A Beginners Guide To Craft Beer
- By Steven Hooch
- Published 11/17/2011
- Food and Drink
- Unrated
Hand-crafted beer is becoming a favourite among beer lovers. It is certainly not the run-of-the-mill yellow liquid inside a bland bottle with little to no flavour at all. The delicious flavours, enticing aromas and silky textures make these alcoholic beverages the best drinks in the world according to many enthusiasts. For another thing, it is not produced in commercial quantities, thus, bringing back the human component that commercial breweries with their machineries have taken away from the manufacture of beer. Avid consumers of ales and lagers say that the passion for beer inside the heart of their makers is evidenced in the gourmet qualities of their final products.
Official and Unofficial Definitions:
What exactly is a craft beer? There are many official and unofficial definitions floating around in the industry so it is best to take a look at a few. According to the official definition of the Brewers Association, a craft brewer is a small, independent and traditional brewer.
Let's break it down to its three components. Small refers to an annual production of 6 million barrels of beer; independent pertains to the ownership of the craft brewery wherein a macro brewery must own less than 25% stake; and traditional refers to the all-malt flagship or to at least 50% of its volume sales related to beer. Take note that this definition only applies to American breweries, not to mention that it is also fraught with many issues.
Most ale and lager enthusiasts have a different take on the matter. Craft beers are made as part of an art, a trade and an occupation that require special skills, particularly manual skills. The main aim of making them is to make beverages with di
stinctive and delicious flavours, aromas and textures that reflect the passion, skills and love for the art of making beer. No, plain, boring and lifeless beers are not allowed!
Ales and Lagers:
Like all beers, however, craft beers can be classified for convenience's sake into two main categories - ales and lagers. Within these two categories are numerous varieties ranging from the porters and stouts to the smoked and fruit beers. The differences between ales and lagers boil down to 3 differences in the brewing process:
Yeast - Ales use top-fermenting yeast while lagers utilise bottom-fermenting yeasts.
Temperature and Time - Ales are best fermented at warm temperatures while lagers ferment well as cold temperatures.
Additional Ingredients - Ale have higher amounts of hops, malts and roasted malts in contrast with lagers.
Which is the best? Well, it all comes down to personal preferences since both ales and lagers have their own fair share of merits. An easier question to answer is: What are the types of ales and lagers? We can mention:
Anglo-American style ales include American strong ale, blonde ale, amber ale, barley wine, bitter, black IPA, cream ale, imperial IPA, Irish ale and traditional ale.
Belgian style ales include Abbey Dubbel, Belgian ale, Belgian IPA, Belgian strong ale and Saison.
Stouts and porters include Baltic porter, imperial stout and sweet stout.
Lagers include American dark lager, classic German pilsner, Bohemian/Czech Pilsner, steam beer, Doppelbock, European strong lager and malt liquor.
One of the greatest pleasures in life is drinking and savoring the excellent flavors of a craft beer either on its own or with food from pastas to desserts. Get one now and be part of the growing passion for craft beers!
Official and Unofficial Definitions:
What exactly is a craft beer? There are many official and unofficial definitions floating around in the industry so it is best to take a look at a few. According to the official definition of the Brewers Association, a craft brewer is a small, independent and traditional brewer.
Let's break it down to its three components. Small refers to an annual production of 6 million barrels of beer; independent pertains to the ownership of the craft brewery wherein a macro brewery must own less than 25% stake; and traditional refers to the all-malt flagship or to at least 50% of its volume sales related to beer. Take note that this definition only applies to American breweries, not to mention that it is also fraught with many issues.
Most ale and lager enthusiasts have a different take on the matter. Craft beers are made as part of an art, a trade and an occupation that require special skills, particularly manual skills. The main aim of making them is to make beverages with di
Ales and Lagers:
Like all beers, however, craft beers can be classified for convenience's sake into two main categories - ales and lagers. Within these two categories are numerous varieties ranging from the porters and stouts to the smoked and fruit beers. The differences between ales and lagers boil down to 3 differences in the brewing process:
Yeast - Ales use top-fermenting yeast while lagers utilise bottom-fermenting yeasts.
Temperature and Time - Ales are best fermented at warm temperatures while lagers ferment well as cold temperatures.
Additional Ingredients - Ale have higher amounts of hops, malts and roasted malts in contrast with lagers.
Which is the best? Well, it all comes down to personal preferences since both ales and lagers have their own fair share of merits. An easier question to answer is: What are the types of ales and lagers? We can mention:
Anglo-American style ales include American strong ale, blonde ale, amber ale, barley wine, bitter, black IPA, cream ale, imperial IPA, Irish ale and traditional ale.
Belgian style ales include Abbey Dubbel, Belgian ale, Belgian IPA, Belgian strong ale and Saison.
Stouts and porters include Baltic porter, imperial stout and sweet stout.
Lagers include American dark lager, classic German pilsner, Bohemian/Czech Pilsner, steam beer, Doppelbock, European strong lager and malt liquor.
One of the greatest pleasures in life is drinking and savoring the excellent flavors of a craft beer either on its own or with food from pastas to desserts. Get one now and be part of the growing passion for craft beers!
Steven Hooch
Steven Hooch is a leading connoisseur for a variety of fine wines and ales. He has been sharing his insights and reviews for over 11 years striving to provide expert advice and information on a wide range of alcoholic beverages including craft beers.
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