# Putting salt in beer?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** beer
**Created:** [March 9, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730 "2006-03-09T19:49:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/1 "2006-03-09T19:49:34Z")
In a biography of Elvis I was recently reading, someone is mentioned as putting salt in his beer before drinking it. Is this something that many people do? It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of it.
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/2 "2006-03-09T19:53:59Z")
I’ve known one guy that used to do it at the Muni course where I played golf.
I’ve tried it. I don’t think that it’s common, but not unheard of.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/3 "2006-03-09T19:57:07Z")
It’s supposed to de-carbonate it, though why anyone would want to is beyond me.
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/4 "2006-03-09T20:03:51Z")
Crappy beer is much improved by salting. Back in the dark ages when the choice of tipple around here didn’t get much better than O’Keefe or Labatt’s, I always salted my beer. It makes it taste better and gives it a little head.
I guess it’s uncommon enough that a lot of pubs don’t leave salt-shakers on the table, but common enough that barmaids don’t blink when you ask for one.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/5 "2006-03-09T20:07:24Z")
As a bartender, I can tell you that this isn’t that uncommon. Frankly, I have no idea what the point is and I haven’t tested it myself, but there’s certainly a subset of people who do this.
One generalization I noticed is that it seems to be somewhat more common amongst Mexican customers, often it’s the lime & salt thing normally applied with tequila. It’s also always done with brands of beer that have a tendency to skunk, Corona, MGD, XX, Rolling Rock etc.
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/6 "2006-03-09T20:11:16Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> It’s supposed to de-carbonate it, though why anyone would want to is beyond me.
Because my beer belches are really loud!
Like Larry Mudd said, it improves crappy beer. I drank Grain Belt when I was a teenager, and I think it was pre-salted.
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/7 "2006-03-09T20:32:39Z")
I thought that people that drank beer very slowly did this to provide nucleation sites for new bubbles of CO2. One of the characters in Westlake’s Dortmunder novels does this.
But the thought is ghastly.
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### Author:  [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/8 "2006-03-09T20:37:20Z")
I’ve got a friend who has both terrible stomach problems and a deep, abiding love of alcohol. He salts his beer; I asked him why once and he said it made it easier on his stomach. I guess the salt takes the carbonation out and makes it easier for his system to digest.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/9 "2006-03-09T20:38:53Z")
If you dump a _lot_ of salt {or sugar. Or sand Anything with nucleation sites) into beer or soda, you get a lot of fizzing really fast, and the glass bubbles over. Sissy Spacek’s character does this in **Three Women**. I’ve dem,onstrated it to MilliCal.
But I can’t think it helps the flavor any.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/10 "2006-03-09T20:40:39Z")
**August West** has it. The idea is to “restore” the head on your beer. Vile habit, but what can you do?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/11 "2006-03-09T20:51:54Z")
My Grandfather told me this a long time ago and my Father told a similar story.
He used to bring a large Beer Bucket to the corner Bar and get it filled to bring home. To reduce head and ensure he got a full gallon he would put a little butter at the bottom. Then once home he would pour the beer in the glasses and add a little salt to restore/create the head.
Jim
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### Author:  [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/12 "2006-03-09T20:54:40Z")
My mother always did this when she drank a beer. I have salted on occasion, butnot often. But then, I really like salt…
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/13 "2006-03-09T21:52:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> If you dump a _lot_ of salt {or sugar. Or sand Anything with nucleation sites) into beer or soda, you get a lot of fizzing really fast, and the glass bubbles over. Sissy Spacek’s character does this in **Three Women**. I’ve dem,onstrated it to MilliCal.
>
> But I can’t think it helps the flavor any.
I do it with my flavored/splendaed/carbonated water because that stuff is so carbonated…the salt tones it down some and allows quicker drinking when I am thirsty. Sucks when I use the pepper by accident.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/14 "2006-03-09T23:03:51Z")
I do this with Mexican beer occassionally, mostly because everyone else seems to be doing it.
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### Author:  [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/15 "2006-03-09T23:15:48Z")
Back when I drank draft beer in the bars of Southern Ontario, it was common to put salt in it. You don’t want to pour beer from a bottle into a glass and add salt. It’s a thing you do with draft beer. I don’t know why, except it tastes pretty good.
When I was a kid, I had a friend whose dad owned one of the two local hotels. You’d see people adding salt to their draft all the time.
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/16 "2006-03-10T02:18:43Z")
My maternal grandmother used to do this. She said that it gave the beer a better head, and that beer is a diuretic, so it needed salt. She had some pretty odd ideas about food and drink, though. She also drank common domestic beer, not the good stuff, so I guess that the flavor was improved by salting it as well.
I don’t salt my beer. And I believe that life is too short to drink crappy beer.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/17 "2006-03-10T02:44:23Z")
My mother does it especially with Corona. I have done it before and it isn’t too bad.
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### Author:  [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/18 "2006-03-10T09:58:57Z")
It popular enough that they even make [beer salt.](http://www.twang.com/index.html?Mpg=/what.html)
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2006, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/19 "2006-03-10T10:15:07Z")
… then again…
Ball sweat would make probably make Corona taste better…
This would never have been “invented” in the first place if people even knew the true definition of beer.
Malt flavored alcohol water != beer
No beer connoisseur would EVER do this.
While I _have_ added [Burton salts](http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BURTON_WATER_SALTS_8_OZ__P1109C105.cfm) pre-brew… there is always a true scientific reason behind it, based on pH, and/or the pre-brew water quality.
I’ve only seen people salt shit like Corona or BMC. And I can’t really blame them at that point.
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### Author:  [@quidproquocoins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quidproquocoins)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-salt-in-beer/347730/20 "2013-02-01T03:48:09Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> My Grandfather told me this a long time ago and my Father told a similar story.
> He used to bring a large Beer Bucket to the corner Bar and get it filled to bring home. To reduce head and ensure he got a full gallon he would put a little butter at the bottom. Then once home he would pour the beer in the glasses and add a little salt to restore/create the head.
>
> Jim
Best Answer I have seen. Answers the question why.
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