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The Four Main Ingredients of Beer

Malted Barley is barley that has been allowed to germinate (sprout) to a certain point, and is then dried. The barley is slowly dried in a kiln at temperatures gradually rising to 122 F for lighter malts and 220 F for darker malts. This kiln drying takes about 30 hours. The degree of drying or toasting in a kiln brings various flavors to the beer. A medium roasted malt will have caramel flavors, while a dark roasted malt will have chocolate or coffee flavors. Other grains such as wheat and rye can also be used instead of or in combination with barley to create specific styles of beer.

Hops are the cone-like flowers of the female hop vine. Hops were originally introduced by brewers to help inhibit the growth of beer spoiling bacteria, to maintain flavor stability, and to help retain the head of the beer. They not only provide bitterness as a counter-point to the relatively sweet malted barley, but they bring various aromas flavors to the beer depending on the type(s) of hops used. Citrus, pineapple, green grass, pepper and pine are just some examples of what one might taste and smell. There are over 50 different varieties of hops which are grown commercially.

Yeast are tiny one-celled organisms that turn sugar from the malted barley into alcohol and carbon dioxide in a process called fermentation. In other words, yeast are what makes beer a bubbly, alcoholic beverage. Yeast also greatly contributes to the flavor of the beer, and specific yeast are used for specific styles. The top-fermenting yeast are used for making ales and stouts, and can lend fruit, butterscotch and buttery flavors. Yeast in German wheat beers provide clove and banana flavors, while yeast in farmhouse-style beers lend flavors of earth, cheese, hay and horse-blanket.

Water is a very substantial ingredient of beer, composing of 90-95 percent of beer by mass. The taste and chemistry of water is a big factor of what caused different styles of beer to be created in different regions. The hard, mineral-laden water of Burton, England contributes greatly to the distinctive taste of Bass (a British Pale Ale), while the softer water of the Czech Republic is what makes authentic Pilsner taste so clean and pure. Through filtering and/or additives, brewers today can change the chemistry of their water to meet the needs of the specific style they wish to brew.

And a Fifth (or sixth or seventh…)

Spices, fruit and other flavorings may be added to beer in ways only limited by a brewer’s imagination. Chili beers provide a kick, while cinnamon, orange peel and cloves can be warming in the cold winter months. Even exotic spices such as cardamom, star anise and grains of paradise are not that uncommon in beer. Raspberries, cherries, peaches, apricots and currants are among many fruits traditionally used in Belgian lambics. And pumpkin has become an autumn favorite of American brewer

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The Great Divide: Ale vs. Lager

Much like the wine world which is primarily divided between Reds & Whites, most of the beer world falls into the categories of either Ales or Lagers.  The basic difference is that ales use bottom fermenting yeast, are fermented for a relatively short time (1-2 weeks) at warmer temperatures, and result in what is typically a darker, fruitier brew. Stouts, Porters and Dubbels are all ales. Lagers use top fermenting yeast, are fermented for several weeks at cold temperatures, resulting in a clearer, often lighter colored and crisper brew. Most popular American beers (Budweiser, Miller and Coors) are all lagers.

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Alcohol content

Beers come in varying strengths. While most mass-market American beers are typically 3% to 5% A.B.V. (alcohol by volume), there are some strong styles and varieties of beer that can reach 8% A.B.V. or more.  For comparison, wines typically range between 8%-12% alcohol content.  To figure out the alcohol content of hard liquor, simply divide the proof by two. For example, an 80 proof vodka is 40% alcohol.

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Beer Styles - Ales

Pale Ale

The English Pale Ale can be traced back to the city of Burton-upon-Trent, a city with an abundance of rich hard water. This hard water helps with the clarity as well as enhancing the hop bitterness. This ale can be from golden to reddish amber in color with generally a good head retention. A mix of fruity, hoppy, earthy, buttery and malty aromas and flavors can be found. American versions tend to be heavier on the hops.

Common examples of Pale Ales: Bass Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Brooklyn Ale (a.k.a. Pennant Ale)

IPA – India Pale Ale

This typically very hoppy ale originated in England when brewers were trying to find a method for their ales to travel well over the long sea voyage to the British colony of India. Hops are a natural preservative, and adding more hops helped the beer to survive the long trip. First brewed in England and exported for the British troops in India during the late 1700s.

Common examples of IPA’s: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Magic Hat Blind Faith

ESB – Extra Special (or Strong) Bitter

A historically British style of Ale, the Bitter style came from brewers who wanted to differentiate these ales from other mild brews, with pale malts and more hops. Extra Special Bitters are essentially more aggressive and more balanced Bitters, both in alcohol and hop character, but nothing overpowering. The malts tend to be more pronounced, often leading to toasty and fruity flavors,

Common examples of ESB’s: Fuller’s ESB, Young’s Special London Ale

Porters

Porter is said to have been popular with transportation workers of Central London, hence the name. Most traditional British brewing documentation from the 1700’s state that Porter was a blend of three different styles: an old ale (stale or soured), a new ale (brown or pale ale) and a weak one (mild ale), with various combinations of blending and staleness, leading to a pleasing taste of neither new nor old. It was the first truly engineered beer, catering to the publics taste.

Modern-day Porters are typically just a single brew rather than a blend, but are similar in flavor to their ancestors. Hop bitterness is moderate on the whole and color ranges from brown to black. Overall they remain very complex and interesting beers.

Common examples of Porters: Otter Creek Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter, Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter

For more information on porters, click here

Stouts

An extra-dark, almost black, top-fermenting brew, made with highly roasted malts. Sweet stout, an English style, usually contains milk sugars (lactose) resulting in a sweet & creamy brew. Dry stout, the Irish style, is typified by Guinness, contains roasted unmalted barley and only a small amount of hops, which leads to a coffee-like roasted and slightly bitter dry brew. Imperial Stout, originally brewed as a winter warmer, for sale in the Tsarist Russian Empire, is medium dry and distinguished by its great strength: anything from 7% to more than 10% ABV. Oatmeal Stouts are yet another variation, where the oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouth feel but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-7.0%

Common examples of Stouts: Guinness (Dry Stout), Mackeson’s XXX (Milk Stout), Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Imperial Stout), Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout (Oatmeal Stout)

Barley Wine

Despite its name, a Barleywine is very much a beer, albeit a very strong and often intense beer! In fact, it's one of the strongest of the beer styles. Lively and fruity, sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet, but always alcoholic. A brew of this strength and complexity can be a challenge to the palate. Expect anything from an amber to dark brown colored beer, with aromas ranging from intense fruits to intense hops.

Most Barleywines can be cellared for years and typically age like wine, becoming both more mellow (in terms of alcohol content) and more complex (in terms of flavor).

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 7.0-12.0%

Common examples of this style: J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale, Insanity (Weyerbacher Brewing Co.)

Abbey Ales – Dubbels, Trippels, Quads

The Trappist Abbeys of Belgium are notorious for their wonderful distinctive beer. They are only six such breweries which are allowed to say Trappist on their label: Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Rochefort, Orval and Achel. These are still all brewed in the tradition of, and with the supervision of, the brothers of their respective monasteries. The popularity of these beers has lead many brewers to copy their unique styles. These are generically referred to as Abbey-Style Ales, of which there are four distinct types: Dubbels, Tripels and Quads.

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Beer Styles - Lagers

Pilsner

The birth of Pilsner beer can be traced back to its namesake, the ancient city of Plzen (or Pilsen) which is situated in the western half of the Czech Republic. They have a light straw to golden color and appear crystal clear. Hops are very prevalent usually with a spicy bitterness and or a spicy floral flavor and aroma. Smooth and crisp with a clean malty palate, many are grassy. While many American Lagers (e.g. Budweiser) may refer to themselves as Pilsners, these examples often lack the distinctive hop flavor and are brewed with grains other than barley (such as corn and rice) making them far sweeter and more mellow than more authentic versions.

Common examples of Pilsners: Gilde Pilsener, Jever Pilsener

Lager

Lager is a catch-all term that is used on labels of various styles of beer, all of which use bottom fermenting yeast and are brewed at cooler temperatures. Budweiser and Coors Original are both examples of American Adjunct Lagers, meaning lagers that use grains other than barley (mainly corn and rice). These tend to have a very mild flavor, and are pale in color. To differentiate themselves from Adjunct Lagers brewed by major breweries, the lagers brewed by craft breweries are often referred to as All-Malt Lagers, meaning no added grains are used. The true malt character and taste comes through in these examples.

Sam Adams Boston Lager and Dos Equis are both Vienna Style Lagers. These tend to be reddish in color, and have a richer flavor and more prevalent hops. Many other traditional German styles such as Oktoberfest, Dunkel, Bock and Helles fall into the Lager category. A wide variety of colors, aromas and flavors are all possible within this broad style.

Common examples of Lagers: Brooklyn Lager (All-Malt Lager), Negro Modelo (Vienna Lager), Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, Dinkel Acker Dark (Dunkel), Paulaner Original (Helles)

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