Hops Candy

It's been less than a week since Halloween, which means all of the Halloween candy that you tried to avoid throughout the spooky season is now 50-75% off. If you haven't indulged and did not wake up in a pile of chocolate wrappers, good for you, way to have self-control. If you did eat your weight in chocolate over the weekend here's a different type of candy to try: candy made from hops.

I tried hop candy a while back and I'm still not sure what I make of it. Essentially it's just sugar with a bit of hop oil. I had a variety pack that featured multiple varieties of hops (Cascade, English East Kent Golding, Saaz, etc.). I tried a Cascade flavored candy about the size of a jolly rancher. It took a long time to disintegrate and I'm pretty sure it gave me my first cavity.

It was super sweet with a piney/floral hop taste that wasn't bad, but wasn't that good. I've also tasted malt extract and tried wort on it's own before, and I could pull out an unfinished wort essence. Somehow, the sweetness, bitterness and earthiness didn't quite fit together. I want to try another flavor of the hop candy because I'm curious...but at the same time I don't. I definitely would prefer to drink my beer rather than let the non-alcoholic flavorings rot my teeth.

This is a fairly harsh review and I blame the sugar hangover of the post-Halloween season. There are probably some craft beer lovers that would squeal with delight as they savor this candy. Also, this a pretty decent gift for beer-heads (are you thinking about Christmas? I am.) who might want to get the hops flavor without the buzz of a drinking a beer. At least try a piece or two before you swear it off forever. Basically what I'm saying is, If I get a cavity, you have to get a cavity too.  

You probably can't find these in typical candy stores, so your best chance at buying hop candy is from your favorite beer store.Typically a 4oz bags of the candy sell for roughly $5. Maybe your craft beer store will sell them individually so you can give it a test taste before investing in a whole bag. Then we can visit the dentist together. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Quick Glassware Guide

Sometimes drinking craft beer can get complicated. First, you have to decide what you want to drink, then you have to decide what glass you want to put it in, and then you have to learn how to pour it correctly. But I'm a girl and have a habit of overthinking things. Overthinking what glass to use for what beer is just the tip of my personal indecisive iceberg.

Before I continue with the melodrama of my life, just make sure you get your beer into a glass. An IPA is going to taste a hell of a lot different in a pint glass than chugging it straight from the bottle. In case you're feeling adventurous or have some dolla' bills burning a hole in your pocket, feel free to invest in your own glassware or buy me some glassware. These are some (not all) of the most common beer drinking vessels:

Snifter: warms the beer as you drink, lets you swirl it and
gets your nose involved too
Good for: robust stouts, hoptastic IPAs, and other big ABV beers

Nonic Pint: super common pub glass
keeps a good head, easy to drink out of, cheap to make
Good for: porters, stouts, and other ales...an all-around safe bet

Mug/Stein: keeps your hands from warming the brew,
holds a lot of beer and a lot of head in a heavy duty mug
Good for: most ales—especially when you're rabble-rousing in the tavern

Weizen Glass: perfect for beers with
a big head and bubbles. Usually holds about a half liter which is top notch
Good For: wheat (weizen) ales

Pilsner Glass: typically holds 12oz of bubbly, heady beers.
Plus, it's a perfect glass to showcase your well crafted beer
Good for: effervescent ales, doppelbocks and pilsners...obviously

Tips:

**Don't frost your glass. Unless you're drinking a Natty's Ice, go ahead and frost away to keep it as cold as possible. But with the complexities of craft brews, frosting the glass can dull flavors. Plus, I share my freezer with three other girls and freezers have a way of spreading their "unique" odors around. Keep your beer glasses out of the freezer—trust me.

**Don't wash your beer glasses where they can pick up oils and odors from other dishes. Lovingly hand-wash them so they don't swish around in the same dishwasher water as your queso bowl from a week ago. Beer vessels don't play nice with others.

**If all else fails, ask a pro. When you stop into your favorite craft beer store to buy a Two Hearted Ale or a Breakfast Stout, ask the employee how he/she recommends you drink it. I guarantee they'll do a better job explaining the purpose of glass design than I just did.