beer

While you're cracking open a cold bottle of beer to celebrate the Super Bowl, you might want to consider using that chilly brew for purposes other than drinking if you have some left over. Here are some cool uses beyond imbibing:

• Beer bath: Add two cups of beer to your bath to enjoy some healing effects. Hops have medicinal properties that are good for your skin. The beer bath is an efficient skin-softener, and it's even said to help with psoriasis and other skin ailments.
• Stain remover: If you've made a mess on your clothing or rug, then dab it with a beer-soaked cloth. Let it sink in for a few hours, and then toss it in the washer.
• Marinade: The slightly acidic properties of beer will tenderize meat without affecting too much of the flavor. Marinate the meat in beer for as little as a few hours or as long as a day.
• Pest trapper: It's not just humans who enjoy guzzling beer; household pests do as well. Trap slugs and snails by placing dishes or jars of beer around your garden at night. You can even get rid of fruit flies by placing a jar of beer in your home, covering the top with paper, and poking a small hole in the paper cover. The flies will be lured into the jar but will be unable to make it out.
• Gold jewelry cleaner: Soak your gold jewelry in beer, and then take it out and polish it lightly with a dry cloth.
• Wood furniture brightener: Brighten up your dull wood furniture by rubbing it down with a cloth dampened with flat beer.
• Beer batter: Leftover beer is great for cooking. There are so many recipes that call for beer batter, and they include beer battered onion rings, beer battered fish and chips, and the list goes on.

There are hard-core beer drinkers, and those who prefer sweeter fizzy stuff — hard apple cider, that is. Cider fans who want the added bonus of a seasonal flavor: look no further than Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider ($10 for a six-pack). Ace Ciders has been around for 15 years, brewing next door to its wine-making neighbors in Sonoma County.

The fermented apple cider tastes more of green apple than it does of pumpkin, but allspice shines through, offering a hint of Fall flavor. Big, bold beer fans thought the cider was "too sweet," but others loved the cider for its syrupy sugar content. A few tasters described the flavor as "unexpected" and could imagine the cider used in a cocktail or a Halloween punch. If you are gluten-free, don't like beer, or are a sucker for sweet alcoholic beverages, then Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider is the bottle for you.

We found a pumpkin beer that you can find in stores, but here's one that actually tastes like pumpkin and spices: Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Ale ($8 for six-pack).

There was a huge dichotomy between those who found the beer to be a good representation of a Belgian-style wheat ale and others who considered it too bitter for that brew style. Many tasters expected it to be soft and creamy like a Hefeweizen and were disappointed by its sour flavor notes.

Still, several drinkers could detect the pumpkin and the spices without the flavors overwhelming the wheat beer. Others described the beer as a "nice balance between wheat beer and pumpkin flavor"; GeekSugar editor Kelly Schwarze even suggested dipping the rim of a pint glass in cinnamon sugar and sprinkling the beer foam with nutmeg. We think that sugary-spiced goodness would help cut the bitterness and enhance the Fall-forward flavors already in the glass. Pumpkin beer latte, anyone?

There seem to be a lot of pumpkin craft beers out there, but where the heck are they stocked? I've searched high and low and save for a few bigger breweries, none of the beers I've read on the web seem to be stocked at my local grocers, co-ops, or liquor stores. According to the Whole Foods near my house, the seasonal flavor is so popular right now that as soon as any pumpkin-flavored beer cases hit the shelves, they sell out in a matter of minutes. So what about us unlucky few who didn't manage to snag a coveted case of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale this year? Is there pumpkin beer hope for us yet?

Here's one that I've seen at Whole Foods, BevMo, and my local liquor shops: Buffalo Bill's America's Original Pumpkin Ale ($8 for six-pack). The amber-style ale claims it is brewed with fresh roasted pumpkins, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Plus, the large pumpkin image on the label offers a hopeful promise this ale is all about its pumpkin flavor, but find out if its marketing schemes accurately portray what's inside the bottle.

Time for a little history lesson (it'll be fun, I promise!): on Oct. 4, 1842, the first pilsner was born in the town of Pilsen, Czech Republic. That seminal pilsner we speak of is, of course, Pilsner Urquell ($8 for 6), whose name literally means "the pilsner from the original source."

Since then, imitators have been brewing up beers in this frothy, balanced, and eminently refreshing style in full force. While they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I, like many, hold a soft spot in my heart for the original. So when we cracked open a few bottles for an officewide taste test, I was only slightly surprised at the general outcry of praise for the Bohemian brew.

Keep reading to learn why we're so smitten.

Skeptical about hard cider? Today's tipples, Strawman and Iceman from Angry Orchard Hard Cider, just might surprise you.

Modeled after traditional European and Canadian cider-making processes, these small-batch brews are higher in alcohol — 10 percent, as opposed to the five that's common for the cider category — and are much rounder than we've come to expect in a cider. Keep reading for our tasting notes.

Like wine, beer deserves to be tasted and slowly appreciated too. But how does one begin? And how to describe it as anything other than foamy and fermented? Here are a few tips to tasting beer better than you have before.

1. Pour the beer in another glass: I love drinking beer straight from the bottle, but to appreciate the color and foam, pour it into a tall, chilled glass. Take a look at the color, whether it's golden or amber, cloudy or clear. These details distinguish the beer variety. Pouring the beer in a wide-rimmed glass also enables you to smell and thus taste the beer better.
2. Take several whiffs: Swirl the beer in the glass (careful not to slosh it out of the sides) and take short "puppy" whiffs to intensify the scent. Note what you smell. Does it smell sweet like honey? Roasted like coffee? Take several sniffs before sipping the beer.
3. Take a small sip: Taste the beer and determine your immediate reaction. Breathing in through your nose as your sip boosts the flavor of the beer. Is there a great discrepancy between the beer's scent and taste?
4. Think about the middle and end: Pay attention to how the beer coats the tongue and its finish. Like wine, beer can evolve and change the longer it sits on the tongue. Sometimes beer can start out sweet and foamy and finish bitter and sludgy.
5. Continue sipping for more details: Sip slowly and pick up more details like the beer's texture or interesting and unusual flavors like soy sauce or soap.

Somehow, I missed the memo on North Coast Brewing Co.'s Scrimshaw Pilsner ($10 for a six-pack) until recently, despite it being an apparent favorite around Sugar HQ.

When I busted out a few bottles for a taste test, collective oohs and aahs were heard, with comments like, "This is my go-to beer at most bars!" and even a proclamation from one colleague that it is her favorite pilsner, hands down. So I cracked open a bottle, poured it into a glass, and marveled at its generous foamy head, golden-wheat hue, and hop-forward aroma.

Sure enough, the frothy brew wasn't overhyped. Sip by crisp and refreshing sip I quickly drained my glass, and despite the early afternoon hours, I craved more. A perfect transitional beverage, this light-bodied brew is thirst-quenching enough to satisfy on a scorching Indian Summer afternoon but would be at home paired with meat-centric Fall stews, too.