Dear John, What is the reason for keeping head on a beer?
-Jonathan C., Philadelphia, PA
Achieving a proper pour with a nice head is important to ensure that the aromas of your beer are released for maximum enjoyment. While I don’t believe that it is really necessary to have a thick foamy head on every glass of beer (in fact much of the beer I drink won’t foam too much) the main argument for head retention is that it also improves the body and mouthfeel of a beer.
Dear John, I remember on the Drew Carey show they used to sell beer that had caffeine in it. What is the caffeine content for beers brewed with coffee or caffeinated beers?
-Matt C., Florence, NJ
Coffee-flavored beers usually have very small caffeine content, much less than a cup of coffee - so you won’t have to worry about it if you are on a strict decaf diet. On the other hand, if you are looking to get a nice coffee buzz while drinking, you should probably stick to alternating beer and real coffee. Caffeinated beers usually contain about half the caffeine you would find in an 8 oz. coffee in a 12 oz. beer.
Dear John, What is the best craft beer to drink if you are watching calories?
-Maggie H., Bucks County, PA
Well, the important thing with craft beer is to enjoy the flavor. I’m not going to recommend a beer that is light on flavor just to avoid calories. Instead, I think the better option is to just drink less beer. With a good plan of moderation and good pacing, just cut out the calories of those extra beers you would be drinking by having one or two less.