Here’s something that will wow you. Did you know that people used to purposefully salt their beer back in the day? Although the technique may seem bizarre and perhaps disgusting, there must be a justification for why people salt beer, right?
As it turns out, there are several benefits to salting beer. People salt their beer in an effort to improve flavour, reduce belching, and so much more. Must you put salt in beer? Let’s find out what does putting salt in beer do and if salted beer is worth it.
Table of Contents
- Salt and Its Purpose
- Why Do People Put Salt in Beer?
- Brewers Adding Salt to Beer
- FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Salt and Its Purpose
Let’s not forget that, historically, salt has served two distinct purposes. It contains a flavour enhancer and acts as a preservative.
People have been using salt to preserve the meat they needed to add protein to their meals for thousands of years. When meat was properly salted-cured, they might utilise it for days or even weeks before it went bad.
When it comes to flavour, salt has the unusual capacity to increase umami, sweetness, and sourness as well as lessen the bitterness of bitter flavours. It combines flavours in a way that no other herb or mineral can.
In addition, salt is essential for human survival. Life itself is salt. It’s been demonstrated to:
- Balance electrolytes and prevent muscle cramps
- Help you stay hydrated
- Improve sleep
- Promote vascular health
- Support a healthy nervous system
You can see that adding salt to your beer won’t affect your health at all, and may even benefit it. But why do people still salt beer? The health issues mentioned above couldn’t be the cause, could they?
Why Do People Put Salt in Beer?
The 10 most common reasons why do people put salt in their beer are:
- Tradition
- Reduced bitterness
- Enhanced sourness
- To get more drunk
- To drink even more beer
- To get more bubbles
- To burb less
- To urinate less
- To cure a hangover
- Because everyone else is doing it
Let’s look at these what does putting salt in beer do reasons in more detail!
1. Tradition
Traditions have a purpose for existing. Both the father and the son salt their beers. It’s likely that you will start salting beer if you were raised in a household where beer was consumed and elder members of your tribe added salt to their beer. This goes to answer why do spanish people put salt in their beer? As it is likely part of culture and tradition.
These customs frequently affect entire communities as well, so if the good old guys at your neighbourhood bar are doing it, you probably will, too. After all, tradition is what makes being at home feel nice.
2. Reduced Bitterness
If the beer is particularly bitter, such as a double IPA, salt will lessen the bitterness and make the brew taste slightly sweeter. So if you’re attempting an IPA, Gose, or Lambic, add a little salt and you might discover that you pick up the flavour of beer more rapidly.
3. Enhanced Sourness
Many Mexicans will assert that it was their nation that first popularised the practice of salting beer. A popular beverage in Mexico is the michelada, which is made with beer, lime juice, spices, and tomato juice. It also has salt on the rim.
Additionally, you must have seen the advertisements featuring a wonderful, cold Corona with lime and salt. In Mexico, lime pairs well with almost anything, and the salt, which acts as a natural taste enhancer, will bring out the lime’s sourness to its fullest potential.
4. To Get More Drunk
It is real. You will become more drunk than you would without the salt because adding salt causes your body to absorb alcohol more quickly by widening the aperture at the bottom of your stomach.
Be careful, especially if you’re in the sun, which just serves to further dehydrate you. However, some individuals are aware of this and actively use salt to increase their alcohol intake.
The duodenal sphincter is widened by salt, allowing alcohol to enter the small intestine and enter the bloodstream more quickly. For this reason, some individuals may advise you to steer clear of salty alcoholic beverages. You’ll become wasted more quickly and suffer from a far worse hangover.
Obviously, if you have hypertension or don’t want to get intoxicated, you should stay away from salted beer. However, there is no method to estimate the amount of salt needed to produce this effect. It’s hard to say for sure, but a sprinkling probably won’t make a difference.
5. To Drink Even More Beer
Adding salt to beer flattens the beer, reduces its fillingness, and encourages you to consume more of it. Men may be adding salt to their beer to drink more beer and win a beer competition at the pub.
6. To Get More Bubbles
Yes, adding salt to your beer will make it flat, but first it will make it fizzy. To get extra froth in their beer, some people add salt, and it can work, but only briefly. Beer’s whole carbon dioxide content is attracted to and drawn to the surface by salt, where it evaporates.
7. To Burp Less
In addition to flattening beer, salt also reduces stomach gas. Some individuals add salt to their beer to reduce the amount of belching that the carbon dioxide may cause.
8. To Urinate Less
One of sodium chloride’s numerous advantages is that it aids with water retention, which is helpful if you’re attempting to avoid dehydration. It is also beneficial if you want to avoid having to use the restroom after each drink when out with pals at the neighbourhood bar.
9. To Cure a Hangover
The day after drinking, salt is a fantastic remedy since it will prevent dehydration, which is a major cause of a hangover. Better still, savour the same beer you drank the previous evening with salt. That is referred to as “hair of the dog that bit you” in the realm of hangovers.
10. Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
Of course, the most absurd justification is that it is what everyone else is doing. But it doesn’t have to be very absurd. Trying out what your friends or the locals are doing can be enjoyable, and you never know—it might be the start of a fantastic tradition with tonnes of health advantages!
Brewers Adding Salt to Beer
Beer was traditionally brewed using salt in the past. Laws eventually evolved, and salting became viewed as a violation of such laws. However, times have changed, and brewers are turning back to salt and all the possible flavour combinations.
However, the way brewers add salt to beer is a little different from the way you might do it. When preparing malt, salt is added, combining the sweet and sour flavours into a harmonious whole. If you want to know What Is Beer Made Of visit our guide!
Examples of Beers Brewed With Salt
Here are few examples of beers that show that salt has a legitimate place in beer:
- Former Future Brewers’ Salted Caramel Prim and Porter
- Gose, the all-time best example of a salted beer. Gose has been around since the 13th century, when it was first brewed in the Goslar region of Deutschland.
- Perennial Brewery’s Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout
- Money Paw, a beer mixed with Himalayan rock salt that is served with Thai food
- ZeLUS beers are all brewed with sodium
Interested in learning about the differences and similarities in Ale vs Lager, visit our guide!
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Although Corona doesn’t include salt, it is frequently drank with salt on the bottle’s lip and a fresh lime slice. In Central and South America, the flavor-improving combination of lime and salt is frequently added to lighter beers. This is also the reason why a Corona with lime is such a delicious drink to have after a swim in the sea!
To flavour your beer, use a small amount of coarse salt, such as beer salt, Kosher salt, or margarita salt. You don’t require a lot. Avoid consuming too much salt because doing so could make you retain fluid and make you absorb alcohol more quickly than usual.
Beer with salt can hasten the onset of inebriation. The duodenal sphincter, which opens to the small intestine, is impacted by salt. Alcohol gets into the bloodstream significantly more swiftly because it enters the small intestine quicker. You can feel much more inebriated as a result. You can also wind up drinking more bottles or cans of beer than usual because salted beer makes you thirstier and more likely to drink too much alcohol.
Beer tastes better when salted, as it does with everything else. While enhancing the malt, salt can help cut through the hops’ inherent bitterness. In addition, salt will produce more bubbles, resulting in a richer and thicker head.
