Steam Beer

[David Bergdahl]

The definition of steam beer strikes me as right: years ago I used to make
beer.  Not being able to put jugs of beer in the fridge for months, I only
made it in the late fall or winter after the wild yeasts had been killed off
by the frosts.  When making beer, the yeast works the wort and produces a
yeast cloud: beer is ready to bottle when the yeast cloud falls, leaving a
clear liquor which contains no or little natural carbonation.  In order to
get a head on a beer, a small quantity of sugar has to be added to each
bottle before capping.  (The one year I tried using jug wine bottles for my
beer a gallon jug exploded in the garage and, boy! did it stink up the
attached basement!)  If the beer is poured at room temperature a huge volume
of suds is emitted--I can easily imagine a steam analogue attaching itself.
___________________
"The hardest thing in America is to be what one is softly"
                                                         --Leon Wieseltier