I wonder if Brittney and Paris know all these facts about the great beers of the world. Anyway, keep up with the in-crowd by knowing a bit of beer trivia.
10 Beer Tips You Really Need to Know…well maybe you need to know
Never mind the silly beer laws, check out the beer facts. Have you ever wished for a cheat sheet of beer tips when ordering at your favorite pub? The twin trends of local microbrews and specialty imports mean that there are more beers than ever before on the United States market. Beer, while always a favorite beverage in the United States, has now become a truly hot topic. The average young, up-and-coming woman is now expected by her friends and society as a whole to be conversant and familiar on the topic of beers. While each beer will have its own distinctive characteristics, a few general beer tips will help get you started in the right direction.
1. What are the basic types of beer and what causes their differences?
Beer consists of four ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water. Within this ingredient list, however, there is an almost endless variety due to the differences in types of ingredients and the proportions. Additional ingredients are sometimes added to specialty brews. The basic key to becoming fluent in beers is to understand the differences between lagers, ales and specialty brews. As soon as you understand the differences and the reasons behind the tastes of certain beers, you will be able to determine what you like and why. You will also be able to classify new types of beers with a reasonable level of accuracy.
2. What makes a beer a lager?
Lager was developed in Bavaria in the 19th century. Lager is aged in cold storage using a special type of bottom-fermenting yeast. Bottom-fermenting yeast sinks to the bottom of the barrel rather than remaining on the surface. Overall, lagers tend to be paler in color and more carbonated than ales.
Lager is the most popular type of beer in the United States and many parts of the world due to the lower alcohol content and milder flavor than that of ale. Popular lagers include Pilsners, American Lagers and Bocks.
3. What is a Pilsner?
Pilsners are clean, crisp and well-carbonated. The Pilsner can be considered the model for today’s Pale Lagers, although in a Pilsner the hops flavor is more pronounced. The taste of a Pilsner is sweet with a high note of hops. Pilsners were developed in the Czech Republic (then Bohemia) in 1839, in response to what was then considered unfavorable top-fermenting beer production. Experts from Bavaria were brought in to help perfect the technique, and the first Pilsner, named for the town in which it was brewed, was released in 1842. Today, the most popular Pilsners in the United States are from Germany. Beck’s and St. Pauli Girl are two German Pilsners that are popular in the United States today.
4. What defines American Lager?
American Lager is the beer that most of us grew up with in the United States. Budweiser, Coors, Canada’s Molson and Mexico’s Corona are just a few of the well-known brand names associated with American Lager. The name derives from the fact that the style was developed in North America. American Lager is fairly light in both color and texture, low to moderate in alcohol content and extremely subtle in hops content. The flavor is usually augmented by the addition of rice or corn during the brewing process. American Lagers are often looked down upon by many, as they are considered weak and lacking in character compared to European beers.
Ice beers such as Natural Ice and Light beers are variants on American Lagers. There is also an American style Pilsner that combines the techniques and flavors of the European Pilsners and American Lagers. The Canadian Labatt’s Blue is the most common example of an American Pilsner.
5. How is a Bock beer defined?
Bock beers such as Amber Bock have become very popular in the United States in recent years. Bock beer was originally developed in Germany. Its name comes from a corruption of the name of the town in which it was first produced, Einbeck. Although Bocks were traditionally very dark in color, modern Bocks run the gamut from extremely dark to extremely light. Bocks are high in alcohol content as well as nutrients and food value. The Bock beers are aged extremely slowly, resulting in a high malt content and sweet flavor. The hops flavor is barely noticeable in a Bock beer.
6. What is an ale?
Ale is considered top fermenting because the yeast remains on the surface rather than sinking to the bottom of the barrel. Ales are fermented at a higher temperature than lagers. In comparison to lagers, ales are more full-bodied and higher in alcohol content. Traditional ales use a high barley content malt, although there are also wheat beers that are brewed using the ale method. Popular varieties of ale include Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Dark Ale (subdivided into Stout and Porter) and many others.
7. What is Pale Ale?
Pale Ale was developed in the 1600s by using a drying process based on coke fuel to dry malt. The term Pale Ale was first coined in the early 1700s. The name has been used over the years to refer to a surprisingly wide variety of ales including English Bitters.
8. How is Brown Ale defined?
Brown Ale is a term loosely used to describe ales that are made with dark brown malt. Brown Ales can range from sweet to moderately bitter and from low to medium alcohol content. Some Brown Ales have distinct malt or hops flavors. Newcastle is a popular bitter Brown Ale, while Abita Turbo Dog and Pete’s Wicked Ale are milder North American versions.
9. What makes a Dark Ale?
The Dark Ales are Stout and Porter. As a general rule, Stouts are stronger in alcohol content than Porters, although the exact histories and definitions are rather blurry and intertwined. Early Porter was the first beer in London that was aged at the distillery and sold in an immediately ready to drink form. Porters fell out of favor for a long time in the United States, but the popularity of microbreweries had led to a new revival. Probably the most famous Stout in the United States is Ireland’s Guinness, which is hugely popular in the United States. Many other varieties of Stout are also available, including versions based on chocolate, oatmeal, milk and even oyster.
10. What about specialty brews?
Specialty brews are a large category that includes any beer or malt beverage that does not easily fall into another type. Some specialty brews use a mix of lager and ale brewing techniques.
Many add fruits or spices for additional flavor. A lot of microbrewery beers can be considered specialty brews as their brewing methods are groundbreaking and unique.
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