The Rest of the Century
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Beer Here
by Erika Goedrich
Beer Styles
"A rose is a rose is a rose."
--Gertrude Stein
Some may make the argument that the same logic could be applied to beer. Beer is beer is beer. That's one way to look at it. However, beer comes in many different types with various flavors, affected by the kind and amount of ingredients included.
Beer is made from malted barley, hops, yeast and water.
Barley is a cereal grain. Malt is barley that has been moistened, allowed to germinate and then dried.
Hops are the green flowers of a perennial vine used to preserve the beer.
Yeast is responsible for producing the alcohol in beer. It is a single cell organism whose metabolism converts sugars contained in the malt to alcohol and carbon dioxide. (Source: Sam Adams Beer Term Dictionary) Yeast is divided into two categories: top-fermenting or ale yeasts and bottom-fermenting or lager yeasts.
Water is the main ingredient of beer in weight and volume.
Beer styles are often described in terms of color, smell, taste and body.
A beer's color is mostly determined by the type of malt used. Malts are often roasted giving it different colors. Mixing malts can produce different color beers. Adding other grains like wheat, rice or corn can lighten the color of beer.
Hops and malt affect a beer's smell. Oils in a the hop cone contribute to the smell, which can range from light and floral to sharp and pungent. Malt adds a sweet aroma. Caramel and nutty aromas come from darker malts, while a coffeelike aroma comes from black grains.
All four ingredients affect a beer's taste. The chemical makeup of water plays an important role in a beer's flavor. The character of water can be changed by filtration or addition of minerals. Taste is also affected by the amount and type of malt used. A sweet flavor comes from light malts, caramel or nutty flavors come from lightly roasted malts, while darker malts produce a chocolate or coffeelike taste. The waxy resins in hops add bitterness to a beer. Bitterness can be increased by adding hops early in the brewing process.
The ingredients used and carbonation level affect a beer's body, or "mouthfeel." A beer's body can be described as crisp, dry, thick or chewy.
All beer can be classified as an ale or a lager. The major difference between the two is flavor. Ales tend to have a fruity aroma and flavor characteristics, while lagers don't. Lagers are smoother and crisper.
Ale styles were developed in England, Ireland and Scotland. Belgium, Germany and America also have started producing ale styles. Top-fermenting yeasts are used in ales and the fermentation temperature ranges from 60-70 degrees. It takes about two weeks to brew an ale. Ales include wheat beers, bitters, amber or red ales, German ales (also called altbiers), brown ales, porters and stouts.
Lager styles originated in Germany. Lagers use a bottom-fermenting yeast that requires cold fermentation, ranging from 50-55 degrees. Lagers can take three to four months to brew. Pilseners, American red lagers, Oktoberfests, bocks and doppelbocks are all lagers.
(Above information taken from the Institute for Brewing Studies Beer Sellers Guide)