The word "beer" is often used as a generic noun used to describe a cold refreshing beverage. For example, "Hiya Mike, let's go for a beer." However, beer lovers around the world will heartily agree that there's nothing generic about beer.
When it comes to types of beer, there are many, many options to choose from. It's impossible to say which type is best, because they all have very different characteristics. You'd be surprised at how a pilsner can differ from a porter, or how a stout stands out from a cider.
The names given to different styles of beer generally reflect individual characteristics of the product, such as where it originated. Most beers, particularly those sold commercially, are processed using traditional methods.
Different types of beer have unique qualities like appearance, taste, origin and aroma. There are several styles that make up the world' most common types of beer:
Styles of beer have a lot to do with how they taste, what they look like, how they smell and of course where they are made. Some common choices include these:
* Lager: Some of the most popular types of beer are lagers. These include American styles including basic lager, all-malt lager, light lager, double pilsner, malt liquor and low-alcohol or "light" beers. Popular international choices include Czech, European, Japanese and German lagers.
* Ale: American amber, brown ale, porter, strong, sour and wild ales are also common American beers. Also falling under the category of "Ales" are Chile Beer, Pumpkin Ale, Belgian and French ales, English, German, Irish, Finnish, Scottish and Russian ales.
* Cider: While not an official beer, cider is still enjoyed by many beer drinkers. Favorites include standard cider, New England cider and many specialty ciders.
* Hybrids: combining different beer styles or ingredients create this "experimental" beer. Berbed, smoked, fruit and vegetable beer and spiced beer are all types of hybrids.
* Mead: Mead is not a beer, rather a honey wine that has been adapted from centuries-old recipes. Melomel is a type of mead blended with fruit or vegetables. Braggot is concoction of beer and mead, while Metheglin is mead blended with spices.
Variety is the spice of life. If you're a beer drinker, you're likely loyal to a tried and true brand. But remember that variety is the spice of life. There is a world of options available to you, so try something new next time you're ready to crack open a cold one.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
How Scotch Is Made
The production of Scotch whisky takes a considerable amount of time. It is a tedious process that can last for years. However, when it is done correctly, the product is one that is worth the wait.
Barley is immersed in deep tanks of water for approximately three days. As the moisture increases it commences the germination process. After the germination process, the barley is then moved to the malting segment of the distillery where it will be placed into drums also known as the malting floor.
The intention of the germination process is to convert the starch in the grains into fermentable sugars. This will feed the yeast in the fermentation phase. Rotating the barley frequently ensures the temperature will remain consistent. Wooden shovels known as sheils are used to turn the grains on a traditional malting floor. The grains will die if the temperature reaches above 22 degrees, and will halt the entire process as the starch will not be converted to sugar.
The grain is then kilned to stop the continuation of sugar consumption because the kiln will absorb any moisture. In general, a traditional kiln is a building standing two stories tall with the top perforated to allow all heat to escape. The ground floor contains peat bricks that are heated. During this process the grain is dried and absorbs that peat's smell. The pagoda style roof on a distillery is the most distinct characteristic. The malt must not be heated above 70 degrees or it will certainly be damaged and unusable.
Today, most of the distilleries buy all their malt from a centralized malting company. However, there remain a select few that continue to be traditional and do it all themselves.
The grain is milled into grist and mixed with water in mash tubs to be heated to sixty degrees. During the mashing period the water is changed at least four times to rid the tubs of sediment. The byproduct of this mashing is known as wort. The wort must be cooled before mixing with yeast in what is called a wash back. This large container is never filled completely as the wort froths a lot due to carbon dioxide. By the time two or three days have passed, all the yeast is killed by the alcohol. The final product of this cycle is called wash. It contains five to eight percent alcohol.
The stills in which the wash is placed are made of copper and are regulated to a particular shape that allows for proper distillation to occur. The still method is usually completed twice, but some companies do it three times or more.
After the entire method is complete the brew is then placed in casks made usually of oak, for a minimum period of eight to twelve years.
Barley is immersed in deep tanks of water for approximately three days. As the moisture increases it commences the germination process. After the germination process, the barley is then moved to the malting segment of the distillery where it will be placed into drums also known as the malting floor.
The intention of the germination process is to convert the starch in the grains into fermentable sugars. This will feed the yeast in the fermentation phase. Rotating the barley frequently ensures the temperature will remain consistent. Wooden shovels known as sheils are used to turn the grains on a traditional malting floor. The grains will die if the temperature reaches above 22 degrees, and will halt the entire process as the starch will not be converted to sugar.
The grain is then kilned to stop the continuation of sugar consumption because the kiln will absorb any moisture. In general, a traditional kiln is a building standing two stories tall with the top perforated to allow all heat to escape. The ground floor contains peat bricks that are heated. During this process the grain is dried and absorbs that peat's smell. The pagoda style roof on a distillery is the most distinct characteristic. The malt must not be heated above 70 degrees or it will certainly be damaged and unusable.
Today, most of the distilleries buy all their malt from a centralized malting company. However, there remain a select few that continue to be traditional and do it all themselves.
The grain is milled into grist and mixed with water in mash tubs to be heated to sixty degrees. During the mashing period the water is changed at least four times to rid the tubs of sediment. The byproduct of this mashing is known as wort. The wort must be cooled before mixing with yeast in what is called a wash back. This large container is never filled completely as the wort froths a lot due to carbon dioxide. By the time two or three days have passed, all the yeast is killed by the alcohol. The final product of this cycle is called wash. It contains five to eight percent alcohol.
The stills in which the wash is placed are made of copper and are regulated to a particular shape that allows for proper distillation to occur. The still method is usually completed twice, but some companies do it three times or more.
After the entire method is complete the brew is then placed in casks made usually of oak, for a minimum period of eight to twelve years.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Home Brewing Beer With Kegs Is Easy And Less Expensive
Home brewing beer with kegs is a lot easier than you may have imagined. If you are ignorant about how to go about this task then you will be missing out on a great opportunity as well as miss out on saving a good deal of money. If you are still in doubt then consider the fact that it only costs six dollars a gallon when you undertake home brewing beer with kegs.
Start by Buying a Kit
The first step you need for home brewing beer with kegs is to go out and buy a kit that contains, among other things, the keg, tap as well as many other tools that will come in handy later on. Also included are the ingredients such as hops as well as containers. These kits that cost a mere twenty dollars will set you on the way to home brewing beer with kegs and once you start you will find it hard to stop.
The cost of the kit depends on how much beer you wish to brew as well as your level of expertise. Home brewing beer with kegs provides you with the opportunity to brew delicious beer that will taste the way that you want it to taste and you will find it to be a hobby worth pursuing. After a long day at the office, home brewing beer with kegs will provide you with a way to unwind with a cool glass of beer that you yourself has made.
After having purchased the kit, it follows that you must then ensure that you follow the instructions to the T and also make sure that you measure the ingredients exactly. If you don’t get the quantities right by even a small margin, the taste can be different from your expectations. There are also home-brew radio stations as well as brew pubs that promote unpasteurized beer which shows how popular home brewing beer with kegs has become.
You will need to follow the basics of converting sugars into ethyl alcohol as well as carbon dioxide by yeast through the process of fermentation. The real difference between home brewing beer with kegs and the commercial means is that of scale, and if you have the right and sophisticated brewing abilities, there is no reason why you should not be able to brew the beer exactly as per you desire.
If you have the right equipment and have a degree of sophistication in your brewing abilities and you put in enough effort, you should also be able to make beer of quality as good as professional beer makers.
Start by Buying a Kit
The first step you need for home brewing beer with kegs is to go out and buy a kit that contains, among other things, the keg, tap as well as many other tools that will come in handy later on. Also included are the ingredients such as hops as well as containers. These kits that cost a mere twenty dollars will set you on the way to home brewing beer with kegs and once you start you will find it hard to stop.
The cost of the kit depends on how much beer you wish to brew as well as your level of expertise. Home brewing beer with kegs provides you with the opportunity to brew delicious beer that will taste the way that you want it to taste and you will find it to be a hobby worth pursuing. After a long day at the office, home brewing beer with kegs will provide you with a way to unwind with a cool glass of beer that you yourself has made.
After having purchased the kit, it follows that you must then ensure that you follow the instructions to the T and also make sure that you measure the ingredients exactly. If you don’t get the quantities right by even a small margin, the taste can be different from your expectations. There are also home-brew radio stations as well as brew pubs that promote unpasteurized beer which shows how popular home brewing beer with kegs has become.
You will need to follow the basics of converting sugars into ethyl alcohol as well as carbon dioxide by yeast through the process of fermentation. The real difference between home brewing beer with kegs and the commercial means is that of scale, and if you have the right and sophisticated brewing abilities, there is no reason why you should not be able to brew the beer exactly as per you desire.
If you have the right equipment and have a degree of sophistication in your brewing abilities and you put in enough effort, you should also be able to make beer of quality as good as professional beer makers.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A Look Back at Beer Vessels
It is commonly known that beer has been around mankind for a long while. As beer itself changed, expanded, and improved, so did the way in which we actually got the beer to our mouths. Pottery, wood, stoneware, and even sewn up pieces of leather made up the earliest drinking vessels. As time went on, man witnessed small advancements in the quality of their beer receptacles. Early Europeans that lived during the time of the black plague saw the development of beer steins, which had a closed top on the steins to prevent flies from landing in the beer and making the person ill.
Today, the most important factor to influence modern beer glass making was the creation of glass. As consumers actually started to be able to look at what they were consuming from the glass they began to demand a beer with more flavor and a improved hue. Customers didn't want chunks in their drinks anymore so manufacturers began to filter their beers. With this new, improved wave of beer glasses, it appeared beer steins were on the way out.
A variety of glasses were created and produced for the various kinds of beers. The sixteen-ounce pint glass is the most in demand glass in the United States. It was originally used to fit the top of a Martini shaker, but barkeeps soon discovered that as the beer poured out of the beer tap handles the pint glass was the top receptacle because it let part of the carbonation to be released and let the aroma of the brew to be more obvious. The pint glass rapidly became popular with barkeeps who had to rinse each glass by itself because it can be put on top of each other and stored easily on the shelves.
An attempt to get consumers to get their kind of beer by breweries led to some unique and groundbreaking moves on the marketing and advertising front. Handing out glasses to consumers was a way that manufacturers found to promote their beers even though it was illegal. This led to the manufacturers creating glasses that were works of art unto themselves. The first were gaudy and costly; they would often have gold or silver embossed on the sides. Eventually, artists for the breweries began doing detailed carvings on either side of the beer glasses or steins and even developed a method of cooking enamel paint onto the glasses. These enameled glasses are still some of the most rare beer souvenirs, even though they were made more recently than the others. Nowadays avid collectors all over the earth continue to collect these tin signs and memorabilia that are sometimes worth thousands. Have you looked up in the top of Grandpappy's old drawer in a while?
Today, the most important factor to influence modern beer glass making was the creation of glass. As consumers actually started to be able to look at what they were consuming from the glass they began to demand a beer with more flavor and a improved hue. Customers didn't want chunks in their drinks anymore so manufacturers began to filter their beers. With this new, improved wave of beer glasses, it appeared beer steins were on the way out.
A variety of glasses were created and produced for the various kinds of beers. The sixteen-ounce pint glass is the most in demand glass in the United States. It was originally used to fit the top of a Martini shaker, but barkeeps soon discovered that as the beer poured out of the beer tap handles the pint glass was the top receptacle because it let part of the carbonation to be released and let the aroma of the brew to be more obvious. The pint glass rapidly became popular with barkeeps who had to rinse each glass by itself because it can be put on top of each other and stored easily on the shelves.
An attempt to get consumers to get their kind of beer by breweries led to some unique and groundbreaking moves on the marketing and advertising front. Handing out glasses to consumers was a way that manufacturers found to promote their beers even though it was illegal. This led to the manufacturers creating glasses that were works of art unto themselves. The first were gaudy and costly; they would often have gold or silver embossed on the sides. Eventually, artists for the breweries began doing detailed carvings on either side of the beer glasses or steins and even developed a method of cooking enamel paint onto the glasses. These enameled glasses are still some of the most rare beer souvenirs, even though they were made more recently than the others. Nowadays avid collectors all over the earth continue to collect these tin signs and memorabilia that are sometimes worth thousands. Have you looked up in the top of Grandpappy's old drawer in a while?
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Taste of Wine
Red Wine
The first operation performed on grapes after they are removed from their storage is to de-stem them, which is the process of removing the grape from the shoots to which they are attached.
As soon as all the grapes in the batch are de-stemmed, they are placed into the wine press where they are compressed into a paste which in turn releases the must (the juice of the fruit). The resulting paste (or pomace) and must combination then spend time together in a cask and it is the length of time that the mixture sits with the must in contact with the grape skin and pulp that determines the character of the finished wine.
When the winemaker determines the right amount of time has passed, the juice is drawn off and yeast added to begin the fermentation process with the remaining pomace, in many cases, being returned to the vineyard to be used as a fertilizer.
Once the colour and sugar content are correct the cask valve is opened and the first juice, which is the best quality wine, is then transferred into other containers where the fermentation process is finalized.
‘Pressed wines’, which are full of tannin, are made from the leftover solids. They have a strong colour and are generally mixed with the first juice in many different ways to create wines of different strengths and flavours.
When the fermentation process is complete, the wine is either bottled straight away, or left to age.
White Wine
When making white wine it is important not to damage the grapes, so they are poured into the receiving bins as quickly as possible. Once they are all in the receiving bin, the grapes are then transferred to the press where the must is separated from the skins and other solids.
At this stage the solids are disregarded and the remaining must is slightly refrigerated before being transferred into a stainless steel vat where it is allowed to ferment. Care is taken to maintain the temperature during fermenting which preserves the delicate aromas of the finished wine.
Once the fermentation process is complete, the resultant wine is decanted taking care to avoid the sediment which collects at the bottom of the vat. After decanting, the wine is bottled and ready to be sold, and is best drunk within two years.
Sweet Dessert Wines
Dessert wines are produced in one of two ways. In the first method, Botrytis Cinera, a fungus which grows very quickly, is used. This transforms the fruit and changes the colour and also alters the acid components and sugar levels. The second method is to interrupt the fermentation process by adding alcohol. This method creates a strong, sweet wine where the grape is the major flavour.
Grapes used for sweet wines are of the white Moscatel and Garnacha varieties which, along with the production process, leave the wine with a mushroom type smell as the bottle is opened.
The first operation performed on grapes after they are removed from their storage is to de-stem them, which is the process of removing the grape from the shoots to which they are attached.
As soon as all the grapes in the batch are de-stemmed, they are placed into the wine press where they are compressed into a paste which in turn releases the must (the juice of the fruit). The resulting paste (or pomace) and must combination then spend time together in a cask and it is the length of time that the mixture sits with the must in contact with the grape skin and pulp that determines the character of the finished wine.
When the winemaker determines the right amount of time has passed, the juice is drawn off and yeast added to begin the fermentation process with the remaining pomace, in many cases, being returned to the vineyard to be used as a fertilizer.
Once the colour and sugar content are correct the cask valve is opened and the first juice, which is the best quality wine, is then transferred into other containers where the fermentation process is finalized.
‘Pressed wines’, which are full of tannin, are made from the leftover solids. They have a strong colour and are generally mixed with the first juice in many different ways to create wines of different strengths and flavours.
When the fermentation process is complete, the wine is either bottled straight away, or left to age.
White Wine
When making white wine it is important not to damage the grapes, so they are poured into the receiving bins as quickly as possible. Once they are all in the receiving bin, the grapes are then transferred to the press where the must is separated from the skins and other solids.
At this stage the solids are disregarded and the remaining must is slightly refrigerated before being transferred into a stainless steel vat where it is allowed to ferment. Care is taken to maintain the temperature during fermenting which preserves the delicate aromas of the finished wine.
Once the fermentation process is complete, the resultant wine is decanted taking care to avoid the sediment which collects at the bottom of the vat. After decanting, the wine is bottled and ready to be sold, and is best drunk within two years.
Sweet Dessert Wines
Dessert wines are produced in one of two ways. In the first method, Botrytis Cinera, a fungus which grows very quickly, is used. This transforms the fruit and changes the colour and also alters the acid components and sugar levels. The second method is to interrupt the fermentation process by adding alcohol. This method creates a strong, sweet wine where the grape is the major flavour.
Grapes used for sweet wines are of the white Moscatel and Garnacha varieties which, along with the production process, leave the wine with a mushroom type smell as the bottle is opened.
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Home Beer Making Kit Will Improve Your Popularity!
It is a well known fact that Americans love their beer and desire nothing but the best from their beer. No doubt the large commercial beer manufacturers hold a considerable chunk of the beer making pie, but the number of home beer makers too has steadily been rising.
In fact, the popularity of home brewed beer has risen dramatically during the past twenty years or so, and custom made beers are more popular now than ever before.
Only Need a Few Hundred Dollars to Get Started
The American taste for beer is quite sophisticated and faced with an inexpensive as well as easy method of making home brewed beer has only stoked the fire of brewing beer at home. You may only require a few hundred dollars investment to purchase the required home beer making kits along with ingredients before you are well on your way to preparing homemade beer.
You can easily source home beer making kits from homebrew supply stores who stock not only the kits, but also the required ingredients as well. Before you actually get stuck into brewing beer at home you should be well acquainted with the different home beer making kits available that each comes with different supplies.
At the very least, your home beer making kit must include vital items such as the brewing kettle that is usually made from stainless steel and is used to make the wort. You should select a brewing kettle size that can hold at the very least twice the amount of beer you wish to brew.
Another important piece of equipment that your home beer making kit should have is the fermenting container which holds the brew at the same time as the yeast performs its function. In addition, the container should allow the brewer to check the fermentation that is going on, and it should also have an airlock to let gases escape.
Your home beer making kit should also have a hydrometer which is a tiny probe whose function is to measure the wort’s specific gravity while fermentation is taking place, and also before the fermentation process begins. A good thermometer is also necessary to check the temperatures between a low of sixty degrees Fahrenheit and a high of two hundred twelve degrees Fahrenheit at which point water begins to boil.
A very important facet of brewing beer at home is cleanliness and so you should ensure that your home beer making kit also has a sterilizer and it should also come with a racking cane, associated tubing as well as racking bucket - all of which help in transferring the fermented beer into a temporary location before it is actually bottled.
It is not unusual for home beer making kits to not contain bottles, caps as well as cappers which you will require for storing the fermented beer from the racking bucket into the bottles. With these pieces of equipment you should have no difficulty in brewing your beer at home.
In fact, the popularity of home brewed beer has risen dramatically during the past twenty years or so, and custom made beers are more popular now than ever before.
Only Need a Few Hundred Dollars to Get Started
The American taste for beer is quite sophisticated and faced with an inexpensive as well as easy method of making home brewed beer has only stoked the fire of brewing beer at home. You may only require a few hundred dollars investment to purchase the required home beer making kits along with ingredients before you are well on your way to preparing homemade beer.
You can easily source home beer making kits from homebrew supply stores who stock not only the kits, but also the required ingredients as well. Before you actually get stuck into brewing beer at home you should be well acquainted with the different home beer making kits available that each comes with different supplies.
At the very least, your home beer making kit must include vital items such as the brewing kettle that is usually made from stainless steel and is used to make the wort. You should select a brewing kettle size that can hold at the very least twice the amount of beer you wish to brew.
Another important piece of equipment that your home beer making kit should have is the fermenting container which holds the brew at the same time as the yeast performs its function. In addition, the container should allow the brewer to check the fermentation that is going on, and it should also have an airlock to let gases escape.
Your home beer making kit should also have a hydrometer which is a tiny probe whose function is to measure the wort’s specific gravity while fermentation is taking place, and also before the fermentation process begins. A good thermometer is also necessary to check the temperatures between a low of sixty degrees Fahrenheit and a high of two hundred twelve degrees Fahrenheit at which point water begins to boil.
A very important facet of brewing beer at home is cleanliness and so you should ensure that your home beer making kit also has a sterilizer and it should also come with a racking cane, associated tubing as well as racking bucket - all of which help in transferring the fermented beer into a temporary location before it is actually bottled.
It is not unusual for home beer making kits to not contain bottles, caps as well as cappers which you will require for storing the fermented beer from the racking bucket into the bottles. With these pieces of equipment you should have no difficulty in brewing your beer at home.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
All About German Beer
Throughout Germany, beer is very popular with the culture. Germany contains well over 1,000 breweries, which is more than any other location in the world. All beer that is manufactured in Germany must follow the purity law, which lets manufacturers know what ingredients can and can’t be used. Basically, the only ingredients allowed to make beer in Germany are water, hops, and barley malt.
Due to the strict purity requirements, you can easily notice German beers by their overall level of quality. They have a distinct taste, with little to no aftertaste. Some styles of German ale include Koelsch, Weizen, and Altbier. Some types of German lagers include Bock, Pilsener, Dunkel, Helles, and Maerzen. Keep in mind that the taste, aroma, and color can vary, although all can be identified as being true German beers.
The German beer Altbier is a very common dark ale, that is top fermented in the lower regions of Germany. The beer proposes a yellow color, with a taste that is rich in hops. Another ale, Rauchbier, is known to have a smoky flavor with a smoked color. These beers taste great, and happen to be very popular throughout the regions of Germany.
German lagers are also very popular, and happen to be popular in other areas of the world as well. Pilsener is one of the most popular and most familiar of all German beers, providing you with more hops and less malt. Pilsener can be found for sale all over the world, and happens to be very popular throughout North America as well. Several bars serve it as well, as it happens to be one of the most popular dark lagers out there.
Throughout Germany, there are several different companies, produce over 4,000 different brands of beers. Some of the more well known and larger companies of north Germany are Beck, St. Pauli, Warsteiner, and Krombach. In the southern region of Germany, there are more breweries, although most of them are smaller, as they are locally owned and operated. Southern Germany also contains the Benedictine Abbey, which is one of the oldest breweries in the world. This brewery started producing beer in 1040 - very impressive indeed!
Germany is also home to Oktoberfest, which is held every year in Munich. Oktoberfest starts in late September and carries on for two weeks, ending in early October. During Oktoberfest, beer drinkers from all over the world will travel to Germany and celebrate German beers. Each and every year, over 5 million people attend the event, making it one of the biggest beer celebrations in the world.
During Oktoberfest, local breweries in Munich are the only breweries allowed to serve beer in the bigger tents. There are six breweries in total, producing a variety of different beers. By attending this yearly event, you can learn more about German beer, sample the different varieties, and enjoy the rich bold flavors that make German beer so very popular.
Due to the success Oktoberfest gets each and every year, other cities around the world try and mimic this event. Even though they have success, their level of success isn’t near as much as the original Oktoberfest - Germany. German beers are very popular around the world, with Oktoberfest helping to prove that very claim. If you drink beer but have never experienced what beers from Germany have to offer, you really should give them a try. Once you do, you’ll quickly realize why German beers are so very popular - and why the taste simply can’t be duplicated with any other beer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)