Dear Reader,
This edition of my Study Guide is presented in HTML format. You shouldn't have much trouble printing or saving this file from your browser. In its wordprocessor for, it consists of 115 pages and mentions in one way or another just about all you need to pass the BJCP exam. It may be larger or smaller in the HTML format - based on the characteristics of your browser.
As I warn in the text, this is a distilled version of the information you need to pass the test. It is NOT a substitute for the references cited and the wealth of information they contain. Unless you're willing to obtain some of these references and read and understand them thoroughly, this Guide will not be of much use to you.
Feel free to circulate this guide in any way you wish that does not involve any money changing hands. And I'd appreciate my name, information on the HTML conversion and the titling of this document being included in any copies you make.
The pages of questions at the end were taken from actual exams and were distributed far and wide via homebrew club newsletters and the Net during 1994. They are compiled here by subject and are an excellent study aid. Needless to say, if you can answer every one of these questions well without referring to a book or guide you'll do very well on the test! Feel free to circulate the questions separately from the Guide if you wish.
If you find any errors in the content please send me a note at my email address, WALZENBREW@aol.com. If you find errors with this HTML presentation of the study guide, please contact Pat Babcock at pbabcock@oeonline.com.
Cheers and Good Luck!
Greg Walz
T.R.A.S.H. - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By the same token, though nowhere near the level of energy expended by Greg, the conversion of this document to HTML format and it's mainatenance requires a bit of time as well. All I ask is that the HTML conversion information and the shameless plug for my homepage remain intact when you pass this along.
And further pay us both by doing well on the exam!
May your glass ne'er go empty!
Pat Babcock
http://oeonline.com/~pbabcock/brew.html
The Fermental Order Of Renaissance Draughtsmen - Dearbon, Michigan
4/12/96
Copyright ©1992,1996 by Gregory J. Walz HTML conversion Copyright ©1996 BabsTech Enterprises
1. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. REFERENCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
3. THE BEER JUDGE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. . . . . .7
4. THE REINHEITSGEBOT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5. THE INGREDIENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I wrote this study guide while studying for the Beer Judge Certification Exam back in 1990. These are my notes. I received a 90% the first time I took the BJCE as a result of writing these notes as part of the process of studying and reviewing for the exam.
Please be aware of four things when using this study guide. First, it is just that - sort of a "Cliff's Notes" on the material that is needed to pass the BJCE. It is no substitute for reading and thoroughly understanding the references cited in the next section. It should be used only in conjunction with these references, as a review source and night-before study guide.
Second, it is no substitute for actually brewing. Reading about brewing and making a batch, even a simple extract brew, are worlds apart. If you aren't a brewer yourself, you owe it to yourself to try your hand at brewing, or at least work with an experienced homebrewer to help make a batch. Only then will you be in the proper position to judge the efforts of other brewers. Note also that about 30% of the questions on a typical BJCP Exam require detailed knowledge of the process of brewing - knowledge that simply cannot be obtained without hands-on brewing experience.
Third, it is no substitute for actually tasting and evaluating beers. 30% of the BJCE exam is based on your ability to taste and properly evaluate four beers. This can only be obtained through practice - in other words, tasting and evaluating beers as though you were judging them in a competition. Use of the AHA/HWBTA score sheets while doing this is a great help, but you can be mentally judging any beer you drink - even in a bar with friends. Skill in judging beer is like playing the piano - it can only be obtained and developed through continual practice.
Fourth, at least one question on the exam is a test of your overall beer knowledge. This question may be tailored to where you take the exam. For example, when I took it in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1990 the question was to name and describe five microbrewery beers brewed west of the Mississippi. For a California resident this would be a give-away question; but for someone from Pennsyl- vania, where these beers were not available at that time, this was a challenge. Keep this in mind - this study guide will not help you with questions of this nature.
Remember - you'll do well on the exam if you obtain and read the listed references, brew a lot of beer, and practice tasting beers. Use this study guide only as a review.
Good Luck!
THESE ARE REQUIRED READING FOR A HIGH SCORE ON THE BJCE:
Jackson, Michael. THE NEW WORLD GUIDE TO BEER. Running Press, Philadelphia PA 1988. $19.95 (from the AHA). The definitive work on world beer styles, brands, and beer history. Invaluable as a study guide. Try to get the latest edition. Read it cover to cover.
Jackson, Michael. THE SIMON AND SCHUSTER POCKET GUIDE TO BEER. Simon and Schuster, New York. 1991. $9.95. This is a good summary of the other Jackson book, and is small enough to carry with you. Make sure you get the latest edition.
Noonan, Gregory J. BREWING LAGER BEER, Brewers Publications, Boulder CO. 1986. $14.95 (AHA members $12.95). The best source of technical information on the process of brewing. You don't need this much info to brew or even to pass the BJCE, but knowing it will help you to understand the "whys" of certain rules and techniques in the brewing process (and get you a higher score). Read it from cover to cover if you want a high score.
Papazian, Charles N. THE NEW COMPLETE JOY OF HOME BREWING, Avon Books, New York. 1991. The best guide to home brewing and the necessary aspects to the process of brewing, written in easy-to-follow and easy-to-understand language. If you're not brewing now this is the only book you'll need to get started. Read it from cover to cover. Be sure to get the revised edition - it has an index.
Smith, Gregg. THE BEER ENTHUSIAST'S GUIDE, Storey Communications, Inc., Pownal, VT. 1994. An excellent overall guide covering all of the areas that you need to know for the BJCP exam, in a manner similar to this Study Guide. A good book to take to judging sessions, as all of the necessary reference information is at your fingertips.
BEER JUDGE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM flyer, available from the BJCP c/o Celebrator Beer News, PO Box 375, Hayward, CA. This is a "must have" pamphlet that explains the current rules and regula- tions of the program. Note that almost every exam will have a question about the structure of the program, levels of certifi- cation, and points. This pamphlet is the source of this informa- tion. Read and memorize. Contact the BJCP for price.
Forget, Carl. DICTIONARY OF BEER AND BREWING. Brewers Publica- tions, Boulder, CO. 1988. $19.95 (AHA members $15.95). A good source of instant definitions for those troublesome terms that you encounter in your reading.
Eckhardt, Fred. THE ESSENTIALS OF BEER STYLES, All Brewers Information Service, Portland OR. 1989 $14.59. This is the book that the judges carry to the competitions. An excellent reference to the styles, with facts and figures hard to find otherwise.
THE CLASSIC BEER STYLE SERIES, Brewers Publications, Boulder CO. There are presently (1994) nine books in this series, PALE ALE and PORTER, both by Terry Foster; CONTINENTAL Pilsner by David Miller; LAMBIC by Jean-Xavier Guinard, VIENNA by George and Laurie Fix, BOCK by Darryl Richman, SCOTCH ALE by Greg Noonan, GERMAN WHEAT BEER by Eric Warner, and BELGIAN ALE by Pierre Rajotte. All are $11.95 ($9.95 to AHA members) and will give you enough detail on the particular style to make you an expert, plus instructions on how to brew it. This series will undoubtedly continue until all the styles are included. Highly recommended.
ZYMURGY magazine, Volume 10, Number 5, Winter 1987. $4.00. Available from the American Homebrewers Association. Good article on sanitizing water used with small-batch extract brewing (Page 41-43).
ZYMURGY magazine, Volume 11, Number 3, Fall 1988. $4.00. Available from the American Homebrewers Association. Good description of beer colors and the Lovibond color scale in this issue (Page 30-33).
ZYMURGY SPECIAL ANNUAL ISSUES. Published by the AHA, the annual Zymurgy Special Issues are packed with useful information. All are currently $8.50 each. Some of the more notable issues that are still available from the AHA include:
Traditional Beer Styles Issue, Volume 14 Number 4, 1991. Excellent descriptions of styles and their histories.
NOTE - THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IN BOLD CAPS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE EXAMINATION AND SHOULD BE MEMORIZED.
THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO CERTIFY JUDGES BASED ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF BEER STYLES, BREWING PROCESSES, BREWING HISTORY, TASTING ABILITY, AND THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE IN WRITING.
A TEST IS GIVEN, WITH 70% WRITTEN ESSAY TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF BEER AND BREWING (AS WELL AS YOUR WRITING/COMMUNICATIONS ABILITY). TASTING FOUR BEERS COUNTS FOR 30%, AND TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO PICK UP FLAVORS AND IDENTIFY STYLES (AS WELL AS LEGIBLY FILL OUT AND ACCURATELY ADD UP A SCORE SHEET). AN OVERALL SCORE OF 60% IS NEEDED TO PASS THE TEST.
FOUR LEVELS OF JUDGE CERTIFICATION EXIST. THESE ARE ARRIVED AT THROUGH A COMBINATION OF TEST SCORES AND EXPERIENCE POINTS ACCUMU- LATED BY JUDGING AND PARTICIPATING IN COMPETITIONS.
RECOGNIZED JUDGE - 60% ON EXAM. NO EXPERIENCE POINTS NEEDED SINCE THIS IS AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION. NO MATTER HOW MUCH HIGHER YOUR EXAM SCORE, YOU WILL REMAIN IN THIS CATEGORY UNTIL YOU ACCUMULATE EXPERIENCE POINTS.
CERTIFIED JUDGE - 70% ON EXAM, AND 5 EXPERIENCE POINTS, 2 1/2 OF WHICH MUST COME FROM ACTUALLY JUDGING BEER.
NATIONAL JUDGE - 80% ON EXAM, AND 20 EXPERIENCE POINTS, 10 OF WHICH MUST COME FROM ACTUALLY JUDGING BEER.
MASTER JUDGE - 90% ON EXAM, AND 40 EXPERIENCE POINTS, 20 OF WHICH MUST COME FROM ACTUALLY JUDGING BEER.
GRAND MASTER JUDGE, FIRST DEGREE - 90% ON EXAM AND 100 EXPERIENCE POINTS, 50 OF WHICH MUST BE FROM JUDGING BEER, AND HAS PERFORMED A PERIOD OF SERVICE FOR THE BJCP TO BE DETERMINED BY THE CO-DIRECTORS ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. ADDITIONAL DEGREES CAN BE EARNED WITH EACH ADDITIONAL 100 POINT INCREMENT AND THE PERFOR- MANCE OF ADDITIONAL SERVICE FOR THE BJCP.
MEMBERS OF THE BJCP AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ARE CONSIDERED HONORARY MASTER JUDGES DURING THEIR TERMS OF OFFICE. THEY MAY ALSO APPOINT KNOWN TASTING/BEER EXPERTS TO THIS POSITION.
Competitions must be sanctioned by either the BJCP or the AHA for points to accumulate, and points only given after a summary form sent in by the organizer to the BJCP program administrator.
A JUDGE REMAINS ON THE ACTIVE LIST FOR 2 YEARS AFTER THE EXAM OR THE LAST EXPERIENCE POINT. THEN HE OR SHE IS PLACED ON THE INACTIVE LIST FOR TWO MORE YEARS. NO POINTS ACCUMULATED FOR 4 YEARS RESULTS IN BEING DROPPED FROM THE PROGRAM.
The examination is given annually at the AHA Annual Convention (usually held in June) and at other times and places around the country. Contact the BJCP for these times and places.
EXPERIENCE POINTS are accumulated according to the following schedule:
NUMBER OF ORGANIZER ASSISTANT BEST OF SHOW JUDGE STEWARD ENTRIES ORGANIZER JUDGE 1-74 2 0 1 0.5 0 75-149 3 0 2 1 0.5 150-299 5 1 2 1 0.5 300-499 7 3 2 1 0.5 500-UP 10 5 3 0.5-2* 0.5 NATIONAL SAME AS ABOVE 5 0.5-5+ 1 (AHA,HWBTA)* Judges at extra-large regional competitions having 500 or more entries will receive 0.5 experience point per judging session with a maximum of 1 point per calendar day of judging (but not less than 1 experience point for the event) and a total maximum of 2 experience points for the event.
+ Judges at annual AHA and/or HWBTA National Competitions will receive, at the first round of a National Competition, 0.5 experience point per judging session with a maximum of 1 point per calendar day of judging and a total maximum of three experience points for the first round event. Judges at the second round AHA National Competition will receive 2 experience points. NOTE: This is subject to change; contact the BJCP for latest info.
Other rules include that the organizer may delegate points to assistants, minimum 1/2 point. Only one type of point (judging, organizing, or stewarding) may be earned at any one competition; however, a steward, judge or Best of Show judge may receive up to one organizer or assistant organizer experience point as assigned by the Competition Organizer. Best-of-show judging points can only be given if there are at least six entries in five different style categories. Only one Best of Show judge is permitted for every 25 entries, with a total maximum of four per event.
Note that these rules, point schedules, and certification levels are subject to change. Get the latest information before taking the examination (see the REFERENCES section).
Although "beer" has, for centuries, been made from a variety of fermentables, additives and seasoning spices, the most popular definition of "beer" is a fermented brew made from malted grains, hops, water, and yeast.
The Reinheitsgebot, or "Order of Purity", was issued by Wilhelm IV, Duke of Bavaria, in the year 1516, to guarantee the purity and quality of beer and to ban the use of questionable (and sometimes dangerous) additives. The Reinheitsgebot stated that beer can be brewed only from malt, hops, and water (yeast was unknown in the 16th century). The Reinheitsgebot is thus the world's oldest consumer protection / product quality law still in effect.
This decree formed part of the basic law of Bavaria, and its retention was a condition of Bavaria's admittance to the Republic of Germany in 1919. Followed throughout the Republic of Germany (and West Germany after WW II), the Reinheitsgebot was interpreted to forbid the brewing or sale of any fermented grain beverage as "beer" unless made from only the four ingredients.
In 1987 the European Court (acting for the Common Market) declared the law to be "protectionist." As a result, beers not meeting the Reinheitsgebot (such as most American beers and many Belgian styles) can now be sold in Germany as "beer." However, all German brewers are united in their commitment to continue following the Reinheitsgebot with the beers they brew. This has been extended to the breweries of former East Germany when the two countries were reunited in October of 1990.
A common misconception about the Reinheitsgebot is that beers brewed to this standard have to be made from 100% barley malt. Were this true, brewing Bavarian weizenbiers (or any other German style, such as Klsch, that uses malted wheat) would be forbidden - and we all know this is not the case! Today the Reinheitsgebot is interpreted to mean that beer must be brewed from malted cereal grains. Thus the use of malted wheat (or malted rye or malted oats) in a beer would not disqualify it from meeting the Rein- heitsgebot, but use of, say, unmalted roasted black barley (as found in Irish Stout) would result in disqualification. Eric Warner, in "German Wheat Beer" (see Reference section) says, "The Reinheitsgebot...law requires that only malted cereal grains be used for brewing any German beer." German brewers, additionally, presently restrict the use of malted grains other than barley to those styles made with ale yeasts.
Note the following common adjuncts that would not be permitted in a true Reinheitsgebot beer: Corn grits, rice, flaked maize, unmalted barley (or other unmalted cereal grains), corn sugar, candy sugar, corn syrup, maltodextrin, Irish moss, gelatin, isinglass, fruit, spices other than hops, honey, etc.
While the Reinheitsgebot has been quite effective over the centuries in protecting the quality and purity of German beer, keep in mind that we, as homebrewers, do not have to be limited by it, and are thus free to explore the world's wealth of beer styles and ingredients.
Barley is the source of the fermentable sugars in beer. The barley kernel is the seed of a plant of the grass family, Gramineae. It grows best in cool, dry climates, but is found just about everywhere. Barley malt is formed by sprouting barley kernels to a desired length, then stripping off the rootlets and kilning the kernels to a specific degree.
Barley kernels, or corns, are the seed of the barley plant. They consist of a germ, which is the actual germinating portion, the endosperm, which is the starch or food source for the germinating germ, all surrounded by the husk, which is almost all cellulose. The acrospire is the portion of the plant that will remain above ground. Growing from the germ, the length of the acrospire determines the changed content, or degree of modification, of the barley.
Two varieties of barley are commonly used in brewing. They are distinguished by the number of fertile flowers on the heads along the central stem. Two-row barley (Hordeum vulgare) has only two of the six flowers on the head fertile and able to produce kernels. Six row barley has all kernels fertile. An intermedi- ate variety, called four-row, which grows well in cold climates, is in fact a six-row variety, but not widely used in brewing due to the high protein content of the kernels.
Two-row barley will have bigger kernels, and thus more potential fermentables than six-row. It will also have a smaller husk content, which makes 2-row beers taste less husky/tannic, and a smaller protein content. All-malt two-row beers will taste smoother than similar beers made with six-row. Six row barley, however, gives more yield per acre and has more enzymes, so it is the choice whenever large amounts of adjuncts will be used. All-malt beers made exclusively with six-row will be darker than two-row beers and taste heavy. The extra husk content of six-row, however, aids in providing a lautering filterbed.
According to Greg Noonan (BREWING LAGER BEER, see References), brewer's barley will be the pick of the harvest, generally able to stay on a 3/32 inch screen, and will be plump and well-formed. 95% of brewer's grade barley is usually maltable. It should not be high in moisture, and should not have more than 1.6% nitrogen.
Inland grown barley is known as "Continental", and has a higher protein content and makes maltier beers than coastal, or "Mari- time" barleys, which tend to make lighter tasting beers. Continental barley, which is most of that used and grown in Germany, requires a protein rest to reduce the proteins, which is why a decoction mash is preferred for German styles. Maritime barleys (Denmark and Britain) are suited for infusion mashing when properly modified.
The process of malting is done to convert the large, insoluble starch chains of the endosperm to water-soluble starches, and to activate both the proteolytic and diastatic enzymes that will reduce the proteins and starches into desirable components in the mash.
Malting is basically sprouting the grains to a desired degree of acrospire growth, or "degree of modification". The acrospire grows from the germ end of the corn to the opposite end. The ratio of the acrospire length to the length is the degree of modification, expressed as a percent or ratio.
A ratio of 1.0 is indicative of fully-modified malt. Such a malt will be low in protein content and will have the endosperm almost fully converted to water-soluble gum. However, the starch content will be reduced through its consumption during the growth of the acrospire and the rootlets.
American and Continental malts are less fully modified. Continen- tal malt is modified only to 1/2 degree, which retains more of the endosperm for fermentability, and creates greater nitrogen complexity, but at the price of reduced enzyme activity. American six-row is also modified to between 1/2 and 3/4 degree, but the higher protein and nitrogen content of six-row gives greater enzyme strength. Both Continental and American malts require a protein rest (122 degrees approx.) to degrade the albuminous proteins into fractions that can be both used to promote yeast growth and give good head retention.
The barley is steeped in 50-65 degree water for about two or three days, then allowed to germinate for six to ten days between 50 and 70 degrees. The acrospire will usually grow to 1/2 degree at about the sixth day of germination. At the end of germination, the malt is gradually raised in temperature to 90 degrees, held there for 24 hours to permit enzyme action, then gradually raised to 120 degrees. This temperature is held for 12 hours to dry the malt, as it is essential that the malt be bone-dry before being
heated to roasting temperatures to prevent the destruction of the necessary enzymes.
Kilning, or roasting the malt, combined with the degree of modification, determines the type and character of the grain. Vienna malts are low-kilned at around 145 degrees. British and American pale malts at between 130 and 180 degrees. Czech malts are raised slowly from 120 to 170 degrees to dry, then roasted at 178 degrees. Dortmund and Munich malts are slow-germinated at low temperatures, then slowly dried, raising the temperature to 195-205 degrees for Dortmunder malt, and 210 to 244 for Munich malt.
Crystal malt is fully modified, then kilned at 50% moisture content. The temperature is raised to 150-170 degrees and held for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This mashes the starches into sugars and liquefies it. The malt is then heated to 250 degrees for final roasting, the time of roasting determining the Lovibond color index desired.
Amber malt is well-modified, and then dried and heated to 200
degrees in 20 minutes. It is then heated to 280-300 degrees, and held there until the desired color is reached.
Chocolate and Black Patent malts are undermodified (less than 1/2), dried to 5% moisture, then roasted at 420-450 degrees for up to two hours, depending on the degree of roastiness desired.
Malts kilned over smoky beechwood fires, as in Bamberg, pick up a rich, heavy smokiness (which is imparted to the beer) from the phenols in the smoke.
Kilning at the maximum temperature is generally done only until the grains are evenly roasted. They are then cooled to below 100 degrees, and the rootlets removed. Malts should be allowed to rest for a month or so before being mashed.
The barley corn contains sugars, starches, enzymes, proteins, tan- nins, cellulose, and nitrogenous compounds for the most part. The starches will be converted into sugars by the enzymes during the mash, and will become both simple and complex sugars. Monosaccha- rides are the simplest sugars and have only one basic sugar structure in the molecule. Monosaccharides in beer include glucose, fructose, mannose and galactose. Disaccharides are made
up of two monosaccharides coupled together, and include maltose, isomaltose, fructose, melibiose, and lactose. Trisaccharides (three monosaccharides) include maltotriose, which is fermentable slowly and sustains the yeast during lagering. Oligosaccharides constructed of glucose chains (many monosaccharides joined together) are water soluble and called small dextrins. These are reduced into simpler sugars by the diastatic enzymes. Hemicellu- lose and soluble gums account for about 10% of the corn weight. These are combinations of polysaccharides and proteins. The gums are soluble and reducible, but the hemicellulose must be reduced by the proteolytic enzymes into fractions that permit good head retention, or they will cloud the beer.
Cellulose and tannins make up the husks. They are only used to filter the beer during lautering. Care must be taken not to leach out the tannins by hot (>170 degree) sparging or excessive sparging or alkaline runoff. Proteins in the kernel serve as food for the germ. These must be reduced by proteolytic enzymes into less complex albumins and amino acids. The amino acids are essential for proper yeast growth and development. Molecular weight proteins of 17000 to 150000 must be reduced to albumins of 500-12000 for good head formation, and some further to 400-1500 for proper yeast nutrition. As enzymes are proteins, the protein content of the malt is an indication of its enzymatic strength.
Peptides of the B-complex vitamins are also present, and necessary for yeast development. Polyphenols and tannins are present in the husks, and should not be allowed to leach into the beer. Fatty acids and lipids present in the grains should not be leached into the beer by excessive sparging as they can cause off flavors and head loss. Phosphates in the mash are responsible for the acidulation of the mash. Yeast also use these and other trace elements.
Beer color is determined by the types of malts used, and is a very specific characteristic of the styles. Two scales are used for color determination - the EBC scale used in Europe, and the Lovibond scale (degrees L) in the USA.
The Lovibond scale goes from low to high, with low numbers referring to lighter colors. For example, an American lite beer would be around 1-2.5 degrees, a Pilsner between 2.5-4.5, a Marzen in the 9-14 degree range, and a Dopplebock in the 22-30 degree range. Some stouts can be over 60 degrees in color, and are as inky black as coffee.
To get the final beer color, simply multiply the amount of malt used in pounds by its color, and divide by the boil size in gallons. Sum these numbers for all the malt varieties used. For example, 10 lbs of German Pilsner malt of 1.6 degrees in a 5 gallon batch would give a color of 16/5, or 3.2 degrees.
To calculate color in formulating a recipe, you need to know the Lovibond rating for the malts you wish to use. If this is not given, use the table below:
MALT VARIETY COLOR IN DEGREES LOVIBOND
US 2-row ------------------------- 1.4 - 1.8
US 6-row ------------------------- 1.5 - 1.9
Canadian 2-row ------------------- 1.3 - 1.7
Canadian 6-row ------------------- 1.4 - 1.9
German Pils 2-row ---------------- 1.6
German Lager 2-row --------------- 1.7
Dextrin or Cara-Pils ------------- 1.3 - 1.8
Wheat Malt ----------------------- 1.6 - 1.8
Pale Ale malt (British) ---------- 3.0
Vienna Malt ---------------------- 3 - 5
Light Munich --------------------- 8 - 11
Dark Munich ---------------------- 18 - 22
Crystal -------------------------- 10 - 120
Chocolate Malt ------------------- 325 - 375
Black Patent Malt ---------------- 475 - 525
Roasted Nonmalted Black Barley --- 500 - 550
Finally, to convert from EBC to degrees L:
EBC = (2.65 X L) - 1.2
L = (EBC + 1.2) / 2.65
Note that these formulas are only rough approximations, since different methods are used in their determinations.
(Reference: "A Simple Technique for Evaluating Beer Color" by George Fix, ZYMURGY magazine, Volume 11, Number 3, Fall 1988.)
Hops are the conelike flowers, or "strobiles", of the vine Humulus Lupus. The strobiles are formed by a cluster of petallike greenish-yellow bracts and bracteoles emerging from a central stem. The appearance is similar to a small green pine cone. Each bract bears many tiny yellow sacs called "lupulin" at the base. Lupulin is as much as 15% of the hops by weight and contain the essential oils, resins, bittering principles, polyphenols, and tannins.
Humulus Lupus is closely related to the Cannabis family, and is bisexual (male and female). Only the female plant is cultivated, as hops are reproduced by root cuttings. In fact, except in Kent, England, the male plant is suppressed, as it is felt that unfertilized cones produce better beer (the opposite is felt in southeastern England).
Hop vines are a perennial plant, springing up from the roots in early spring. As they are a vine, they must be given a rope or wire on which to climb. These structures are standard fixtures in hop yards. Hop cultivators will generally suppress all but one or two shoots from each root stock, to channel the plant's energy into the generation of cones (the cutoff shoots are quite edible, and considered a delicacy when cooked like asparagus).
The cones are ready for harvesting in August or early September, and are dried from 70 to 80% moisture content to 8-10% at temperatures of 140-150 degrees, or below 130 degrees if strongly aromatic. After drying, they are packaged in such a manner as to minimize exposure to the atmosphere or oxygen. Homebrewers should keep all hops (leaf or pellets) stored in airtight barrier bags or jars in the freezer until ready for use.
Hops have been used to season beer since about the ninth century. Before this other seasonings, such as juniper, coriander, yarrow and similar spices were used to counteract the malty sweetness of the wort. The dominance of the hop as the seasoning of choice came around the 15th century, as brewers realized that beer made with hops kept better than beer made with other seasonings. Only in the 19th century was the effect of the hop on reducing the spread of certain bacteria fully understood.
Lupulin, the yellow "dust" seen in fresh hop cones, accounts for as much as 15% of the hops by weight and contain the essential oils, resins, bittering principles, polyphenols, and tannins that are used by the brewer. Hop resins are classified as alpha and beta. Alpha resins are alpha acids, and are responsible for the bittering content of the hops. These acids are isomerized by boiling and then become soluble. Other alpha resins are responsible for the anti-bacterial properties of hops, especially their ability to prevent the growth of lactobacillus and other gram-positive strains. Beta resins are more aromatic but are only slightly soluble, and thus make very little contribution to the brew unless oxidized. As they are unstable, when oxidized they taint the beer with a spoiled-vegetable taste.
Essential oils in the hop cones are responsible for the characteristic hop aroma. These oils, however, are very volatile and are driven off in the wort boil in a very short time. Hops added at the start of the boil will display little or no aroma at the end of the boil, since these oils will have been driven off. Hopping within 15 minutes of the end of the boil, at the end of the boil in the hop back, or dry hopping with added hops or hop "tea" will give the characteristic aroma without adding bitterness to the beer.
The tannins in hops aid in protein clarification, as free large-molecular-weight proteins will cling to the tannins and, by virtue of the increased weight, sink to the bottom and thus be removed from the beer. Hop resins will also preserve the simpler proteins necessary for head retention.
There are many hop varieties. The hop plant is cultivated worldwide, and different varieties, or the same variety grown in different locations, will display different characteristics.
Hops are divided generally into two categories - "aroma" hops and "bittering" hops. Although all hops will have both to a degree, varieties are cultivated to specialize in one or the other. Some varieties display both characteristics, although this is a recent occurrence.
Classic aromatic hop varieties include Saaz, the classic Czech pilsner hop from the Zatec region; Hallertauer, Mittelfruh, and Tettnanger from South Germany; Kent Goldings and Fuggles from Britain; and Cascade and Willamette from the USA.
Some popular bittering varieties include Perle, Galena, Eroica, Nugget, Northern Brewer and Bullion. These hops contribute a large bittering component, and therefore can be used in smaller quantities to impart bitterness to the beer.
Bitterness is measured by the "alpha acid content" of the hop variety. This is expressed as a percentage of alpha acids in terms of the total weight of the hops. In general, bittering varieties will have high alpha acid percentages and less aroma, while aroma hops will have low to moderate alpha content (and thus bitter to a lower degree).
Bitterness extracted during the wort is a function of the alpha acid content of the hop used, the amount used, and the length of the boil. This factor, called the International Bittering Unit, IBU (or BU), is determined for each hop addition during the boil, and summed to give a total bitterness factor for the beer. IBU for each hop addition can be found by the equation:
IBU = (alpha acid% * ounces * Utilization% * 7462) /
(V gallons * (1+GA))
Total IBU = Sum of IBU values for all hops added.
IBU refers to ASBC bittering units, and is defined as .0001335 of an ounce of iso-alpha acid per gallon of solution. Utilization percentage is determined by the length of time the hops are in the boil, with an 8% utilization figure for a 10-15 minute boil, and a 30% utilization typical for a 60 minute boil. GA is a specific gravity adjustment to compensate for reduced hop utilization in boiling worts above 1.050 SG, and is equal to the gravity of the boiling wort minus 1.050, divided by 0.2.
Different styles of beer will require different bittering units and hop aroma components. For example, a Pilsner will generally have around 35 BU of hops and display a nice hop bouquet, implying at least one more addition of hops near the end of the boil.
Alpha acid units, or AAU, or Homebrew Bittering Units (HBU), are simply the bittering alpha rating of the hops multiplied by the ounces used. The value will be approximately 1/3 the bittering value in BU. Note that to get this amount of bitterness the hops must be added at the start of the boil. Using the BU equation presented above gives a more accurate indication of wort bitterness, especially if multiple hop adds are used. Homebrew Bittering Units are often used to describe the bitterness of canned kit extracts. The value given is what the equivalent alpha times amount of added hops would have been to get the same bitterness as is in the extract.
Remember to keep in mind the volume of the boil when determining the BU or HBU content needed for the style.
(Reference: "Calculating Hop Bitterness in Beer", by Jackie Rager. ZYMURGY Special Hops and Beer Issue, Volume 13 No. 4, Spring 1990. Also BREWING LAGER BEER by Greg Noonan.)
Water constitutes about 85 to 90% of beer. Water quality, mineral content, and microbiological contamination level is of critical importance to brewers.
Good tasting water, with few exceptions, will generally make good beer. Not recommended for brewing are waters softened with ion-exchange water softeners (removes calcium and magnesium but leaves in sodium chloride), sea water, rain water, brackish water, or water with a large iron content. Distilled water, unless modified by adding salts, is not recommended for brewing.
As it is desired to get the pH of the mash to the 5.2-5.4 range at mash-in, waters in the 7.0 pH range are preferred.
Mineral content is important. Most water, except distilled, will contain calcium, magnesium, and sodium ions, and bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride ions. These will determine the "hardness" of the water, which is how "hard" it is to lather up with soap using the water.
Bicarbonate ions constitute "temporary" hardness, and will precipitate out with the calcium ions upon boiling.
Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), calcium sulfate (gypsum) and sodium chloride (table salt) all constitute permanent hardness. A degree of permanent hardness is desired in the water used in brewing. When the alkalinity of the water exceeds the hardness, the hardness is temporary, and the water will become strongly alkaline upon boiling. This is not desired for brewing. When the hardness exceeds the alkalinity, the hardness is permanent. This is the ideal brewing water, as it becomes slightly acidic when the temporary hardness is removed.
It is easy to add salts to water, but next to impossible to remove them. Certain beer styles, such as Burton ales and Dortmunder lagers, require water with large amounts of calcium, magnesium, and sulfates, while pilsners in the true Plzen style require very soft, salt-free water.
Adding food-grade Gypsum (calcium sulfate) to the water in the rate of one gram per gallon will increase the calcium ion content by 61.5 ppm, and the sulfate ion by 147.4 ppm. Gypsum gives a drier fuller flavor and accentuates bitterness.
Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. Adding one gram per gallon increases magnesium ion by 37 ppm, and sulfate 145.3 ppm. Epsom salts increase bitterness when used excessively, and quantities should be reduced when gypsum is also added. Avoid Epsom salts when making pale lagers.
Calcium hydroxide is used to precipitate out bicarbonates. It should not exceed the ppm of alkalinity as calcium carbonate given in the water analysis. 1 gram per gallon precipitates out 264.2 ppm bicarbonates.
Calcium carbonate (food-grade chalk) can be added if it is desired to increase the carbonate content of water. One gram CaCO3 per gallon increases calcium ion by 106 ppm, and carbonate ion by 158.5 ppm.
Table salt (sodium chloride) accentuates bitterness and enhances flavor and fullness. Also promotes enzyme activity. One gram per gallon gives 104 ppm Na, 160.25 ppm Cl.
(Note - the above relationships are from BREWING LAGER BEER by Greg Noonan and his Water Workshop at the 1991 AHA Convention. See the REFERENCES section.)
A water analysis of your local water system, combined with the knowledge of the ions desired in the style you are making, will tell you what salts to add and the quantities.
Enterobacteria, such as Coliform and others, may be present in your water system. This is contamination waiting to happen in your beer, as bacterial contamination will spread rapidly at the temperatures you end up with when doing small-batch boils with cold water in the carboy. Coliform will give a rancid, cooked or spoiled vegetable odor and taste to beer. Other species will cause other undesired off flavors.
The best way to eliminate this is to boil all the water in the beer, either through a full-wort boil or boiling and chilling the add water when using small-batch extract boils (see my article "Boil Your Extract Water", ZYMURGY, Volume 10 No. 5, Winter 1987, page 41-43). Bacteria in the water, however, is generally not a problem when using water to rinse sterilant off equipment prior to contact with the beer. If you feel it is, set your water heater to 160 degrees or hotter (caution - this is hot enough to scald) and rinse only with water 160 degrees or hotter.
Chlorine is used to sanitize domestic water systems. It is added either as free chlorine (FAC) or as chlorine compounds that remain in the water.
Chlorine should be completely removed from brewing water. Chlorine present in the water, whether FAC (free dissolved chlorine gas) or from compounds, will form chlorophenols upon contact with organic matter (wort). Chlorophenols give a medicine-chest-like, phenolic flavor to beer and are greatly undesired.
CHARCOAL FILTRATION is the best method of removing all the chlorine and chlorine compounds in water. A simple tap-mounted unit is adequate. Boiling will remove the FAC chlorine, but not chlorophenols.
Fungi of the genus SACCHAROMYCES that have the ability to metabolize sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Two species are used commonly in brewing: S. cerevisiae, or ale yeast; and S. uvarum (or S. carlsbergensis), or lager yeast. Other types are used in Belgian lambics and wheat beers.
Ale yeast (S. cerevisiae) is called top-fermenting yeast since it forms colonies that are supported by the surface tension of the wort and create a thick, rich yeast head. Ale yeasts generally work in the 55 to 70 degree range. They will ferment out the four monosaccharides glucose, fructose, mannose, and galactose, the disaccharides sucrose and maltose, xylulose, the trisaccharide maltotriose, and partially ferment the trisaccharide raffinose. They do not ferment melibiose or lactose.
Lager yeast (S. uvarum) is called bottom-fermenting yeast because the colonies don't have as great an ability to clump together, form a thinner, more tenuous head, and sediment out more readily to the bottom of the fermenter. Lager yeasts work best below 55 degrees. They ferment all the sugars that ale yeasts ferment, but also ferment the disaccharide melibiose and fully ferment the trisaccharide raffinose. They do not ferment lactose.
Lager yeasts have two sub-groups: Frohberg, or powdery yeasts (Staubhefen), that fail to clump and remain in suspension in the wort; and Saaz or break yeasts (Bruchhefen) that flocculate readily to the bottom of the fermenter. Frohberg yeasts are strong attenuators and ferment isomaltose as well as maltose. Saaz yeasts are weak fermenters that reduce the extract slowly and do not ferment isomaltose.
Belgian Lambics use an S. cerevisiae strain and three types not otherwise used in brewing: Brettanomyces bruxelliensis, B. lambicus, and Saccharomyces bayanus. South German wheat beers use a strain of Saccharomyces delbruckii, usually along with S. uvarum.
Yeast health is a function of six factors: temperature, wort pH, oxygen, nutrients, food, and overall health.
Temperatures that are best for the particular strain will vary. Unless the temperature is above 110 degrees or too cold for the strain, the yeast will continue to reproduce and function. The best temperature for the beer desired will depend on the strain
YEAST continued
used. Wort pH should be in the 5.0-5.5 range for optimal yeast growth, although this will drop during fermentation to about 4.5. Oxygen is needed in the wort for the yeast to function properly during the early phases of its life cycle. This is best done by shaking the carboy vigorously before pitching the yeast. However, oxygen reintroduced into the beer after the start of visible fermentation is undesired, and will result in off-flavors. At this time, the yeast is living anaerobically.
Nutrients are certain nitrogenous compounds and amino acids. These will be present in the wort, formed by the proteolytic enzymes during the protein rest for undermodified malts, and by the malt itself when fully modified. Trace elements are also present in the malt and from the hops.
Food for yeast is sugar, ideally a proper balance of the sugar varieties. Popular strains of beer yeast will not develop properly in a wort that has large amounts of corn sugar (glucose). This will retard proper enzyme development and cause other problems further in the life cycle. Large amounts of corn sugar in yeast starters or beer should be avoided.
Health is a critical factor in determining if the yeast will properly reproduce and produce the proper flavors in the beer. Weak yeast will not properly develop, and may flocculate prema- turely or not at all, and display characteristics totally at a variance from those predicted for the strain in use. When in doubt, a known healthy pure culture pitched to the proper amounts is the best choice.
Yeasts have three distinct phases of life in wort. They are: Respiration; Fermentation; and Sedimentation.
In the Respiration or Lag phase the yeast uses the oxygen in the wort to derive energy from both the wort and internal sources for reproduction. Internal energy stores of glycogen will be depleted as the yeast prepares for fermentation. The enzymes necessary for sugar metabolization are produced during this phase. These enzymes will be improperly developed if the wort has large amounts of corn sugar. Carbon dioxide is generated in this phase, as are flavor characteristics such as esters and diacetyls. No alcohol is produced during this phase. This phase will generally last for 24 hours after pitching or less.
In the Fermentation phase the yeast continues to reproduce, but no oxygen is used. The free oxygen will be scrubbed out by the CO2. During this phase the yeast reproduces to maintain an optimal
population throughout the wort. Here is where the sugars are converted to alcohols. The yeast will stay in suspension long enough to attenuate the wort to the desired degree. Often hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is produced during this stage, but it will normally be carried out of the wort by the CO2. Diacetyl and other fusel alcohols that are normal products of fermentation will be reduced or eliminated during this phase. This phase will include both Low Kraeusen and High Kraeusen, and the pH will drop to about 4.5-4.8, which signals the start of the sedimentation phase.
In the Sedimentation phase the yeast realizes that the energy stores and food are near depletion. The cells go dormant and settle to the bottom of the fermenter. Glycogen is produced, which is used to maintain the cell during dormancy, as well as to provide a new energy source for initial activity if roused into fresh wort.
Pitching rates should be on the order of .5 to .6 fluid ounce of slurry from culture per gallon of wort, or 2.5-3.0 ounces per five gallon batch. This is approximately 10-12 grams of roused packet yeast (in water prior to pitching) per five gallons.
Overpitching is not desired, as it will deplete the dissolved oxygen too soon and result in premature autolysis of the yeast, which will result in sulfury flavors and encourage the growth of certain bacteria.
HISTORY
Mitcherlich in 1841 discovered that yeast was necessary for fermentation, but it was not until Pasteur that the fermentation pathway that leads to alcohol production was discovered (zymase enzyme). Gabriel Sedlmayr and Anton Dreher in 1841 effectively started bottom fermentation, using mixed strains of predominantly bottom fermenting yeasts evolved by the Munich process of cold-conditioning beer (lagering) in caves, particularly over the summer. As S. uvarum is related to certain yeasts used in the wines that were made in Munich in those days, it is likely that their "contamination" of beers, combined with the cold-conditioning, resulted in their becoming dominant in the Munich beer yeast strains.
Single-cell yeasts were not isolated until 1883, by Emil Hanson of the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen. Refrigerated fermentation of cold-tolerant yeasts began in the 1880s with von Linde and the advent of mechanical refrigeration.
The style descriptions in the following two sections are distilled from Michael Jackson's NEW WORLD GUIDE TO BEER (see REFERENCES). They only represent a "skeleton" of the rich detail and historical references and anecdotes presented by Jackson. The descriptions on the following pages are a good, quick reference to the stylistic types. Reading the Jackson book is necessary to fill in the gaps.
Most of the figures for starting gravity (SG), percent alcohol by volume (v/v), International Bittering Units (IBU) and color (degrees Lovibond or SRM) are taken from one or more of the following sources:
I've also included a second set of figures for IBU and color based on Gary Bauer's table on page 9 of the Special Grain Brewing Issue of ZYMURGY magazine ("The Influence of Raw Materials on the Production of All-Grain Beers" - see REFERENCES).
Note that there are minor variations in the figures associated with the styles depending on which source you use and where the source's author obtained the information. None of these varia- tions, however, are great enough to cause any significant difference in the basic makeup of the styles discussed.
LAGERS are produced using bottom-fermented lager yeast, or Saccharomyces uvarum (or carlsbergensis). This yeast works well at lower temperatures, generally between 45 and 55 degrees. This colder fermentation reduces or eliminates the production of esters and other flavor components, generally resulting in a cleaner tasting beer. Lagers are a relatively new beer style, generally about 200 years old.
ALES are produced using ale yeast, or top-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast works at warmer temperatures and ferments out faster than its lager counterpart. Fermentation byproducts such as fruity and estery tastes are usually evident and make up a significant part of the ale taste profile.
MIXED STYLES use one or more variations, such as fermentation with ale yeast at colder temperatures, use of ale and lager yeasts in combination, or use of special yeasts (such as the Saccharomyces delbruckii strain used in German wheat beers).
BELGIAN STYLES are generally ales, but with sufficient differences in process and taste profile to warrant their inclusion as a separate style section. Some Belgian styles, such as the Lambics, use a combination of wild yeasts and bacteria in their fermentation process.
PILSNER
CHARACTERISTICS: The most popular style in the world. Light, golden lager, with crisp, clean, taste and a floral-spicy-hoppy aroma. The best examples will be cold lagered for long periods (months) and made with the best German or Czech aroma hops such as Saaz, Hallertauer, Tettnanger, or Mittelfruh. Spellings of "Pilsner" or "Pilsener" are equally appropriate.
The two stylistically distinct variations of Pilsner are:
CZECH OR BOHEMIAN: Generally around 1044-1056 SG, 4.0-5.0% v/v, with about 30-45 BU of hops (Bauer: 26-35 BU). Light to medium body, the Bohemian pilsners will have a soft drinkability due to soft brewing water and a long appetizing dryness to the finish. Color between 3.0 and 5.0 degrees Lovibond.
GERMAN PILSNER is a variation made throughout Germany but especially in the North. These pilsners tend to be a bit drier and hoppier than their Bohemian counterparts. The use of harder water than available in Plzen also serves to accentuate the dryness and bitterness of the German Pilsner style. German pilsners are generally 1.044-1.050 (Bauer: 1047-1050), 4-5% v/v, 30-40 IBU of hops, and 2.5-4 degrees L.
HISTORY: First brewed in the town of Plzen in 1842, the original brewery still operates, making Pilsner Urquell ("ur" - original), the original Pilsner. Widely copied worldwide, partly due to the introduction at this time of clear glass drinking vessels, this style is what Americans mean when they say "beer". Plzen beer was the first to methodically use the new brewing techniques to produce a new, different beer style. Note that the bottom-fermenting yeast culture used in Pilsner Urquell was developed by trial-and-error - the first single-cell yeast culture was not isolated until 1883.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pilsner Urquell (Pilzensky Prazdroj): Sweet, clean tasting Czech malted barley is lightly kilned and subjected to a triple-decoction mash in kettles over an open fire. Naturally soft water from the area gives a unique smoothness. Only Saaz hops from the Zatec district are used, and these are added three times during the boil. Start gravity around 1048 (12 degrees) with 35 bittering units. Fermented and lagered in pitch-lined oaken vessels, with lagering taking up to six months. Final color is 4.2 degrees L.
OTHER VARIATIONS: Just about every light "lager" made anywhere in the world (except Germany) is a derivative of this style.
AMERICAN LAGERS tend to be less hoppy (Bauer: 15-19 BU) and much lighter in body. Extensive use of corn and rice as adjuncts, and use of 6-row malt almost exclusively characterizes American pilsners. Little or no off flavors. Weaker in character than European versions, with light to medium body. Hop/malt aroma will be muted, clarity light golden (Bauer: 2.5-3.0 Lovibond) and strength (Bauer: 1040-1046 SG) in the 3.8-5.0% v/v range. An estery nose will dominate, as opposed to a floral hop aroma. DMS, or cooked corn, aroma is common in some Midwestern American lagers.
DRY LAGERS are strongly attenuated to remove almost all ferment- ables from the beer. A special yeast strain is used. These beers are similar to the "Dit" pilsner styles available in Germany, which are popular with diabetics due to their low residual sugar content.
MALT LIQUOR is a cheapened-corn sugar boosted version of American lager, designed for a cheap high. Greater than 5.5% v/v.
LITE LAGERS are a watered-down version with lower alcohol and less body (fewer dextrins and carbohydrates) sometimes made with special yeast strains that ferment out most of the body-giving dextrins. Bauer: 1038-1042 SG, 1.8-2.5 degrees Lovibond, 17-20 BU, with a neutral aroma and light body.
AMERICAN "ICE" BEERS are not to be confused with "Eisbocks". They are normal American lagers that are chilled to just below freezing, then filtered. This enables ice crystals to form around impurities that would normally be too small to be removed by the filter. Removing these impurities (mostly proteins and tannins) smooths out the taste and can also boost the alcohol content by increasing the ratio of alcohol to water.
PILSNER EXAMPLES: Pilsner Urquell (Bohemian), Becks and Jever (German), etc.
DORTMUNDER EXPORT
CHARACTERISTICS: Original to the city of Dortmund, which makes more beer than anyplace else in Germany. Export is a light all-malt lager, 4-6 Lovibond (Bauer: 3.3-5.0 Lovibond) with a SG of 1.048-1.056 (Bauer: 1050-1055) and around 4.8-6.0% v/v. This style is drier than a Munich pale and more full-bodied than a Pilsner, both with a lower hop rate of 23-29 BU (18-26 BU Bauer). It will have a maltiness but not be excessively sweet, and have a malty-dry finish. The "saltiness" of the water will be evident, and contribute to the overall taste profile. Medium body, with a flowery-malty aroma dominant. Bottom-fermented.
HISTORY: The characteristic style of Dortmund since about 1843. Widely marketed around Europe and the world, the Dortmunder style became known as "export" and distinguished itself as a unique style.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Standard German mashing/lagering techniques, but with less hops and more malt than the standard Pilsner styles. 3-6 months lagering. Note that Dortmund water is similar to the water found in Burton-on-Trent, England, in terms of its hardness and mineral salts. Water with a high permanent hardness and a large amount of total dissolved solids is necessary for accurately producing this style.
VARIATIONS: Few. Most variations are due to the many and varied breweries and are mostly minor variations well within the style.
EXAMPLES: Dortmunder Kronen Export, DAB Export, August Schell Export
VIENNA/OKTOBERFEST/MARZEN
CHARACTERISTICS: Medium to strong body, reddish amber to light brown color, bottom fermented, long lagering periods. Maltiness concentrated in the nose rather than the taste. A slight toasted maltiness and sweet spiciness from the Vienna or Munich malt will be evident, mostly in the bouquet. Some maltiness in the palate, but not overpowering, and the finish will be dry. Bittering is generally low, which accentuates the malt.
There are three styles that are popularly considered as "Marzens". These are true Marzens, Oktoberfest beers, and Vienna-style beers. Gary Bauer describes the differences between the Vienna, Oktoberfest, and Marzen styles as follows:
VIENNA: 1046-1050 SG, 8-10 L, 24-29 BU
OKTOBERFEST: 1055-1058 SG, 7-11 L, 18-23 BU
MARZEN: 1054-1058 SG, 9-14 L, 18-28 BU
The AHA style guidelines list the following parameters for these
styles:
VIENNA: 1048-1055 SG, 8-12 L, 22-28 BU
OKTOBERFEST / MARZEN: 1052-1064 AG, 7-14 L, 22-28 BU
VIENNAS are characterized by toasted malt aroma and flavor, but
low malt sweetness in the taste. Light to medium body. Low to
medium hop bitterness, with low hop aroma and flavor. No
fruitiness or esters, although a small amount of diacetyl is
acceptable.MARZENS have a slightly higher body, have the same toasted malt aroma and flavor, but are a bit sweeter. No fruity, estery, or diacetyl tastes.
OKTOBERFESTS are more full-bodied, and a bit darker than Marzens, with all of the other Marzen characteristics.
HISTORY: A style credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr in collaboration with Anton Dreher of Vienna, this beer evolved in Germany as a beer for use at Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest was a time when the last beer made in March (end of the brewing season) was consumed with a flourish to celebrate the beginning of the new brewing season in October. This beer was made strong and cold-lagered in caves throughout the summer. A bottom-fermenting beer made with malts roasted to a slightly higher degree than Pilsner malts, in the Vienna malting style, was a result. This style dates from around 1850, and became popular in both South Germany and Vienna simultaneously.
BREWING PROCEDURE: The main character of this style comes from the malt, which is roasted to such a degree as to give a reddish-gold color when brewed. Similar to British Pale Ale malt, Vienna malt will impart a malt sweetness to a brew but not an overpowering malt flavor, and will retain a dry finish. Light Munich malt may also be used to give this color, although it is roasted to a greater degree. Homebrewers can toast malt in the oven as an adjunct to give the proper reddish-golden color and roasted maltiness.
VARIATIONS: In Vienna the style has been diluted, with "Vienna" now meaning simply a golden-amber house lager with about 1048 SG and a low hopping rate. Note that these styles are popularly (but incorrectly) considered to be the somewhat the same, although there are definite differences between these styles as listed above.
EXAMPLES: Spaten Ur-Marzen Oktoberfest, Ambier (Vienna style), Dos Equis (Marzen style, made with adjuncts)
RAUCHBIER
CHARACTERISTICS: Like a single-malt Scotch whiskey, in a Rauch the barley malt is kilned over a smoky open fire. This gives a dominant, almost overpowering smoky taste to the brew. Bottom-fermented, lagered, with a SG of around 1048-1055 (1052 AHA) and an alcohol content of around 5% to 5.5% v/v (4.3-4.8 AHA) and a sweet smokiness in the taste and aroma. Color around 9-18 Lovibond (10-20 AHA) and bitterness around 25-35 BU (20-30 AHA). Another variation is a Rauchbock, which is a Bock brewed with smoked grains to Bock color and strength. Smoke dominates, along with a roasted maltiness in the flavor, and a very smoky, almost astringent aftertaste. Other variations exist.
HISTORY: This style dates back from the days when malts were kilned over open fires. Instead of using peat, as in Scotland, in the
Franconia area in Germany beechwood was used as the fuel. This is a specialty style that was once made over a large area and now almost exclusively in Bamberg.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Barley is malted and then kilned over a smoky, open fire that imparts the smoke of the beechwood fuel to the grain. In the mashing process the smoke flavor persists and dominates the taste of the beer. Other than the smoke, the beer is brewed in a normal fashion, and fermented with lager yeasts and stored as with other lagers.
VARIATIONS: Rauchenfels Steinbier is made using stones heated over a hot beechwood fire and then tossed into the brewkettle to heat and boil the brew. The stones impart the smoke, and are themselves coated with caramelized wort. They are then added to the brew in the lagering tanks, giving a smoky caramel flavor the final brew. This is another old style brewed as a specialty brew.
EXAMPLES: Schlenkerla Rauchbier, Kaiserdom Rauchbier, Rauchenfels Steinbier
CHARACTERISTICS: A malty brew with adequate hopping rate, generally with a starting gravity of 1052-1058 and 5% v/v. A Munich will have a medium to full body and a light hop character at 18-24 BU. A nutty, toasted chocolate-like malty sweetness will dominate. Munich Dunkel will display a color between 14 and 20 degrees Lovibond.
HISTORY: This is the first true "lager". Since about 1420, Munich brewers were storing barrels of winter brew in cold, constant temperature caves in the Alps. This was done since wild yeasts rendered brewing impossible between April and October. Eventually they unconsciously encouraged the bottom-fermenting strains of yeast through this cold storage (lagering) process. This was further developed in the 1830s by Gabriel Sedlmayr of the Spaten brewery, who set out to methodically use new scientific developments to brew clean lagers. (His initials appear on the Spaten label to this day).
BREWING PROCEDURE: Dark beer survived in Munich due to the high protein content of the malt. A triple-decoction mash with a protein rest is used in the brewing process. "Munich Style Malt" is more highly kilned than ordinary malted barley, but still retains its active enzymes and does not have a roasted taste. Munich malt used in homebrew will give malty sweetness and an reddish-amber color.
VARIATIONS: Most American dark lagers are loosely modeled after this style.
EXAMPLES: Spaten Dunkel Export, Michelob Dark (American version with adjuncts)
CHARACTERISTICS: The Munich Helles style is a golden colored lager with the emphasis on malt. It is less hoppy than a Pilsner and slightly lower in gravity. Munich Helles beers generally have medium body and medium malt sweetness. No fruitiness or esters are permitted. SGs range from 1044 to 1052, 4.5-5.5% v/v, 18-25 IBUs of hops, and 3-5 degrees Lovibond.
HISTORY: This style was the first light colored beer to be brewed in Munich. According to Jackson, Spaten claims to have first produced this style in 1894, and Paulaner claims to have popularized it in the 1920s and 1930s. It gradually supplanted the Munich Dunkel style as the most popular beer in Munich. Today, Munich Helles is what you will get in Munich if you ask for "a beer". The Helles style has also supplanted Oktoberfest beer at the annual Oktoberfest celebrations; almost everyone at Oktoberfest drinks Munich Helles (by the liter).
BREWING PROCEDURE: Standard German mashing/lagering techniques, but with less hops and less malt than the standard Pilsner styles. Two-row continental barley is mashed in a triple decoction mash, and then boiled with Noble hops. A clean-fermenting lager strain (all Munich breweries have their own strain for this style) is used. A multi-month lagering period finishes the process.
VARIATIONS: "Munich-style" is an appellation in Germany - in other words, only Munich can brew this style. Most variations are slight from brewery to brewery in Munich.
EXAMPLES: Spaten Mnchen Helles, Paulaner Original Mnchener Hell, etc.
CHARACTERISTICS: Schwarzbiers are dark brown to black lagers with medium body and medium malt sweetness, but with a strong malt aroma. Their main characteristic is the used of roasted malts such as chocolate and black patent; however, the roasted malts do not contribute bitterness or astringency. Fruity and estery aromas and tastes are not appropriate, although a small amount of diacetyl is acceptable. SGs range from 1044 to 1052, giving 3.8-5.0% v/v. Hop bitterness is 22-30 IBU, and color between 25 and 30 degrees (SRM). These beers are very popular in the area around Klmbach.
BREWING PROCEDURE: The addition of heavily roasted malt to the recipes for other typical malty German styles, such as Munich Helles, appears to be the method to make this style.
VARIATIONS: Schwarzbiers can vary considerably in terms of the dark malt content and malty sweetness. Many variations are seen in Germany.
EXAMPLES: Kulmbacher Monkshof Kloster Schwarzbier This style is rare in the US.
BOCK
BOCK: At least 6.25% V/V, dark brown, long lagering, displaying a malty smoothness offset by a gentle aroma hop characteristic and a start gravity of at least 1064. A seasonal brew, generally served during weather change times (spring, autumn). Maltiness is balanced by good attenuation and hoppy-dry finish. Not especially sweet, but well balanced. Low to moderate hopping rates at 24-36 BU give a good hop balance without excessive bitterness. Bottom fermented. Color 18-25 Lovi- bond.
DOPPLEBOCK: At least 7.5% v/v (1074 SG), and 29-40 BU of hops. Generally a "super bock", with more of everything, including a longer lagering time. Dopplebocks can have flavors ranging from the "round, to the profound, to the enveloping", as Michael Jackson puts it. Rich, dark, heavy, smooth, malty would all be terms used to describe a Dopplebock. Bottom-fermented. Color 22-30 Lovibond.
MAIBOCK: A lighter version of a Bock, generally tawny golden to amber in color, but retaining the strength and a similar flavor to regular bocks. Color around 4-9 Lovibond.
WEIZENBOCK: A bock made with wheat malt in varying proportions, up to 50-60%. Generally slightly fruitier in the aroma and palate due to the wheat content. 1044-1065 SG, color about 18-25 Lovibond.
HISTORY: Einbeck is credited with developing this style, which was brewed to a high gravity so that it would travel well - it was traded all over Europe. This style was made famous as the "beer of Martin Luther", and his picture was on the label of one brand of Einbeck bock exported to the US in the early 1900s. Einbeck was a commercial hub during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, centering around the beer trade. "Bock" was originally made as a "contract brew" by the citizens, who were visited by the brewmaster who supplied them with malt and hops, and then helped them brew. The citizens stored and then sold the beer. The original Bock was likely a Weizenbock, made with malted wheat, and using top-fermenting yeasts, around 1200.
Dopplebock originated as a monks' beer, or "liquid bread", around 1634, brewed by the monks of St. Francis of Paula. This dopplebock was named Paulaner Salvator in honor of the Savior. The monastery became the Paulaner Brewery and still makes Salvator today. In deference to tradition, the many other breweries making dopplebocks still use the -ator suffix in the name of their brews.
Maibock is traditionally used to signify the end of winter in Munich at the Hofbrauhaus, with the Prime Minister of Bavaria and the Mayor of Munich taking part in a keg tapping ceremony. Eisbock is made by taking advantage of the fact that water freezes before alcohol. By this method extremely high alcoholic content bocks can be made (like applejack). Generally made as strong as possible before boosting by freezing out the water. Up to 10-12% v/v.
VARIATIONS: Dopplebock, Maibock, Weizenbock, Eisbock
BREWING PROCEDURE: Generally various types of malt are used, and a fairly low hopping rate for the start gravity. Dark malts impart a chocolaty-smooth character without the harsh bite of burnt malts. A burnt-malt taste is totally inappropriate in any bock. The best Hallertauer or similar German aroma hops are used. Note that the starting gravity must be 1064 for a true Bock, and 1072 for a Dopplebock. Long lagering periods, from a few months to a year or more give the characteristic smoothness.
EXAMPLES: BOCK: Kessler Bock; DOPPLEBOCK: Celebrator; EISBOCK: Kulmbacher Reichelbrau "Bavarian Frozen"
CHARACTERISTICS: An American style (the only indigenous one) native to the San Francisco area. Uses a clean-fermenting lager yeast at top-fermenting temperatures (60-70 degrees). Characterized by a taste that combines the roundness of a lager with the fruitiness of an ale. Anchor Steam Beer is the example, and it is 1050 SG, 4.6% v/v, 40 BU, 5 degrees Lovibond, and is warm-conditioned, kraeusened, and bottle-conditioned. Taste is full, slightly fruity, with plenty of hop character and aroma.
Note that the term "Steam Beer" has been copyrighted as a trademark of the Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, CA.
HISTORY: Lagers were easier to produce in the areas of the US that had distinctive winters. In San Francisco, with its constant temperature, the style developed using lager yeast at ale temperatures in the mid-1800s, at the gold-rush time. The original term "steam" comes either from the intense amount of CO2 released from kegs when tapped, or from the equipment used in the brewery.
BREWING PROCEDURE: 2-row Klages malt, three-step mash, Northern Brewer hops (only whole leaf hops are used), and crystal malt. Lager yeast is used, and fermentation takes place in a shallow vessel. Warm conditioning, Kraeusening, and bottle conditioned. Dated for freshness.
VARIATIONS: None commercially produced at the present time.
EXAMPLE: Anchor Steam Beer
CHARACTERISTICS: This is a hybrid style made either by the blending of an ale and a lager, or by a fermentation with a mix of the two yeast strains. Taste will be smooth, with a hint of ale fruitiness. Start gravity in the 1040-1046 range, color 2-3.5 Lovibond, 15-18 BU hops, with a fine hop aroma and medium body (Bauer).
HISTORY: Developed in the 20th century, cream ale is a mix of ale and lager.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Lager and ale mixed after fermentation, allowed to lager or cold-age together. Another variation is to use two strains in the primary, but fermenting around 55 degrees. All are cold-lagered and highly filtered.
EXAMPLES: Genesee Cream Ale, Utica Club Cream Ale, Little Kings Cream Ale
CHARACTERISTICS: South German Weizenbier is a golden, light colored brew (2.5-4 degrees Lovibond) brewed with at least 50% malted wheat in the mash, with a top-fermenting yeast that yields the characteristic clove flavor from the phenol 4-vinyl guaiacol. Generally these beers are robustly carbonated, and some served with yeast sediment in the bottle (mit Hefe). Start gravities are around 1.048-1.055 and 5.0-5.5% v/v. Low hopping rates around 12-20 BU accentuate the wheat/clove/fruity characteristics. Sometimes cold lagered after an additional dosage of lager yeast to aid clarification. Noted for a large, frothy head, which is why it is served in the characteristic 24-oz. tall vase-shaped glass. The world's best "lawnmower beer". Clean, dry, fruity with a crisp finish would best describe the taste. Blackcurrant, green apples, and plums are other flavors present in some Weizens.
HISTORY: Wheat beers have been brewed for ages. Mixes of malt and wheat were a natural where both were grown. Barley is necessary to convert the starches in the wheat (mash). The Weihenstephan brewery north of Munich dates back to 1040 and has been brewing wheat beers regularly since this time.
BREWING PROCEDURE: A true wheat beer will have at least 50% malted wheat and be fermented with Saccharomyces delbruckii, either in a pure strain by itself or mixed with lager strains of Saccharomyces uvarum. Often the S. delbrukii strain is used for the primary fermentation, at temperatures between 60 and 72 degrees, with a dosage of bottom-fermenting yeast added and a lagering period performed to aid in clarification. Sometimes both strains are mixed in the primary. The techniques are as varied as the breweries that make Weizen. The S. delbrukii strain is a top-fermenting strain, which makes Weizen a top-fermenting beer. Its claim to fame is the production of the phenol 4-vinyl guaiacol, the source of the clove taste and aroma so necessary to this style. High-temperature fermentation also gives other fruity tastes that are desirable in this style.
In the mash the barley malt used with the wheat must have a high enzyme content since wheat malt is low in enzymes. The barley enzymes must do double duty to convert the wheat starches into fermentable sugars. A low-temperature saccharification rest (145-150 degrees) is often used to ensure complete conversion.
VARIATIONS: Some variations include WEIZENBOCK/DUNKEL WEIZEN, a strong dark version using lots of chocolate and crystal malt, and WEIZEN MIT-HEFE, bottle-conditioned with bottle sediment like an homebrew. AMERICAN WHEAT is a wheat beer made with 40-60% malted wheat, but fermented with an standard ale yeast and thus lacking the clove aroma and taste characteristic of the German wheats.
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Some American Wheats are highly hopped. This is a recent style made popular by American microbreweries and home brewers.
EXAMPLES: Pinkus Weizen, Weihenstephan Hefe-Weizen, Anchor Wheat (American wheat)
CHARACTERISTICS: Alt is the characteristic style of Dusseldorf, and, as the name implies, means "old". This is true top-fermenting beer in the style of a British ale. Copper color (9-14 Lovibond), light to medium body, with lots of hop character (32-50 BU; AHA: 25-35 BU), and a SG of around 1.048 and around 4.5-5.0% v/v. An all-malt mash and cold-conditioning (lagering at up to 46 degrees) makes for a cleaner beer with less fruity/estery tastes than British ales. Hops and hopping techniques will produce a fragrance and bitterness without the typical acidity of British ales.
HISTORY: This was likely the most common style in the centuries before isolation of the bottom-fermenting yeast strains in Germany. This is one of the last true ale styles in a nation of bottom-fermented beers. This style is associated with the North of Germany, especially Dusseldorf and environs.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Standard ale techniques, with lots of boiling and finish hops, are combined with a period of cold lagering. Yeast strains used will display a tendency to clear at low storage temperatures and not display excessively fruity/estery characteristics.
VARIATIONS: Many. A large number of "brewpubs" in the northern regions of Germany make variations on this style, including some that incorporate large amounts of wheat malt. This style is rare in the USA.
EXAMPLES: Schlosser Alt, Dusser Alt.
CHARACTERISTICS: Kolsch is the characteristic style of Cologne, and by law can only be brewed there. This is a clean, golden, top-fermented beer with a lower hop content and clean, crisp taste with a delicate fruitiness. A definite, but slight, fruity-winey bouquet is sought in this style, as is a gentle flowery hop dryness in the finish. Starting SG is around 1.046-1.048, 5.0 v/v, with a hopping rate of about 20-25 BU, and a clear, pale appearance (2.5-4.0 Lovibond). Some examples contain small proportions of malted wheat (10-20%) to accentuate the fruitiness. This style is rare in the USA.
HISTORY: Made only in Cologne and surroundings. Kolsch has probably been made since the early 1800s and the clear-beer trend that developed at this time.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pure, clean-fermenting ale yeast strains, low-end ale fermentation temperatures and cold-aging are coupled with the extremely soft waters of Cologne to produce this delicate tasting aperitif-style ale. Hopping rates assure that the hop flavor and bitterness will not dominate, but give a clean, dry finish.
VARIATIONS: Some brewers use wheat malt in small proportions (10-20%).
EXAMPLES: Kuppers Kolsch
CHARACTERISTICS: The "White Beer" of Berlin, the "Champagne of the North", Berliner Weisse is a low-gravity, low-hopped, lactic-fermented wheat beer characteristic to Berlin. SG is about 1.030-1.032, near 3% v/v, with a light color around 1.5-3 Lovibond. The addition of about 15 to 30% wheat (and sometimes up to 60%) makes this a wheat beer, although the "Weisse" term means "white", and refers to its appearance. Central to the taste is a lactic sourness not found in other beers. Often served with a dash of raspberry syrup or woodruff extract, Berliner Weisse is a light, thirst quenching refresher. Often hard to find in the USA.
HISTORY: Traditionally, Berliner Weisse has been served for more than 250 years, and was termed the "Champagne of the North" by Napoleon. In the 1890s Max Delbruck isolated the lactobacillus culture responsible for the clean, crisp sourness characteristic of the beer, although this style was brewed with cultivated strains of bacillus/yeast for years before this. This style is another holdover from the older, pre-scientific methods of brewing.
BREWING PROCEDURE: The characteristics of Berliner Weisse are a low-gravity mash with about 25%-30% malted wheat, almost no bittering hops (about 4 or 5 BU, since hop resins inhibit the L. delbruckii thermophilic bacteria strain), hops added to the aging tanks for hop flavor rather than bitterness, and, most importantly, a top-fermenting yeast culture that includes the bacillus Lactobacillus delbruckii for the characteristic sourness. Generally this beer is fermented at higher temperatures for three days, with some older wort added. It is then warm-aged for a year at temperatures between 59 and 77 degrees F. It is then kraeusened with fresh wort, and bottle conditioned at least 64 degrees for two weeks. Devotees of the style will age their bottles at least a year after this, to bring about a better flavor balance.
VARIATIONS: A similar brew is made in the town of Bremen, but has more hop content and a drier taste.
EXAMPLES: Berliner Kindl Weisse, Schultheiss Berliner Weisse
CHARACTERISTICS: Despite the name, a Pale Ale is a tawny, golden, coppery colored (8-14 degrees Lovibond) hoppy ale. This style is generously hopped (25-45+BU) and can range from 1045 to over 1070 SG (4.5% to 7% v/v). Considerable variations exist in the style. The aroma will be hoppy-fruity-malty, with the taste displaying a clean fruitiness, dash of malt character, some bitterness, and a dry-tasting hop finish. This style is often dry hopped, giving a pleasant hoppy nose, but usually not enough to overpower the fruity aromas. Water characteristically high in gypsum and epsom salts gives good dryness and hop assertiveness. Medium body.
INDIA PALE ALE is a pale ale that was brewed generally to a higher gravity and higher hopping rate to enable it to mature at sea while being delivered to India. Generally a British IPA will be bittered in the 40-50 BU range, with an SG of at least 1050, and be more tawny-golden in color. It will have more bitterness in the palate, and generally be extensively dry-hopped for a strong hop aroma. Medium body.
HISTORY: This is the world's first clear beer. Generally developed in the early 1800s around Burton-on-Trent, where the large amounts of salts and dissolved solids in the water gave a distinctive dry, crisp taste to the ales. The Alsopp Brewery developed the first of the modern pale ales in 1822. The Bass brewery, now the largest in Britain, started by making dark ales in 1777, then began making pale ales in the 1800s. The red triangle symbol on the Bass Ale label may be the world's first copyrighted trademark.
A particular style of fermentation was developed in Burton, using a cask-blowout system called the Burton Union. This system allows the fermenting wort to blow out into a trough, and then return to the wood fermenting cask. This permitted the yeast strains to evolve in a distinctive manner to give a characteristic, pleasant fruitiness. Only the Marstons Brewery still makes pale ale in this manner.
Another fermentation style was developed in Tadcaster. This is the use of open square slate fermenters, and is still used by the Samuel Smith brewery. This also imparts a distinctive "house character" to the brews, in this case a hint of butterscotch.
Pale Ale is served best from a wooden cask, where it is naturally carbonated ("cask conditioned") and served at cellar temperature (55 degrees F). This results in a lightly-carbonated brew with an overpowering richness and variety of flavor. The preservation of cask-conditioned ale ("Real Ale") by the CAMRA group (Campaign for Real Ale) helped start the present microbrewery/brewpub revolution worldwide.
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BREWING PROCEDURE: Generally a single-step infusion mash using fully- modified malts kilned to a higher degree than pilsner malts. Bitterness and aroma comes from Kent Goldings or Fuggles hops, with the emphasis on hop aroma. Some varieties, especially IPAs, are
warm-conditioned for a few weeks at around 55 degrees F. Hops added at this time, called "dry hopping", impart a beautifully intense floral hop aroma without additional bitterness. Another dosage of yeast may be needed if cask-conditioned or bottle-conditioned.
VARIATIONS: India Pale Ale is the "super premium" Pale Ale, generally with more of everything than a regular Pale Ale. Considerable variations exist in the style with respect to bittering, hop rates, color, etc., although the main characteristics will be a pleasantly fruity aroma and taste, good hop aroma, and dry, clean finish.
EXAMPLES: Worthington White Shield, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bass Ale
CHARACTERISTICS: This is the national drink of England. A bitter is generally a cask-conditioned golden to tawny-amber colored ale with a medium body and a good hopping rate. This beer is meant to be consumed as a sociable brew in the pub ("session beer"). Colors generally range from about 7 to 14 degrees Lovibond, while gravities generally fall into three ranges:
ORDINARY BITTER (or just "BITTER") at 1035-1040
BEST or SPECIAL BITTER at 1040-1046
EXTRA SPECIAL or STRONG BITTER at 1.046-1.055.
The primary taste characteristics are a dryness derived from the hop emphasis and an acidity. Examples of this style may be heavily hopped, dry hopped, or even tend to lack hop aroma. Some may be heavily bitter, others not nearly so. The taste of hops is usually evident, especially as sort of vegetable-herby note deep in the taste.
This style is almost exclusively served on draft in England, and the best examples come from cask-conditioned wooden kegs served at cellar temperatures (55 degrees). The few bottle versions are primarily aimed at the export markets.
The style varies in different parts of England. In London and the Southeast it will be dry, hoppy, and hop aromatic (Young's Special London Ale). In the East the taste is tart-fruity (Abbot Ale). In the North it's creamy and nutty (Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter). In the Northwest the taste is dry. In the Midlands the bitters are fruity and elegant with lots of hop character (Ind Coope Burton Ale). Welsh examples are sweet and malty. The Western version is soft and fruity (Royal Oak).
HISTORY: This style evolved from Porter's evolution into a sweet, mild ale, where the clear version was termed "bitter" as a contrast. From about the mid-19th century. Formal acceptance of "bitter" as a distinct style is fairly recent.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pale Ale malt, infusion mash, with lots of Kent Goldings hops in the kettle boil, and bottom-fermenting yeast strains make this style. Some varieties may be dry-hopped, but extensive hop aroma is not always present in a bitter. This style is best if enjoyed at the peak of freshness without any significant aging period.
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VARIATIONS: Mostly in hop strength, aroma, and fruitiness as ex- plained above. There is some stylistic overlap with the Mild and Pale Ale styles in some examples.
EXAMPLES: Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter, Royal Oak, Ind Coope Burton Ale, Young's Special London Ale.
CHARACTERISTICS: Scotch Ale as a style embraces a variety of ales of differing colors and strengths. However the main characteristic of all Scotch ales will be a full body and a sweet malty taste. These ales will not be heavily hopped as a rule, and not as completely attenuated as the typical spectrum of British ales. Gravities are defined by an old scale known as the "schilling" system, which was either used to define the tax rate or the price of the ale in times past. The range is from 60/ to 90/, generally corresponding to the range from Mild, through the Bitters, to Old Ale in England. Hop bitterness will be in the 10-20 BU range, depending on the initial SG strength.
60/ - sometimes known as a "light", it will usually be dark, but be light in SG and gravity (1030-1033), with about 3-3.5% v/v. Hopping rates will be very low, generally in the 10-12 BU range. Color will probably be in the 15-25 degree range.
70/ - known as a "heavy", it will be the equivalent of an ordi- nary bitter, with around 1035-1042 SG and 3.5-4.0% v/v range. Generally lighter but tawny (estimated degree around 10-14).
80/ - known as an "extra", this is the counterpart to a special or extra special bitter. 1040-1050 SG range, around 4.5-5.0% v/v.,
with a full color (probably in the 16-18 degree range).
90/ - known as a "wee heavy" if presented in a small "nip" bottle. This is the Old Ale equivalent. This will be in the 1065 and up SG range, around 7-10 % v/v.
HISTORY: Scotland has always had a brewing tradition, one that grew hand-in-hand with the whiskey industry that shares the basic material (barley) and some of the procedures (malting, mashing). The characteristic maltiness of Scotch ales was a result of this intertwining of the two industries. Brewed with the same malts, some Scotch ales actually have a malty taste similar to that of the better single-malt Scotch whiskeys. Today some of the older breweries (such as Caledonian and Tranquair House) follow traditional methods in brewing their ales.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pale ale malt, infusion mashed, forms the basis for this style. Caramel and chocolate malts, combined with low hopping rates, serve to define the flavor profile. Reduced wort attenuation, to leave residual sweetness, will define the yeast strains used and the fermentation procedure.
VARIATIONS: Mostly color variations within the designations.
EXAMPLES: MacAndrew's, Belhaven, Tranquair House, McEwan's
CHARACTERISTICS: A strong ale in the 1050-1080 range that is usually darker in color and may or may not be aged for any considerable length of time. The flavor will be rich and strong, but not have as much intensity or winey-spirity warmth as a barley wine. Color will be 38-45 degrees Lovibond, with around 20-30 BU, and alcohol will be in the 5.5-7% v/v range. Fruity-maltiness, and a luscious richness and dryness are also present in this style. Very full bodied.
HISTORY: This style was originally made in a similar fashion to the Belgian Rodenbach - a strong beer, aged in unlined oaken vats, is blended with a new, weaker beer and then bottle-conditioned. However, the term today is used only to loosely define a strong ale in the 5-7% range that may or may not be aged in oak for any period of time. Only one beer is still made the original way - Green King "Strong Suffolk". Historically, the high strength was most likely to help preserve the beer.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Today's old ale is most likely made with large quantities of Pale Ale malt and infusion mashed. Aging depends on the brewer, but will be generally a higher-temperature aging for a few weeks to months.
VARIATIONS: This style is very close to a Barley Wine, and some examples would probably fit into both categories.
EXAMPLES: Old Peculier, Young's Winter Warmer
CHARACTERISTICS: A British brewer's strongest brew. May be light or dark (the "light" will be a tawny-golden, deep amber). Generally characterized by long periods of maturation, usually in tanks but sometimes in the bottle. SG will be in the vicinity of 1.075-1125, and alcohol can go from around 7.5% to as high as 12.5% v/v. Color will be in the 14-18 degree range for the lighter versions, and as high as 37 degrees for the darker. Hopping rates will be in the 30- 40 BU range.
Flavors will be complex, with fruity-winey notes dominating, along with a warming effect from the high alcohol. A good barley wine will display a full body with a very smooth flavor from the aging, and smooth, warming finish from the alcohol.
HISTORY: As a brewery's strongest beer, barley wine is brewed as an aperitif and specialty beer. This style probably dates back centuries, and may have been started by brewing to high gravities for traveling long distances. High gravity beers, aged for long periods, may have been part of the Flanders influence.
BREWING PROCEDURE: High gravity wort, consisting of pale ale malts and additions including crystal and chocolate, is fermented with a yeast strain that can stand up to the high alcohol content. Often two or more yeasts are used, with dosages added as the beer matures or as one strain becomes overwhelmed by the alcohol. Some varieties are designed to be aged in the bottle.
VARIATIONS: Light and dark versions exist.
EXAMPLES: Thomas Hardy's Ale (bottle-conditioned, bottle-aged, light amber color); Old Nick (dark); The Bishop's Tipple (amber); Watney's Stingo (dark).
CHARACTERISTICS: Mild is a low-gravity top-fermenting brew characterized by low hopping rates (compared to a Bitter) and the accent on maltiness and fruitiness. Color can be golden-coppery-amber to very dark (light: 10-16 degrees; dark: 23-34 degrees). Gravities are in the range 1030-1040, with around 2.5%-3.0% v/v. Bitterness will range from 10-20 for the lighter versions, and between 15 and 25 for the darker ones. Chocolate malt character will be evident in the darker Milds. The malty sweetness comes from a reduced wort attenuation. Light to medium body.
HISTORY: Mild most likely evolved from Porter, as a lighter, sweeter, less alcoholic version. It can be consumed in large quantities without problems, and its low hop bitterness makes it very thirst quenching. It has fallen out of popularity in recent times.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pale Ale malts, infusion mashed. Darker versions will have chocolate malt added. Less hops in the boil, and low hop aroma are characteristics. Not highly attenuated. No aging or dry- hopping.
VARIATIONS: Light and dark versions.
EXAMPLES: Highgate Mild
BROWN ALE
CHARACTERISTICS: Extensive use of crystal malt gives a caramelly-toffee sweetness to this style. This "dessert-like" sweetness is Brown Ale's characteristic flavor. This style differs in the north and south of England. In the North it is generally around 1040-1050 SG, 4.5-5%, and around 9-14 degrees in color. In the South it will be lighter (1030-1040 SG), much darker (20-50 degrees), and lower alcohol (3.0-3.5%). The northern examples will be a bit drier than the sweet southern versions. Hopping rates will be low, in any case, in the 8-15 BU range. Medium bodied.
HISTORY: Like Porter, Brown Ale was a London style. London's water, high in carbonates and sodium chloride, helped to produce good sweet, full, luscious dark brews. This style predates Porter, and probably had been brewed for centuries before this.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pale ale malts, infusion mash, with lots of crystal malt (probably up to 20%) are characteristic. Darker crystal and brown malts will also be used in the Southern versions of this style. Top-fermented.
VARIATIONS: NORTHERN STYLE, lighter and stronger; Southern Style, darker and less alcoholic.
TEXAS (or AMERICAN) BROWN, an American style, is characterized by high hopping rates and higher gravities. This gives 3-5% alcohol content and very evident hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. SG around 1035-1052.
EXAMPLES: North: Newcastle Brown Ale; South: Mann's Brown Ale
CHARACTERISTICS: Today's Porter style is a dark, almost black ale with coffee-ish and fruity tastes. A wide variation in flavors accompanies this style. SGs can range from 1040-1060, 4.5-6.7% v/v, and can be both top and bottom-fermented, and sweet to mild to bitter. However, the more classic contemporary versions will be between 1040 and 1050, around 4.5-5.0% v/v, and top-fermented. A dry flavor predominates from full wort attenuation, and the dark malt flavor is from roasted malts, although not as overpowering as with a Stout. Bitterness is in a balance and not as intense as a Stout, and not enough to mask the fruity flavors. Generally the BU rating will be around 16-25, with the color 26-36 degrees Lovibond, a medium body, and a clean, quick finish.
HISTORY: This is a formerly extinct style that only recently has been resurrected. Originally dating from the early 1700s, Porter evolved from a habit drinkers during this period had of mixing the available beers at the pub - mostly mild ale, pale ale, and old ale, a combination known as an "entire". Ralph Harwood, in 1722, first brewed an "entire" as a single brew at his brewpub in Shoreditch. Samuel Whitbread also started out in Shoreditch with porter in 1742.
The name "porter" has two possible origins. The first one has to do with the call made by the draymen delivering the beer to the pubs - "Porter!" - since at this time large central breweries were a novelty and beer deliveries an event. The second possible origin is due to the fact that the style was preferred by the porters in London's produce markets.
The most likely original gravity for porter was in the 1070 SG range. As stouts became more popular, they generally usurped this stylistic niche. The last of the original porters was produced by Guinness and served in Belfast in 1973. This consisted of a mixer draft beer to be mixed with draft Guinness and thus make porter.
Today, porter is back due to the renaissance of interest in beer styles. As a medium-body dark ale in the 1040-1050 range, with about 4.5-5.0% v/v and a hop rate of about 20 BU, porter is enjoying a resurgence, especially among microbreweries and brew pubs.
BREWING PROCEDURE: The addition of chocolate and black malts to a base mash of pale ale malt gives the characteristic color and taste. This is combined with the standard British ale style infusion mash using fully-modified malts. Roasted nonmalted barley is not used. Top-fermenting strains are used that give good attenuation. No long aging or maturing is usually done.
VARIATIONS: Porter made with lager yeast (bottom fermenting) and cold-fermented and lagered is the most obvious variation. Significant variations in bitterness/hop balance/sweetness are found in this style.
EXAMPLES: Anchor Porter, Boulder Porter, Pottsville Porter (lager)
CHARACTERISTICS: There are three common styles of Stouts, but they have numerous underlying characteristics. They will all be dark black or opaque, have the characteristic flavor of darkly roasted barley, both malted and nonmalted, and will display little or no hop aroma in the bouquet (the bouquet of a Stout will always have roasted malt in it). They will all be very full bodied. The three primary substyles are Dry Stout, Sweet Stout, and Imperial Stout.
CLASSIC DRY STOUT is the best known style, as this is the style of Guinness and of Irish stouts in general. This style will be coal black and opaque in color (35-50+ degrees), 1038 to 1048 in SG, 3.5-5% v/v, and have lots of hop bitterness (30-40 BU). Little or no hop aroma. The taste will be a combination of the roasted bitterness of the large number of dark malts used, a chocolaty-coffee taste (partly from the roasted nonmalted barley), and a bitterness from the hops. This is the Irish stout style, and the Irish national drink. FOREIGN STYLE stout, as listed by some sources (such as the AHA) is basically a stronger version of a Dry Stout, with a higher SG (1052 to 1072) and higher hop rate (30-60 BU).
SWEET STOUT is the English style. Sometimes called "Milk Stout", sweet stout is essentially a very sweet black ale made with large amounts of roasted malts. The range in alcohol, SG, and color is generally the same as with Dry Stouts (color toward the lighter end), but the bitterness will be low (12-18 BU). The sweetness comes from the addition of lactose (milk sugar), and sometimes sucrose (table sugar), after which the bottle will be pasteurized. Low attenuation will also add to sweetness. Variations include Oatmeal Stout and Oyster Stout.
IMPERIAL STOUT, sometimes known as Russian Stout, is a full-bodied, extremely rich, stronger version generally with a predominant burnt- currant and vinous aroma coming from a combination of fermentation esters and the roasted malts. Sgs will be in the range 1065-1080, with around 7 to 10.5% v/v. Hopping rates will be high, in the 29- 40 BU range, and colors in the 18-30 degree Lovibond range.
HISTORY: Stouts in general seem to have evolved in England at an early date (back in the days when all beers were dark), and then spread to Ireland, where the dry style became the national drink.
Note that Guinness is only 1038-1043 SG, around 4.5% v/v in Ireland. This is to stay within a specific tax band and remain "session", or large-consumption brews. Guinness elsewhere is in the 1048 - 5% v/v range (as in the USA), and can reach the 1070s
STOUT continued
in the tropics (where 5% soured and pasteurized stout is added to offset the richness).
Imperial stout has a more definite origin. From about the 1780s, English porters, and later stouts, were exported from Britain to the Baltic countries and Russia, where they were used as a winter warmer. To survive the long sea voyage they were brewed strong and highly hopped, so that they would mature at sea in the same fashion as an IPA. As one British shipper supplied the Imperial Czarist Court, the style became known as "Imperial" stout. To this day, in the Baltic countries the terms "porter" and "stout" generally refer to brews of this style.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Pale ale malts, infusion mash. The character of a Stout will come through the addition of chocolate malt, black patent malt, and roasted nonmalted black barley. Often, ordinary nonmalted barley (such as flaked barley) is added to increase body and head retention. Crystal malt, especially the higher color versions, will also be used in some stouts, particularly the sweet and Imperial styles. Yeast attenuation will vary with the style (less for sweet stout).
VARIATIONS: Mostly gravity and slight hopping rate/color varia- tions within the three styles. Oatmeal Stout and Oyster Stout are two recognized variations on Sweet Stout. Oatmeal Stout is made using a large percentage of oatmeal in the mash. Oyster Stout is made using essence of oyster, and was, until recently, a specialty made only on the Isle of Man. It is no longer made in Britain.
EXAMPLES: DRY: Guinness, Beamish; SWEET: Mackeson, Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout; IMPERIAL: Grant's, Sam Smith's
BI RE DE GARDE
CHARACTERISTICS: A French beer style closely associated with the region around Lille in the northwest, near the Belgian border. Classic Bire de Garde is a top-fermented beer of medium to high gravity, made to be "laid down." This style has similarities to the English "Old Ale," but with less hop bitterness and a slightly lighter appearance. The color is usually deep golden, deep copper or light brown. Malt dominates in a medium to high malty flavor profile. Body is light to medium, with medium hop bitterness and light to medium hop flavor and aroma. Some fruitiness and esteriness can be found, and some examples have an earthy, cellar-like musty aroma. Lager yeast may sometimes be used. Traditionally, a beer that improves with some aging. Many examples are bottle-conditioned and put up in champagne-style bottles with corks. SGs in the range 1060-1080, 4.5-8.0% v/v, 25-30 IBU of hops, 8-12 degrees Lovibond.
BREWING PROCEDURE: These are all-malt beers. Several different malts (up to three or more) are used. Two-row Continental malt and crystal malt are usually always used. Vienna or Munich malt is used in some brands. Continental hop varieties round out the profile. Traditional Bires de Garde are brewed with true top-fermenting yeast and are bottle-conditioned
VARIATIONS: Some Bires de Garde are brewed with lager yeast, most notably Lutc Bire de Paris, but still retain an ale-like character. Other variations include pasteurized and force-carbonated versions.
EXAMPLES: Traditional: La Choulette from Bouchain ("citric fruitiness with hoppy dryness" - Jackson); Jenlain from Duyck ("deep amber color, fruity nose and hints of licorice in its long finish" - Jackson); St Lonard from the Facon brewery in Pas de Calais (hoppy - available in the USA). Bottom-fermented version: Lutc Bire de Paris from Enfants de Gayant brewery (malty).
CHARACTERISTICS: Lambics are beers made with 30-40% unmalted wheat and fermented with the wild yeasts of the Senne region to the west of Brussels, in Belgium. They are unique in the world. Tart, lactic, vinous, and complex, they are a hybrid - a beer made with winemaking techniques.
There are five major styles of lambic beers: Lambic, Gueuze, Kriek Lambic, Framboise Lambic, and Faro. All are generally in the 1048-1052 SG range, with about 4.5-5.5 percent v/v. Krieks and Framboisen will be slightly higher. These beers are aged to varying degrees, and most are blended.
LAMBIC refers to an straight, spontaneously fermented wheat beer, with a dry, sour character and a pleasant fruity complexity. This style will have no or very little carbonation, and will usually be available only on draft.
GUEUZE is a blended Lambic, where an old, matured lambic is blended with a new one still fermenting. The result will be naturally carbonated by the further fermentation. If kegged this is called a "Gueuze-Lambic", but if bottled simply a "Gueuze". Some of the bottled versions are intended for laying-down, especially the corked versions, which will mature over a period of five years, becoming drier and more complex with age.
KRIEK LAMBIC and FRAMBOISE LAMBIC are Gueuze beers further blended with macerated cherries (kriek) or raspberries (framboise). The fruit is added to the oaken cask and allowed to remain in contact with the beer for one to 1 1/2 months, then removed. Fruits used can also be dried or made into a syrup, although this is not the traditional way. After this stage of fermentation, it may be further blended, then bottled and allowed to bottle-condition. The resulting beer will be about 5.3-6.5% v/v, with the added content coming from the fruit added.
FARO is a Lambic, generally a very sour one, blended with sugar or caramel. This is usually done at the time of drinking, although kegged versions exist if the turnover is great enough to sell it before the added sugar ferments out. Bottled versions are pasteurized (as done with sweet stout) to prevent this problem.
HISTORY: Lambics have been brewed for over 500 years. The peasants in Bruegel paintings are drinking Lambics, not wine. The style uses ancient techniques, and is only possible in the Senne valley area west of Brussels, due to the uniqueness of the microflora. The name "Lambic" is a corruption of the village name
LAMBIC continued
"Lembeek", or "lime creek", which is a town in the region where these beers are produced.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Lambic beers are made from barley malt and 30-40% unmalted wheat. Hops used in Lambics are generally aged for up to three years to diminish the aroma and bitterness. Their presence is for antibacterial purposes, not flavor. The wort, because of the wheat content, will be milky-white and may have to be boiled for three to six hours.
"Spontaneous Fermentation" is a characteristic of Lambics. These beers are deliberately exposed to the natural yeasts in the Senne valley, which are the only yeasts added for fermentation. The traditional breweries have slats in the roof, where the cooling wort is exposed overnight to the natural microflora of the region. The best beers come from autumn nights, while midsummer is avoided due to the wildness of the yeasts at this time. Brettanomyces lambicus, B. bruxelliensis, Saccharomyces bayanus, S. cerevisiae, and Lactobacillus delbruckii have all been identified in Lambic styles, but the overall result is more complex than just these varieties can account for.
Primary and secondary fermentation will take place in oaken barrels previously used for port, claret, or sherry wines. Maturation will be at least "two summers", or at least a year old. Some brewers outside the region try to obtain the used barrels, in the hope that the beer will develop the same characteristics. Because of this technique, no two beers, or even two seasons from the same brewery, will be exactly the same.
Kriek and Framboise Lambics will be blended from Gueuze beers with added fruit, giving an additional fermentation. They may then be further blended with young beer and bottled, bottle conditioned, and aged.
Lambic beers are extensively blended, generally mixing an old beer with a new one that is still fermenting strongly in the secondary stage. Some companies do not brew, but buy beer and blend it exclusively. Natural carbonation in the bottle, for the carbonated versions, is the rule with Lambic style beers, and some varieties are allowed to mature in the bottles.
VARIATIONS: Some Gueuze beers are currently being blended with peaches, bananas, blackcurrants, etc., giving a nontraditional but flavorful variation.
EXAMPLES: Gueuze: Belle Vue; Kriek Lambic: Belle Vue; Framboise Lambic: Lindemans; Faro: Boon Faro Pertotale
CHARACTERISTICS: A beer made with barley malt, unmalted wheat and oats, and seasoned not with hops but with coriander, Curacao orange peels, and possibly cumin. SG will be 1048, with 4.8% v/v. The taste has an orange-ish character and a honey-ish aroma, with some lactic sourness. Serving temperature around 54 degrees.
HISTORY: Made in the east of Brabant since at least the 17th century, but only a handful of breweries remain today. The biggest is De Kluis, and the beer is Hoegaarden White. This brewery closed in the 1950s, but was reopened in the mid-1960s. Demand for this style grew sufficiently that the brewery was remodeled, and capacity increased sufficiently for exportation to the USA. Other brands are also now being exported to the USA.
BREWING PROCEDURE: A mash with 50% barley malt, 45% unmalted wheat, and 5% unmalted raw oats is used. Hops are not used, and the beer is seasoned with coriander, curacao orange peels, and possibly cumin. Fermentation is with a proprietary yeast culture that gives some sourness. After primary fermentation the beer is given a dosage of a different strain of yeast and left to bottle condition. Aging reduces the lactic sourness and allows the honey character to emerge.
VARIATIONS: Hoegaarden Grand Cru is seasoned the same way but made from an all-barley malt to a 1076 SG, 7.0% v/v content. Aging for three to four years is recommended. Store and serve at 54 degrees.
EXAMPLES: White: Hoegaarden White Beer, Dentergem Witbier;
All-malt: Hoegaarden Grand Cru
CHARACTERISTICS: A sweet-and-sour red beer with a rich, vinous, complexity of taste. Made with extensive aging in uncoated oak tuns, which gives the red color and the characteristics of the style. Rodenbach is the classic brewery of this style. Two products dominate: Rodenbach and Rodenbach Grand Cru.
Rodenbach (4.6% v/v) is a blend of a young beer of 11.5 plato and 5-6 weeks of aging and a stronger beer (13 plato) that is aged for 18 months to 2 years in oak. 75% of the blend is young beer.
Rodenbach Grand Cru is 100% of the aged version (5.2% v/v), and is sweetened slightly with sugar and flash-pasteurized. This is not intended for laying down.
HISTORY: This style goes back centuries. The "old ale" style of Britain was once made in this style (old/young blend aged in oak), but only "Strong Suffolk" by Greene King is still made this way. Rodenbach is a trademarked name, and may not be referenced by other breweries making similar styles.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Strong beer (13 plato) is made in a double decoction mash from four varieties of malt and 20% corn grits. Hopping is with Brewers Gold and Kent Goldings. Rodenbach yeast is used, which is an amalgam of 5 strains. After secondary fermentation, the beer is transferred to uncoated oak tuns for 18-24 months of aging. Acetobacter and lactobacillus, as well as oak tannins and other products in the oak are working on the beer at this time. It is then either bottled straight (after being sweetened and flash-pasteurized) as Grand Cru, or mixed with 75% of a 11.5 plato beer made the same way, but without the oak tuns (secondary fermentation in metal tanks). This is the regular Rodenbach, and will age in the bottle.
VARIATIONS: Alexander, a Grand Cru with some cherry sweetness. Other breweries in this style exist, but none with the extent of wood aging or character as Rodenbach.
EXAMPLES: Rodenbach, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Alexander
CHARACTERISTICS: Another old-ale-like style, but very complex. An East Flanders sweet-and sour style, made by blending old (8-10 months aging) beer with young (5-6 weeks). It has an elegant, spritzy character with a great depth of flavor. Around 12-13 Plato, the classic, Liefmans, is brewed from four varieties of malt and four of hops, and uniquely boiled the entire night. The mixed variety is "Liefmans", the straight aged variety "Goudenband", Alcohol 4.6% v/v for Liefmans, 5.5% for Goudenband. Goudenband is bottle conditioned with another yeast dosage and can be laid down for two years. About 20-25 degrees Lovibond in color.
HISTORY: Another old-ale style, this one dating to before 1679, the oldest known date of operation for Liefmans. The old-beer-mixed-with-young-beer technique is a common feature of old-ale styles.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Four varieties of malts, four of hops, boiled the entire night, then pitched with brewery yeast culture, which has a slight lactic character. After primary fermentation, the beer is transferred to metal tanks for a secondary fermentation at room temperature for 6 weeks. The old version is aged for 8 to 10 months and is added to the young in regular Liefmans, and is bottled straight for Goudenband. Goudenband is pitched again for bottle conditioning, and can be laid up for up to 2 years.
VARIATIONS: Up to 10 beers in this style are brewed in Belgium, two or three in the Oudenaard area of East Flanders.
Liefmans also makes a "Kriek", which is brown beer with blended-in cherries. NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A LAMBIC STYLE CHERRY BEER.
EXAMPLES: Liefmans, Liefmans Goudenband
CHARACTERISTICS: A Saison is a light-to-medium body, pale to golden, top fermented brew with SG in the range 1044-1080, alcohol 4.0% to 7.5% v/v, color 3.5-12 degrees Lovibond, 20-30 IBUs. These are Belgian "lawnmower beers", and are the ale counterpart to the Marzen style. The characteristics will be a powerful carbonation, creamy soft texture, full orange-ish color, fruitiness, citric sourness, hint of iron, and some spicy notes. These are native to Hainaut. All will have a well-attenuated crystal malt character, some weeks of maturation in both tank and bottle, and some have a period of cold conditioning. Many have spices or licorice root added.
HISTORY: "Saison" means "season", and these are considered seasonal beers. Saisons are lighter (relatively speaking) summer beers from the French part of Belgium (Wallonia) and are made for summer/harvest drinking. Saisons have been around for at least 200 years.
BREWING PROCEDURE: Top-fermenting yeast, all-malt, crystal malt, some spices. Lots of aging in tanks at room temperature, in the bottle, and some are cold-conditioned. Interesting, complex yeast cultures used.
VARIATIONS: Sezoens, in the Flemish part of Belgium, is similar.
EXAMPLES: Saison Regal, Saison Silly, Saison de Pipaix
CHARACTERISTICS: These include many ale varieties, including some imported from elsewhere:
BELGIAN ALES include De Koninck, are similar to British styles, probably introduced by British troops during the two world wars. De Koninck is a top-fermenting all-malt ale (1048 SG), 5% v/v, which is brewed in a fire-heated tun and is cold conditioned. Yeasty, fruity aroma with malt notes and Saaz hop character. This is Antwerp's local brew.
STRONG GOLDEN ALES, which include Duvel, are extremely pale (around 3 degrees Lovibond) smooth ales that pack a potent punch (1070 SG, 8.2% v/v). Perhaps this is the reason for the "devil" allusion in the name. Made from the brewery's own maltings, with a pure-culture single-cell yeast strain, the brew is made with 31 BU of Saaz hops, top fermented, cold conditioned at 32 degrees for 2-3 weeks, then re-pitched, bottled, and allowed to condition at room temperature for 2 weeks. It is then cold-aged for a further month or more at 38 degrees. Red label Duvel is bottle-conditioned, green label is filtered.
Another loosely in the Barley Wine style is Bush Beer, the strongest beer in Belgium 1096, 12.2% v/v, clear, copper colored, not pasteurized, not bottle conditioned, chewy nutty palate with hoppy finish.
STRONG DARK ALES such as Kwack (served in its long 1/2 yard glass) and Golden Carolus are rich, sweet, creamy in texture, complex in palate, with a big malt aroma and a light hop character. These beers are usually bottle-conditioned. Strength is around 6.5-7.5% v/v, 1065-1076 SG. Kwack has licorice notes in its complex flavor.
Other varieties include British style Scotch ales, pale ales, and stouts.
CHARACTERISTICS: Mostly dark or darkish top-fermenting, bottle conditioned ales made with proprietary yeast cultures and candy sugar (beet sugar or rock candy). The Trappists are the primary producers of this style, and only they can used the appellation "peres Trappistes" on the bottle, but other breweries make to this style as well ("Abbey" or "Abbey-Style"). The beers will be darker amber to very dark in color (although some lighter versions exist), complex, soft, and fruity in character, and most will be bottle-conditioned and for laying down.
There are five Trappist monasteries in Belgium and one in Holland that make Abbey style beers.
WESTMALLE near Antwerp, makes three varieties of varying strengths, although the "dubble" (16 plato, 6.5% v/v) and "tripel" (20 Plato, 8% v/v) are the most popularly exported.
WESTVLETEREN is in West Flanders. They have three varieties, of varying strengths, although the most common is called St. Sixtus, after the Abbey name, and brewed by an outside brewer under contract. The Westvleteren name will be used on their own product; the outside-brewed beer is St. Sixtus (12 plato, 9.5% v/v, yeasty-sweet fruitiness with melon notes).
CHIMAY is the most widely known of the abbeys. They make three varieties, Red, White, and Blue. The Blue is also known as Chimay Grand Reserve (1078, 9.0% v/v) and has Zinfandel-like notes in the taste. It can be laid down. All of these are bottle-conditioned. Chimay is the largest producer of Abbey beers, and one of the most innovative, with a large, modern brewery on the abbey grounds.
ROCHEFORT is the abbey at St. Remy, makes the Rochefort 10, a 9.0% v/v brew that has a rich, deep chocolaty palate. Not a commonly-found abbey beer.
ORVAL is another large producer, but makes only one variety. Orval is 14 plato, 5.7% v/v, with all-malt mash and candy sugar. Hallertauer and Kent Goldings are used in the boil, and Kent Goldings for the finish. The beer is secondary-conditioned at 60 degrees, primed with a different yeast strain, and bottled and bottle-conditioned at the brewery for two months. It can be laid down, and matures at cellar temperat