Beer is the most popular drink behind water and tea. It is most commonly brewed using malted barley but can also be brewed using wheat (creating the Witbier and Hefeweizen Ale styles). There are many types of beers which can then be further broken down in to many different styles. An example of that would be the Pilsner Lager.
Beer vocabulary:
- ABV– Alcohol by volume, measure of how much alcohol is in a given volume of liquid
- IBU– International bitterness unit, is a way to put a number to, or quantify, the bitter tasting element of a beer. While it is technically a chemical measurement of bittering compounds in the beers makeup that measurement typically correlates to the sensory taste of bitterness. The IBU scale starts at 5 and goes to 120. Most beers are within 15-80 IBUs
- “Craft” beer- refers to beer made in a traditional, non-mechanized way by a small brewery
- “Domestic” beer- refers to beer brewed in the United States
- “Imported” beer- refers to beer that was brewed in a different country and imported to the United States
Beer Types:
Ales
- Body: Fuller bodied, pleasantly hoppy finish
- Color: Usually darker than lagers, gold-amber color
- Styles: Amber, blonde, cream, bitter, mild, pale, wheat (witbier, hefewiezen), etc.
- Facts: Porters and stouts are actually generally considered styles of ales
Lager
- Body: High carbonation, medium to high hop flavor, smooth finish because of the long aging process
- Color: Pale to medium in color
- Styles: Amber, Marzen, Helles, Pilsner
- Facts: Most popular beer
Beer Styles:
- Porters and Stouts: Coffee like taste with a rich/creamy head, dark-black in color. Porters came first. Stouts are a variation of Porter, usually with a higher IBU and ABV
- IPA: India Pale Ale, a hoppier pale ale. Originally brewed with extra hops to survive the journey to British troops stationed in India. Usually high IBU and ABV.
- Pilsner: STYLE OF LAGER that stands out because of its “hop” taste, golden in color.
- Strong: any beer with an ABV over 7%
- Wheat: Usually ales brewed with wheat instead of barley. Witbiers are Belgian and Hefeweizens are German.
- Light: usually paler in color with lower ABV and fewer calories
XOXO-MaiaElizabeth