Beer 101

y Frank Vail y Kalayaan College

What is Beer?
centurys old process of converting sugared water to fermented liquid some of the oldest recipes ever found have been beer recipes beer was a necessity in ancient times poor water quality social and medical contributions

Whats in a Beer?
BARLEY the body & soul of beer YEAST the life of beer HOPS the spice of beer WATER the integrity & purity of beer

ADJUNCTS Additive grains like rice or corn, fruit or spices

Barley Body & Soul

Barley malt gives beer: NATURAL enzymes to covert starch to sugar needed for fermentation MALTY sweet flavor COLOR FOAMY head Two row & six row barley malt are used in the brewing process. Variety of barley malts helps determine the color, texture and flavor of beer.

Yeast Life of Beer

Yeast is the catalyst of change: one cell micro-organism produces carbon dioxide and alcohol Two types of yeast are used to produce beer: ALE top fermenting LAGER bottom fermenting There are literally thousands of brewers yeast that create a variety beer styles.

Hops Spice of Beer

Hop flowers are used to: MICROBIAL STABILIZATION hops have antiseptic qualities HOP AROMA fruity flowery characteristics BITTERNESS balances malt sweetness FOAM STABILIZATION enhances head properties There are two primary hop styles: Aroma Hops Saaz, Fuggle & Hallertua Bitter Hops Brewers Gold & Unique Hops are grown around the world between the 35th and 55th degrees of latitude and harvested in fall.

Water Integrity & Purity

Waters role in beer: water makes up 92% of beer through filtration or boiling; impurities, aromas & flavor differences can be mitigated Water styles can effect flavor: hard water helps add crisp cleaness soft water adds smoothness

Adjuncts The Wild Card

Adjuncts add to beer: adjuncts are added to change the flavor, character or profile of beer. used to supplement main starch source to provide better foam retention, color or aroma Adjuncts fall into two categories: Grains: corn, rice, wheat, oats or rye Specialty Ingredients: sweets honey or maple fruits raspberry, cherry or cranberry spices cinnamon, coriander or clove

What is a Lager?
lager means to store bottom fermenting yeasts ferment at lower temperatures (50) lagered close to freezing for several weeks characterized by a crisp-tasting, lighter body and less-fruity aroma rounded, smooth beer over last 150 years or so lagers have become the predominate beers

Lager Styles

Bottom Fermenting

Lager

Vienna Type

Munich Type

Pilsener

Dortmunder/ Export

Strong Lager American Malt Liquor

Marzen/ Oktoberfest

Pale

Dark

Dark Bock

Pale Bock Pale/Dark Double Bock

Rauchbier

What is an Ale?
ale is synonymous for beer top fermenting yeasts ferment at higher temperatures (64 72 ) ferments less fully and less discriminately characterized by more-fruity flavors & aromas with a malty, full bodied flavor prior to the 1800s ales were almost universal

Ale Styles
Top Fermenting Wheat Beers Sweet Stout

Porter

Ale Types

Pure Yeast

Lactic Fermentation

Spontaneous Fermentation

Oatmeal Stout Dry Stout

American Ale Cream Ale

Belgian Witbier/ White/ Blanche

Berliner Weisse

Lambic

Imperial Stout Pale Mild Dark Mild Bitter Best Bitter Strong Bitter

South German Weissbier/ Weizen

Gueuze So English Brown Ale Faro No English Brown Ale Old Ale Pale/Dark Barley Wine Light Ale Pale Ale

DunkelWeizen Kriek Weizenbock Frambooise

Irish Red Ale

Strong Scotch Ale

Belgian Brown/Red

India Pale Ale

Belgian Ales

Altbier

Hoppy Face

Saisons

Trappisten

American Hefeweizen

Other Fruit Beers

Ale Styles

Ale Styles

Ale Styles

Ale Styles

Beer Tasting
Look Take pause and marvel at its greatness before you partake of it. Raise the beer in front of you, but don't hold your beer to direct light as this will dilute its true color. Describe its color, its head and its consistency. Agitate Swirl your beer, gently in the glass. This will pull out aromas, slight nuances, loosen & stimulate carbonation and test head retention. Smell 90-95% of what you experience is through you sense of smell. Breathe thru your nose with two quick sniffs, then with your mouth open, then thru your mouth only (nose and mouth are connected in the experience). Let olfaction guide you. Agitate again if need be, and ensure that you are in an area that has no overpowering aromas. Enjoy its bouquet.

Beer Tasting
Taste Now sip the beer. Resist swallowing immediately. Let it wander and explore your entire palate. Let your taste buds speak. Note the mouthfeel, the consistency of the liquid's body, and breathe out during the process of tasting. This process of exhaling is called "retroolfaction" and will release retained stimulations at the mucus and mouthfeel level, but at a higher temperature. At times this will be the same as the olfactory process if not different and complimentary. Try to detect any sweetness, salty flavors, acids and general bitterness. Explain what they are, or what they are similar to. Also, try tasting the beer after it warms a bit (just a bit mind you). Really cold beer tends to mask some of the flavors. As a beer warms, its true flavors will pull through, become more pronounced.

What is a Specialty/Craft Beer?

all Malt Brewing Process no filler adjuncts to lighten beer tend to be non-pasteurized, using additional filtration for clarity if desired small Batch Production tend to produce beer in smaller vessels regional based between 15,000 and 2 million BEs

Whats the Difference?

Imports = brewer supplied products for outside USA import Companies or holding/distribution companies Crown Imports, Heineken USA, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Craft /Specialty beers = regional / national Brewers independent or regional distribution networks Sam Adams, Leinenkugels, Redhook Micro beers = Local/Regional Brewers independent distribution networks or self distribution Summit, Surly, Flat Earth Brewing. Co.

Opportunity Selling?
Food Pairings beer is an excellent complement to food Amber Ales wild game, meats & cheeses Hefeweizens salads, summer fair IPA spicy foods (Mexican or Asian) Porters deserts cooking with beer secret ingredient adds depth and flavor versatility

Beer & Cheese

But I thought wine went with cheese? Sure it does, and that's what the public is fed by the mainstream "food & wine" press. Cheese can make a cheap wine palatable, even compliment a great wine on occasion, however the pairing of wine with most foods (especially cheese) is often a gastronomic catastrophe on the taste buds due to the overpowering acidity of wine usually kills any chance that your delicate taste buds have of actually enjoying a pairing. Traditionally, beer and cheese are farmhouse products. In fact, not so long ago the average farmer's diet consisted of beer, cheese and cold meat; commonly referred to in England as a "ploughman's" lunch and a menu item in pubs to this day.

Beer & Cheese

So how do you pair beer and cheese? First and foremost use your own personal preference whether you are cooking with cheese or just severing alone. Try pairing complex beers with complex cheeses. You can also try and make a perfect match or play around and make subtle contrasts. Here are some personal examples: Feta and Goat Cheese work well with Wheat Beers, typically the more pungent the cheese the more of a full character you want in your Wheat Beer. Weihenstephan Hefe-Weizen, Schneider HefeWeizen and UFO Hefeweizen are suitable pairings. Mascarpone, a cow's cream formless cheese that is used in desserts and sauces, pairs great with most Fruit Beers. Magic Hat #9, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, Melbourne Bros. Apricot or Strawberry.

Beer & Cheese

American Cheese, Muenster, Havarti and Monterey Jack with moderately hoppy Pilsners. Colby, Gloucester and Cheddar with robust Brown Ales. Gorgonzola and Creamy Blues meld well with Barleywines. Roquefort and Stilton have a strong pungent character so there is need for a Strong Belgian Ales. Gruyre, Emmental and Swiss with Bock Beer, Dark Lagers or Oktoberfest Beer. Their sizable maltiness plays well against the meaty nut-like character. Parmesan or Romano with moderately hoppy Pale Ales and Amber Ales When cheese is part of a salad, try enjoying it with an India Pale Ale (IPA), with their citrus-like bitterness and fruity maltiness.

Beer & Cheese

Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, and the American Dairy Association (ADA) partnered to create a simple guide. It's an ideal starting point for the novice beer and cheese enthusiast. Sharp Cheddar with Pale Ale Feta with Wheat Beer Mascarpone with Fruit Beer American Cheese with Pilsner Colby with Brown Ale Gorgonzola with Barleywine Gruyre with Bock Beer Swiss Cheese with Octoberfest Beer Parmesan with Amber Lager

2001 A Space Odyssey

Heat cool temperatures Air - oxidation Light low light conditions

Bottle Beer Dos & Donts

Always pour bottle beer into a glass drinking from the bottle traps carbonation and flavor which can leave you feeling bloated pouring into a glass releases carbonation, flavor and aroma of the beer pour beer down the center of glass to release carbonation and flavor pouring down the side of the glass minimizes foam and traps carbonation leaving the beer flat looking and gassy tasting.

How about a beer? Thank you.