Craft Beer is a very complex and sophisticated beverage!

So, what goes into the beer before it goes into you?

I have a friend, a wine-loving friend. Let’s call him Jacques (pronounced “jock”) Toutite (pronounced “too tight”).

Jacques Toutite is of the mistaken belief that wine is a far more complex and sophisticated beverage than beer. If he were a real person, he would have actually said so!

S'il vous plaît, Jacques! Not to start any debates with other wine “connoisseurs” (translation: blowing wind out one’s butt) -- there is no debate. Beer is by far more complex and diverse than wine. Don’t get me wrong. I like a nice glass of red wine on occasions, but to be frank, wine is sort of the simpleton of the alcoholic beverage family. “Duh, I’m wine. I’m made with mashed grapes and some yeast. I sit around in a dark vat (sometimes I get to go into another dark vat) until someone calls me wine. Do dee do dee do!”

Well, Jacques might say, “Zee grapes are subjected to many different soil and weather conditions. They must be harvested at the right time. Zee wine must undergo exacting fermentation conditions, including temperature and aging!”

Excusez-moi, Monsieur Toutite! It’s the same thing with beer, only there are more ingredients to deal with, and the fermentation processes is way more complex and exacting. Including your varietals and different blends, there are hundreds more distinct beer styles than wine styles, and within those distinct styles, there are more varieties, and within those varieties many more subtle and not so subtle differences. Thousands upon thousands of sub-varieties within all of the sub-styles. Hell, some brewers even add a little “complex” wine into their brewing vats.

Beer is so complex, yet so rewarding to research. It’s never-ending! You can be sure a new style is being created right now as I type! Yeah!

Well, what makes beer so complex? Why are there so many styles?

The Ingredients

Water – Simple rule: The cleaner and purer the water, the better the chance that the brewer can control the final outcome of his/her brews. Although lesser-quality water will be filtered and then purified by boiling during the brewing process, it’s only natural that clean, fresh spring water will lead to a beer without any unwanted flavors or odors. Some brewers prefer using mineral water, which will lend a distinctive taste to the beer. Some beers are made with natural hard water, some with natural soft water. Many of the old established breweries were built upon wells thousands of years old. The water from these particular wells provides unique chemical compounds containing natural salinity, calcium, iron or other minerals found nowhere else on the planet. If the brewer is a damn, he/she will take into account their water source and use that to their advantage to brew a distinctive high quality beer.

Barley Malt – The Body of Beer - The Color of Beer - The Sweetness of Beer - Malt may be regarded as the foundation on which beer is made. There are two-row barleys (two rows of grain per ear), and six-row barleys. Two-row is more expensive and is used to produce more of the traditional styles of beer, whereas six-row barley produces a rawer and sharper-edged brew. Brewers may use either or both to their advantage to brew beers of unique qualities. Malt, when prepared for brewing beer, is extremely sweet. The effort to prepare and rinse the processed barley results in the amount of sweetness in the finished product.

Hops are the natural counterbalance to malt’s sweet nature. The type of barley and the degree to which it’s roasted help determine the beer’s color and flavor. Generally, the longer you roast the barley, the darker the beer. The more malt you use, the more body your beer will have. Some specialty beers are brewed with wheat malt or oatmeal, or a dose of rye. German Light Crystal, Biscuit Malt and Pale Ale can impart flavors from lightly sweet to herbal to cereal-like. Medium-roasted malts such as Caramel, CaraVienne, or Munich impart a richer, fuller and nuttier taste. Chocolate, Roasted Barley and Black Patent Malt are among the many barley malts used in brewing dark beers, known for their coffee, molasses and chocolate flavors.

Lately we have noticed an influx of gluten-free beers made with sorghum. Now our gluten-intolerant friends can suffer beer hangovers just like us!

Alternate Malts and Adjuncts - Cheaply made beers may use corn (maize) or rice in place of the more expensive barley malts. Corn is also sometimes used solely as a clarifying ingredient, and sometimes to aid in the fermentation process, and in some cases, does not cheapen or adversely affect the taste of the beer. Grits, malt syrups, rice or dextrose sugars may be added to stretch the malt product. Wheat beers are generally 50% - 100% wheat, with varying degrees quantities and roasting times. Oats, though heavier and oilier in consistency than barley, are a fine additional choice for thick, sweet stouts.

All beers need some fermentable sugars to convert to alcohol. The Belgians for centuries have used candi sugar, an inverted sugar, to help fuel their ales in orbit. Honey, the main fermentable ingredient for Mead, has also been widely used as a fermentable for ale.

Hops – The word “hop” is shortened from the Anglo-Saxon, “hoppan” (“to climb”). Usually hops are the “Star” of beer. The sharpness, dryness and bitterness of a given beer are derived from the type and amount of hops used. Hops also serve as a natural beer preservative. In this brief guide the bitterness imparted by the hops may be defined as metallic, tea-like, resinous or citrus. The citrus types may be further clarified as grapefruit, lemon, citrus zest, or limes. Hops with high alpha acid percentages are bittering hops. The hops used for aroma and flavor contain a lower alpha acid percentage. These are known as finishing hops.

However, brewers do not always follow this generalized rule. By blending and mixing different hop varieties, the brew master can create beers with unique flavors and aromas. Hops for brewing may be in whole hop flowers (which, surprise, have a more pronounced flowery profile), compressed whole flowers, pelletized hop pellets or hop extracts. Target hops are the most popular hops in the UK. and Challenger, Kent Golding, Brewers Gold, Bullion, Fuggles are hops traditionally associated with the U.K. Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Crystal, Mt. Hood, Galena, Nugget, Perle and Willamette are basically US grown (mostly in the Northwest) hops. Styrian, a Slovenian grown Fuggles-style hop is becoming quite popular worldwide. Tettnanger, a mild hop with wonderful floral aroma and the very sharp edged and spicy hop, Hallertau hail from Germany and perhaps the most well-known hop, Saaz come from the Czech Republic. Summit, Zeus and a hop named CTZ possess the highest percentage of Alpha Acid at around 18%. Galena and Nugget possess weigh in at around13.0%, while Crystal and Saaz contain the lowest Alpha Acids at 3.3% and 3.8% respectively. But don’t be fooled by the alpha acid rating of individual style hops in a particular beer, because when adding an abundance of a lower rated alpha acid hop, you can easily make up the difference and produce a very bitter and acidic brew.

Yeast – Beer yeasts transform malt sugars into alcohol. There are top-fermenting, or ale yeasts, which ferment at warmer temperatures. These are the oldest form of beer yeasts. Ales, some porters, stouts, Kölch and most wheat beers use top- fermenting yeasts.

Bottom-fermenting yeasts ferment at lower temperatures and are used to ferment the newer style (19^th century) lager beers, such as, Pilsners, Bock, Marzen, Oktoberfest and malt liquors. The invention of refrigeration in the 1880s revolutionized and greatly boosted the lager style. Serious brewers closely guard their yeasts strains, because they can maintain distinct, subtle yeast flavors and manipulate alcohol levels in a way that is very difficult to duplicate. Yeast can impart flavors and aromas ranging from citrus and cloves to sweet and astringent. Some specialty brewers allow wild, air-borne yeasts into the beer vats to create truly unique ale flavors. Trappist monks may be the foremost experts of wild yeast brewing techniques. One thing we can all appreciate about yeast is, they are cool little critters!

Now, keep in mind we haven’t even scratched the surface of all the methods and details of brewing a batch of any craft ale yet. Maybe that can be the focus of another article. But, now my head hurts from thinking too deeply and I am thirsty.

Cheers!

Quote: “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” - Dave Barry

Beer Style of the Week - Spring Beers

Beer Style of the Week – Spring Beer – Week 6 of 52

We normally don’t need a lot of help welcoming in the spring, but there are those cold drizzly days where winter’s clammy grip is still felt deep in the bones. And one way sure way to counter this gloom is to sit back with some Spring Beer and let the foul weather run its course.

The Spring Beers of today are various off shoots of Europe’s Biere de Mars or Mars Beers. Several Bock beers such as Maibock or Helles Bock (from the Lager family) can easily slide into the Spring Beer family, although that style tends to find itself tapped in late May when springtime is in full blossom and the weather is warming. Geezers, (though now maybe I’m one myself by some standards) from the WW II generation were under the impression that bock meant “bottom of the barrel”. The real meaning of “bock” is literally billy goat. The name might have come about by the painful thoughts of the head-butting-like effects on the brain after a night of downing way too many amped up bocks. Another plausible explanation may be about an old pagan belief that the beer style was first brewed during the year of the goat. Traditionally, the Spring beers undergo a long fermentation of summer barley malt and fall hops throughout the winter. Spring Ales should be smooth and well rounded, as well as slightly strong (5.4% - 8.0% ABV). Double bocks and Eisbocks are a topic for a separate discussion.

A Taste of The Real Biere de Mars

Jenlain Biere de Mars – Brasserie Duyck – Jenlain, France - 5.4% ABV

750 dark green bottle. Freshness date is indecipherable.

Served in a Corsendonk goblet.

It pours a clean golden color with a snow-white head on top with loads of trailing and sticky lacing.

A refreshing smell of wildflowers spring forth. Smells of sweet malt and barn grains inch forward, as does a whiff of resinous hop and mixed fruit.

The taste is certainly in its own class. Bready malt, lightly sweet, with an edgy resinous and citrusy hop bite. A light taste of tart, un-ripened fruit cup lingers throughout.

It looks lighter than it actually is. The malty body is fairly rich, though the fine effervescence lends the illusion of a thinner-bodied ale.

This is a very refreshing brew with a clean finish. Goes well with any creamy cheeses and light poultry or pork dishes.

The Real Spring Things (German Mai Bocks)

Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock – Einbeck, Germany – 6.5% ABV

Initially this brew comes across as a tad unruly with alcohol the dominant presence, both in aroma and taste. By the second, third and fourth gulps the hops begin to assert themselves and take center stage. The amber/orange color stands alone in the beer world. I had to keep looking at it and holding it to different lights and upgrading my initial appearance rating. The flavor profiles are extremely complex, that too required a raise in points. The ample malt body never achieves a platform of its own. It instead plays a wonderful supporting role to the competing stars. The off white head’s performance is marvelous, though brief. Einbecker, by the way, is the inventor of the bock style. Because I was unsure of my ability to accurately rate this unusual style beer with one bottle, I found it necessary to drink a second. Excellent decision if I do say so!

Hofbrau – Ur Bock – Munich, Germany – 7.2% ABV

16.9 oz. dark brown bottle. Served in a pint glass

It pours a deep golden amber with a full off-white head and a smattering of lacing.

A hay-like and sweet malty aroma dominates. A faint smell of citrusy and spicy hops is in the background.

Full bodied caramel and sweet biscuity malt lays a solid foundation for the citrus and spicy hops. A slight metallic taste develops late, as does a vodka-like alcohol hit.

Supposedly, this is a taste of an original style from 1614. Nice!

New England Spring Ales

Mayflower Brewing – Spring Hop Ale – Plymouth, MA

12 oz. dark brown bottle. Packaged on Date stamped on label.

Served in a SA etched fluted glass.

It's a deep coppery amber color with a 1" fast-fading white head. Some sticky and trailing lacing.

Almost IPA-quality resinous hop nose. Some citrusy and flowery aromas vie for attention, as does a light smell of rye toast.

The taste reminds me of some rye ales at first gulp. The edgy hop bitterness gives way a bit to a honey and malty sweetness.

A very tasty brew and a nice beer to welcome in the spring.

Will pair nicely with grilled burgers and brats.

Longtrail – Pollenator Spring Ale – Bridgewater Corners, VT – 4.6% ABV

12 oz. brown bottle. No freshness date notice.

Served in a Samuel Adams etched fluted lager glass.

It pours a lovely golden amber color with a solid 2 finger off-white head and some sticky rings of lacing.

The aroma is pale ale all the way. Hoppy citrusy and dried hay smells rise out and fade rather fast.

The taste falls into the pale ale family as well.

Cutting citrus and metallic hop bitterness are ever so slightly tempered with English malt.

It's dry and lightly sweet and finishes clean.

I don't know why it's a Spring Ale. The brewer can call it anything he or she wishes, but there's nothing that shouts "Spring" about it.

Narragansett Bock – Narragansett Brewing Co. – Providence, RI

16 oz. can. No freshness date, except for some code stamped on the bottom.

Served in a tall Harpoon Nonic glass.

The color is a brassy amber with a fast-fading white head. Thin wisps of webby lacing cling to the glass.

A grassy, wet hay smell dominates, followed by a light peaty malty aroma. A mild citrusy smell is followed by slightly boozy white rum fuminess.

The malt and hop flavors are fairly evenly matched. Bready dough, honey sweetness, metallic and citrusy hop bite and a separate and unmistakable rummy alcoholic punch all greet the buds in random order. A very faint taste of orange zest peeks in.

It’s an usual bock in that the flavor profiles remain distinct and apart, even as it warms.

This is definitely one of the better beer values ($6.50 a 16 oz. sixer, no less) in the New England area.

So whatever the brewer’s interpretation of the Spring Beer style, you can see that left with many diverse choices as to how we allow the spring to run its course. As of this writing the weather remains in the grip of winter, so I’ll have another couple bocks and/or Ur Bocks.

Quote: “How much beer is in German intelligence?” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Prost!

Beer Style of the Week - Farmhouse Ales - Week 5

Farmhouse Ale -Saisons or Biere De Garde – Week 5Farmhouse Ale- Originally brewed in France as Biere de Garde and in Belgium as Saison (meaning season) during the late fall and winter months, the Farmhouse Ale would be tapped for the warm summer months in both countries as a flavorful beer that would last without refrigeration for several months. There are a wide spectrum of brewing ingredients and techniques used to create Biere de Garde or Saison. There are combinations of old traditions and newer methods employed to brew a batch nowadays, but to be authentic to the style, they should all, first and foremost, be bottle-conditioned. There may be some differences in malts, hops, yeast and water. The colors may vary from amber/orange to leathery brown. While there may even be vast differences from one to another, a beer within the style range should not be overly hopped and have just enough malt body to carry some of the fruitiness and mellow citrus bitterness known to the style. The aroma may have a slightly musty basement smell (in a good way, of course) or woody smell. An earthy smell is very common, as is a floral scent. The flavor profiles should possess a light peppery spiciness and/or resinous quality with a well-hidden alcoholic bite. Herbal tastes vary with coriander, basil, mint and/or allspice. A light taste of citrus zest and a mild taste of cloves are usually noticed in any farmhouse worthy of the name. The alcohol content ranges from between 5.5% and 8.0% alcohol by volume (ABV).Many of the old farmhouse brews were developed for the farmworkers as a nourishing, thirst-quenching beer. These particular ales were brewed at a lower 3.5% - 5% ABV level, perhaps so that the workers wouldn’t injure themselves with the farm equipment or animals.

Many French home brewers have in the past added citrus rinds and/or pulps, or other fruits into their Farmhouse ale, kicking up the alcohol level and flavor profiles in many crazy directions.

From the lands of Origination– Easy to find in New England (ask your local packie)

Biere de Garde - France

Les Freres De La Biere / Thiriez Xxtra– Biere De Garde - France - a fairly light (4.7% ABV)

25.4oz dark green bottle. No freshness date.

It pours a hazy pale gold color with a big, slow-fading pure white head and lots of sticky and sliding lace.

It smells like a fist full of freshly rubbed hops or resinous buds. Another smell that comes to mind is a dry desert and cut oak.

This moderately malted brew has a fresh bagel taste with a mild grassy finish.

The hops are edgy and sharp-edged, but not over-done. Resinous floral hop flavors abound.

Ever inhale deeply on a slightly clogged unlit hash pipe? Me neither, but the experience might be very reminiscent of that.

At 4.7%abv, it's one of the few brews I've had that tastes stronger than it actually is. This brew is quite different from anything out there today. Uniquely flavorful and totally refreshing! A must try!

Les Bière Des Sans Culottes - Brasserie La Choulette – Biere de Garde- France 7%ABV

16.9oz tall green, corked bottle. Best Before date notched on the side. Nice artwork paying tribute to the "trouserless" laborers who did the handiwork of the French Revolution. BTW - The fighters appear to be wearing trousers, but the woman leading the charge has raised her flag while lowering the top of her blouse. Ou la la!!

It pours a cloudy honey gold color with a small, but lasting white head and some sticky and trailing lace.

The aroma is a pleasant mix of dried malt, hay, lemony citrus and faint whiff of alcohol.

The malt has a nice herbal quality to it. A light sweetness and buttery biscuit taste provide a uniquely satisfying maltiness.

A lime-like bitterness is upfront. Hints of coriander, cloves and faint taste of pears adds to the brew's fine subtle character. The 7% ABV is well disguised.

This is one those rare beer purchases that turn out to be an amazing find. I wish I had bought more.

Saison

Fantôme– Fantôme Brasserie – Soy, Belgium – 8% ABV

750 ml dark green capped and corked bottle.

My mother-in-law (a Heinie and Stella fan) tasted and fell in love with this Saison at a local beer tasting. She purchased a bottle to share over a dinner of Belgian Beef stew. NICE PAIRING!

Longtrail - Pollenator-Spring Ale

Longtrail – Pollenator Spring Ale – Bridgewater Corners, VT – 4.6% ABV

12 oz brown bottle. No freshness date notice.

Served in a Samuel Adams etched fluted lager glass.

It pours a lovely golden amber color with a solid 2 finger off-white head and some sticky rings of lacing.

The aroma is pale ale all the way. Hoppy citrusy and dried hay smells rise out and fade rather fast.

The taste falls into the pale ale family as well.

Cutting citrus and metallic hop bitterness are every so slightly tempered with English malt.

It's dry and lightly sweet and finishes clean.

I don't know why it's a Spring Ale. The brewer can call it anything he or she wishes, but there's nothing that shouts "Spring" about it.

Mayflower Spring Hop

Mayflower Spring Hop - Mayflower Brewing Plymouth, MA
12 oz dark brown bottle. Packaged on Date stamped on label.
Served in a SA etched fluted glass.
It's a deep coppery amber color with a 1" fast-fading white head. Some sticky and trailing lacing.
Almost IPA-quality resinous hop nose. Some citrusy and flowery aromas vie for attention, as does a light smell of rye toast.
The taste reminds me of some rye ales at first gulp. The edgy hop bitterness give way a bit to a honey and malty sweetness.
A very tasty brew and a nice beer to welcome in the spring.
Will pair nicely with grilled burgers and brats.

Victory – Saison du Buff

Victory Brewing - Downington, PA – 6.8% ABV

12 oz brown bottle. Freshness date stamped on label.
served in an Allagash goblet.
It pours a foggy golden color with a thin snow-white head and some trailing a patchy lacing.
A smell of damp basement on citrusy hops jump out and lasts throughout. An aroma of sour dough bread is quite pleasant. A light whiff of gin is noticed.
Tastes are rangy with upfront tart citrus peel and astringent juniper branch, mellowed by a slightly sweet malty base. Resinous hoppiness and hints of lightly toasted waffles make for an interesting, yet agreeable combination of flavors.
A very light taste of sodium is noticed, though not too off-putting.
I see this pairing very well with strong cheeses and spicy Thai food.