A panic sets in as you start scanning a list of unfamiliar and foreign looking names before the bartender tells you they have Shock Top a very similar Belgian White beer on tap.
Crisis averted. But for how long!? Regardless of the category you find yourself in, I have consulted with a pair of beer experts to help broaden your horizons. A Cicer-wha?? Also on the tasting team is my sister-in-law, Lisa, who is the Event Coordinator for the brewery as well as an extreme beer enthusiast.
Note: this is not a comprehensive beer guide. We are leaving out many more styles than including, but we think the following list provides a basis for you to begin to understand the flavors in some common beer styles and encourage you to start tasting! Forget all you think you know about beer. Here are five common misconceptions we urge you to omit from memory when tasting or even considering beers:. Now that your have emptied out some space in your brain you have room for some new information.
For starters, there are three common ingredients in beer in addition to water : yeast, hops and barley. The selection and incorporation of each of these ingredients changes the balance and flavor profile of a beer. But what does each ingredient taste like? Yeast — responsible for fruity, spicy, funky, and even more neutral flavors during fermentation.
Hops — flower closely related to weed that is soaked in beer to produce citrus, tropical, herbal, piney, dank, earthy, and floral flavors. Adding hops before fermentation creates bitterness. Barley — the most prominent grain in brewing, brewers use barley to create the sugar that yeast turns to alcohol during fermentation think of it like grape juice to wine.
Barley also contributes grainy flavors like water crackers, bread, toast, caramel, dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, etc. Malt is the term for barley that is specially prepared for use in the brewhouse. In addition to the common ingredients, there are a few other key terms you may encounter while perusing a beer menu that are worth knowing: ABV, Imperial and IBUs.
ABV — Alcohol by volume. Porter A type of ale, porter beers are known for their dark black color and roasted malt aroma and notes.
Stout Like porters, stouts are dark, roasted ales. Blonde Ale This easy drinking ale is a summer favorite, thanks to its light malt sweetness and trace of hops, which add aroma.
Brown Ales Brown ales range in color from amber to brown, with chocolate, caramel, citrus, or nut notes.
Pale Ale An English style of ale, pale ales and known for their copper color and fruity scent. Wheat An easy-drinking, light style of beer, wheat beers are known for a soft, smooth flavor and a hazy body. Pilsner A subspecies of lager, pilsner beers are distinguished by their water, which varies from neutral too hard.
Sour Ale An ancient style of beer that's taken off in popularity in recent years, sour ales are crafted from wild yeasts, much like sourdough bread. Tags :. Question Blog Format. Got a story to share? Become an EHL Insights contributor.
Keep reading. Student Success Story How to become a beer sommelier? Privacy Policy Legal terms. The type of yeast is what makes ales and lagers different, technically speaking. Lagers are made with strains that do their fermenting at cold temperatures.
For drinkers, however, taste is the key distinction. Unlike ales , lagers tend to be crisp and dry, with a special ability to quench thirst. Here are some of the key players in this delicious arena. Pale lager : This brew is refreshingly crisp, light-bodied and moderately hoppy, and it pairs easily with a wide variety of foods. Perfect pairing: Simple pizza, such as a classic margherita Pilsner : This term refers to a particular kind of light-coloured, crisp lager that was invented in 19th-century Europe.
It took the world by storm, thanks to its thirst-quenching powers. Pilsners are noticeably hoppy and pale gold in colour. They pair deliciously with lots of foods, especially lightly fried dishes such as tempura, calamari and crispy cutlets.
And it makes a difference to the flavour, too: Amber and red lagers can taste light and crisp like their paler cousins but also contain caramel, toffee and toast aromas like darker beers. There are so many examples of this style that the fun is in finding one that strikes the right balance for you.
Perfect pairing: Tacos Tip: Look for mild reddish Vienna lager, which has delicious toasty notes. Dark lager : These beauties add depth to Team Lager. So if you like refreshment and complexity, a dark lager can give you the best of both worlds. Unlike lagers, ales are made with yeast strains that prefer to ferment in a warmer environment — closer to room temperature, actually.
The yeast floats on the surface while it does its work, so ales are sometimes called top-fermented beers. Why not sample a range and see for yourself? Cream ale : These suds are pale in colour, light in flavour and not too bitter. Perfect pairing: Salad with grilled chicken Tip: Kolsch is another kind of pale, light-bodied ale that could pose as a lager. Pale ale : English-style pale ales also known as bitters are malty and earthy.
American-style pale ales have more of a hoppy bite, sometimes with citrus overtones. Belgian-style pale ales are sweeter and less hoppy than the other two, but they can be spicy. So what do all pale ales have in common? Perfect pairing: Hamburgers Tip: Pale ales are sometimes called blonde or golden ales, and American-style pale ale is often referred to by its acronym, APA. India pale ale IPA : For people who prefer their beer bitter, this is the style to go for. India pale ales originated in England during the 19th century and were made extra strong and hoppy to survive the ocean journey to India.
The powerful and often fruity flavours of IPAs make them a great pairing for foods that feature any combination of fat, spiciness and fruit. Perfect pairing: Lamb rogan josh or other meaty curry Dark ale : Dark ale are either English-style, which are sweet and malty, or Belgian-style, which are a little drier and possibly fruity. American stouts are strong, highly roasted, bitter and hoppy, with high malt flavors that give them the taste of coffee or dark chocolate, according to the BJCP.
Traditional porters, which can trace their roots to the United Kingdom, are dark in color like stouts due to common ingredients like chocolate or other dark-roasted malts. Porters tend to taste less like coffee than stouts, with more of a chocolatey feel.
Belgian beers span pale ales, dark ales, fruity beers and sour ales. WebstaruantStore , which provides equipment and information for restaurants, bars and other establishments, generally defines Belgian-style beers as carrying fruity, spicy and sweet flavors with a high alcohol content and low bitterness. Popular Belgian beers also include Trappist ales, which are produced only at Trappist monasteries that brew their own beer. Trappist ales encompass beers like Belgian Dubbel, which is somewhat strong and complex, and Belgian Tripel, which is pale, spicy and dry.
Blond ales like Delirium Tremens further add to the strong flavor profile of Belgian beers. Wheat beers rely on wheat for the malt ingredient, which gives the beverage a light color and alcohol level that makes it perfect for kicking back with during the summer and for combining it with fruit, like a slice of lemon or orange. Some wheat beers, with their funky and tangy flavors, fall under Belgian-style brews while the ones made in the U. Sour beer has shot up in popularity in the U.
Highly tart, sour beers can take on many forms, including Belgian-style Lambic beer, fruity Flanders ale and lemony Berliner Weisse beer.
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