Come sit with me for awhile .  .  .

and see what I’m bringing to the table

The once mundane .  .  .

have one (or more) at the ol’ ball game .  .  . has now stepped into the spotlight .  .  .  in a very big way. Move over martinis .   .   .

No longer the poor mans champagne, the new boutique beers, also known as craft beers now enjoy very extensive bills of fare, in bars, liquor stores, and higher end restaurants. The new hip drink of choice in many restaurants now share and in some cases exceed the printed menu space originally reserved for wine selections. The microbrews, also known as craft  and/or boutique beers that are being touted are comprised of  limited editions, and are viewed with as much reverence as a rare bottle of wine culled from a limited crop of rare grapes.

Having said all of this .  .  .  Not all microbrews are equal .   .    . and .   .  . should not be treated as equals .   .   . positively not !!!

The point of this column is not to highlight designer beers per se .  .  . but how they should be served, and in which glass .  .  . Now I know the beer drinker reading this column is saying .   .   . who cares what glass I get it in as long as it’s cold, or just give me the bottle! Well, I’m here to tell you .   .   . No No No .   .   . you are sooooo wrong!  Seriously wrong …

A few of the dozen or so vessels readily available are Handled Steins, Pilsner Glass, French Jelly Glasses, American Shaker Pint, Irish Imperial Pint, and Schooners. Of the many vessels available is the Pilsner glass (pictured above*), and also the most widely used and easiest to find.

*Nope .   .   . the photo isn’t a mistake .   .  . an orange slice… instead of the everyday, been done a gazillion times before, with a piece of lemon .   .   . try it,  you just might like it.

OK so you’ve selected your beer(s), and glass(es) … now comes THE most important part  .   .   . it’s got to be COLD, I mean ICE COLD!

Here’s my COLD formula… I wet my beer glasses (regardless of style) and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours. Beer should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator,  for a few hours before serving. When serving outside, keep ice cold beer in an ice filled chest once it comes out of the freezer, or refrigerator.  To keep extra glasses ice cold, stand them upside-down in the ice.

CHEERS !!!!!

Till next week…

I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS and QUESTIONS  .   .   . sharons3@me.com

Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and…

When using candles* for your celebration… remember to trim wicks to between 1/4-3/8” before each burn.

Please burn candles responsibly