by John Gray

Created on: August 21, 2007   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

Beer drinking friends of the world unite, your help is needed. Our society is falling way back in its standards of etiquette. Not long ago, for instance, in British culture a person could be imprisoned for wearing the wrong type of buttonhole at the gentleman's club, or a lady could be sent abroad in shame for wearing the wrong shade of green felt hat.

But now sadly, things are very different. And nothing is more strikingly wrong as in the art of the beer drinker, a subject that is indeed close to my heart. The beer drinking culture of the western world is falling in its standards, maybe we can make a difference in the fight against the lager lout, against the sub-standard ale, and against the dreaded chemical beer.

Here is a list of five golden ideals that we should all strive to combat in our world fight for better beer-tasting etiquette.

The things you want to bear in mind when drinking is:

1 Look - How does the beer look? Is it pale, amber, dark or somewhere in between? Does it catch the light or possess an absorbent look?

2 Smell - A great beer will smell divine. Get your nostrils in there and give it a good old sniff. What does it smell like? Does it smell light and fruity? Can you detect any other hints of the possible flavour to the drink? Does it make you want to drink it?

3 Mouthfeel - How does it feel in your mouth? Does it dominate the palatte or is it complex in character? What can you taste? Swill the drink around in your mouth and what can you detect?

4 Taste - What is the overall taste? Does it linger? What after-taste does it have? Has it a complex finish?

5 Overall - What is this beer like overall? Is it a session beer or a special beer? Would you recommend it to a friend or would you drink it again? What food would go well with this drink?

These are just some of the thoughts and questions in which you could be asking yourself when drinking. Beer is much more than banging it "down in one," although sometimes that is necessary too.

Here are some points to help in the fight for the beer-tasting etiquette.

1 Never Drink from the Can or Bottle: This is one of the lowest and most frequently abused of the beer drinking etiquette. What should happen is a slow pour out into a glass (clean) at a 45 angle. Stare longingly at the glass at least one full minute in anticipation of the amber magic. Make it a social thing; invite a friend away from the TV to join in the worship. The bottom line is respect the drink.

2 Correct Temperature: An ice cold beer in the heat

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