The Most Popular Beer Styles: A Quick Guide for Beginners

There are hundreds of beers and thousands of different brands, but all this diversity can be divided into just a few groups. These are the so-called beer styles, which are usually determined by the nuances of production. For example, the method of fermentation, the temperature at which the malt is roasted, the type of grain added, and so on.

Belonging to one or another style does not guarantee that you will get a set of specific flavor characteristics, but it will help to highlight the main features - and as a result make a more accurate and correct choice.

Those or these?

Almost all existing beers can be divided into two categories. The first are ales, which are produced by top fermentation at high temperatures (about 20 degrees). The second group is the lagers, which are produced under cooler conditions and fermented under a lower fermentation method. Both ales and lagers can be either dark or pale, but the way the yeast behaves in the conditions created - whether it rises or settles to the bottom - ultimately affects the taste of the finished drink.

There is a third category: lambic. This beer is made by spontaneous fermentation, in which the role of specially added yeast is played by microorganisms that are in the environment. For this purpose the wort is left in open containers, but the production process is carefully controlled. Lambic has a unique sour taste and a characteristic aroma, in which you can distinguish notes of fruit, wine vinegar, wet hay and horse blanket. Often fruit and berries are added to lambic, which, on the one hand, soften its taste and, on the other hand, favorably emphasize it. The most popular variety is Belgian Cherry Creek.

What else?

Strictly speaking, all the other beers are derivatives of the main groups. But some of them are worth talking about separately. For example, beer can be classified according to the type of grain used for malting. Wheat Belgian beers are based on wheat, dark stout is based on roasted barley, and sour ale Gose is made from a mixture of several grains.

Another important criterion is the temperature at which the malt is roasted or dried. The higher the temperature, the darker the malt it turns out to be - and affects the taste of the finished beer accordingly. For example, dark malt makes porter, light malt makes British bitter and Czech pilsner.

In some cases, the place where the beer is made can also be responsible for the style of the beer. An example is Trappist beer, which is essentially an ale as well, but unique. It is brewed only in 13 breweries around the world, necessarily located in abbeys. However, all breweries regularly confirm their right to brew these beers by complying with a strict list of requirements, for example, obligatorily giving part of the proceeds to charity.

To taste all popular beer styles, come to the beer restaurant We'll find a drink you'll definitely like!

Date : 21 March

Views : 154

Tell friends