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BEER BASICS

Beer is made from four essential ingredients: water, fermentable sugars (traditionally malted barley), hops and yeast. The yeast converts (ferments) the malt to alcohol, carbon dioxide and the tastes we associate with beer. The beer is then bottled and aged anywhere from a week to three months.

Malt gives beer its overall style, body, color and intensity. Many of the flavors in beer come from hops, which impart a bitter, biting quality, as well as the yeast used for fermentation. Hops and yeast provide a flavorful overlay to a brew's malty core and add to its creative pairings with food.

Beer terminology (click on the terms to see the definitions):

ALE

The English term for a brew made up with a top fermenting yeast, which should impart to it a distinctive fruitiness. Ales vary from light to dark and delicate to full bodied, depending upon the volume of malted barley, hops, and degree of roasting of the malted barley. Because of the relatively higher fermenting temperatures, ales often extract more of the flavor from their ingredients. Ales are still brewed around the world, but most of the distinctive styles known today originated in Britain. The British used hops in brewing by the 10th century, but the practice somehow died out and did not reassert itself until 1552, when King Edward VI issued an edict allowing their use. Virtually all ales now use hops in the recipe, though some use additional flavorings. Ales also are commonly conditioned or aged in the bottle to develop strength and flavor.

ALT

A German Style of top-fermenting beer, altbier comes from the German alt, meaning "old." These ales are cold-conditioned, making them more similar in taste to lagers than ales.

AMERICAN LAGER

The largest selling beers in this country, including the leading lights, all fall into this rather broad category. The style is derived from European pilsners and tends to be clean and crisp with more carbonation and minimal hop character.

BARLEY WINE

An English term for an extra-strong ale. These brews are very strong (7.5% to 14% alcohol by volume) and are intended to rival great wines in terms of depth, complexity, smoothness and body.

BITTER

This name implies a depth of hop bitterness. These beers are usually bronze to deep copper in color and heavily hopped, giving them a high degree of hops bitterness with some acidity in the finish.

BOCK

The German term for strong beer. They can range in color from golden to tawny to brown and are generally stronger than typical lagers (more than 6.25% alcohol by volume). Bock beers are usually brewed to be served in Autumn, late Winter, or Spring depending on the company.

BROWN ALE

Traditionally this is a mild brew that is also called Nut Brown Ale. A sweet, dark brown ale is brewed in southern England. Brown ales brewed in northern England are more reddish in color, slightly higher in alcoholic content, and have a drier finish.

CREAM ALE

An American invention, cream ales are usually blends of pale golden, mild, light-bodied ale and lager. Only two outstanding examples remain in this country, Geneses Cream Ale and Little Kings.

DOPPELBOCK

"Double" bock. German extra-strong bottom-fermenting beer. Usually tawny or dark brown in color. Names of this type of beer usually end in-ator.

DORTMUNDER

Technically, this is a beer brewed in the German city of Dortmund, but it often refers to the city's classic style of Export. There are actually seven brewing companies in the city of Dortmund producing a wide variety of beer styles with the name Dortmunder. The Export style is a beer that is pale and medium dry, with a little more body and alcoholic content than pale lagers from Munich and Pilsen.

DRY BEER

Originally a style in Germany where carbohydrates were diminished by a very thorough fermentation (creating a high alcohol content), dry beer was popularized by Japanese brewers. The mild version brewed in America has a conventional alcohol content, and is noted for having no "beery" aftertaste. Although brewers felt the category showed a great deal of promise in the late 80's, it turned out to be more of a fad than a new direction.

DUNKEL

German word for dark

GOLDEN ALE

Originally produced in the late 20th century to compete with the growing popularity of golden lagers. They tend to be light to medium in body with some hop aroma and a clean finish.

HEFE

In Germany this means yeast. If a beer is sedimented with yeast, it may be prefixed Hefe.

ICE

First introduced in Canada in 1993, this style has been embraced by most of the large U.S. and Canadian brewers. It has been more successful than dry beer but still accounts for less than 4% beer volume. There are several different methods being used for brewing ice beer although Labatt claims to have invented ice brewing at cooler-than-normal temperatures then chilling the beer to below freezing to form ice crystals, which are then fltered out.

INDIA PALE ALE

This style was originally created in the 1700's with a higher alcohol content and a double dose of hops (a natural preservative) to withstand the long and arduous shipment to British troops and colonists in India. This style is popular with many American microbrewers.

LAGER

When bottom-fermenting yeasts were discovered, their advantages were quickly promoted first through Europe and then the world. Bottom fermentation takes place at lower temperatures of between 40 and 55 degrees, and the yeast settles to the bottom of the fermenting vat, out of harm's way. When the process was first discovered, many brewers produced the new lager during the colder winter months, and continued to brew ale the spring and summer. As advances in refrigeration techniques took hold, brewers were able to brew the new type of beer year-round. Lager comes from the German word lager, which means to store. The beer was not only brewed at lower temperatures for a longer period of time (anywhere from five to fourteen instead of the two to four days for ales), it was then stored in cold cellars to undergo a slow second fermentation and aging process. The classic lager is made from only malted barley, hops, yeast, and water as dictated by the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Lagers range in color from straw to chocolate.

LAMBIC

Brewed in Belgium, lambics are made with both barley and 30% to 40% unmalted wheat. The mash is left to ferment spontaneously with wild yeast from the atmosphere for a night, then barreled for the rest of the primary and seconday fermentation. Lambics are sometimes casked with cherries, raspberries or other fruit. Young lambics are dry, sour, cloudy, and similar in taste to a cider. Aged lambics are more mellow and settled.

LIGHT BEER

This is an American term, indicating a watery Pilsner-type beer.

MAIBOCK

A bock beer of excellent quality. Made for the first of May to Celebrate Spring!

MALT LIQUOR

Not especially malty, though they are usually low in hop character. They are usually the strongest beers in an American brewers range and cheaply made.

MARZEN

Originally a beer brewed in March and laid down in caves before summer weather rendered brewing impossible. Intended to be consumed in the summer months. Marzen eventually came to be associated with one specific style-a malty, medium-strong version of the Vienna style.

MILD

The English term for ales that are only mildly hopped, and therefore less bitter than "bitters" or "stouts." Most are dark brown, though they range in color to copper. They are full-bodied in flavor, but have relatively low alcohol content.

MUNCHENER (or Munich-style)

This dark brown lager is full-bodied with a sweet alt. Flavor and slight hop taste that is more creamy and aromatic than a light lager. The dark color and malty flavor come from roasted barley. Most dark super premiums and imports (Michelob Dark, Lowenbrau Dark, Beck's Dark) are fashioned after Munchener beers.

PALE ALE

Pale generally refers to the color of the malt used to brew this ale. The malt is only dried instead of roasted, giving the resulting brew a lighter bronze of copper color than the brown ales, and a lighter, less hearty flavor.

PILSNER (or PILS)

A true pilsner can only come from the town of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Pilsner Urquell ("original") is the only real pilsner still around, but most light lager beers are now modeled after this style. Loosely, any golden-colored, dry bottom fermenting beer of conventional strength is referred to as a pilsner. A classic pilsner has a gravity of around 12 plato and is characterized by the hoppiness of it's flowery aroma and dry finish.

PORTER

A style developed in London in the early 1700's in response to customer demands for a blended brew drawn from casks of pale ale and brown or stout, Porter was originally a heavy brew. The style has been revived in recent years and is made of highly roasted malt. A lighter bodied companion to the stout. Porters are sometimes fruity or can have a deep smoked flavor.

RAUCHBIER

Smoked malts are used in the production of this dark, bottom-fermented specialty.

SCOTTISH ALE

In a country known more for its malt whiskies, Scottish ales are heavily dominated by malt flavor, but range in strength. A term to identify a strong and often extremely dark malt-accented specialty.

STOUT

Stout has a dark, almost black color (due to highly roasted malt), and a rich malty flavor usually combined with a strong, bitter hops taste. There are a couple of versions of this type of ale. "Dry" stout, best exemplified by Guiness, is the Irish Style, which is more "hoppy" in character and may contain roasted unmalted barley. "Sweet" or "milk" stout was given its name because of the lactose used as a non-fermentable sugar in the brew, giving it is sweeter taste. "Imperial" stout was originally brewed in Russia and adopted as an English style. It's usually medium dry, very heavy, and generally very strong.

TRAPPIST

By law, only the monks bearing this name may rightly use the term Trappist to describe their brews. The order has five breweries in Belgium and one in The Netherlands that produce a variety of ales under the nomenclature. The ales are usually brewed with candy sugar and bottle-conditioned and range in color from bronze to dark brown. In their daily life, the monks will drink their least-strong brew, and may refer to their more potent product for religious holidays and commercial sales.

URQUELL

"Original" or "Source of" in German. Urquell is characterized by a hoppy aroma and a dry finish, unlike most of the pilsner style beers produced in this country which have less body and character.

VIENNA

An amber-red lager originally produced in Vienna. The term,Vienna, also still refers to the amber-red kilned malt that produces this style of beer.

WEISSE (or Weissbier)

German for "white" beer, implying a pale brew made from wheat. Brewed from wheat instead of the more traditional barley, weisse beer also is brewed with top-fermented yeast. Most are light and tart in taste with a bready or yeasty aroma, and pale in color.

BEER STYLES AROUND THE WORLD - click on the country name to learn more!

Belgium

Abbey Ales

Originally produced in Belgian Abbeys by monks, these ales are the ultimate beer styles. Examples: Affligem Triple, Dubbel or Blonde, Dragonmead Final Absolution

Wit or White

A wonderful beer style revived by Hoegaarden in the 1950's. Witbier is pale yellow in color and unfiltered which gives it a hazy appearance and a frothy white head. Brewed with a blend of malted barley and wheat and spiced with coriander and orange peel, Witbier has a soft refreshing taste with a subtle fruitiness and orange peel note in the aroma. Examples: Hoegaarden Wit, Celis White, Blue Moon Belgian Style White

England

Porter

At one time Porter was the dominate beer style in Europe, before the development of Pale Ales and Pilsners. Dark amber to black in color with a distinct roasted taste and a lively carbonation. Examples: Anchor Porter, Sleemans Porter

Pale Ale

Introduced at a time when clear glassware was becoming popular, pale ales are amber to deep red in color but pale in contrast to the dark porters popular at the time. While English versions tend to be well balanced between the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of hops, American versions are hoppier. Examples: Bass Pale Ale, Anchor Liberty Ale

India Pale Ale

IPA's were created to supply beer to the English soldiers stationed in India. In order to survive the long voyage by ship, extra hops and higher alcohol were added as preservatives. The soldiers became to the taste and demanded IPA's when they returned home. Now a popular American Craft beer style, they are hoppier with higher alcohol than pale ales. Examples: Michigan Brewing Company High Seas IPA, Sleemans IPA

Hard Cider

Cider is made from fermented apple juice. Introduced to North American by Early English settlers who brought apple seeds with them, cider is now a favorite alternative for people who also like micro and specialty beers and non-beer drinkers drawn to the unique, refreshing taste of hard ciders. Pale gold to copper-amber in color, ciders have a distinct apple aroma. Highly effervescent and lively, they can vary from light, dry and refreshing to complex with caramel, spice, vanilla or pear notes. Examples: Woodchuck Amber, Granny Smith, Raspberry, Dark & Dry, Strongbow English Cider

Germany

Dunkel/Dark:

The first lager style, originally cold stored (lagered) in cool mountain caves and cellars, where the aging makes for a for a smooth drinkable character. Malty with a low hop presence. Examples: Warsteiner Dunkel, Heineken Dark

Weisse

Ale brewed with a blend of barley and wheat. The wheat lightens the overall flavor and allows some subtle flavors to emerge from the yeast strains used, such as banana. Unfiltered, they are hazy in appearance with a tall frothy head. A very refreshing summer thirst quencher. Examples: Hacker Pschorr Weisse, Paulaner Hefeweizen

Bock:

Bock beers originated in Germany in the town of Einbeck. Low in hop bitterness, they are high in malt richness with a alcohol level of 5-6% ABV. Doublebocks were created by the Paulaner monks as a beverage to sustain them through the period of Lent and are extra strong, rich and weighty with a note Doublebock of hop bitterness to balance the powerful malt levels. "Bock" means goat in German and many bocks refer to a goat in their name or on their label. Their warmth is especially appreciated in the winter or spring. Examples: Paulaner Salvator, Tommy Knocker Butt Head Bock

Oktoberfest:

Brewed in March (Marzen in German) and aged until October for the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Teresa in Munich Germany in 1810, this beer and the wedding celebration started an annual seasonal beer style release and celebration listed by the Guinness World Records as "The worlds largest Party". Reddish-amber in color, roasted sweet malt aromas follow through with a nice caramel malt middle and fruity notes that give way to light hop bitterness. Highly quaffable. Great with food. Examples: Lowenbrau Oktoberfest, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest

Vienna

Amber Lager

Amber to dark red in color, ambers are malty, slightly sweet and balanced. A great beer to drink by itself or enjoy with a variety of hearty food. A favorite style of American Craft Brewers. Examples: Sam Adams Boston lager, Michigan Brewing Sunset Amber

Ireland

Stout

Originally known as a "Stout Porter", Stouts are now a popular style worldwide. Served with a "nitrogen push" which gives it a soft creamy mouthfeel with it's roasted coffee-like and dark chocolate taste. Examples: Guinness Stout, Murphy's Stout

Czech Republic

Pilsner

Created in Pilsen in the Czech Republic to combat the growing popularity of imported pale ales, Pilsner was the first beer to be gold in color. Evenly balanced with a distinct hop note from the local Saaz hops, it has a clean, dry finish. Most of the world's most popular beers imitate this style. Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Warsteiner Premium

U.S.A.

Lager/Lite Beer

The most popular style in the U.S.A. was created in the 1540's and developed through the 19th century. The "Lite"

beer version was developed by Miller in the 1970's. Very slightly malty, highly carbonated and dry with a clean, crisp finish. Examples: Miller Lite, MGD, Coors Light, Molson Canadian