coƒt nearly 3 Coppers. The Quarter-maƒters of the Regiments, Regulars and Provincials, are to give Notice to Lieut. Colo. Robiƒon of the Quantity each Corps are deƒirous to receive, for which they muƒt give Receipts and pay the Money before the Regiments marches. Each Regiment to ƒend a Man acquainted with Brewing, or that is beƒt capable of aƒƒifting the Brewers, to the Brewery to-morrow Morning at 6 o'clock, at the Rivulet on the Left of Montgomerys. Thoƒe Men are to Remain, and are to be paid at the Rate of 1 8 Pence Currency per Day. One Serjt. of the Regulars and one of the Provencials to ƒuper-intend the Brewery, who will be paid is 6d per Day. Spruce Beer will be deliverd to the Regiments on Thursday Evening or Friday morning.

Sweet use of the long "s" HTML, eh what? Let me know if you can't see them and I will report back to The 1700s Typeface Open Source Beer Recipe Project.

More? OK, Borneman points that "rum and other spirituous liquors" were prohibited under his command but that spruce beer provided some protection against scurvy among other benefits...aka "conveniency". Here is a 5 gallon clone of the beer for the inconvenienced homebrewer. But not me. I have those other beers I have yet to make lined up first.

2008-10-04T12:55:00Z

About Oaked Beer: Perseguidor 2006, Jolly Pumpkin, Michigan

This beer crosses a lot of categories: oaked, aged, sour and from a state that looks like a mitten. I picked this 2006 edition of Perseguidor from Ron when I spent an hour with him a year ago, probably my beery highlight of 2007 now that I think of it.

BAer's lavish love - though they lament that the brew is no longer made. Happily wrong, the good people at Beer News explain that Perseguidor is a period release of a blending essentially at Ron's whim. Going by the date, the version I have apparently is Batch 2, a blend of Oro de Calabaza and Bam Biere. That being the case, I should love this beer with a love no other can comprehend. Or at least I will feel bad after it's gone.

Much darker than either Oro or Bam, it pours a lovely bright chestnut with a light beige cream rim and foam. On the first sip it is clear that this is actually Batch 1, a blend of La Roja and Bam Biere. I don't seem to have reviewed La Roja, though I still have a couple simplicitur and even as one small Grand Reserva in the stash. It is incredibly elegant - the lush richness of a Flemish brown given the planky structure of Bam, northwood cousin to sauvignon blanc - each characteristic softened by time. Perhaps the best smelling beer in the history of the nose. Bright with the sweet and spicy apple rice vinegar of the Flemish brown. There is a soft richness in the core despite the modest souring plus something like biting your cheek while eating a green apple.

Wonderful. I thought I would save the bottle after I rinsed but the "2006" on the gold label and half the ink on the main label washed away. Be warned.

2008-10-03T16:15:00Z

Session 20: Beer Memories And Me

So, I suppose it is a little ironic that I forgot this edition of the Session until today. But, given that beer is more related to the erasing of memory than the fixing of it, maybe that is natural. Interestingly, there is one memory related story - possibly apochrophal - that experiences during alcohol consumption are more vividly recalled during subsequent alcohol consumption than in the intervening dry period. At least that's what a few med students I once knew said they were doing when they had a beer when studying and then another just before the exam.

So, what is the difference between beer memories and favorite beers or pubs or beery events? I don't know. Is there a best cheese memory? I don't know that either. So let's review the actual topic again: "is there a beer that reminds you of a specific memory?" The answer is, of course, yes. The trouble really is that there isn't just one beer that reminds me of a specific memory. They all do. Think just of some of the early Maritime beers of my life: Keith's IPA reminds of the foul pong of the urinals at the Seahorse in Halifax, Schooner of my pals picking the old foil labels onto my carpet during a party. That is the point of branding - to make a cognitive connection...though not necessarily the ones the branders desire. Beyond brand, there is the more elemental reality of taste and how taste itself is tied to memory. Taste evokes. Instant coffee for me relocates me to an Annapolis Valley church hall in the 1970s before my father's services. In the same way, stale beer takes me to college jobs in bars and the pong of the carpets while the scent of Labatt Blue takes me to the backyard when I was a little kid, my Dad letting me stick my finger in his beer, the bitterness disgusting me. Mt. Hood hops trigger that memory, too, as well as, sometimes, a bit of the disgust. Another memory might not be about consumption but association with a brewery but there's none in my family or my pack of pals as far as I know. No one owned the village pub. No one delivered the casks. Now, Scots golf course maintenance and whisky brokering...that's a different matter.

Beer and memory. It's a tricky one. I may have more on this later.

2008-10-01T23:09:00Z

Beer Hunting in Michigan and Quebec

I have a couple of big trips coming up in October. Circumstances place me to the west in London, Ontario relieved of duties before noon on a Friday which means I have an hour to head further west still to the border at Sarnia and the afternoon to shop in Michigan. Having been there before, I have a sense of what I am looking for: something wet hopped, a case of Two Hearted Ale...as well as a little Bud American Ale...just to see. I don't think I'll make it as far as Jolly Pumpkin but Ron has given me the name of some of his most north-easterly clients so with any luck I will land some anyway.

The next weekend, however, sends me far east through largely uncharted territory as I head to a small IT/brainiac conference called Zap Your Pram in PEI. I will try to stop in a few government stores out east but on the way back on Sunday, I hope to hit a beer store or two in Quebec City like Le Monde des Bieres or D�panneur de la Rive. I want to get my hands on some Dieu du Ciel for sure but, as John Rubin mentions in today's Toronto Star, there are plenty of Quebec-made brews we never hear about in English-speaking Canada. The same is true of any regional brews due to our wacko inter-provincial trade restrictions but Quebecers, arguably, have a taste for a broader range of flavours than the rest of we Canucks and it shows in their brews. So maybe I'll grab something from Microbrasserie Charlevoix or Hopfenstark, both unknowns to me but well regarded by the BAers.

Any hints before I undertake the 4,000 km two-part tour?

2008-09-30T00:50:00Z

Aged Beer: The Rules I Follow To Get The Cellar Filled

Stonch has a very good post today about how he finally came to love Rochfort 10 - he gave it a couple of years in the cellar. Result?

Gone is the excessive carbonation and the oppressive aroma of fiery alcohol. Instead, the beer's smoother and more enjoyable. In fact, it's positively easy drinking. There's a lovely, stouty roastiness at the back of my mouth and a creamy rush along the way. Spice dominates the long aftertaste, but doesn't smack me up as I take my first sip.

Makes you want to have one, doesn't it. I've been cellaring beer for a few years now and the Jeff formerly known as Stonch has it exactly right - strong beer improves with age. The four years that this Moinette Brune spent in the bottle from 2004 to 2008 were good years. But that was something of a fluke as it was sort of hidden down there. Aging beer really is worth planning around and making the investment...which is really not so much an investment as recognition that beer is not, in fact, going out of style. You will drink beer in 2012 - why not ensure it is better beer?

The main trick, as with most forms of storing, is ensuring you have enough put away that it's not physically possible for you to turn right around and pop it all in one fell swoop. But what is enough? That needs a bit more thought:

"It's healthier, honey!": I have around 180 third pint or "nip" portions of +/-10% beer and am adding more all the time. It's probably half of my beer buying now. Whether it's a half case of Thomas Hardy when it's out or a couple of 750 ml special releases, I bury them at the back of the cold room with the port and tokay, putting plenty of lighter shorter term brew in the way. It would be insane to start to work on that much booze now. And part of a healthy diet is not trying.
"It's a project, honey!": I like to create a few small projects. I have three years of Fuller's Vintage Ale and will gather a few more. Makes for a nice vertical that I can plan a get together around in a few years. An English cheese course after prime rib roast maybe with nuts. Four of these may mean a total investment of thirty bucks spaced over 36 or 48 months. Pennies a day and much the same as a decent middling port that would serve the same role.
"It's an experiment, honey!": I also have stuck away a few beers just to see what happens to them. I had a Burton Bridge porter back in 2000 or 2001 that was extremely tangy and I am seeing if I can replicate the effect by buying one a year for putting away. Opening them all as a vertical will show the arc of the souring. Maybe it will suck but they all won't and, again, science asks us to take such risks.
"Yes, I do just love all the storage space, honey!": We bought a house for a lot of reasons, one of which was the mid-1960s suburban dream got me was a sort of cold room, a space under the front steps, a hollowed out block of concrete. A little insulation and a fan and, whammo, it stays chilly in there. Is there space in your life like that? That's here you put the beer to sleep.

It's not all good once you get cellaring. Sometimes you are reminded of the need to cellar in unhappy circumstances. Popping that Pannepot Grand Reserve 2005 the other day was clearly infanticide once I had the first sip. It had years to go before that. And you will start to think like that. You will think of beers as something not to down like an idiot undergrad fool and not even to sip and savour like a connoisseur - you will want to store them in the dark like all those 1970s Marvel comics you all still have in plastic bags...ok, I still have. Is that so bad?

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