A detailed guide to beer: composition, varieties and characteristics

For many people it’s enough just to like beer and regularly treat themselves to a glass or two of their favorite beer. But some people want to know more about beer. If you’re one of the latter, this guide is for you — we’ll tell you what beer is made of, what styles exist and what characteristics to look for when choosing a drink.

Composition

What immediately comes to mind is «malt, cold, water and brewer’s conscience», as in the old commercials. In general, this is true — the basic ingredients remain the same regardless of the variety. There are exceptions — for example, in Gruyte, which appeared before the spread of hops, a mixture of spicy herbs is added instead. But such cases are isolated. And the main ingredients, which are the mainstay of most varieties, are only four:

— hops - gives the drink a pleasant bitter taste, makes the foam more stable, is a natural preservative, affects the aroma depending on the region where it was grown;
— malt - shapes the taste, color, body and aroma of the beer. It is the malt that contains the enzymes that turn starch into fermentable sugars, which are then broken down into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Barley malt is most commonly used in brewing, but rye, wheat, rice and even corn malt are also used;
— yeast - there are about 200 varieties, and each variety has a different effect on the flavor and quality of the beverage. Yeast can be top and bottom fermentation, as well as wild yeast, thanks to which spontaneous fermentation takes place;
— water - the better it is, the more flavorful the drink will be. In the past, beer varieties differed depending on the region, not least because of the quality of the water and the presence of minerals in it. Today, brewers are increasingly using distilled water and adding beneficial substances to it.

Varieties

There are dozens of them — it is impossible to list them all in one article. Nevertheless, all varieties can be divided into two large groups: top-fermented (ales) and bottom-fermented (lagers). Spontaneous fermentation varieties and hybrids can also be distinguished separately. Let’s consider each group in order.

Top fermented varieties

Ale is a drink with a fairly high alcohol content and a dry, rich flavor dominated by subtle fruity notes. There are several varieties of ale:

— Belgian ale. The main feature is the variety, which you will not find in any other group. There are both light varieties with bubbles, like champagne, and dark varieties with a more intense flavor. However, all Belgian varieties have one thing in common — phenolic flavors: clove, spicy, herbal.

— Wheat ale. It is brewed on the basis of wheat malt, the share of which is from 50 to 68%. This gives it a recognizable «bread» aroma. The color of wheat ale is usually light straw.

— Porter. A brown beer of moderate strength with a restrained roasted character and bitterness. There can be a spectrum of roasted flavors, usually without burnt qualities, and there is often a chocolate and caramel malt profile.

— Bitter. The base of the drink is light barley and lots of hops. The flavor is light and refreshing, with bright fruity notes. The color is able to vary from light yellow to dark yellow.

— Pale ale. A light bronze-colored beer with a lower hop content than a bitter. It has a pleasant flavor with distinctly bitter and spicy notes.

— Stout. The base of the drink is made up of several varieties of burnt malt, thanks to which coffee tones appear in the flavor. It has a deep chocolate color and is considered the darkest beer.

Bottom-fermented varieties

Lager is the most popular beer on all continents: it accounts for about 80-85% of the world’s total production. It can be both dark and light — the shade of the drink determines the degree of roasting of the malt. There are several main varieties in this group:

— Light lager. A classic beer with a light hop flavor, without the pronounced sweetness or bitterness typical of ales.

— Dark lager. The color of the drink varies from dark amber to dark brown, the taste is dominated by hints of caramel and chocolate. It is considered a «dessert» version of the classic light lager.

— Pilsner. The most popular variety of lager, made from light malt and soft water. The color of the drink is golden, the taste is hoppy, velvety, sometimes slightly sweet.

— European amber lager. Has a well-balanced malt flavor with notes of roasted grains and a very beautiful amber color.

— Smoked Lager. A dark brown colored beer based on smoked barley grains. Smoky notes are clearly noticeable in the taste and aroma.

— Ice beer. Without waiting for the final fermentation, the drink is cooled until ice crystals appear. Then they are removed to get a variety with double alcohol content. The color of the beer is golden yellow.

— Bock. A high-strength drink with a classic «lager» flavor. It differs from other varieties by a long settling time. The color can be either light or dark.

Spontaneously fermented beers and hybrids

Lambic is an exclusively Belgian spontaneously fermented beer. It is brewed during the cold season in a certain area in the Seine Valley. Wild bacteria from the air are introduced into the tank where the wort is kept, which triggers the fermentation process. This process gives the drink its characteristic flavor: grapey, cider-like, dry, often with a tart aftertaste. Lambic can be young, aged for up to a year, and mature, aged for 2 to 4 years.

Hybrids combine the qualities characteristic of both top and bottom fermented varieties. They are brewed according to ancient recipes, and exclusively wheat or barley malt is used as raw material. The most striking representatives of hybrids are German altbiers. Their flavor is dominated by fruity notes, and the aftertaste has hints of hops.

Characteristics

Beyond verbal descriptions, there are clear criteria by which beers are judged. Let’s list a few of the main ones:

— IBU is the degree of bitterness of the beer. But not always a drink with a higher index will seem more bitter — the taste can be softened, for example, by essential oils in the composition;

— ABV - the alcohol content of the beer, expressed as a percentage;

— OG and FG - the initial and final density of the beverage. Calculated before the start and after the end of fermentation, respectively. Indicates the concentration of the mass fraction of malt sugar in the wort. The denser the variety, the more intense flavor it can have.

— drinkability - a term used by tasters to indicate how well a beer drinks. «drinkable» beers traditionally include eurolagers, pilsners, Irish stouts and brown ales.

Of course, you can study the features and characteristics of beer for a long time, but we told you about the most basic ones. And if you want to back up the theory with practice — come to any beer restaurant of the Lambic chain. Hundreds of varieties to suit every taste are waiting for your tasting!

Date : 10 May

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