Craft beer enthusiasts know that a flight can be a valuable tool for beer exploration…but can you really understand a beer after 4oz? ~ Maurice Amon

1. Flights & Pints

2. One of my favorite pastimes is
craft beer exploration.

3. It’s sometimes unfortunate that
when you list beer as a hobby, it also
means one of your hobbies is
getting drunk.

4. And when you’re into the kinds of
beers like – imperial stouts, double
IPAs, Belgian quads – it’s easy to lose
track of the night!

5. So, when I set out for an evening of
beer exploration, the responsible
choice is to order a flight.

6. For the uninitiated, a flight is a
collection of small glasses, each
filled with a different beer.

7. Typically there are four glasses,
anywhere from 4oz to 8oz, served
on a slat of wood with round holes
to keep the glasses in place.

8. There are just so many advantages
to ordering flights, even beyond
keeping your alcohol intake in check.

9. First, it’s a great way to try many
beers in one sitting.

10. If you’re planning on having four
pints with some friends, that pretty
much equals to sixteen beers, if the
bar has enough beers on tap!

11. Beyond that, it can also be fun to
select beers that will complement or
contrast with one another.

12. For instance, trying four IPAs with
different prominent hop varieties
would be a great way to understand
the effect hops has on aroma and
flavor.

13. Ordering a flight can also be a
magical experience when ordered
with a food with varied flavors – a
meat and cheese plate is the classic
example.

14. Choosing a few beers that you think
will pair with the house cheeses,
then playing around with
combinations can often make for
some outstanding flavor
combinations.

15. But there’s a flip-side to ordering
a flight.

16. Great beer tasters will tell you that
you only need 2oz of beer in order
to understand it’s profile fully.

17. For the average person, and me,
that can be a little more difficult.

18. Sometimes when I’m tasting a flight,
because there’s so little liquid in the
glass, I focus too hard on the
qualities of the beer.

19. What happens is that I often judge it
more harshly than if I was leisurely
sipping from an imperial pint.

20. Take Finback Brewery’s new
Smoked Porter.

21. In a flight glass, I thought the
flavor was tinny and flat.

22. But, less than a week later, I was
given a pint and LOVED it.

23. Can someone truly understand a
beer after only 4oz?

24. If so, what hope do we have for
making even a dent in the many
brands and offerings out there in
the craft beer world?

25. Thus is just one of the beer-
drinker’s dilemma :)

26. Flights & Pints