Adding Salt To Beer: Why Do Some People do That?

Adding salt to beer could be a surprising choice for some people. Here are just a few reasons why you should give it a try.
 
Salted beer helps to replenish the salt in your body from sweating as well as bring out those unique flavors in your next cocktail. Salt also subdues the bitterness in a brew. Salt enhances all the wonderful flavors of malts and hops as well.  Something as small as adding a little salt makes the difference between an okay beer or a great beer.
 
To understand why places like small-town bars or those fancy urban clubs use salt, keep reading and discover their secret.
 
For a more Flavorful Experience Adding Salt might be the Secret.
 
Just like adding a dash of salt to your meal, the same reason applies to beer. Anyone who cooks knows that almost every dish needs salt, an important flavor enhancer from breads to sauces to French fries. Some of the best chefs in the world are known to emphasize the use of salt in their cuisine.
 
This prevalent use has to do with our ability to perceive taste. While it’s believed that our tongue has different sections that perceive flavor,  it doesn’t actually work this way. Instead, studies show that cells in our tongues react to different flavors.
 
All the delicious flavors beer has to offer are just a dash of salt away. This dash of salt reduces the bitterness while enhancing the sweet and sour flavors in each pint or growler. The amount of salt used determines the exact bitterness or sweetness of your beer.
 
Another ingredient that enhances the taste is the use of flavored salts. Flavors like michelada, lime, or lemon are just a few that many manufacturers create for this purpose. Almost everyone loves that spicy bloody Mary taste that a michelada flavor makes. The lime and lemon give drinks that tangy citrus flavor that is so refreshing.
 
Making a Salted Beer Cocktail that much Better
 
A drink like the Corrido Prohibido is a classic mix of your favorite beer and margarita flavors. This makes one of the greats on the vast cocktail menu. Simply by adding a shot of white tequila and salting the rim of the glass, and, voila, a nice cold beer equals magic. Using premade margarita mix with an authentic Mexican lager, such as Corona, makes amazing drinks as well.

In the great state of South Dakota, the ever-popular Red Beer has a reputation for flavor. Bridging that flavorful middle ground between a bloody Mary and a beer. Once you choose your brew, whether that’s Red Beer or another brand, all you need to do is add a splash of some clamato or tomato juice. It could also be a bloody Mary mix. Finally, we get that amazing flavor by adding a shake of salt, Tabasco sauce, and green olives. Red Beer will continue to be popular as long as this delicious recipe is kept alive.
 
Adding Salt to a Sweaty Beer
 
It is common for people that work in construction or who have a labor-intensive job to add salt to their beer when they have the chance. Climate has a lot to do with how a person chooses to dress their beer. Regardless of where you go, many places in the world use this ingredient in drinks. From quaint taverns in Spain to beachside island bars in the Bahamas, you will find saltshakers at your table. It’s that dash that makes a difference.
 
Scientific evidence shows that salt helps us when we sweat, a natural reaction when we overheat. The same principal applies to beer. Your beer starts losing salt the moment it sweats. That is why adding salt to a beer will give you a different flavor experience. That added salt replaces what is being lost through condensation.
 
This added salt not only restores lost flavor but helps us replenish the salt we lose every day through our skin. Sodium is key when it comes to good health, helping our muscle fibers and nerve impulses, among other things.
 
Bringing Salt into the Mix
  
The fizziness of your beer determines the amount of salt needed once you pop the lid. Is it too much or too little? It is customary in many places to add lime to the beer bottle. Tipping it upside down while holding your thumb over the neck neutralizes the bitterness. Just watch out for the foam!
 
Believe it or not, there are many pre-seasoned beers already available. Some brewers go ahead and add flavors themselves, giving you more time to sit back and relax.
 
For light and lager beers, it is a tradition to add salt for flavor enhancement. Microbreweries do this by adding salt after the fermentation process. A Belgium salted chocolate stout, or Boulevard Brewery’s Hibiscus Gose salt for taste. Let us not forget The Yink from Anderson Valley or Jester King’s Snörkel.
 

Uncle SALTY’s Recipe for Beer:
 

1. How adding salt became popular.
Long ago, people in Spain and Latin America started using salt to enhance flavor in beer. The end of prohibition in the U.S. marks more than a hundred years since Americans started copying this tasty trend.

2. Salting Beer Emphasizes Hops.
The natural oils in hops reduce the bitterness of their original form. However, when boiling hops these essential flavors are lost. That’s why sodium is key in maintaining a quality product.
 
3. Different Salted Beers–Knowing what Beer is best to Salt.
A misconception about adding salt is that you don’t need to add much. In case you do add too much salt, this can be fixed by just adding more beer, no argument there. Dark beers tend to use more salt. Lagers, of course, are the opposite. With less beer, you keep the traditional taste.
 
4. Finding Beer salt comes with Research.
Many companies manufacture beer salt, making it convenient to buy online or at a grocery store. Regular salt can also be used to enhance flavor.
 
5. Adding Salt Sounds Counterintuitive when Cooling Down.
Drinking an ice-cold Corona with lime is the most popular way to cool down, but many people will tell you to drink only water if you’re feeling overheated. However, drinking a salted beer helps to replenish your sodium levels which are affected by sweating.
 
6. The Importance of Carbonation.
For any brewer making great beer, one of the most important ingredients is carbon dioxide (CO2). Keeping your beer carbonated ensures all flavors will be potent. The CO2 gas bonds and rehydrates the beer to increase the head of foam. Clearly, without the use of CO2, there is no good-tasting beer.
 
7. The Benefits of Salt in Beer
Ultimately, there is a reason salt is added to satisfy and quench the thirst of beer lovers around the world. Each of us has a unique palate that reacts to flavors differently, guiding our preferences. For example, with Mezcal you can add powdered chili to neutralize the alcohol. In Mojitos, you can add mint leaves and sugar to eliminate the intensity of white lime. It all depends on your palate.
 
If anyone wants to brew their own beer, it’s important to know at least the basics. This means knowing exactly what goes into the mixture and how to prepare it. It is a science that is only going to continue to grow. In every part of the country, there are going to be microbreweries popping up, revealing new brews, and keeping other brewers on their toes. There will always be new and different types of beers and different ways to prepare them.
 
You can be the next brewer or bar owner that makes a difference for your town. Embracing the change in marketing and culture is key to ensuring your business will stay open for a long time to come. It is the simple things, like adding salt to a classic brew, that can make customers return again and again for that great taste.
 
Those who have used Himalayan pink salt can tell you that minerals make a difference in taste. It is this concept that makes beers taste so much better; the science that creates the exact formula we need to satisfy our taste buds. So, remember that the next time you open a beer, it can be enhanced by adding a dash of your preferred flavored salt!

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