The Beer Geek Talks Technical

Types of Brews

Most of the questions I hear concern the different types of brews available at the Owl.  What's the difference between this one and that one; the difference between ales and lagers; stouts and porters; pilsners and pale ales, etc.?  Let's review the main types of beer and what they're called (I'll describe them in much more detail and talk about various brands in later columns).

First of all, the beers we're interested in here are quality brews that meet the standards of the German Beer Purity law established in the year 1516.  This law stipulates that only 4 ingredients may be used in the brewing process: barley malt, hops, yeast, and water.  True micro's only use these ingredients, unlike Bud, Miller, and Coors, etc., that use cheaper ingredients like corn, rice and "selected grains," whatever the hell that is; it could be pig mash for all I know.  Anyway, Beer has basically two main groups: lagers and ales.  Lagers use bottom-germinating yeast and are aged longer and at cooler temperatures than ales.  "Lager" is the German word for storage.  Ales use top fermenting yeast and are brewed at warmer temperatures than lagers.

Commonly found lagers include:

Pilsner - medium to dark golden in color, generally hoppy and crisp, goes down clean.

Oktoberfest Märzen - stronger than Pilsner, it has a darker color, often referred to as amber, and is more malty and chewy than Pilsner. The fall months are the best for this type of beer.

Bock - a strong beer in taste and alcohol. These beers generally have a sweet maltiness to them that is very pleasing in every respect. They are brewed both light (in color, that is) and dark varieties. You will see many breweries describe them as "Heller-Bock" (Heller is the German word for light) and "Dunkel-Bock" (Dunkel is the German word for dark).

Doppelbock - stronger than Bock, this version has even more body, is even more malty, and is even more chewy than regular Bock. It is generally dark with more caramel and chocolate malts. Awesome.

Commonly found ales include:

Pale Ale - light, golden color with mild maltiness and strong hop character. The bitter flavor of hops comes through in most Pale Ales.

India Pale Ale - heavily hopped Pale Ales with a stronger bitter flavor than most beers. IPA's have a strong aftertaste; if this pleases your palate, you'll love them. They're generally quite powerful, so for people used to lighter beers, they may make your colon clench.

Wheat Beer - only slightly malty, these beers are light and crisp. A "Hefeweizen" is cloudy with yeast; a "Kristalweizen" has the yeast filtered out and is clear. Wheat Beers are an acquired taste and are very popular in the hot summer months because they are very refreshing indeed. Dark wheats are also available.

Amber - also known as "Red" ales, these tasty beers have a dark copper color brewed with a rich malty sweetness. They can accurately be described as robust, or like a full-bodied woman.

Brown Ale - generally the maltiness of Brown Ales is more roasty than Ambers and has more of a dry, rather than sweet finish.

Stout - a rich, roasty, dark brew that is quite hearty although quite smooth. It is actually a relatively "light" beer as far as calories, and the foam is very fine, making this one of the unique pleasures of this brew.

Porter - the roasted malt flavor is obvious in these medium-bodied dark beers. These are smooth beers that cover the entire spectrum from dry to sweet. The aftertaste is usually mild and wholly enjoyable.

Barleywine - a complex ale that is brewed mainly in the winter months. These beers are strong in taste and alcohol, kind of the Bock equivalent for ales. Barleywines have many roasty and fruity flavors and are an awesome taste sensation. A couple of these beers and the world will look a lot different.

Well, there you have it, these are the basics.  Why do we take the time to tell you all this?  Because here at the Owl Club we believe an educated beer drinker is our best customer.  Come in and try all of these different brews, you'll experience something great.  If you're still trying to shake the habit of drinking those cheap, mass-produced beers, trust me - drink quality micros for a week, and you'll never go back to the cheap stuff.

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