| Types of Beers |
So many beers, so little time comes to mind when thinking about all the various types of beer. But why are there are so many different kinds of beer with such a variety of flavors when, for the most part, beer is brewed everywhere from similar materials? The uniqueness comes from the mineral content of the water used, the types of ingredients employed, and the difference in brewing methods. But mainly, there are two classical beer styles, ales and lagers. A beer is classified ale or a lager by the kind of yeast used during the fermentation process that transforms sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. One could argue the addition of a third group called specialty or hybrids that consist of a combination of brewing techniques and/or ingredients from both ales and lagers. Oh yeah, let's not forget about lambics either, which deserve their own group as well.
Differences between some ales and lagers can be difficult to categorize. Steam beer, Kölsch and some modern British Golden Summer Beers use elements of both lager and ale production. Baltic Porter and Biere de Garde may be produced by either lager or ale methods or a combination of both. However, lager production is perceived to produce cleaner tasting, dryer and lighter beer than ale. Beers classed as ale use predominantly barley malts, though lambics and some wheat beers, which also use wheat, are brewed using the ale brewing methods.
Ale is beer that is brewed from barley malt using only top-fermenting yeasts. Ale yeast is called top fermenting because of its tendency to gather at the top of the brew for the first few days before settling at the bottom. Ales are typically fermented at higher temperatures than lager beer (15-23°C, 60-75°F). Ale yeasts at these temperatures produce significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavor and aroma products producing a fruity aroma and palate, and often a complex flavor varying considerably among ales in bitterness, color, sweetness, and harshness. Ales are generally fuller and a more complex beer, and contain more alcohol.
Traditionally, ales are most associated with Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. British variations include mild, bitter, and pale ales; Indian Pale Ale; brown ale; old ale; and barley wines. Today, ales are produced throughout the world. The ale family also includes Belgian specialty beers, German specialty beers, and American ales. A few examples of ale are: Barley Wine, English Bitter Ale, Pale Ale, Scottish Ale, and Belgian Strong Dark Ale.
Lagers are the most commonly consumed type of beer in the world. Lagers are of Central European origin, taking their name from the German lagern ("to store"). Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast, and typically begins fermentation at 7-12°C (45-55°F) (the "fermentation phase"), and then stored at 0-4°C (30-40°F) (the "lagering phase"). During the secondary stage, the lager clears and mellows. The cooler conditions also inhibit the natural production of esters and other byproducts, resulting in a "crisper" tasting beer. In the extreme case, lagers are made into a variety called 'ice beer', in which fermentation takes place below 0°C (32°F). Gradually, small ice crystals form and the brew take on a very light, crisp taste. Lagers are a family of beers ranging from the light delicate Pilsner beers, to the dark, aromatic Munich types identified as dunkels; and the strong lagers known as bocks. There is a tremendous variety of German and Continental style lager beers. Lager is mostly known to people in the United States as a golden-colored beer that is heavily carbonated and served chilled to accentuate its clean, refreshing flavor. Characteristically, lagers are low in esters and VDKs (Vicinal diketones are normal products of brewery fermentations, but are generally considered to be undesirable contributors to the flavor of beers). They are lightly hopped with the important exceptions of Pilsner and German export. Lager beers, like ales, are available to the beer drinker pasteurized or not, filtered or unfiltered, on draft or bottled.
Like any product that has been around for centuries, there are dozens of sub-categories, and lagers themselves are divided further. For example, Bock is a strong, German type that can be either light or dark. Dortmunder, (unsurprisingly) brewed in Dortmund, Germany is another example. Munchener is a highly malted Bavarian beer, usually dark. Marzen, from the German word for March, is stored in cool basements for several months then served at Oktoberfest. Rauchbier is made from roasted malts, suffused with the smoke from burning wood. The Vienna is an amber-red.
But by far, the most popular isn't German in origin at all. The Pilsner lager gets its name from the town in the Czech Republic that gave it birth, Pilsen. Golden in color, the flavor varies from sweet to dry, light to very hoppy. Made from hard water, the taste is often more bitter than other beers. The brew recipe has its origins in Bavaria around 1820, but was adapted by a Bavarian , Josef Groll, in 1842. Using much softer water than was traditional his creation spread throughout Europe and later America. Most of today's lager is based on the Pilsner style, pioneered in 1842 in the town of Pilsen (Plzeň), in an area of the Austrian monarchy now located in the Czech Republic. The modern Pilsner lager is light in color and high in carbonation, with a strong hop flavor and an alcohol content of 3-6% by volume. The Pilsner Urquell or Heineken brands of beer are typical examples of pilsner beer. Today, nearly 90% of beer sold in the U.S. is essentially Pilsner.
Modern methods of producing lager were pioneered by Gabriel Sedlmayr the Younger, who perfected dark brown lagers at the Spaten Brewery in Bavaria, and Anton Dreher, who began brewing a lager, probably of amber-red color, in Vienna, Austria, in 1840 or 1841. With modern improved fermentation control, most lager breweries use only short periods of cold storage, typically 1-3 weeks. Principal styles of lager include American-style lager, Bock, Dunkel, Helles, MYrzen, Oktoberfest, Pilsner, Schwarz bier and Vienna lager.
Specialty beers are ales and lagers that have special ingredients that cause it to not fit into the typical ales and lagers. In specialty beers brewers will put anything into it; spices, fruit juices and candy are just some of the examples of this. Some examples of the different types of specialty beers are: Weiss bier, Smoked Beer, Fruit/Vegetable Beer, and Herb/Spice Beer.
Hybrid or mixed style beers use modern techniques and materials instead of, or in addition to, traditional aspects of brewing. Although there is some variation among sources, mixed beers generally fall into the following categories:
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