Food and Drinks #1 - Beers Aplenty

“A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.”

This Czech Proverb could not be more right and with so many types and brands of beer nowadays it's often hard, even for the most beertastic of bros to wrap his head around what makes each beer different and what exactly he likes in a beer. So many of us drink it quite often yet don't know that beer is actually a general term for more than one type of fermented beverage. Though I will never claim that I am a beer expert, I will try to sum up what everyone should know about this beverage of choice.

Beer 101


1. Power of 3

The term beer encompasses roughly 3 types of fermented beverages: Ale, Lager and least known, Lambic or Mixed Origin beers.

Ale

In short, Ales are a type of beer that ferment at warmer temperatures (60-75 F) and form a layer of foam on top, giving them the name of top-fermenting beers.

Lager

Lagers are a type of beer that ferment at temperatures averaging 50 F and contain a complex sugar, raffinose, as a byproduct of fermentation. Unlike ales, lagers ferment at the bottom, giving rise to the name bottom-fermenting beers.

Lambic

Lambics and mixed origin beers are sometimes bunched up together and forgotten, even though they are original beers that fueled the creation of a beer-brewing industry. Unlike ales and lagers where the yeast cultures used for fermentation are carefully selected, lambics and mixed origin beers are spontaneous-fermentation beers, meaning the yeasts that are involved in their fermentation are naturally occurring ones. Compared to ales and lagers, lambics cover the smallest portion of the beer market and are only manufactured in Belgium, more specifically in the region surrounding Brussels, where the yeasts that are native to the Senne (Zenne) valley are used.

 2. By the looks of it...

There are three visual characteristics that are usually observed in a beer and they are colour, clarity, and nature of the head. Colour is usually imparted by the malts used, notably the adjunct malts added to darker beers, though other ingredients may contribute to the colour of some styles such as fruit beers.

Chart of some more popular beers based in their colour

3. Aroma, Flavor and Feel

Aroma

The aroma and flavour in a beer ares formed by a combination of the malts and other fermentables used, the strength and type of hops, the alcohol, esters, and various  aromatic components formed by the yeast strain as well as other elements that may derive from the water and the brewing process. Bitterness can be measured on an International Bitterness Units scale, and in North America a number of brewers record the bitterness on this scale as IBUs.

Based on different elements that pertain to aroma and feel, similar to wine, some beers go with a certain type of dish while others with another. Use this chart if you ever want to pair beer with your food.

Feel

The feel of a beer in the mouth, both from thickness of the liquid and from carbonation, may also be considered as part of a beer's style. A sweeter beer feels thicker in the mouth. The level of carbonation (or nitrogen, in "smooth" beers) varies from one beer style to another. For some beers it may give the beer a thick and creamy feel, while for others it contributes a prickly sensation.

While wine connoisseurs are called oenophiles beer connoisseurs have no actual name although maybe the word beeroisseur might work?! Here's a chart of the terminology a beeroisseur would use to describe the bouquet of a beer

A condensed history of beer

Please enjoy the next time you open a bottle of "golden ambrosia" as some people call it!