What is a citra hop, and how does it differ from other hops? I was offered a beer the other day that was reportedly made with citra hops. What are citra hops? Why should I care that my beer is made with them?

When was the first beer ever brewed? As far as we know, when did humans first brew beer, and where? Around when would you have been able to get your hands on something resembling a modern lager?

How is reduced alcoholic beer made? How is low/no alcohol beer made? I'm assuming that the beer is made normally and the alcohol is then removed, is it any more than just boiling it off? I've noticed that no/low alcohol beers' taste improved hugely a few years ago, is this due to a new technique?

Citra is a registered trademark since 2007. Citra Brand hops have fairly high alpha acids and total oil contents with a low percentage of cohumulone content and imparts interesting citrus and tropical fruit characters to beer. For more information, you can read the Wikipedia article on the Citra brand.

What temperature should I serve my beer? In general, what's the best way to work out the temperature at which to serve a particular beer? Room temperature? Cold? Supercold? Warm?

What is the best angle to store beer bottles? Currently I am storing my bottles in the crates at a (about) 20 degree angle (bottles are upwards!). Does the way of storing the bottles affect something (and how)?

Will certain types of beer get me more drunk more quickly? Assuming we're comparing equivalent amounts of alcohol, do certain beers get you inebriated more quickly or slowly? Does the amount of fizz make a difference?

What is the difference between an ale and a lager? Apart from coming out of different taps, some ales seem very similar to lagers (although there are clearly a much greater variety of ales). Is there a difference in the way they are made?

How do you mull beer? It's pretty cold at the moment. Mulled wine being more of a Christmas drink, mulled beer is getting popular. What beers, and what spices should I use to make it?

Do IPAs cause worse hangovers? I usually drink strong Belgian Ales, particularly Triples, Quads and Trappists, so I'm no stranger to strong beer. But I've noticed that I get far, far worse hangovers when drinking IPAs. Is there anything about IPAs that would make this possible? The lower quality places like ask.com or Yahoo answers usually say no, that only ABV produces hangovers, though one source did seem to imply that IPAs have special ingredients that make this a possibility. So I want to ask the experts here: do IPAs have ingredients that other strong beers lack, that could exacerbate hangovers?

What is the average brewing time for craft beer? Given craft beers, which are typically brewed without many preservatives, what is the average duration a beer must sit inside a barrel before it is ready for serving? If different types of beer require different brewing times, can you provide a list?

There are a couple of ways to do that. The two main "approaches" are to extract the alcohol afterwards or just don't allow the generation of it. The extracting part can be achieved by filtering and reverse osmosis. Alcohol and water are getting sucked out and the "beer mass" gets re-watered. These steps may affect the taste quit a bit. A few brewers (especially in Germany) have developed a "top secret" technique to brew a alcohol free beer which tastes the same as "normal" beer - but most of these are "top secret". Latest science experiements revealed a new way of brewing alcohol free beer, by just stopping the fermentation process. This can be done by lowering the temperature of the liquid containers. Beers brewed with this technique tend to taste more sweet. Both method have their up and downs so a couple brewers combined both: Less fermentation than usual and extracting the extra bits of alcohol.

What factors affect the carbonation level of beer? Beer varies widely, and one of the most noticeable differences when drinking is the carbonation level. What factors in the composition, brewing process, storage, etc affect the final level of carbonation?

Why doesn't bottled beer taste as good as draught beer? Bottled beer is significantly different than the same label beer available on tap. How does bottled beer differ from draught beer? What is done to the bottled beer in order to prolong its shelf life in the bottle? And finally, why does draught beer taste so much better than bottled beer?

Why do I seem to pee out more beer than I drink? When going out for some beers, after a while, I seem to pee more than the amount of beer I drink. Is that true, and why is that?

Ales and lagers are brewed with different types of yeast. Ale yeast ferments at the top of the brewing vat at a comfortable room temperature while lager yeast ferments at the bottom of the vat at a lower temperature. The "low and slow" lager fermentation brings out more complex flavors.

Ale yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 10 to 25°C, though some strains will not actively ferment below 12°C (33). Ale yeasts are generally regarded as top-fermenting yeasts since they rise to the surface during fermentation, creating a very thick, rich yeast head. That is why the term "top-fermenting" is associated with ale yeasts. Fermentation by ale yeasts at these relatively warmer temperatures produces a beer high in esters, which many regard as a distinctive character of ale beers. Top-fermenting yeasts are used for brewing ales, porters, stouts, Altbier, Kölsch, and wheat beers. * Lager yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 7 to 15°C. At these temperatures, lager yeasts grow less rapidly than ale yeasts, and with less surface foam they tend to settle out to the bottom of the fermenter as fermentation nears completion. This is why they are often referred to as "bottom" yeasts. The final flavour of the beer will depend a great deal on the strain of lager yeast and the temperatures at which it was fermented. Some of the lager styles made from bottom-fermenting yeasts are Pilsners, Dortmunders, Märzen, Bocks, and American malt liquors.* (All information from BeerAdvocate .)

It depends on the beer really. A good rule of thumb is darker beer should be served at a warmer temperature than lighter beer. For instance if you refrigerate all of your beers and then pull them out of the fridge and drink them instantly you will miss A LOT of the flavor complexity of pretty much every stout and porter you put to your lips. But, if you let the dark stuff warm up for just 15 minutes before you drink it (let it sit at room temp) a bunch of new flavors will appear that you never would have noticed otherwise. This doesn't work so well, in my experience, for lighter beers like pilsner, lager, or hefe-weisen. They really are meant to be drank cold and letting them get warm changes their flavor profile for the worse. Obviously there will always be personal preferences but, at a minimum I encourage you to try letting your darker beers warm up just a bit and see what a positive difference it makes. Here is a temperature guide from this article: Serving Temperature Guide . It categorizes different beers based on temps to serve at. These are basic rules of thumb and again you'll want to experiment and discover what temps you like your beers at the best.

It all depends on the beer really. Lagers are typically brewed longer than ales. Of the few brews I've made so far, I usually let them ferment for 2 weeks in the fermenter, then I bottle them and wait another 2 weeks.

Can one pilsener cause a hangover when another doesn't? I frequently hear stories about people drinking their favorite pilsener, and not liking the other brand because "they'll get a hangover when drinking that brand". Is there a truth in this?

Do different beer glass shapes really make a difference in taste? I understand the basic distinction for wine glasses: red wine glasses are shaped to help keep some of the aroma inside the glass, whereas whites don't. But shapes for beer glasses, such as pilsner vs a standard pint glass, just seem to be an aesthetic difference. Yet I've had people insist that glasses make a big difference for things like Belgian beer. Is there a sound reason to use the "right" glass for each kind of beer?

I suspect this really boils down to each persons' chemistry. IPA's don't have any real negative impact on me in terms of hangovers but Budweiser (as a prime example) has a much faster onset of hangover for me and I suffer far worse from it. The "Ice Beers" that became popular in the early 90's really caused me to have a lot of problems but, again, IPA's of all stripes typically don't bother me at all.

The primary difference is the yeast used to ferment the beer -- ales use yeasts strains which work at a warmer temperature (10-25 deg C) than lager yeasts strains (7-15 deg C). You may hear the terms "top-fermenting" for ale yeasts and "bottom-fermenting" for lagers, but I think that's more-or-less happen-stance -- the yeasts themselves are not inclined toward a particular altitude.

What specific characteristics distinguish an imperial stout from other kinds of stouts? My local growler shop regularly has a variety of stouts on tap, of which I usually pick Imperial. What, specifically, distinguishes an Imperial stout from other kinds of stouts (say a regular stout, an oatmeal stout etc)?

Yes. Taste is really smell, and different glasses can capture aromas differently. Furthermore, different aromas may be more or less present dependent upon temperature, and a glass may be crafted to be held a particular way (gathering more or less heat from your hand). The same is true for wine glasses. That said, how much of a difference it makes to you is what's important. Going back to the wine comparison, I can sometimes tell the difference between different glasses, but not consistently. So it's not the most important thing. Now that that's said, there has been some informal, perhaps less than perfectly scientific studies, including a blind test . Beer advocate provides some more detailed information . Some of my local bars carry stemware for specific European beers, and I know of one stateside brewery, Black Shirt Brewing in Denver, which really wants you to stick your nose up in it (to good effect, in my experience).

There are two main ways to carbonate beer. Force carbonation - This is where CO2 is forced into the fermented beer. Because of the pressure (and the temperature at which it is done) the CO2 will dissolve into the beer solution. The fizz that happens when you open a beer is the CO2 coming out of solution. (Technically you can re-carbonate flat beer!) Natural carbonation - All beer has SOME yeast present. Home-brewers that bottle will actually pour a little bit of sugar into the racked beer before bottling. The yeast that is present will re-activate and eat the sugar. One of the bi-products is CO2. Because the beer is bottled and the CO2 has nowhere to go, it will dissolve into solution. This is why you will often see little yeast cakes in the bottom of home-brewer's bottles. There are some beers that used forced-nitrogen to nitrogenate (if that is the appropriate word) their beers. TL;DR - Temperature, methods of carbonating, storing beer can all affect carbonation.

What are the differences between an IPA and its variants? I know what makes an IPA an IPA, but what are the unique characteristics of it's common variants? To be specific, the ones I'm interested in are Double IPA and Black IPA, but general differences between any other styles would be welcome too.

What does the term "imperial" represent in beer styles or names? I'm trying to understand what I can assume about an "Imperial Stout" relative to a "Stout," etc. I know anecdotally that they are "heavier," but online sources seem to lack agreement on a specific meaning, with some suggesting that they're hoppier, others saying they're higher alcohol content, and some using vague terms like "full-bodied". Does "imperial" have a real, agreed-upon meaning, or is it just a marketing/description modifier that everyone uses differently?

How can I prolong the life of beer in a growler? Beer in a growler typically lasts for 24 hours or less, depending on how full the growler is, how many times it's opened over that period of time, and how efficient the seal is on the lid. Are there ways of prolonging the life in a growler or at least seal it properly?

Alcohol is a diuretic. According to this article , 1 gram of alcohol will increase urine excretion by 10ml. Combine that with this CDC article stating that a standard 12 ounce (354ml) beer has 14 grams of alcohol, your can expect to pee 494ml, or 16.75 ounces per 12 ounce bottle. The graphic would be more accurate with you drinking three beers but peeing four.

What's the difference between a porter and a stout? Porters and stouts seem very similar and sometimes stores and restaurants group them together as if they're two different names for the same thing. Is there a difference and what is it?

The term "imperial" generally means "strong", as in having a higher ABV. You may also find "Imperial IPAs" (aka IIPAs, or sometimes Double or Triple IPAs), and again, they are boosting the alcohol content. The actual ingredients (hops, or oatmeal, as per your example) do not come into play, except to balance the flavors against the malt.

Why are some beers non-vegan? Some beers (for example, Guinness) are marked as 'not suitable for vegans'. What is in the beer such that this is the case?

What glass shape is most commonly used for Saison's? Is there a widely accepted glass shape/type for Saison's (and if so, what is it)? Is a different glass used for French Saison's vs. Belgian Saison's vs. other common Saison styles?

How do I determine the shelf life of beer? Sometimes I buy beer more quickly than I can drink it -- a sad state of affairs, I know, but it happens. I know that some beers are best drunk within a few weeks and others can be fine for months, but I don't know which are which. What are the rules of thumb for this? How can I determine how long a bottle of beer will keep before starting to lose its taste? (Assume appropriate storage.)

Why is drinking beer after wine a bad idea? As the well known rhyme reminds us, drinking beer after wine is a bad idea. Having made the mistake during my student years more than once and regretting it, why is it that consuming these two beverages in the wrong order causes such effects?

The first Imperial Stout was made by Thrale's Brewery to export to the Russian royalty, it had high alcoholic content so that it could survive the trip gracefully [1] . Since then Imperial has been used as a prefix to signify beers which are of higher alcohol volume than their normal variants, and luckily they're no longer just for Russian royalty.

Why is it called "porter"? Stouts are stout, Pale Ales use pale malt, but where did the name porter come from?

There are a few theories out there, and their veracity, like that of most historical "facts", is hotly debated. One theory begins in 1722 when Ralph Harwood, a London brewer, created a beer called Entire . For some time, working folk had been drinking a blend of beer, ale, and strong beer, which pubs would mix to balance out their stocks and maintain acceptable flavor. Entire was a pre-mixed version, brewed by Hardwood then sold and delivered to pubs. Prior to this point, each pub had mixed their own. In addition to economies of scale, Harwood's method allowed for aging of the finished product. Historians theorize that the name porter came about because of the porters who worked at the markets and delivered the final product to the pubs. A variation of this theory suggests that porter simply refers to the working class occupations of those who drank the concoction. Another theory suggests that porter comes from the Netherlands, where a beer called poorter was being made as early as the 1300s. The Dutch were prolific traders, and cultural transfer could easily have occurred. The term poorter originally concerned inhabitants of walled cities and may also have been related to social station.

Beer Connoisseur Online answers this pretty thoroughly in an article . The TLDR: is that "...originally a stout was a strong version of a porter. Today, the difference is whatever you want it to be." For an interesting history on the term Stout and the style of beer, you can check out this history of stout article provided by Eric Deloak. Similarly you can read a history of porter article written by the same author: Gregg Smith

Some beer use animal by-products in their production. Guinness is popular example: isinglass , a swim bladder, is as a filter or fining agent.

There are two main ingredients in beer that might cause them to be unsuitable for vegans. The first one might be fairly obvious. Honey is sometimes used as a sweetener, especially in meade, but certainly in other beers. However, the main cause is a fining agent called Isinglass that is made from ground swim bladders of fish.

Absolutely, it depends on the ABV like any other alcoholic beverage. You can drink Natty-lights all night like college kids or you can get your hands on one of these bad boys, at 67.5% abv. I highly doubt carbonation has anything to do with it. Personally, I prefer to drink beer for the taste, not to get drunk. So I'll experiment among many different craft brews. ---- edit ---- Started answering before I saw your edit. I'll keep this up for education's sake.

I'm not sure about when the first beer was made , but the oldest existing brewery is Weihenstephan , which dates back to 1040 AD, a good 26 years before the battle of Hastings. They have not only lager, but a Hefeweizen, Dunkel, and a few other brews.

At what point/percentage can beer properly "age"? I recently encountered a beer that was utterly rank and had an awful aroma. I tasted a small sip, but had to toss the rest. Investigating the label on this beer, I discovered it had an expiry date of Dec. 2012, making it just over one year old. This beer's alcohol content was 5.6% ABV, and it clearly did not have a lengthy self life. Contrastingly, a local brewer annually brews an ice bock with an alcohol content of 9.5% ABV, and they state that because of this high alcohol content, it's suitable for aging (and it ages well, to boot). What is the minimum alcohol content/ABV percentage required in order to consider a beer safe/suitable for aging? If pasteurization plays a role, please advise.

There are some rules of thumb. First, if it's a hop-oriented beer (pales, IPAs), drink sooner than later, as the hop aromas and flavor will fade over time. Second, the higher the alcohol by volume (ABV, think imperial stouts), the better chance it has of lasting longer. That said, it may be best to ask the brewer what the recommended shelf life is for any specific beer.

EDIT to add sources (original answer below) Mythbusters address this in episode 127 - http://mythresults.com/dirty-vs-clean-car - the rate of consumption is what matters, not the order A hangover caused by beer is less severe than one caused by a mixture of beer and liquor. BUSTED To perform this test, Tory and Grant would have to eat the same food, drink their alcohol at the same time, and sleep for the same length of time in the warehouse for consistent results. Kari (who could not take part because of her pregnancy) then devised a battery of tests to measure dehydration, memory, light/sound/motion sensitivity, and coordination. Without having drunk alcohol, Tory and Grant performed well on their control test. They then performed the beer test, with Tory drinking 14 cans of beer and Grant drinking six. They both performed significantly worse than the control tests, signifying they were badly hung over. They then repeated the test with a mixture of beer and liquor, making sure to drink an equivalent amount of alcohol as in the first test. The next morning, Tory and Grant improved significantly and felt much better than in the previous test. Thus, the Build Team declared the myth busted. NYTimes also addressed this back in 2006 - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/health/the-claim-mixing-types-of-alcohol-makes-you-sick.html "The pattern, more often, is that people will have beer and then move on to liquor at the end of the night, and so they think it's the liquor that made them sick," he continued. "But simply mixing the two really has nothing to do with it." In general, the ABV of wine is higher than that of beer, so if you consume a higher ABV after a lower ABV, you will feel its effects faster, but if you're still drinking at the same rate, you won't notice you've had any effect as readily as if you drank at the slower rate more generally associated with the higher ABV beverage.

Will temperature changes cause a beer to "skunk" or otherwise spoil? In my fraternity days, there was a constant fear of beer (typically kegged but also bottled) getting "skunked" as a result of warming up and cooling down too many times, possibly even once. Do non-extreme temperature changes such as moving a beer back and forth from a counter to a refrigerator cause perceptible changes to beer? If not, what about more extreme changes, such as sitting in the bed of a truck or a trunk? I'm aware that light has a degrading affect on it's own, so let's assume this beer is in a keg or a light-proof box.

As you might expect, it's all got to do with the ingredients. I'm a vegetarian myself, but not a vegan. So I do eat honey and dairy. With that said, some beers would not be considered vegan if they use those ingredients (milk stouts for instance use lactose). However, an example of a non-vegetarian beer would be the oyster stout, which uses oysters in the brewing process.

The process of becoming drunk involves becoming dehydrated. So the higher the ABV, and less water you're taking on, the faster you'll feel the effects. This is why shots get you drunk very quickly: there is little to no extra water in the mix. Other ingredients can add to this affect, and as I've personally noticed, some beers can produce very different "drunk experiences" than others - just like being drunk off wine, beer, shots, or mixed drinks can produce different results. So, absolutely if you drank half a beer with twice the ABV while your friend drank 1 beer with half the ABV, you'd probably feel drunk faster than him. Assuming you're drinking at the same pace. Less water.

Does chocolate stout contain real chocolate? Various microbreweries make chocolate stout that does indeed, to varying degrees, taste of chocolate. Does it really contain chocolate, and how is chocolate used in the brewing process?

Beer in plastic bottles and health aspects Are there any potential health risk connected with drinking beer from plastic PET bottles? The beer in many countries, including Germany, is widely available in plastic recyclable bottles. Does it have any negative impact on health?

What does "all malt" mean? Pork Slap beer indicates that it's "all malt" in the way that implies an official distinction. What does "all malt" indicate, assuming there's a standard requirement to use the term accurately.

Yes. Typically chocolate stout does contain chocolate. I've typically added chocolate to my home-brew during the boil phase (since it adds more sugars and I want the chocolate to melt).

How much of an impact does the water have on a beer? How much of an impact does the water (minerals/quality/distilled) have on a beer?

Impact of bottling in plastic on beer taste Beer is commonly bottled in plastic bottles in Germany. Does drinking beer from plastic have some negative impact on beer taste? Or are the materials from which the bottles are made chosen so that they don't interact chemically with beer, or in any way change the taste?

What's the difference between an "export" beer and a regular beer from the same brewer? In the UK at least, a great many beers are marketed with a regular version and a fancier (more expensive) 'export' version. For example: Carlsberg and Carlsberg 'Export'. Is there any reason why the imported beer might be reasonably different (such as the legality of certain brewing methods outside of the UK) or is this just marketing fluff?

Yeast beer and the gastric problems Does drinking yeast beer (known in Germany als Hefe-Weissbier) have any potential influence on gastric problems? Yeast can become active in intestines, starting there fermentation processes and causing bloating. When such symptoms occur, is that the effect of yeast activity, or it's rather some kind of food intolerance?

Difference between Ale and Bitter Whats the difference between a bitter and an Ale? Is it the manufacturing process or the ingredients that make these different drinks?

Aging, from my experience, involves the heavy proteins settling to the bottom of the bottle. Filtered beer typically doesn't need to be aged because all of that is already removed. You can consider this "pre aged" like a shirt may be "pre shrunk". Best not to buy with the assumption that it will get any smaller (or improve with time). Much of the time, aging allows the beer to mellow out a bit. I find darker beers benefit from this the most, but it really depends on the type of beer. Lagers, stouts, porters, have to age longer than pilsners and ales, as a general rule. But whether the brewer has begun or simulated this process is unknown. I guess it's best to follow the instructions on the bottle, or look up the bottler and see if they have recommendations.

Why does Guinness have a special pouring process / bottle, while other stouts do not? Guinness is sold in bottles and cans with special nitrogen widgets; the taps are specially rigged to have a two-step pouring process; heck, there's even a certificate given to people who learn how to "pour the perfect pint" at the Guinness factory in Dublin. My question is: what makes Guinness so special? Why aren't these tactics used by other stout (or similar variants) producers?

Should I get beer in bottles or in cans? Sometimes, companies offer the same beer in bottles and in cans. Everything else being equal, should I go for the bottle or the can? I know that e.g. Guinness have their "floating widget" in their cans that releases nitrogen when you open it, but assume that this isn't the case. In particular, I'm looking for the effects the inner coating/material of cans has on beer.

It depends on the brew really; some do and others do not. More often than not, the chocolate flavor comes from the techniques used to roast the malts rather than chocolate itself. Some brewers will add additional chocolate to enhance the chocolate flavor a bit, but it generally doesn't get its flavor primarily from the chocolate. The same is true for coffee stouts. As a side note, I've recently tried a smoked imperial IPA (Runaway Smoked Ferry Imperial IPA) from the Port Jeff Brewing Company, a local microbrewery. I swear to God, it tasted like bacon! But there was not an ounce of bacon in it as confirmed by the brewmaster.

Beer might be completely undrinkable if the water is poor quality. Usually it is ok to use your own tap water, but if it is softened, you'll want to buy bottled water, as the added sodium from the softener will ruin your beer. I personally use purchased water from the grocery store. Usually 50% distilled, 50% "spring". Though honestly it's probably all tap water from somewhere else.

As you might expect, cans can impart a metallic flavor on some beer, but on the flip-side, they are much less prone to skunking. So if you're looking to store the beer for a while in a cool, dark place, I'd say bottle. However, if you plan on keeping it in a light place or outdoors, a can is probably your best bet.

Does milk stout actually contain lactose? I know that lactose is used in the brewing process for milk stout, but I don't know if it remains there by the end of the brewing process. I'm very lactose intolerant, and want to know if I need to take a lactase pill if I drink a milk stout.

What is 'skunking'? In some of the questions on this site, I've seen the word 'skunking' thrown around. What does it mean? I'm assuming it's a process that causes beer to go bad, and if so, what causes this process?

Beer contains a lot of CO2, and CO2 causes the alcohol to 'hit to the head' much faster. This is why champagne has such exhilaration (Rausch) effect. It's not a good idea to drink any high-CO2 drink after drinking wine or stronger alcohols, and even more discouraged is mixing carbonated water with vodka, for example. Many people have heavily regret such mixing. As well, it is said you should never drink lighter alcohols after stronger. You can start with beer, than after an hour/2 drink some wine, rest and drink vodka. Never opposite. But the best is to keep one genre of alcohol on one evening. At least so are saying people in Poland.

Most of beer is water, so it is vitally important. Here in Atlanta, we have some of the better tap water compared to many cities, but Monday Night Brewing in particular takes all minerals and chemicals out of the water and adds back in the appropriate properties to match the style of beer that they are trying to brew. They emulate the water from the origin of the beer style. Just consider that anything but the most pure form of water will impart some taste in your beer good or bad and is worth being aware of.

How long does it take before the taste 'flies away' It is said that the taste 'flies away' from an opened beer, and if the bottle is left open too long, it doesn't taste good next day. Has it actually been measured how long it takes before the taste 'flies away'?

Does reduced-alcohol beer taste differently? Some states (in America) have ridiculous laws about what types of beer can be sold in various places. Often times certain types of stores can only sell "3 2 beer," or beer with no more than 3.2% ABV. So various brewers make special, reduced-alcohol batches meeting this requirement. How do brewers achieve this reduction in alcohol, and does it affect the taste of the resulting beer?

Guinness is "carbonated" with nitrogen, where most beers use carbon dioxide. This requires different hardware, bottling equipment, etc. If you've ever witnessed the appearance of a perfectly poured Guinness, and paid more than $5 USD for it, you'll understand why. It's partly about presentation. As one of the oldest beers on the market, it requires us to jump through some hoops to ensure we are enjoying it correctly. In short: I think it's mostly marketing!

How do I tell if I poured a stout correctly? What do I need to be paying attention to when I pour a stout and how do I tell if I got it right? Usually this applies to either "regular" stouts or chocolate stouts.

Plastic food packaging in general is usually lined with Bisphenol A (aka. BPA) , as are some canned goods, which is a rather controversial chemical. It's been linked to cancer, sexual dysfunction, and other ailments. So I try to avoid it whenever possible and buy my food in glass jars. I can only imagine how much BPA is dissolved into alcoholic beverages which are bottled in plastic or cans, being that alcohol is corrosive. I learned that lesson when I tried cleaning my GameBoy with rubbing alcohol as a kid. So I try to avoid alcohol bottled in plastic and canned alcohol as well. The thing you have to realize is that plastic isn't really a solid, but a very viscous liquid. Glass is also a liquid, but it's much more viscous than plastic. That's why if you've ever been in a building that's a couple hundred years old, the glass on the windows is thicker at the bottom of the glass panes. Since both are liquids, they're obviously going to get into your drink. However, glass is a natural substance while plastic is not, so I trust it more.

Water is extremely important. When touring Brooklyn Brewery, the brewers went on and on about how great it is for them to have access to the NYC water supply. During brewing, the quality of the water is important because the minerals can affect a beer recipe greatly.

Some of the mocelues in the beer are broken down by ultraviolet light and bind to sulfur atoms. This causes Skunking. This is why some bottle six packs have a tall sleeve and beer keeps longer in a darker colored bottle. A common misperception is warming and cooling over and over again causes Skunking.

Beer, sexual desire and potency I've heard that drinking beer lowers sexual desire and potency, and that's the physiological effect of hops. Is it true? Does drinking a lot of beer have negative long-term effects on sexual desire or potency? Or is it just an urban myth, based on negative impacts of drinking too much?

How is gluten-free beer made? I have a friend who is Celiac and can only drink gluten-free beer. How on earth is it made?

What's the best way to store beer while camping in hot climates? Every August I go camping 1 for a week or two in western PA, and I like to take along some beer to drink in the evenings. What I've been doing, to save cooler space (and reduce the amount of ice I have to replace each day), is to keep most of it out and just keep a buffer of a couple bottles in the cooler. But this question makes me wonder whether that harms the taste, because while I can control for light I can't do much about storage temperature. Should I just suck it up and put everything on ice when I get there? I haven't noticed a problem so far, but I tend to take a variety of beers (I don't drink the same thing every day) so I might never notice on my own. 1 This is not primitive camping with tiny, heat-absorbing nylon tents. Most of our tents/pavillions are canvas, and we have a small cabin available. No electricity is available, however.

What styles of beer pair well with white fish? I eat fish often, and as a beer lover, would like to know how I can drink a beer that would best complement a fish such as tilapia or hake. When it comes to wine, it's said that white pairs well with fish, and red with meat. Is there any similar rule with beer?

First known/recognized brewery? What's the name of the first known/recognized brewery that produced beer (that would be recognized as beer also today)?

I recently went on a tour of a microbrewery and had a conversation with a brewer afterwards. He said that their approach for reducing the alcohol content to legal "non-alcoholic" levels was to simply dilute regular beer with purified water. It may be worth noting that the beer he was talking about was not designated for drinking, but for use in food production (beer-battered fish sticks, anyone?).

Skunking is a stage in a beer's life in which it goes rancid. It may smell funny, almost like a skunk, and taste bad. As John pointed out, it is generally caused by excess exposure to light. Beers packaged in clear (Corona and Land Shark for instance) or green bottles are particularly susceptible to this. It is best to avoid these kinds of beers to avoid the risk of skunked beer; choose beer bottled in brown bottles or cans, which are less susceptible to light exposure.

Bitters are ales; the English term bitter is generally equivalent to pale ale . Pale ales are made from pale malt and many types are heavily hopped. The term bitter refers to the bitterness inherent in their hoppy character when compared to other beers like stouts and porters. Note that like many beer terms, taxonomy is not hard and fast, e.g. a blonde could be considered a pale ale but few would refer to it as a bitter!

In general, such beers are made with grains that contain little or no gluten, such as buckwheat, sorghum, rice, or corn. Incidentally, this also means that cheap macrobrews such as Coors and Budweiser, which are often brewed with the cheapest of cheap adjuncts in their grain bills (such as corn and rice) end up being gluten-free (or very low gluten, legal definitions of the term vary) as well. Because the legal definition of 'gluten free' in many jurisdictions allows for very low quantities of gluten (generally less than 20 ppm), many gluten free beers include small quantities of rye malt for flavoring purposes. While some individual with celiac are able to tolerate these low levels of gluten (as are non-celiacs pursuing a gluten free diet for other reasons), tolerance can vary, so be careful when selecting a gluten free beer, and be aware that they can vary wildly, both in quality, and in gluten content.

These beers are made with non-gluten containing grains such as millet, rice, corn, or buckwheat as opposed to glutenous grains like rye, barley, or wheat. As a side note, I recommend your friend give Omission Beer a try. I had it once on accident at a social event. I couldn't tell the difference between it and the real thing until I got home and looked it up online.

Take your cue from recipes for fish cooked in beer/ale. "Ale" (not usually specified further) and "amber beer" ( example ) seem to be the most common, and I can say from personal experience that these work well both for poaching fish and drinking alongside baked, broiled, or grilled whitefish. 1 Of course, how your fish is flavored may affect your beer choice, but that might be a question for Seasoned Advice . If the dominant flavor isn't the fish but, say, curry or habenero, that's a different matter. Anecdote: In the context of a renaissance-themed event I once cooked from a 15th-century recipe for whitefish poached in ale. I consulted my local brewing experts and together we made the ale ( recipe and documentation ). They told me that the key difference in that time period was that ale didn't use hops. There were no leftovers. Based on that experience, I usually reach for a low-hops medium-strength beer to go with whitefish. 1 I don't eat a lot of deep-fried fish so can't advise there, sorry. @Hunse suggests in another answer a sturdier beer for deep-fried fish.

You're speaking of Utah, I assume, the only state I've been to that has laws like that. I know you can achieve lower alcohol content by using less yeast, or sugar, or both, since alcohol in beer is produced by the fermentation process of yeast turning sugar into alcohol. I would guess this is primarily how it's done, but there could be other (post-fermentation) processes of removing alcohol. (EDIT: according to Wikipedia , I'm totally wrong. Most low- or non-alcoholic beer is made by boiling off the alcohol.) In terms of taste, lighter beers (in terms of alcohol content), generally taste, well, lighter. I like many higher-alcohol beers because the alcohol seems to bring out many of the more complex flavours in the beer, making it (in my opinion) more interesting. That's not to say that all strong beers are good or all light beers are bad, as there are many other things to consider. But I don't think it's possible to get the same complexity and flavour into a light 3.2% beer as it is in a stronger beer, in my experience anyway.

It doesn't actually mean anything; or at least, it almost never means the same thing twice, and doesn't refer to any specific common style or process. It's about as meaningful as the fact that several dozen breweries have a beer they label as "Select". For example, in the case of Molson Export, the story goes that it was deemed so high quality that it was "good enough to send overseas" - and, implicitly, better than competing imported brands. One common usage is for a line with slightly higher ABV (it keeps better in shipment!) or tailored to suit the ABC laws of other jurisdictions to which it might be shipped. But there isn't any single meaning that's widely understood.

Temperature does not skunk beer, contrary to popular belief. It is much more important to keep it out of the light.

How can I tell whether a beer will improve with age? Most mass-market beers come with expiration dates, and cease to be good for drinking if too much time has passed since they were brewed, even if they've been stored in unopened containers and good conditions. Some major breweries even have long-running advertising campaigns about the freshness of their products. Other beers improve with age. What qualities make a beer suitable for cellaring or bottle-conditioning? How can I know whether a given bottle of beer can be aged, short of looking it up online?

In general, you just want to store your beer bottles standing upright. For tons of detail on bottle storage, BeerAdvocate has a great guide , but in short: storing a standard shaped beer bottle upright minimizes the surface area exposed to air in the bottle, slowing oxidation, and preventing spoilage. Additionally, in the case of unfiltered or bottle conditioned beers, it's highly desirable that any yeast settle at the bottom of the bottle - and not anywhere else.

I've looked into this quite a bit; I was thinking of building a beer rack as a winter project. However, All my research tells me that beer should always be stored upright, no matter what variety, unlike wine which is best stored on its side. Beer advocate has an interesting article on the subject. For corked bottles, one does not want to impart any off-flavors from the waxes and other chemicals on the cork. For proper aging, it is also best that the yeast be allowed to settle on the bottom of the bottle.

According to LiveScience , beer dates back to the dawn of cereal agriculture, loosely pinpointed at 10,000 B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia, the region of southwest Asia currently occupied by Iraq. I also recall watching a documentary a few years back (unfortunately can't remember the name to properly cite it) which claimed that humans started settling and agriculture because they accidentally consumed some sort of primitive beer.

Good question! I know that most (almost all) beers will not improve with age, and as you say will simply spoil. I don't know of any beers that you really want to age in the same way that you would age wine. In general, I would not age any beer unless it has specifically been presented to you by the brewer as something that should be aged. Bottle fermentation or bottle-conditioning is adding yeast to the bottle at bottling time, so that the beer continues to ferment in the bottle. The main purpose of this is to carbonate the beer in the bottle, without injecting CO2 under pressure. I think most brewers do any conditioning before they sell their product, so you don't have to do this yourself unless you're homebrewing. It's not clear to me why wine ages in the bottle, while whisky and beer don't. Any good answer would probably just confuse me anyway, with lots of mumbo-jumbo about tannins and stuff.

A modern canned beer should never taste like metal. If it does, you're probably drinking straight from the can, and while the folks at The Alchemist might recommend that , I can't say I share their view. Modern beer cans are lined with a water-based chemical that essentially ensures that your beer never touches metal. This in turn means that strictly speaking, canned beers will keep longer without being skunked , and pressurized packing means there's less air in a can then a bottle, which adds further preservative benefits. That said, very few beers that are good enough for this decision to matter are offered in a choice of containers - most small breweries just don't have the capacity to both can and bottle - especially of the sort of small-batch stuff that you'd actually be interested in trying to cellar and age. Furthermore, there are significant environmental and economic arguments in favor of both bottles and cans. At the end of the day, choose the packaging that's more convenient for you to store, consume from, and recycle when you're done. The quality difference is essentially insignificant.

How does serving temperature affect the taste of beers? For example, from the label of Uinta's Crooked Line Labyrinth Black Ale: Flavors are enhanced when served cool, not frigid. How does serving temperature affect the taste of beers? By "How?" I'm asking more about its effects on flavor, e.g. hoppiness, crispness, the aftertaste, etc. more so than the chemical process. * That is, what flavors become pronounced or dulled with the changing of temperature? There's a question, What temperature should I serve my beer? , where an answerer states, for example, that letting darker beers warm up brings out new flavors—but what flavors? It doesn't seem to be the case that cooling kills all desirable flavors in general—for example for pilsners, lagers, and hefeweizens, "letting them get warm changes their flavor profile for the worse" (from the same answer). * Knowing the chemical process, e.g. how certain elements or ingredients react or suspend differently according to temperature, would be very interesting indeed, but it seems difficult to find solid literature / knowledge on the subject.

I use 3 methods to store the beer, and others, while camping: Cooler: The way you mentioned in your question. Sunk in water: If possible, put the beer either in a plastic bag or in a hole in a nearby water body, creek or river. In the ground: Dig a hole in the ground in a shady area and store it in there. Second and third possibilities will keep it cool, but not really cold, depending on the area. The you can cool it even more by placing it in ice shortly before consuming it.

Although, as Bill said, it can be down to a person's chemistry, one reason for you finding that IPAs affect you more could be the higher hop content in a Pale Ale (IPAs in particular). Hops (the oils) can have an effect on brain chemistry. This affect can be positive or it can be negative! Some people can actually have allergic reactions to hops, or even beer in general (poor them, see this ). Where as I suffer from some nasty migraine problems and actually find that well-hopped ales alleviate some of the symptoms (not that I use it as a reason to drink!). So to sum up, it is possible that you find IPAs cause you to suffer more in the morning because you have a slight intolerance to higher hopped beers, whereas your fellow drinkers may not.

I don't think there's really a good answer to this question. Beer is an ancient beverage, whose formulations and methods of manufacture have changed over the centuries. The oldest continually operating brewery is claimed to be the Weihenstephan Abbey .

The effect of freezing on beer taste Beer (with the exception of mulled beer) tastes best when cooled. But sometimes there can be too much cooling, for example when you take beer with you on hiking to enjoy the taste at the camping. The beer can freeze (the glass bottle would explode, but the plastic ones are more resistant). How such freezing and melting impact the beer taste?

What is the highest alcohol content achievable through brewing? What is the highest level of alcohol you can achieve when brewing beer naturally, without adding alcohol? I know that many strong, popular beers (~10% alcohol) are simply mixed with alcohol, but what level of alcohol can be achieved in natural brewing process?

I would say that it has to do more with carbonation than anything else. Like soda, beer goes flat after a while and tastes bad (or not as good) when the carbonation is gone. Some beers have more carbonation than others, so I don't think you can accurately measure this, it really depends on the brew. Oxidation (exposure to air) also may negatively impact the flavor. Of course, I wouldn't recommend exposing a beer to air for weeks and then drinking it due to various health concerns and I can't say I've ever tried it, nor do I want to.

There are a couple of considerations, although this is far from a complete answer. First, a stronger (higher ABV) beer will tend to cellar better, as the alcohol can act to help prevent oxidization. Second, a beer with less emphasis on hops, and more on malt, yeast, or other characteristics, will be a better candidate, because the qualities that hops impart will fade in a fairly short time. This is why your IPAs and such should be consumed sooner than later -- the character is primarily in the hops. The purpose of cellaring a beer is to see its improvement over time. Some may stay exactly the same, which others will change. I think the answer there lies in whether there is still active yeast or bacteria in the bottle, and whether there is anything for them to chew on. Some styles (lambics, for example) are far more prone to this, but I don't think there's a hard and fast rule that one couple follow.

The reason there's a limit is once the alcohol content is too high, it kills the yeast, so fermentation stops and no more alcohol is produced. I think it's generally around 15% alcohol by volume, but the exact amount will depend on the type of yeast. EDIT: The Wikipedia page on yeast in winemaking has some details on when different types of yeasts die out.

Typically it depends on the style. High ABV beers, such as imperial stouts and barley wines will typically age well while others lower in ABV will go rancid after 3-6 months. Obviously you're not going to want to cellar a Bud Light (it tastes rancid anyway before storing it). But even when speaking of higher quality beers, you're not going to want to cellar witbeers, pale ales, and things of that nature which are rather light beers. It is usually best to ask the brewer if the beer is recommended for storing.

What styles of beer can you age? I know friends who have "aged" beers to around the 1 year mark. Typically I've heard of stouts and porters aging well. Is the aging style related? If so, what styles can you age and for how long?

There are a few components to the interaction between flavor and temperature, but one key one is simply that cold numbs your tongue . At least, extreme cold ( e.g. "cold as the rockies"). As such, overly cold beer will dull any strong flavor (hoppiness, bitterness, etc) and hide weaker ones.

Like most beers, the main thing is the height of the foam on top of the beer. It's largely a matter of personal preference; the only considerations I'm aware of are: Bottle-fermented beers should be poured slowly and all in one go to prevent yeast from going into the glass (and, to that end, leave half a finger of beer in the bottle). Unless it's an unfiltered wheat beer, in which case the yeast is meant to go in the glass. Also, hefeweizens like this should go for a little larger head than normal (2-2.5 fingers). Or if it's a nitrogenated beer (Eg, Guinness with a widget), you should simply upend the can or bottle into the glass Otherwise, most people aim for about 1 finger-width of foam. As long as you have at least some head and it doesn't overflow the glass, you're pouring fine.

Why does a nitro beer taste different? Why does a draught beer with a nitrogen taste different from a draught beer with a primarily carbon dioxide carbonation?

How can one pasteurize beer at home? Pasteurizing is a common task at industrial brewers. But in a home brewing context following questions arises: Is it feasible to pasteurize in the kitchen? Which equipment is necessary to do it? What are the best-practices of such process? Is there a risk of degrading the overall taste of the beer?

That depends on what you mean by "naturally". There are some strains, such as the "Super High Gravity Ale Yeast" by WyLabs, which can handle up to 25%. But there are techniques, such as freezing the beer to create a more concentrated product, which have been used to get up to 60+%. In this case, alcohol is not added , but rather, water is removed , altering your ABV.

What characteristics are used to distinguish styles of beer from each other? There are many styles of beer. It's straightforward to discuss the differences between two types of beer, but what are the characteristics used to distinguish between styles of beer? For each general characteristic, what kinds of beer have each specific quality? For example, if color is a general characteristic what styles of beer are light, medium, and dark?

How long does it take for beer to become untasty? I cannot drink beer fast. So when I opened a bottle or can or poured my beer into a glass, it starts to became warm and untasty with time. When I am out, or in a bar, I cannot really keep it cold. At room temperature, how long can I drink my beer before it starts to get warmer and the taste begins to change when it comes directly from fridge or a cooler?

Why would one choose to use Nitro vs CO2 as a beer gas? Some beers have taste different on Nitro vs CO2. I'm sure there is science behind this. Why choose one over the other?

There are many points of comparison, as the beer judging style guidelines will point out. Among those characteristics are ABV, IBU (International Bitterness Units), color, aroma, mouthfeel, and of course, flavor .

The BJCP Style Guidelines specify a wide variety of variables. These include: Aroma (malt, hops, yeast, diacetyl, etc) Appearance (color, clarity, head, etc) Flavor (sweetness, bitterness, dryness, alcohol, carbonation acidity, diacetyl, fruitiness, etc) Mouthfeel (body, carbonation, smoothness, astringency, etc.) Ingredients (yeast, mash bill, hops, added ingredients, etc.) These guidelines are from the Beer Judge Certification Program, so they are by necessity based on idealized judging, rather than the intent to taxonomize all of known beer. The first four are subjective, coming from the standpoint of categorizing based on the drinking experience. The last, Ingredients , is objective and is used for quite a bit of general categorization (ale vs lager yeasts, for example). You could also argue that the source of many of the subjective factors is variation in the brewing process, such as fermentation temperature, addition or subtraction of various steps, etc. However if you come at it from the angle of "how do I categorize an unknown beer?", then the first four subjective items are key. Some of the question is whether you focus on what it is or on how it got that way .

In general, nitrogenation imparts a creamier, smoother texture to a beer. The bubbles are smaller in size than CO2 bubbles, and the reduced solubility results in a thicker beverage, which is both delicious, and results in that visually appealing 'cascade' effect. Also, you can do this with a Nitro beer. And that's awesome.

Dry hopping versus regular hopping What's the difference between dry hopping and regular hopping, and both in terms of production process and taste? I think I'm starting to get an idea of what a dry-hopped beer tastes like, but I'm not always sure if it's actually dry hopping or just a hoppier beer, especially if I'm at a bar. What's the difference?

There is a blog post which also cites this article discussing the chemical effects of cooling and dilution on whiskey. The post concluded that the mix of dilution and cooling causes the alcohol to become soluble, which releases the flavour. Ethanol becomes more soluble when whiskey is diluted and cooled, this promotes release of flavour molecules I think this theory is applicable to beer, but with a few caveats; firstly, beer is already diluted and doesn't need any more water added; secondly, the alcohol content of beer is much lower than that of whiskey, so not as much cooling would be required.

Why don't any Arizona craft breweries export their beer? Why don't any Arizona craft breweries export beers out of state? Is it a legal restriction, a private agreement, or just a market force?

Dry hopping is a brewing technique which specifies when hops are added to a beer. In particular, "normal" hopping is when you add hops while boiling the wort. Depending on how much time you are into the boil, this may add more bitterness or more aroma. Dry hopping, on the other hand, is when you add hops after the boil is done, usually in a fermentation chamber. The purpose is only to add more aroma to a beer. You aren't getting the oils from the hops, so the beer shouldn't be any more bitter than before. Because no bitterness is added, you won't find a beer that is strictly dry-hopped -- the bitterness of the hops is what cuts the sweetness of the wort. Dry hopping is an extra twist that some brewers use. All that said, is there a way to tell whether a beer is dry-hopped or just extra hoppy? That's hard to say, since you certainly can add more hops late in the boil to get more aroma qualities from them. Probably your best bet is to ask the brewer, and if you really like the beer, get a second pint!

CO 2 is the traditional way of serving beer. The keg is filled with CO 2 in order to push the beer into the tap. Since all beer contains CO 2 , pressurizing the keg will maintain the natural carbonization of the beer as it is being served. The amount of CO 2 that the beer already has needs to be taken into account because nobody likes their beer too foamy or too flat. Nitro dispensing is a newer method. In this case, N 2 is used under high pressure either instead of or with the CO 2 . It replaces some of the natural CO 2 in the beer, which results in a creamy flavor as well as a thick, tight foam on the top. Some beer "purists" regard the process as being unnatural because it really messes with the flavor of the beer. An example of a beer that uses Nitro is Guinness. When you open a can of Guinness, a nitrogen "ball" activates to carbonate the beer.

One very important criterion that @phoebus briefly mentioned is brewing process. The first big distinction is ales versus lagers. Lagers are stored in cold rooms during the production process, and I find they're lighter on average than ales, certainly in terms of flavour, and often in terms of colour as well. After that, there are lots of less-black-and-white brewing differences between styles of beer. For example, IPAs generally have a considerable amount of hops added, but that's not always true. Hefeweizen has considerable amounts of yeast left after brewing, giving it its cloudy appearance. The list goes on and on. Personally, I think that the traditional names for beer styles (stout, lager, IPA, wheat beer, etc.) are based a lot on brewing process, and in the case of something like lager or wheat beer, the name clearly shows the brewing origin. However, more and more brewers are pushing the boundaries of these styles, so when it comes to things like appearance and flavour, which are ultimately the things that matter, two beers from different brewing styles can be quite similar, or two beers from the same brewing style can be quite different.

To do this, you should have a thermometer that you can throw into the water to measure the temperature, a pot for boiling water, and some bottles of beer. Boil the water. When the water reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the water. Carefully put the bottles into the pit. Put the lid on the pot and wait about ten minutes. Carefully remove the bottles with a kitchen tong (or a mitten). Put them on the counter to cool until they reach room temperature. Refrigerate them. Remember that the bottles are pressurized, so don't bang them while putting them in the pot, don't apply heat to the pot while the bottles are in there, etc.

Yes, the lactose remains in the beer at the end of brewing. In normal beer, the only sugar which enters the brewing process is from the malted barley: maltose and glucose released by the breakdown of starch, and a little sucrose and fructose. This 1953 analysis by a chemist in the Carlsberg research laboratory has all the gory details. Normal brewing yeast has enzymes that break down glucose and fructose, but not lactose . This kind of yeast evolved on rotting fruit, where there is plenty of sucrose, glucose, and fructose, but no lactose, so they never needed the enzymes. There are other yeasts which can ferment lactose , but they aren't used in brewing, except by zany vodka makers and Mongols. So, in a normal beer, potentially all of the sugar can be broken down during brewing. Whether it is or not is up to the brewer, who can stop the process while sugar remains, or let it run to completion. However, in a milk stout, there is no way for the lactose to be broken down, so it all remains at the end. The amount of lactose in a milk stout varies, but it seems that it is likely to be in the range of 5 to 13% ; that is, in a (568 millilitre) pint, there may be anywhere from 28 to 74 grams of lactose. The lactose concentration in milk is about 4% , so this is the equivalent of 700 - 1850 millilitres of milk. Rather a lot! Perhaps you might like a honey porter instead?

All malt beer is made entirely from mashed barley malt and without the addition of adjuncts, sugars or additional fermentables. From an expert of a widely known brand beer producer in my country (Turkey), beers here must be at least 60% malt (This may be different in other countries). The rest are adjuncts, like sugar or corn or rice etc. Using adjuncts is also for decreasing the cost or to lighten the color of beer.

This is a broad question, notably regarding the differences between IPAs and Double IPAs, but here's an overview focusing on the naming (and misconceptions thereof) and brewing of variants. Double IPA vs. Imperial IPA (IIPA) First, the Double IPA is also known as an Imperial IPA (IIPA). You can think of the "double" as referring to the two letter I's :-) but the name actually owes itself to the beer having "double" the strength / hops. IPA vs. Double IPA The Double IPA generally uses more hops (though not literally "double"), lengthier brewing processes ( e.g. Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA, which is boiled for longer than its 60 Minute variant), sometimes secondary fermentation, etc. It has higher alcohol content, IPAs stopping around 7.5% ABV, while Double IPAs can soar to above 10%. Double IPAs are claimed to have been started by the owner of the Russian River Brewing Company, famed for its flagship brew, Pliny the Elder, a Double IPA itself. American Pale Ale (APA) vs. American IPA The APA and American IPA are not synonymous. American Pale Ales are a derivative of (regular) British Pale Ales, deriving their own flavor from American hops , e.g. Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. American IPAs, meanwhile, are, of course, derived from actual (British) IPAs, and possess greater bitterness and higher alcohol content—examples include Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale and Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA. The line between APAs and IPAs blur (as do between many variants of ales), but categorically speaking, APAs are not IPAs. IPA vs. Black IPA The black IPA (also known by American Black Ale—and yes, a subset of the American IPA) uses dark roasted malts (used in porters and stouts) to achieve the color, while preserving hops characteristics. Some consider the black IPA more of a hoppy porter instead—and don't believe the style will be formally recognized ( e.g. by the Brewers Association).

My simple rule would be to pair lighter beers with foods with lighter, more delicate flavours, and heavier beers with foods with heavier flavours. You don't want to pick a beer that will overpower your meal, or vice versa. As @ThomasOwens pointed out, preparation does make a difference. I would drink a heavy beer (like a stout) with deep-fried fish and chips, but a lighter beer (light or amber ale, or a lager) with pan-fried tilapia.

Does the climate and growing conditions of hops effect the taste of a beer, like with wine? You will often hear wine discussed in terms of the climate, soil, etc of the vineyard. The terms 'new world' and 'old world' wines are common. Is there a similar concept for the hops used in beer? A quick web search seems to indicate that hops don't thrive in as many different climates as grapes do, so there might be less variation. Similarly, there are a few websites that seem to refer to new vs. old world hops, but it doesn't seem to be as popular a talking point. Is there more to it than a 2 minute google search can reveal?

Slight temperature changes will not spoil your beer. Large temperature changes will. The "skunky" beer is actually lightstruck. This is exactly what it says: the beer has been damaged by light, such as sunlight or florescent light. When UV lights penetrate the glass of a beer bottle, they mess with the chemical makeup of some acids produced by the hops. The result is a new compound called methyl mercaptan, which is one of the components of the defense mechanisms found in the skunk. This is prevented by packaging beer in brown bottles, which is better protected from UV rays. Unfortunately, this lets those green rays get in, which makes sense as to why some beers are served with lime: it keeps away the "skunky" smell for a while. In reality, it doesn't take much to spoil your beer. If your beer in a green or clear bottle has not already been spoiled before it got to the store, about a minute's worth of exposure to the sun would do it.

In short, no. As explained by George de Piro , a biochemist and Brewmaster of C. H. Evans Brewing Company— When light hits beer, it provides the energy necessary to drive a reaction that transforms the iso-alpha-acids into 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol. The “thiol” part of that somewhat cumbersome name indicates that there is sulfur present. Sulfur compounds often have strong, offensive aromas. Some musteline animals, like skunks, have evolved the ability to produce this chemical, and use it for self-defense. [...] This photochemical reaction is the only cause of skunked beer. Warm storage, while damaging to the flavor of beer, does not skunk it. Cycling the temperature of beer from warm to cold and back again is also not implicated. Storing beer in the dark is the simple way to prevent skunking. It's actually pretty amazing how quickly this reaction can happen! From the same article, The photochemical reaction that skunks beer occurs very quickly; a well-hopped beer in clear glass can become noticeably offensive with just 30 seconds of exposure to sunshine. To wrap it up, Since light is an essential ingredient in the skunking process, beers packaged in kegs, cans, and opaque bottles cannot be skunked. Here's the most detailed experiment I could find— The Impact of Lightstruck and Stale Character in Beers on their Perceived Quality: A Consumer Study .

Is there something special about Corona that makes it suitable for adding a slice of lime? Corona, and some other beers, tend to go well with a slice of lemon inside. Is there something particular about the style of beer, or is this a marketing thing?

I would say it's the light body, low maltiness and low bitterness that make it amenable to citrus additions (and perhaps other additions.) The low flavor and bitterness means: if you choose to add something, you need only a little of it before you can taste/smell the addition there's less "interference" from the flavors of the beer so the addition tastes cleaner Contrast with adding citrus to a Czech Pils for example. You'd have to add much more juice - the bitterness and malt backbone of the beer would compete with the citrus additions.

I am taking this from a website cited at the bottom. Popsci has a LOT of cool beer articles. Fractional freezing is the best way to increase the alcohol content of beer. Fractional freezing -- "jacking" in old parlance -- has a long history in the United States. The beverage applejack was produced using this method by first fermenting apple juice into hard apple cider. Then barrels of this cider were left outside during the winter and the connoisseur would occasionally fish out the frozen chunks of water, leaving an ever-concentrated batch of hard alcohol behind. At some point in the 20-25 percent ABV range, the liquor would stop freezing at ambient temperatures and the booze was ready to consume as "Jersey Lightning." It was also used as currency. Moving into the malt-beverage world, brewers in Germany use fractional freezing to make eisbock. These brews are usually just regular bock beers, which clock in at 6 percent ABV, freeze-concentrated to something in the 13 percent ABV range. Frankly, there are probably easier ways to get high-proof beers (make a barleywine, for example) than by starting with a mid-strength one and concentrating it, but there's a market for eisbocks and it's possible to find them in the US as well. A more infamous set of freeze-concentrated beers was made by the Scottish brewery BrewDog in their quest to make "the strongest beer in the world." The first was Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a beer that started with an ABV in the teens and ended at 32 percent ABV. Then a little brewing war started up between BrewDog and German brewery Schorschbräu to make ever-stronger beers. Schorschbräu made a Schorschbock at 40 percent ABV, BrewDog countered with Sink the Bismarck at 41 percent ABV. Then came another beer at 55 percent ABV (that's 110 proof, my friends). Schorschbräu is current record-holder with Schorschbock 57, at 57 percent ABV. Article

Sort of. There are literally dozens of different varieties of hops, in much the same way there are dozens of different breeds of dogs. Just as a Chihuaua and a Great Dane are both Canis Lupus , a Galena Hop and a Goldings Hop are bot Humulus Lupulus , separated by vastly different lineages and genetics. New hop varieties are often developed by selective crossbreeding of existing variants, to generate different flavor profiles by adjusting the acidity and oil content of the hop. Like different breeds of dogs, different hop varieties are often the products of hundreds of years of genetic development in a particular climate - the Pacific Northwest, especially the Yakima Valley and Cascade Mountains in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, is known for it's production of very strong, highly acidic hops that impart a very strong bitter flavor - take a sip of a Sierra Nevada IPA and you'll instantly recognize that classic blend of the 'three C's'. By contrast, traditional hops grown in England and on the European continent tend to be more mellow and aromatic - especially the so called 'noble hops' popular in many less bitter tasting German and Czech beers. Still others, like Japans Sorachi Ace, offer a more citrus bite to the beer they're added to. While these differences are not directly a product of climate, it's doubtless true that climate has had an impact on the development of variation amongst the various hop lines that have been bred through the centuries - and especially over the past 50 years or so. Put another way: New World vs. Old World Hops is a meaningful distinction, but it has less to do with climate and more to do with the difference in cultivation practices and the specific varietals popular with farmers in various regions. Growing conditions may have some impact, but the specific lineage matters much, much more . The fact that those lineages tend to have significant geographic commonalities is as much an accident of history as it is of varying conditions, but it's nonetheless sufficiently meaningful that, in particular referring to hops from the Pacific Northwest evokes a very specific and comprehensible flavor profile in most educated beer drinkers.

Whats a good beer to have with steak and mashed potatoes? What type of beer goes well with hearty, 'British' style dinners? What characteristics should I look for?

Why do some beers smell like cannabis? In my experience, some beers smell like cannabis. Stella Artios is a distinctive example. What causes this? - Is it due to a type of hop, or a style?

The fact that both Humulus lupulus (hops) and Cannabis sativa (marijuana) have similar organoleptic properties (taste and smell) could indicate a common ancestry--but it isn't proof. Lots of plants make similar aroma molecules, known as terpenes and terpenoid compounds, including lemons (which make limonene), lavender (linalool) and conifers (pinene) -- but none of them are closely related to cannabis or hops. Full article here

What's a good beer to have with curry? This question might still be too broad, as there are different styles of curry. But let's say a lamb korma. Would it the spicyness change the selection? - Ie a tasty, but not spicy curry, vs a burn your mouth curry.

What's a good beer to go with lasagna? What beer sort would pair good with lasagna, and other sorts of food with high tomato content? What makes the taste of that beer compose good with the taste of lasagna/tomatoes?

If you are having a beer tasting, what is a good way to clear the palate? When you are having a wine tasting event, it's customary to clear the palate with water and possibly plain crackers or baguettes. Is it the same concept for a beer tasting where you are serving several types of brews, or is there a different preferred method for ensuring that the last taste doesn't influence the current one?

Can you order beers by strength of flavour? I imagine the might would look something like: Pale Lager Generic lager. Pilsner Pale Ale (Which style?) Imperial Pale Ale Stout Of course, I'm not a full on beer aficionado, I don't know all the styles.

Do different beers have a different 'buzz'? Often with spirits people say that different spirits have different effects, eg bourbon makes people angry or trouble making, gin makes people emotional, tequilla makes people crazy, etc. Though this might be just psychological. Is there anything similar with beer? Do some beers suit socialising more while others suit a quiet drink?

The 'dank' scent you're experiencing is the smell of Hops - among the closest botanical neighbors to the Marijuana plant and a key ingredient of beer. The two plants both look and smell nearly identical. Specifically, the dank, resiny scent you pick up from a very hoppy brew is the smell of so-called "Alpha Acids" - which are chemically a part of the same family as THC, the active ingredient in Marijuana. As to why some beers are, well, dank, and others aren't? It's a factor of the highly variable alpha acid content in different hop varietals , as well as a question of process . Most of the aromatic alpha acids in hops boil off or dissolve as part of the normal fermentation process, however, some brewers 'dry hop' their beer - adding additional hops at the end of the process, with the explicit purpose of enhancing the aromatic qualities of the beer.

In general, the rule of thumb for spicy or intensely flavorful foods is that you want hop-forward beers. The high bitterness of something like an IPA will have a slight numbing effect on your palate, cutting the intensity of spicy foods and allowing you to appreciate the complexity of a dish more than you could if you were simply overwhelmed by capsaicin.

What would a good beer to have with very salty food like caviar be? What beer would pair good with the food like caviar? I'm thinking about food which is salty, has a very strong flavor, but not spicy.

I would avoid bread, since that contains quite a bit of salt and yeast - so if you taste yeast in the next beer you don't know if it's from the beer or from bread still stuck in your teeth. The food should be neutral, preferably unsalted and consumed with water. Unsalted crackers are probably as close to ideal here. While cheese can work, I wouldn't say it neutralizes the palate, but softens it.

While pairing is generally a matter of taste and therefore no definite answers can be given, for salty food, strong food there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Rich beers are likely to overpower whatever else you are eating. I would usually pair rich beers with moderate portions of rich foods. This doesn't mean that all salty foods would be out with something like this, but it is something to think about. Bitterness is likely to help contrast a bit with the saltiness you are describing. Obvious pairings to me would seem to include light, relatively bitter, hoppy beers. Something like an IPA, an extra special bitter, or the like. A lot of folks tend to find that bitterness in beer works, pairing-wise, like acidity in wine, so if you'd pair with a more acidic wine you may consider pairing with a more bitter beer.

The answer is "probably" although it is hard to know with liquors how much of the difference is social or psychological. There are some important things to keep in mind with alcohol effects and beer though: Hops are mildly sedative. It isn't unreasonable to think that very hoppy beers may have a different effect than less hoppy beers. Gruit beers (unusual but there are some on the market!) often have other psychoactive ingredients in them too. With historical brewing becoming a bit of an industry, it may only be a matter of time before we see commercially available henbane beer too.... Alcohol absorption will be retarded by carbohydrate content in the beer. You will absorb alcohol more slowly from a heavy beer than a light beer. Carbonation works the other way. Lightly (or rarely available uncarbonated) beers will affect one more slowly than highly carbonated beers. For most commercial beers this is not a significant factor but for home-brewed beers or specialty beers it may be. With this being said, it isn't clear that there is a single objective answer as to what beers will effect who in what way. The purpose of this answer is to go over some factors which may impact how a given individual is affected. This being said, I don't condone a general pursuit of drunkenness....

In terms of commercial beers, it is hard to say. In general I find that aging tends to allow flavors to meld. If I brew beer and do a brief aging in oak (or add oak chips), the beer usually requires aging to achieve balance. This is most typical with something I sometimes make called ebulon (non-carbonated, fermented malt and elderberries, secondary fermentation in oak for a month, then bottled and aged for several more months). Extrapolating from my experience here, I would expect a few general rules to apply: Beers with disparate sharp contrasts (particularly where fruit are involved) may benefit from aging. I could imagine things like full-bodied apricot ales aging well. Higher ABV and richer beers are likely to age better than lower ABV and lighter beers. This is assuming you hope to see a general "smoothing over" of contrasts in an aged beer. Some things will usually fade and some others may increase (for non-pasteurized or unfiltered beers, yeast flavors will usually increase).

Note that Ann Hagen ("Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink") argued that the strongest naturally brewed drinks available in Anglo-Saxon times were probably strongly brewed meads at least 20% abv. Her basis is in discussions of specific gravity of the resulting beverages in historical records. I think it is likely close to that and no more because I see other reasons to wonder if specific gravity could have been reduced by other additives (in particular henbane). I love studying history. It is useful in so many fields! In general getting much above 10-15%abv requires specialty yeasts or concentration techniques, and getting much above 20% is going to require some sort of concentration. I have however seen cases where these rules go out the window in wine making experiments (a friend of mine accidently brewed a mango wine with 22% abv using standard wine yeasts, which surprised us both).

In addition to the answers given above, some specialty beers include animal products as well. I have had beer made with oyster broth for example. That one is definitely not vegan. Interestingly in the Middle Ages, they used to brew with chicken broth sometimes, and some other times with dairy products (including either milk or whey). That is worth remembering in terms of why some specialty beers include meat products as well.

Not have any experiense on Beer testing but here are few tips from beer.about.com Do not taste new beers with food or soon after eating. The lingering flavors from food can greatly affect your impression of the brew. Cleanse your palate with water. Crackers or cheese are fine but you should remember that even these foods can affect the apparent flavors of the beer. If you're tasting a number of different beers, let the color be your guide. It is best to taste from light to dark.

tl;dr—We don't know (via science, at least). Letting alone ethanol, which triggers innumerable biochemical pathways in our bodies, hops itself may affect potency and sexual desire, in males at least, but there appears to be few clinical studies supporting this claim directly. Many articles online appear to have chained together several studies (or played news-telephone) to publish indirect conclusions, many of which oversimplify the effects of estrogen. For example, contrary to popular belief, it isn't testosterone (alone) which masculinizes the male brain and behavior, but rather its interaction with estrogen , produced from testosterone through a process known as aromatization. 1 So it's not as simple as more-estrogen-less-sex-drive. I'm certainly not qualified to deliver conclusions myself, but I can at least point to some of the important studies from which current (mis)conceptions have derived. 1: Wu, M. V. et al. Estrogen Masculinizes Neural Pathways and Sex-Specific Behaviors. 2009. [PDF] Why some claim that hops decreases sex drive... Hops contains phytoestrogens, substances that promote estrogenic actions in mammals and structurally are similar to mammalian estrogen 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) [...] Ososki, A. L. and Kennelly, E. J. Phytoestrogens: a Review of the Present State of Research. 2003. [PDF] Specifically, a recurring suggestion has been that hops have a powerful estrogenic activity and that beer may also be estrogenic. [...] We have identified a potent phytoestrogen in hops, 8-prenylnaringenin, which has an activity greater than other established plant estrogens. Milligan, S. R. et al. Identification of a potent phytoestrogen in hops ( Humulus lupulus L.) and beer. 1999. [PDF] However, it's worth noting that the same paper concludes, [...] despite the high estrogenic activity of 8-prenylnarigenin, the total estrogenic activity of beer made using whole hops is still low [...] and no detrimental health effects due to "estrogens in beer" are to be expected. Anyway, another study led by the same researcher delved into the mechanism of action: 8-Prenylnaringenin alone competed strongly with 17β-estradiol for binding to both the α- and β-estrogen receptors. Milligan, S. R. et al. The endocrine activities of 8-prenylnargingenin and related hop ( Humulus lupulus L.) flavonoids. 2000. [PDF] (In case one is unfamiliar with how receptors work, receptors "catch" freestanding compounds in a medium such as the bloodstream, thereby reducing their effects. The phytoestrogen in hops appears to get itself "caught" by estrogen receptors, thereby blocking those receptors from catching estrogen it'd normally catch, thereby leaving higher levels of estrogen in the bloodstream.) ...but it's not that simple! Again, from these findings alone, conclusions about male potency and sex drive can't be so easily drawn. Hormone interactions are sufficiently complex that researchers are still trying to untangle, isolate, and explain ever-more-specific biochemical pathways. Certainly the average Joe (or journalist) wouldn't be capable of appreciating the magnitude (or triviality) of the effects of biochemical pathways described in researchers' findings, much less draw definitive conclusions about physiological effects like "potency," "sex drive," and how it all affects, say, muscle-building. Not to mention all the other chemicals in play! As a very example of the latter, one site [ link ] (which, unfortunately, ranks high among Google search results) is clearly biased, grasping for evidence to "prove" that beer has detrimental effects on testosterone activity. I'm not saying beer doesn't , but their article states that Xanthohumol, another compound found in hops, "blocks testosterone," when in fact the very paper it cites says (in its abstract nonetheless), Although hops is commonly linked with phytoestrogenic effects, we identified XN [Xanthohumol] as a pure estrogen antogonist. Interestingly, XN may also reduce the generation of estrogens by inhibition of the enzymatic activity of aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. Anti-estrogenic effects of XN [...] were confirmed in vivo in an uterotrophy assay with prepubertal rats. Strathmann, J. et al. Xanthohumol from Hops Prevents Hormone-Dependent Tumourigenesis In Vitro and In Vivo. 2008. [PDF] On top of all this, ethanol affects so many parts of the brain via so many chemical pathways—what's even the significance of 8-prenylnarigenin or Xanthohumol when stacked against ethanol? Do you know?—I sure don't—and probably no one does—else it'd have been stated by researchers themselves, without the "help" of attention-seeking bloggers and headline-hunting journalists. In conclusion, I'm not saying these blogs, articles, and threads are necessarily wrong —they might be right, whether right-by-chance, or right-by-empiricism (observation). What I am saying is that they can't be right-by-science , as currently available research seems extremely domain-specific, incomplete in larger perspectives, and therefore not generalizable. Addendum The study by Ososki and Kennelly also states As potential endocrine disrupters, phytoestrogens may act as antiestrogens and harm the reproductive health of males (Sharpe and Skakkebaek, 1993; Santti et al. , 1998). Reduced sperm quality, undescended testes and urogenital tract abnormalities were increased in the sons of mothers taking DES compared with those who did not take the miscarriage preventative drug [...] This statement is initially misleading as it says "males" instead of " developing males"—a fact not made clear until the following sentence. From the studies it cites (emphasis mine), We argue that the increasing incidence of reproductive abnormalities in the human male may be related to increased oestrogen exposure in utero , and identify mechanisms by which this exposure could occur. Sharpe, R. M. and Skakkebaek, N. E. Are oestrogens involved in falling sperm counts and disorders of the male reproductive tract? 1993. [URL] Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) induces persistent structural and functional alterations in the developing reproductive tract of males. Santti R. et al. Phytoestrogens: Potential Endocrine Disruptors in Males. [URL] So, more potential sources of misunderstanding and misreporting.

In the United States, interstate beer export is an extraordinarily complicated matter. Unlike other areas of commerce, states are allowed to directly regulate import of alcoholic beverages to their state because of the 21st Amendment specifically reserved that right in the repealing of prohibition. States, through the licensing process, can also control export, but this is rare since usually states like to export stuff to other states (and thus bring money into their state). This means that beer, wine, and spirits are extraordinarily complex to sell in the interstate market. Small craft breweries are going to have a huge amount of legal compliance in every case and so you have an issue that it is essentially impossible to be both small and interstate in this market.

What is a draft beer? What constitutes a draft beer, and how different is it? I see this term plastered on beer cans, but I have no idea what it means, or how it affects the beer's taste.

Draft beer is another name for Draught beer , it means that the beer is served from a cask or a keg . When you see this term plastered on beer cans, then it means that it's a Canned Draught . The can contains a widget . This widget was invented by Guinness in order to let consumers drink a Draught beer at home. This differs from a typical can in that the beer is usually carbonated by forcing CO2 directly into the bottle/can or intermediary vessel, or by "bottle conditioning" (leaving live yeast in the beer and adding something for it to eat, creating CO2 and more alcohol). Everyone on this site should be thankful for Guinness for having invented the widget!

Optimal mulling temperature? Taste-wise, at least in my opinion, the hotter the mulled beer the better. Except past certain point the alcohol starts evaporating so quickly you end up losing most of it before you start drinking. How should I heat the beer - what temperature, what heating method - to get it as hot as possible without losing alcohol content?

How do popular Polish beers fit into the "periodic table of beers"? In Poland, outside of imports, microbreweries, and various less popular varieties, about all mainstream brands come in two classes: Piwo Jasne ('light beer') Piwo Mocne ('strong beer') The two comprise the massive bulk of the market and are about never labeled differently, save for brand-specific marketing variations. I'd like to learn how they fit into the wider image. Are they lagers, stouts, ales, or maybe something yet different? A class of their own?

What is "gruit?" Why aren't there many beers on the market containing it? I have heard of something called 'gruit' which seems to sometimes be used in brewing beer. What is it? Why are there very few beers on the market containing gruit? What are some of the more popular ones currently?

More than a millenia ago, there were few standardized recipies for herbs to add during the beer brewing process. "Gruit" referred to the herbal mixtures used to flavor and preserve beer. Gruit was usually sold under papal license exclusive to certain areas at various monasteries and therefore represented a monopoly in Christian areas of the Catholic Church. Traditionally it included plants such as yarrow, mugwort, henbane, sweet gale, bog rosemary, juniper, and more. Some of these survive in gin recipes. Why gruit has largely been replaced by hops is a fascinating and divisive historical question. There may however have been a number of factors including the possibility (largely untested) that hops beers kept longer and the rising concern by Protestant (and even Catholic) nobles of the power of the economic power that this gave Catholic institutions. What is known is that a campaign was waged against gruit and the purported (and likely actual) mind altering properties of it. The use of gruit was more or less entirely supplanted by hops. More recently some breweries have been experimenting with gruit beers for national pride and/or historical reasons. These include Fraoch and Alba from the Williams Brothers in Scotland, and a few other examples. They are not common however and are certainly specialty beers today. Additionally the gruits used in commercial beers are pretty tame by historical standards. I haven't found any including herbs like henbane (which was one of the historical staples of brewing, used even more prevalently than hops is today).

As Slyboty notes correctly, beer is a very ancient drink predating the oldest written records (and likely any archeological discoveries.) For millennia though beer was made only from fermented malt with various add-ons. The major change that gave origin to modern beers though is the addition of hops , for the first time creating a beer closely resembling modern lagers. The first documented use of hops in beer is dated 822 A.D. [source] although records of hops cultivation dates back to 736 [source] which suggests use of hops in brewing predates written records by a considerable margin.

I think you'd have trouble with this because of different dimensions of flavor. Beer has a very complex flavor and different recipes are different. One can order beers (if specific enough to include a brand) along any dimension of flavor, but I am not sure that you can order them consistently along all dimensions. Here are dimensions I would think of: Malty/caramel Hop-forward Bitter (Hops) Yeasty It isn't clear to me how one rates strength of flavor between an IPA and a porter for example. So I think the answer here is a simple "no, you can't."

The simple answer is "nobody knows." I must apologize for being a bit of a history nut here and this may tell you far more than you ever wanted to know... Fermentation of grain is universal, as is fermentation of fruit and honey. You find it in the new world with drinks like chicha (an Andean drink where saliva provides the amylase to break down corn starch into sugars for fermentation), among Native Americans in North America as well, in early Europe, in early China, and early Japan as well. Grain fermenting is a remarkably complex process because yeast can't digest starch so you have to have some way of turning starches into sugars. These break down into more or less three strategies: malting (roasting sprouted grains). Interestingly doesn't work for rice. helper cultures, like they use to make sake. Add a fungus that breaks down starch and then a yeast to eat the sugar. Indonesian "Tape" (rice or cassava "beer" or paste) is done this way as is Chinese rice beer and wine. As a bonus this also works on other starches, like yams (used in Malaysia). Chewing the grains to mix with saliva and then spitting in a bowl as with the Andean Chicha drink. South America has all three methods represented, as does early Asia. The fact that different strategies are employed around the world suggests to my mind that brewing did not start somewhere and spread but was independently reinvented in different places. It is probably for this reason extremely old, far older than we have direct evidence for. As for beer, the question becomes what you mean. If you mean fermented grains, we have no idea. It's very very old and might go back to neolithic times if not even earlier (though I suspect that the organized grain agriculture of neolithic times was an absolute prerequisite to grain fermentation). If you mean malt, yeast, and hops, we still don't know. We have evidence that hops was cultivated for beer in Augustine's time, and Old Norse distinguishes between beer and ale by the use of hops but Old English "beor" means something different (probably very strong mead with herbs?), suggesting perhaps that the hops distinction post-dated the split of Old Norse (and thus 8th century), but that doesn't get you very far. What is pretty clear is that it certainly predates our earliest records of the practice. By how much and when did it become a separate drink? I don't think we will ever know. At any rate the early prevalence of hops as one herb used in brewing among many in early England and Scandinavia suggests (though does not prove) that hops were adopted (again as one herb among any) for beer brewing by the Germanic tribes, some time before we have written records. Now as for lager, these are far more recent. Finally as a note, until maybe a hundred years ago, before modern capping and beer cans, most beer would have been sold uncarbonated, but speciality beers were carbonated much like champagne is today. My own home brewing experiments (I even brew as a history nut) with non-carbonated beers suggest that they are of an altogether different character than carbonated ones (owing to the carbonic acid in carbonated drinks). The flavors are lighter, sweeter, brighter, and more distinct, and entirely different than "flat" beer. This is because dissolved carbon dioxide imparts extra acidity to beer. EDIT : It also occurs to me that controlled fermentation is one of the most common ways of preserving foods in the pre-industrial ages. This includes lactic fermentation (that gives us shelf-stable cheese, salami, sauerkraut, etc), but also alcoholic fermentation must be included there too. There's no reason to think that the first fermented grains were fermented by accident.

What ingredients are used to make beer? I know that it's typically what? yeast, hops, malted barley and water, but sometimes beer is made with other things, (eg wheat). What are some of the more typical alternative ingredients, and style beer does that make?

At the most basic you need: A grain, somehow modified to ferment with yeast (see below) Water Yeast Other additives to impart flavor and help preserve the brew (hops or gruit usually). The grains are usually malted but note that rice doesn't malt using the normal process, so typically with rice beers you have some other process for extracting starches (most typically you have another culture which breaks down starches into sugars). Grains historically used in brewing include: barley (the standard today) rye wheat rice (most common in Asia). corn millet (common in Africa and probably early Asia before being supplanted by rice) oats buckwheat For the other additives, the most common is hops, but other ones in commercial brewing include: heather flowers alecost pine needles spruce needles sweet gale juniper berries Grains of paradise Historically the following were also added, but not so much anymore. Experienced, adventuresome, and/or foolish home-brewers may use these (foolish, if they do this without some understanding or experience of the potential ramifications): mugwort henbane (this was historically a really, really big one but has signficant toxicity and contraindications medically) bog rosemary I have experimented with gruits containing the following which are not historically attested to my knowledge: damask rose petals (gruit also containing hops) lavender (probably would be great with juniper berries but didn't have any) Sometimes fruit and/or honey is also added. Sometimes corn sugar (fructose) is added. I have also seen other flavoring like garlic and chili peppers added to beer. Sometimes animal products are included. Historically the big ones were milk, whey, and chicken broth. Today, however, those ones are rarely if ever used. There are cases of oyster broth added, as well as isinglass (made from swim bladders of fish). Sometimes icelandic moss (an algae) is added as a clarifying agent. That should be a fairly complete list however assuming you aren't going further afield into other traditional malt liquors.

Our bodies are ecosystems as much as they are machines. We have a wide variety of microbes in our intestines and even if the yeast is not the culprit something else could be encouraged to grow. I tend to suspect this is the real problem for the entirely unscientific reason that I have never noticed pasteurization to affect whether I am bloated after drinking beer (and sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't). So in answer to your question, it is complicated, and it might be a factor but it is almost certainly not the only one.

What's the difference between normal beer and trappist? What's the difference between normal beer and trappist? Is there any difference in flavour or brewing style?

Trappist beers are all abbey beers, but not all abbey beers are trappist. It's a bit like champagne, it's a protected product name to designate a certain type of classical brewn beers.Trappist is the enumeration of beers brew within the walls of an abbey inhabitted by the Trappist monks of the Tre Fontane. Currently (Okt. 2015) there are 11 recognized trappists, of which 10 are actively producing: Six Belgian trappists: Chimay Orval Westmalle Westvleteren (St. Sixtus) Achel (St. Benedictus of the Achelse kluis) Rochefort Netherlands: La Trappe (Brouwerij de Koningshoeven) Zundert (Brouwerij Abdij Maria Toevlucht) Austria: Stift Engelszell Italy: Tre Fontane Abbey United States of America: Spencer There's also one aspiring Trappist brewery in the US named St. Joseph’s Abbey. There are some strict rules to obtain "Authentic Trappiste Product": The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision. The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need. There are some standardized naming conventions, for instance the Double (orginally used by Westmalle) is a brown ale which has an alcohol level of around 7%. The Tripple is another name first used by Westmalle, which are often blond and have an alcohol level of about 8% to 10%. For future reference you can always visit the Trappiste website here .

How is Lambic fruit beer traditionally made? There are a few fruit beers around how are these traditionally made? I know they are all Lambics, but how are they made exactly?

Lambic is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery and museum. Lambic beer is produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria native to the Zenne valley. This gives the beer a dry, vinous, and cidery taste, usually with a sour aftertaste. This beer forms the basis of the Lambic fruit beers. After the Lambic is made, fruit juice is added to the barrels right before bottleing the beer.

What are the major beer competitions and how do you enter? In the advertising, you see certain beers saying that they have been awarded gold medals at various competitions, or other accolades earned. Is there a list of what are considered to be the major beer competitions, and how would you go about entering? Is that even possible for a craft brewer, or would you need to be a major manufacturer?

Can the social perception of beer be changed? You see it in advertising all the time, wine and high quality spirits are the cultured, immaculately dressed set with the pearls and expensive cars in the "high class", expensive settings, and beer is the tailgating, short skirted waitress crowd. With the advent of home brewing, micro breweries and increased interest in higher quality and craft beers, is there a way to change the social perception of the beer crowd, or should we simply relegate ourselves to being the lower class cousin?

How do I categorize Orval? Orval has a very distinct taste, but I'm not quite sure how I should categorize it?

Orval is in a category of its own, it's not an amber or a blonde beer, it has a fresh flavor, but it's not a sour or fruit beer either. Generally it falls under the Belgian Pale Ales. Orval has a very traditional and unique brewing process which involves the use of dry hopping, in which large meshed bags of hops infuse the beer during the three-week maturation period. The other is the use of Brettanomyces yeast during this same maturation, which are a local wild yeast. Hallertau, Styrian Goldings and French Strisselspalt hops are used. The beer is then matured at 15°C for a minimum of four weeks on site before being distributed. If drunk right after bottling it has a "young" fresh flavor. The beer can be preserved for several years as it re-ferments once bottled. Even 35 year old Orval is still drinkable, if preserved at the right temperature. After about 1 year of preservation the beer flavor changes to a softer, sweeter and more intense experience compared to the young one. There are two versions of Orval, one is the normal one which can be bought in the stores and then there is also a special Petite Orval , which can only be drunk at the Orval abbey and is only produced for the Monks (no mass sale). Its alcohol percentage is a lot lower than the normal Orval.

What temperature is ideal to store my beer? What temperature is ideal to store my beer? Is there a difference depending on the beer type?

The ideal temperature for storing beer is between 10 to 15 ˚C (50 to 59 ˚F). If you are planning to preserve your beer for several years, it is better to have an even lower temperature of about 4 to 10 ˚C (40 - 50 ˚F). A cold cellar is ideal to preserve your beer as a humidity of about 60% - 65%. The reason being that it can affect the airtightness of the cork (or cap). Dry corks are bad for preserving beer as they will tend to break down and cause wild yiests or bacteria to enter the bottle (which would render the beer undrinkable). And as commented by Grohlier: Remember, light can drastically affect beer. Darker bottles can withstand more light than their green and clear counterparts. However, light is not good for beer in general, even if it is stored at the appropriate temperature.

Does the choice of bottle cap or stopper make a difference? Does the choice of bottle cap design have any effect on the beer itself? With the primary goal being to keep the beer pressurized and prevent exposure, how do the different stoppers stack up against each other? It would seem to me that both the twist-top and flip-top cap designs provide roughly the same quality of seal, although a twist-top comes off easier and may be prone to opening during transport. In my experience, the flip-top caps, the ones where you need a bottle opener (or wooden table, or set of house keys) to get open, tend to come on the more mid-range to expensive beers whereas the standard, mass-produced cheapies come with a screw-off cap. Although, this isn't universal. I wonder if this is just a marketing technique (it needs a bottle opener so it must be good). Then there are the swing tops, which have a swinging metal bracket which, when pushed down, plugs the opening of the bottle with a rubber washer. Is this any better or worse than the bottle caps? I've always liked them for home brewing because they're easily recyclable.

I do not think that the type of cork is important. The important thing is that the cork used seals of the bottle so that no wild yeasts or bacteria are able to enter the bottle. Traditionally cork and flip-top caps have been used for beers required for preservation, however any seal would do. In my opinion it's more about tradition than functionality. Just as with french wines plastic corks can actually provide a more durable seal than metallic caps or real corks as they are less susceptible to decay due to moist. However in the spirit of the tradition and to keep customers happy it's often a less preferred option. For instance, Belgium is a fairly traditional country and you will often never find plastic beer bottles or twist-top caps. Not because they are up to the task, but just because the Belgians didn't like it.

Standards and qualifications will play a big role in how we can change the perception of beer. Wine has had the Sommelier since 1907 . Beer now has the Cicerone (of which I can not find a date when the certification program started). Just look at the Wikipedia difference between the Cicerone and Sommelier . Remember, wine has the "low-brow" wines that are just a cheap way to get drunk. As the craft beer industry continues to boom, we need to have more sophisticated conversations about beer. Talk about the subtleties that vary in like-beers, to be able to accurately describe mouth feel, know why head retention is critical, and grow as a community that is willing to take the time to teach those that show interest. Nothing will turn away a curious consumer like a bunch of beer snobs that act snobby. Beer will always have the beers that are associated with rednecks, tailgating, insert other disparaging term here. But as a community, we also need to embrace "those types" of beer. People love them, and we don't need to change that. The people that love those beers might also be willing to branch out into other styles. Unless you are trying to convince them by attacking the beer that they love and belittle them for not having an expanded range.

Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date? Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date? I hear I can drink beer even after the expiration date, but is it safe and does it still taste good?

This depends entirely on the beer. As a rule of thumb I would say that any beer which is re-fermented once bottled, can be preserved for several years. You need to be careful when preserving, but it's not unheard of to drink 35 year old beers. Often these beers are the darker, stronger ones like Westmalle or Orval.

There was a study about this which concluded that tapped beer can actually be better for different reasons (although taste is rather subjective). The reasons are: Beer on draught tends to have less air within the barrel compared to its bottled counterpart, meaning that the beer doesn't oxidise as quickly Beer within a barrel tends to remain cool for longer periods. A bottled beer cools and warms up a lot faster, which (when this occurs) has a nefast effect on the beer's taste

What steps in the brewing process affect alcohol levels? Why do some beers have high alcohol levels and some have low ones? Is the alcohol content something that can be changed for any specific brew, and the brewer sets it at a specific level on purpose? Or is the alcohol level something that is achieved in combination with other factors in the brewing process (so for example, a particular taste will always coincide with a specific alcohol level)?

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat. It can be influinced and is often influenced during the brewing process, by adding sugar (which gets transformed into alcohol) at certain phases during the brewing process. Several beers first get brewn on a barrel and then after a few weeks put onto a bottle after which sugar may be added. Adding the sugar causes a seconds fermentation which will result in a higher alcohol level. Often deeper tastes as experienced with for instance a La Trappe, Rocherfort 10 or Westvleteren are the effect of the higher alcohol level. While alcohol certainly plays a role in the beer's taste, spices and herbs are also important for the beer's taste body.

How do you pour the perfect beer How do you make a perfect pour from a bottle, given a typical non-widget, non-bottle-conditioned beer? Is there a special technique used to make a nice foam collar (not too much, not too few)?

To pour a beer you take a clean beer glass, preferably those made by the brewery specifically for their beer. You hold the glass at 45 - 60 degree angle and gently pour the beer into the glass. You then move, after pouring half of the beer, the glass into the upright position as to make a foam colar of about 2 cm. Depending on the beer you should or should not empty the bottle completely. Very old beers should be poured carefully as they have a lot of sediment on the bottom. Younger beers can have sediment as well, but can still be drunk. The beer will get a more bittre taste if sediment is poured a long as well. Speed is also important, depending on the temperature of the beer, it can foam more. There are beers which have their own specifc pooring prescription. Some beers like Duvel actually need to be "dumped" into the glass with a vertical poor. Others like Guiness use a double poor.

Orval is brewed primarily with pale malt (with some caramel malt) so it can most reasonably be classified as a Belgian Pale Ale.

How to avoid keg foam? When using a keg setup at home, either with a hand pump or a pressurized system, I keep getting a lot of foam after changing and/or pumping up the air pressure (In a hand system). This appears to me to be wasting beer, so how can I avoid this overfoaming of the pour?

How do I build a beer room/cellar? I've got an extra room in my house that I was thinking of turning into a "beer cellar", or as much of a cellar as an above ground room can be. I don't have a problem with the actual construction, but especially since I'm in Phoenix, Arizona, I was trying to figure out how to insulate and cool the room for optimum storage. Also, should I build the shelves to store both 6 packs still in the original cardboard casings along with individual bottles, or should I plan to remove all bottles from packaging? Separate temperature control? Lighting considerations? One final consideration, should I keep all bottles of similar size on separate shelves, or should I have more open shelves for more air flow around bottles?

In my (somewhat minimal) experience, Piwo Jasne and Piwo Mocne are both most commonly pilsners or perhaps more generally pale lagers. Piwo Mocne is higher in alcohol content and might be called a "strong pale lager", or perhaps tagged with the modifier "Imperial" to indicate the increased alcohol. That said, I don't think there is anything inherent in the term that precludes, for example, a strong ale being sold as Piwo Mocne. The two terms in the question aren't prescriptive of specific style.

Foam comes from over pumping. For most of my keg beers I (with a CO2 tank) use about 11-15psi). For a hand pump this is more difficult. You will have to resist the urge to over pump. If you are a little more engineer-minded you can look at THIS article to gauge more consistently your tap pressures. Make sure you let the keg settle after moving as well. Just like shaking a soda can, a lot of jarring will make the CO2 come out of solution. A trick I use on my homebrew system (I use 5 gallon kegs) is gently placing the keg on its side and slowly rolling it about 3 feet forward and then 3 feet back. Then, I place it back in the fridge and repeat 3 times throughout the day. This helps the CO2 re-dissolve into the beer. However, if you are pulling the keg out of a trunk, throwing it in a trash can and packing it with ice...this solution isn't viable. In which case you want to let it settle and resist the urge to over pump.

Grohlier correctly mentioned the Cicerone program, but I think the next, big step will involve engaging the "cultured" crowd-- literally getting the beer into their hands. One possible next step is fine-dining. Beer paring dinners are becoming a popular thing in my area, and there is at least one beer-centric fine-dining restaurant that I'm aware of. The "cultured" crowd sees wine as going hand-in-hand with food; invariably, at a wine tasting event, the host will comment, "Can't you just imagine this with a nice lamb rack"? Beer can absolutely play in that same field, and as more restaurants or dinners offer a beer option, or are beer centric, the perception of beer will change.

This answer was originally an answer to Optimal mulling temperature? , but adapting it to this question seemed better, as the former asked a more specific question I couldn't address. Most well known of all the mulled beers was Wassail. Recipes for this holiday favorite vary, but all were based upon the same basic formula. Sugar was placed in the bottom of a bowl, one pint of warm beer was then poured in along with nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Smith, G. "Mulled beer." [URL] One mulls beer by simmering beer in a pan, nearly always with the following ingredients: ginger nutmeg cinnamon cloves honey, agave nectar, or sugar but also sometimes adding egg yolk cardamon star anise coriander black pepper allspice berries and occasionally garnishing the drink with orange rinds. The mixture should be brought to a simmer but not a boil, and heated for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the recipe. Some even refer to warmed beer as "mulled" beer, i.e. beer heated it in its bottle in a pot (or slowcooker) filled with water. For this case, there is not a consensus on the heating temperature, as it appears to vary according to the beer: Mulled beer needs to be heated slowly. A slow-cooker half-filled with water works well. Just open the bottle and stand it in the uncovered appliance. I also have used a large pot on the stove, with the burner on low. Don't let the water to get anywhere close to boiling -- 130 to 140 degrees is ideal. It's also important to keep the water level constant, so replace the water as it evaporates. Brooks, J. R. "Brooks on Beer: Hot, Mulled Beer?" 2011. [URL] Before serving, you warm the opened bottle [of Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes' La Dragonne] in a pot of hot water to raise the ale's temperature to about 110 degrees. Russell, D. "Cold day, cold beer? Give warm beer a try." 2010. [URL] [Unibroue "Quelque Chose"] should be served like a mulled wine at 122 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. "Unibroue Quelque Chose Beer." [URL]

What's the benefit of cap “and” cork? Some beers, like Lindemann's lambics, come in a bottle that resembles a champaigne bottle (but smaller), with a cork -- and a bottlecap. What does the cap add to this? Why is it there? (By "resembles a champaigne bottle" I mean the glass is thicker and the bottom has that "indent" characteristic of bottles whose contents are under higher-than-normal pressure.)

Guinness, and a few other beers out there, are carbonated in part with nitrogen, which has much smaller bubbles. This creates a smoother mouthfeel; this is the "creaminess" that is often described. The use of nitrogen is probably uncommon for a few reasons. Firstly, there's the added production cost in the bottled or canned product: the widget. Secondly, I would wager that most breweries want the product to taste similar on draught as in a can or bottle, and it's very uncommon to have nitrogen available in a taproom. (You can get special taps which "cream" the beer on the way out, but again, for consistency those would have to be installed where-ever you sell your beer.) So it's something of an uphill battle. Finally, not all beers may benefit from a different type of carbonation than what's prevalent... but of course, that's subjective.

What is being doubled or tripled in a doublebock/triple bock? Some beers are classed as "doublebock" and some as "triple bock". Doubles seem to be a little stronger (higher APV) than average and triples seem to be stronger than that, but is that they definition or an effect ? What exactly is being doubled or tripled in the production of these beers, and is the primary goal strength or some aspect of flavor or something else?

The bottle cap has the same purpose as a wire cage-- to ensure that the cork doesn't pop itself under the bottle's interior pressure.

Doppelbock (or double bock) is intense in its maltiness and higher than "single" bock in terms of alcohol content, typically starting around 6-7% and going up to around 13%. There isn't anything specifically doubled or tripled; rather, doppel idiomatically refers to be being "bigger"/stronger than a standard bock. In terms of how higher "maltiness" is accomplished, that would depend on the specific beer; mashing at high temperatures, reducing lautering, using certain grains or different yeasts, and other factors all can increase the maltiness of the final product. A triple bock would just be a naming convention emphasizing even further the maltiness and alcoholic strength of the brew. As an aside, doppelbocks are an evolution of strong monastic brews used as "liquid bread" for fasting monks, as they were not allowed to consume solid food. These sweet, malty beers evolved over time into the modern doppelbock.

Why should beer be kept in the fridge? Beer is usually found in fridges in shops and supermarkets. At home, you would store it in the fridge as well before drinking. On the other hand, many liquor shops have stacks of beer cans outside fridges, and beer in kegs isn't usually refrigerated when it's transported. What are the benefits of keeping beer refrigerated? Which kinds of beer should/must be refrigerated and which ones don't need to be?

Beer should be chilled to the proper serving temperature, which may vary according to ingredients and brewing methods, and even most of those are not set in stone, but can also vary according to taste. Guinness, for example, has a specific serving temperature related to how it was traditionally stored in Ireland (Kegs in the "cold" room, which was often just a room carved out of the hill behind the pub or similar). As far a why grocery and convenience stores keep it chilled, it's basically appealing to the "grab and go" drinker, who intends on consuming it in the very near future, or with a short transport. Often they are slightly higher price than if you were to go to a liquor store. Liquor stores have much larger selection and inventory, and refrigerating everything would be cost prohibitive. The price is generally slightly less than the grab and go locations, although many liqour stores still keep some of the more popular and mainstream beers in the cooler as well. For most commercially available beers, you can cool, warm and recool several times with minimal to no changes to taste. Some craft and/or home brews may be affected more by this process, but I don't know if there is any kind of a list available.

To quote Strongbad , "A one that is not cold, is scarcely a one at all." In supermarkets you will often see the same beers stored in refrigerated and non-refrigerated sections. Or you may be able to get a beer cold somewhere but only warm somewhere else. If you go to a large beer store you will see beer of every variety sitting in aisles. The general reason for keeping beer on ice in a store is so it can be drunk right away. The one exception I can think of is bottle-conditioned beer. Beer where some degree of fermentation occurs in the bottle, giving it both natural carbonation and causing the flavor to develop over time. The flavors the beer will take on during conditioning vary based on warm or cold conditioning, and the beer will have a more limited shelf life. You will typically only see bottle conditioned beer as a product of home brewing.

I don't think that there is a commonly accepted glassware for saisons in general. Different sources point to 3 different types: the pint, the tupic, and the oversized wine (goblet?). A prticular saison may be better suited to one of those three, depending on whether it was crafted to have more or less aromatic, or just a beer for simple drinking.

When talking about the temperature to store/serve beer it is important to note that there is a difference between types of beer (and what we call beer in the UK and what people call beer in other countries!). The Cask Marque website has a simple page denoting the various temperatures that some types of beer/ale should be stored at. It is important to note that some beers also need to be stored upright to ensure any live sediment stays at the bottom of the bottle.

Why can't bars sell their in house brewed beers? We've got this local bar that brews their own beer but when I tried to buy a bottle to take home they said they were only allowed to serve the in house beer, not sell it. If the state of Florida issued them a liquor license to serve and sell beer, why can't they sell what they make? Just to be clear by sell I mean sell me a bottle and let me walk out with it.

The beer will not be bad in the sense of unsafe to drink, since no harmful pathogens grow once the beer is fully fermented. So you can certainly drink the beer. However, the beer may not taste good! Over time, the beer will oxidize, both from oxygen introduced during packaging, but also through the release of oxygen from compounds previously oxidized in the beer. The oxygen causes the beer to stale, producing tones of sherry, paper, cardboard. Hop aromas are muted, and hop beta acids oxidize to produce an unrefined bitterness. Other forms of staling can lead to a soap taste. Generally, the higher the alcohol content of the beer the less you need to be concerned with the use by date.

If the beer has been conditioned/pasteurized then you should store the beer as cold as possible - 2-5C is good. The biggest negative factor affecting beer storage is oxidative staling, and this proceeds 3 times faster for every 10°C/18°F increase in temperature. Inversely, each drop in temperature of the same amount causes the rate to reduce by the same 3-fold amount. If the beer is still living, then storage temperature will depend upon if the beer has fully conditioned, for example, storing at 15°C until the beer is conditioned and then dropping to lower temperatures.

Thinking about a tomato pasta, I get acids, strong aromas, and a lingering mouthfeel. Based on this, I would lean towards a Flanders Red or Flanders Brown / Oud Bruin , depending on the acidity of the sauce (the red for more acid, the brown for less). These beers tends toward a wine-like experience, with their own acids and richness. You won't have a lot of hop presence, which would battle the aromas of the food, and the sour characters of a Flanders Red would compliment a strong tomato sauce. Alternately, perhaps a English-style brown ale , for its low bitterness and malt profile.

Simply put, a draft (or draught) beer is one that uses a mechanism to push the beer from it's container (barrel/keg or can.) Typically the beer is pushed using gas, or drawn via a partial vacuum. A regular (non-draught) beer is a beer decanted without any special mechanism. For example a beer served directly from the bottle or a beer served from a tap inserted into the base of the cask/barrel and gravity fed.

Most States have two different types of liquor licenses. On premise and Off premise. On premise is selling alcohol to drink there, off premise is for taking stuff home. It is entirely possible that an establishment will only have one or the other.

Piwo Jasne is, translated, "light beer". It's the common market name for all 'light' beers, and they are mostly pilsners. Piwo Ciemne - this is "dark beer", so something like ale. They are dark, as the name suggests, and usually quite sweet. Piwo Mocne - this is simply the beer that is more condensed, so it has more alcohol. That can be light beers or dark beers (for example, very good dark strong beer "Warka Strong"). Those names are the most popular market classifications in Poland, but usually you'll find more details on label or producer's page. For example, many beers have information, that they are pilsner-type beers.

What's the difference between normal and Christmas beer? What's the difference between normal and Christmas beer? What makes them special?

Christmas beer are seasonal beers brewed for consumption during Christmas period. These beers often (but not always) contain more alcohol than the brewery's other types of beer and may also contain spicing. It is usually quite dark, but not as dark as a stout, with a big malt presence.

What is the science behind the Widget? I know the actual result of the Widget, a fine, rich froth. I know the basic mechanism, pressurized gas escaping when the whole can depressurizes, and pushing the beer out from the widget. I still don't understand how this whole "activation" process works. What physical processes occur in the liquid that result in this particular effect. as opposed to, say, big, coarse big bubbles as would blowing air through a straw into beer create?

StillTasty.com has the following to say with regards to beer - particularly specifying that this applies to regular or light beer from bottles or cans manufactured by major breweries: Opened Containers Good for 1 day, refrigerated. Tips: Keep refrigerated and tightly covered. After opening, most commercially manufactured beer will remain safe to consume if properly stored, but it will quickly become flat and lose flavor. Unopened Containers Good for 4-6 months, in pantry or refrigerator. Tips: The precise answer to the question "How long does beer last?" depends to a large extent on storage conditions - store beer in cool, dark area. Keep beer away from direct sources of heat or light; too much exposure to light can cause beer to develop a foul taste. To maximize the shelf life of beer, store beer at a temperature between 45° F and 55° F (colder than the typical room temperature, but warmer than a refrigerator) - if this is not possible, store beer in the refrigerator. Storage times shown are for best quality only - after that, the beer's color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it will still be safe to consume if it has been stored properly. How to tell if beer is bad? If beer develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded for quality purposes. "Best By," "Best if Used By," and "Use By" dates on commercially packaged foods sold in the United States represent the manufacturer's estimate of how long the product will remain at peak quality - in most cases, the beer will still be safe to consume after that date, as long as it has been stored properly and the package is not damaged. Beer made by some micro-breweries may not retain peak quality as long as beer from major breweries.

Crash course to serving keg beer I was at a picnic where someone brought us a keg of beer. They left the keg, the tap, and bid us to have fun and left. And there we stood, baffled how to get this to work. Someone figured something out and we got our cups full of beer froth with a tiny bit of beer on the bottom. I wouldn't want such a situation to repeat, so could someone give me a brief guide of how to assemble a beer stand (keg+tap) without getting it to explode into my face, get a proper stream going (instead of just a lot of froth), and pour it properly?

What exactly is a Cicerone? What do they do? Recently I've started seeing references to the term 'Cicerone' pop up around the internet; generally, they are described as a 'Beer Sommelier' and the subject is left at that. I'd like to understand the role a little bit better. What exactly does a cicerone do ? If I encounter one in a restaurant, what sort of knowledge can I expect her to have? Is there a certification or credential of some sort that they're expected to receive? What sort of training is required?

How does boil time directly affect ABV% & IBU? Dogfish Head makes IPAs called "60 Minute", "90 Minute", and "120 Minute". According to Wikipedia : Their names refer to the length of the boil time of the wort in which the hops are continuously added. There is also a limited edition "75 Minute" which is really a blend of the 60 & 90 varieties. What I find odd however, is that these numbers also roughly correspond to the beers' ABV% & IBU. Again, from Wikipedia : 60 Minute: 6.0% ABV, 60 IBU 90 Minute: 9.0% ABV, 90 IBU 120 Minute: 18% ABV, 120 IBU 75 Minute: 7.5% ABV, (no IBU listed) Generally, the ABV% is about one-tenth the boil time in minutes, while the IBU is directly equivalent. Is this naturally due to the chemical reactions which occur during this part of the brewing process, or must Dogfish Head be doing something in particular which leads to an abnormally tight correlation here?

There is no correlation between boil time and ABV. The increased ABV stems from them adding more malt to balance out the extreme bitterness for the beers with longer boil times.

First, it's important to note that the boil time is not the only thing that increases with each of those beers. Dogfish Head continually hops during the boil, and the boil extracts the alpha acids from the hops, giving the beer bitterness, so a longer boil with more hops results in a wort that is more bitter. Here is where the additional alcohol comes in: To counteract the extra bitterness, the beers that have boiled longer have both additional malt added to balance the bitterness, and are given additional fermentation and conditioning time to allow the yeast to convert all of those malt sugars into alcohol. In 120 Minute IPA's case, it spends an entire month in fermentation, resulting in an exceptionally high level of alcohol at the end.

I guess there are 2 important think to point out: Beer is also alcohol That is directly from wikipedia : Men's sexual behaviors can be affected dramatically by alcohol. Both chronic and acute alcohol consumption have been shown in most (but not all) studies to inhibit testosterone production in the testes. This is believed to be caused by the metabolism of alcohol reducing the NAD+/NADH ratio both in the liver and the testes; since the synthesis of testosterone requires NAD+, this tends to reduce testosterone production. As testosterone is critical for libido and physical arousal, alcohol tends to have deleterious effects on male sexual performance. Studies have been conducted that indicate increasing levels of alcohol intoxication produce a significant degradation in male masturbatory effectiveness (MME). This degradation was measured by measuring blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and ejaculation latency. Alcohol intoxication can decrease sexual arousal, decrease pleasureability and intensity of orgasm, and increase difficulty in attaining orgasm. Since wikipedia show related soruce of that info and most of them are clinical research, we can say that alcohol have a negative effect on men. In many women, alcohol increases sexual arousal and desire, although it does lower the physiological signs of arousal. Women have a different response to alcohol intoxication. Studies have shown that acute alcohol consumption tends to cause increased levels of testosterone and estradiol. Since testosterone controls in part the strength of libido in women, this tends to cause an increase in interest in sex. Also, because women have a higher percentage of body fat and less water in their bodies, alcohol can have a quicker, more severe impact. Women’s bodies take longer to process alcohol; more precisely, a woman's body often takes one-third longer to eliminate the substance. Sexual behavior in women under the influence of alcohol is also different from men. Studies have shown that increased BAC is associated with longer orgasmic latencies and decreased intensity of orgasm. Some women report a greater sexual arousal with increased alcohol consumption as well as increased sensations of pleasure during orgasm. Because ejaculatory response is visual and can more easily be measured in males, orgasmic response must be measured more intimately. In studies of the female orgasm under the influence of alcohol, orgasmic latencies were measured using a vaginal photoplethysmograph, which essentially measures vaginal blood volume. Different from men, we can say alcohol have more pros beside few cons for women. Beer and couples Men Beer is probably the least powerful aphrodisiac alcoholic drink. The alcohol percentage in beer is low, meaning that more liquid has to be consumed to raise men's testosterone levels to hit that "comfortable" level. Most beers are very nourishing and filling, and when too many of them are consumed, they can create an unpleasant stomachache. Drinking too much beer will make men go to the washroom more often, as well as create a bloating sensation. The effects of being bloated surely don't entice sexual encounters and won't lead men to seek out sexual opportunities. Yet, some special beers have a local reputation for increasing libido, but even with that, beer is not the best choice for men. Women While hops in beer will have a negative impact on men’s hormonal balance, it may actually be positive for women. Hops has aphrodisiac-like qualities for women, as because of the phytoestrogen it contains, which mimic natural estrogen. Low sex drive in women is often cause by low levels of estrogen. Consuming beer, especially hop-rich varieties like IPA, could actually help restore hormonal balance and help with libido and also alleviate menopausal symptoms of fatigue, irritability and hot flashes

A Christmas Ale seems to be another term for a " Winter Warmer " beer -- a dark, malty beer (raisins, dark fruit) meant to be enjoyed in colder months, with a warming effect, either from the actual alcohol, or spices it was brewed with (think nutmeg, clove, that sort of thing). To my mind, its kindred to a barley wine, just spiced up. This is not a warm summer day, sitting on the porch, type of beer, as you may have guessed. So a Christmas Ale is a sub-classification of beers in general.

Unfortunately, there's not much one can do, at least using only household products. While filling, using a counterpressure bottle filler would maximize the longevity of the beer as well as filling the beer while it's very cold, near its freezing point ~29 degrees F (so that its CO 2 is maximally dissolved), if you have a choice in the matter (likely not). Once opening the growler over multiple sessions, however, it's not the ineffectiveness of the seal (using a swing-top growler should do just fine) as much as it is the growing amounts of air that get sealed within. There exist several products funded and developed via Kickstarter you might want to check out: FreshCap (See retailers for purchase.) The Growler Saver (See retailers for purchase.) Drink Tanks (See store for direct purchase.) TapIt Cap (See store for direct purchase.)

Popularity of tank beer In Czech Republic pubs with tank beer are pretty common and popular. There in many pubs and restaurants the beer is not stored in mobile casks or kegs but in much larger stationary tanks. Here is interesting article about tank beer in Prague . It seems that in other countries tank beer is not popular so much. For example I have found some references from United Kingdom but there the tank beer seems to be used mainly on sport stadiums and other large facilities. How is tank beer popular in other countries? Is not tank beer in pubs and restaurants only a Czech phenomenon?

As a note on the boil process and ABV. Boiling effectively stops the process of converting starches into sugars which the yeast can turn into alcohol by destroying enzymes in the malt. Therefore once you are boiling, this process has stopped. Boiling affects hops, by boiling off the aroma and extracting more of the organic acids that provide bitterness. What does affect abv is the period of time the wort is kept warm before boiling. This time and temperature affects how much of the starches convert and therefore trades between body and abv. Boiling fast means you have a lot of body and low alcohol. Boiling later means you have more abv and a lot less body.

What are the effects of draught beer pushing medium on beer's taste and quality? For pushing of beer out of a keg to the line and faucet various media could be used. Usually they are gases which come into a direct contact with the beer like: carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide + nitrogen, air etc. The beer could be also contained in a polypropylene sack to not come into contact with the pushing gas for example to avoid oxidization caused by the oxygen from air. What are the effects of various pushing media on the taste, durability and quality of the beer?

Is there any way that I can discern the IBU of a beer if the bewer doesn't provide that information? Some brewers are awesome and kind enough to place information like the ABV, IBU, and even SRM right on the label of any beer they distribute. This is rad, because (in theory), it means I know exactly what I'm getting myself into, and how to expect a given beer should taste. However, I find that - especially with IBU, this information often isn't available - even though it is among the most reliable predictors of the overall flavor profile of a beer that I've never drank. As a consumer, it's a really helpful way to try to sort through different beers. I've been trying to educate my palate by paying attention to things like how different beers are rated along this scale, in order to better adjust my expectations, but unfortunately, without good information, this is hard to do. Is there any way that I can figure out how the beer I'm drinking rates on that scale without complicated equipment?

I would argue that even having the IBUs on the bottle you still don't really know what you're going to get. The bitterness of the beer isn't just down to the quantity of alpha acids, which is what the IBUs measure. The bitterness is offset by any residual sweetness in the beer. A brewer can brew two different beers with the same IBUs, and them taste different. For example, with two beers with 20 IBUs - one might taste balanced between sweet and bitter, while the other one just tastes sweet. Another pair of beers with 70 IBUs, one might be unpleasantly bitter, while the other a more balanced kind bitter, or even simply neutral. The FG can give you some insight into these differences, but it's still not going to be precise. Frankly the best way to know how the bitterness of the beer plays with the rest of the beer qualities is to read the label for any subjective descriptive text, or simply buy it and taste it. If you did want to measure it, you would need to use spectrophotometer and solvent extraction .

There are disposable kegs that work the way you describe - with a inner pouch that is filled with beer and gas pressure is applied to the outside of that. For draught systems that directly push the beer, there are these gasses in common use: air - such as with a hand-pump CO 2 - homebrewers and short runs N 2 - for creamflow beers or where the beer line is longer than 50'. A mix of N 2 and CO 2 Using air to push the beer doesn't have any immediate affect on taste. However, after a few hours the oxygen in the air will start to stale the beer, causing staling flavors, and a muted hop aroma. Using CO 2 to push the beer can cause the beer to have more "fizz" and in extreme cases more carbonic bite. For long beer lines, N 2 is used to overcome the carbonation problem with CO 2 . A combination of N 2 and CO 2 , typically in the ratio 75%/25% is used for Guinness and creamflow beers. When used in conjunction with a stout or creamer faucet, this has a definite affect on the flavor and appearance of the beer - bitterness is rounded out and the beer has a thicker mouthfeel. When the beer is poured, the faucet and gas pressure cascades of bubbles to form when poured in the glass, which produce a lovely thick dense head of foam on top of the glass. With this type of serving, it's key to have a relatively low amount of dissolved CO 2 , or the glass will be filled with foam only.

Provided all the bottling equipment was properly sanitised (which you'd hope was the case for commercial beer), you shouldn't notice any impact on the taste of the beer. That said, plastic bottles do not provide as good a seal as a crown sealed glass bottle. If you store the beer for long enough (say six months to a year), a plastic bottle will have lost some of its carbonation. If you stick to the "drink by" date on commercial beer though, this shouldn't be a problem.

How is Light Beer produced? I was talking to an American friend the other day and he told me they had something called "light" beer. This was to be a light product just as you would find for instance for Coca-Cola or other soda pop, which contains less calories than a normal beer. How are they produced to contain less calories than a normal beer?

Widgetized beers are packaged with liquid nitrogen, and the widget, which contains a small hole. The liquid nitrogen warms, turns to a gas inside the sealed can, which forces gas and beer into the widget through the hole. When the can is opened, the pressure inside drops suddenly, causing the contents of the widget to be shot into the beer, agitating the beer, producing the foam. If this were tried with a regularly carbonated beer, you'd end up with foam erupting out of the can. Hence, beers packaged with a widget have only about 1/3 the carbon dioxide dissolved than regular beers, plus the nitrogen, which creates a smooth mouthfeel and dense foam. Due to the requirements of reduced carbon-dioxide, the widget is used almost exclusively with Stouts, Bitters and Irish Red ales - styles that can be served with lower volumes of carbon-dioxide. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widget_(beer)#Method

The calories in beer come mainly from the alcohol and the carbohydrates in the beer. By reducing either or both of these, the beer will become lighter. As well as being lighter in calories, light beers are typically lighter in taste also. Alcohol is reduced by starting with a lower amount of sugar in the wort (lower OG.) By fermenting less sugar, less alcohol is produced. The carbohydrates in beer are so-called residual sugars. These are reduced by reducing the amount of non-fermentable sugars, such as by adjusting the recipe to avoid malts that contain unfermentable sugars (such as Cara/Crystal malts, and highly kilned malts). Also the brewer can adjust the temperature that the grains are mashed to produce a more fermentable wort with less residual sugar. To see how alcohol and carbs affect the calories in beer, here's an excerpt from this table that lists the % abv, grams of carbohydrates in a 12.oz serving: Name Brewer abv cal. carbohydrates Busch Ice Anheuser Busch 5.9% 169 12.5g Busch Light Anheuser Busch 4.1% 95 3.2g The light beer has considerably less calories than the regular beer. In fact, around 80% of the calories in that beer come from the alcohol: 1 g of alcohol = 7 kcal. 1 g of carbohydrate = 4 kcal. Volume of beer is 12oz. x 28.6g = 343ml. Volume of alcohol is 4.1 % x 343 = 14 ml To convert alcohol volume to weight, divide by 1.25. Weight of alcohol is 14 / 1.25 = 11.2g So Energy from alcohol is 11.2 x 7 = 78.4 kcal. As percent: 78.4/95 = 82% Energy from carbs is 3.2 x 4 = 12.8. As percent: 12.8/95 = 13% (The total is less than 100% - the data doesn't account for protein, which is typically about 1g/12oz, which is about 4 kcal.) By brewing the beer with an even lower %abv, the beer would be even lighter in calories, but possibly at the expense of flavor.

For a keg system to pour beer without excessive foam, the system must be balanced, and the serving line/faucet free of obstructions. Serving beer at too high a pressure, or through a half-open faucet/tap agitates the beer, causing the foam you saw. The system is balanced by having the pressure inside the keg set to just a touch more (0.5-1psi) than the pressure resistance outside the keg. The pressure resistance outside the keg comes from the beer line and the tap - the longer the beer line, the more resistance. Also any increase in height between the keg and the end of the tap will increase resistance. But even if the system was originally balanced, with the right dispensing pressure or adequate length of beer line, there are still some things working against you: if the keg has been sloshed about, some of the carbon dioxide will have come out of the beer and into the headspace, creating more pressure. It takes several days for this to equalize again. as the keg warms, the pressure inside the keg increases, since gas has a higher pressure at higher temperature with the same volume. If you have a keg that is overpressured, you have 3 basic options: reduce the pressure inside the keg by venting some of the gas. Some kegs have a pressure relief valve that can be pulled to reduce pressure. But do it in small bursts, and try the beer after each until you see that the beer comes out not to quickly. increase the resistance outside the keg by using a longer beer line and/or placing the keg somewhere low and serving the beer higher. (e.g. keg at ground level and stand up to serve the beer.) dispense a large amount beer to a large jug - removing beer from the keg will reduce the pressure in the keg, and keeping it in a jug gives time for the head on the beer to settle down. While you're waiting, just pour some more beer from the keg - this will come out slower and have less foam. see balancing your draft system

Does a frosted glass cause any significant dilution of the beer it holds? I've always been a fan of "the colder the better". I enjoy using a glass that has been placed in the freezer. Obviously, in this scenario, there's frozen condensation on it, but is this enough to dilute the beer such that I'm destroying the flavor by doing so?

What uses do hops have outside of brewing? Do hops have (or had in the past) any use outside of brewing beer? I mean: In the question of dating first modern beers we have the first record of cultivating hops predating the first record of use of hops in beer by nearly a century. Could the hops have been cultivated for any other purpose than brewing, or can we safely assume if they were cultivated, there was beer made with them?

How can a beer be flavored? I've heard of beers such as our local brand in the Philippines and this one, and though I haven't sampled them yet, I am quite curious: how do you add flavor to beer? I've drank a few style of beers but I haven't dealt with any "flavored". As I'm not familiar with the brewing process yet, I want to know how as I don't think it's as simple as adding a syrup on the beer after brewing.

When in the history of serving beer did it transition from a warm beverage to a cold one? I know that there may be some debate raging over this today, depending on what side of the Atlantic one is on, but there seems to be a clear point in history when beer went from being enjoyed warm to warm beer being undesirable. I'm assuming some of this had to do with the advent of refrigeration, but in what era in America was the serving temperature more likely to be cold than warm? Has a similar trend occurred in Europe and other parts of the world?

First, there are currently beers that are served warm, particularly very dark ones. So part of it has to do with the character of beer. There are two important factors I see, looking at this as a history nut but not knowing of any sources on this topic. The first, as you say, is widespread refrigeration. But this was not the major factor in cold beverages generally since ice was often preserved into the summer for cooling beverages (and has been since ancient times). But refrigeration makes this easier and thus cheaper. The second is actually the modern bottlecap which is a product of industrialization. Before the bottlecap most beers were served uncarbonated. They might be chilled or not, but they would have been entirely uncarbonated, shipped in wooden barrels, etc. and had an altogether different flavor and character than our modern beers. My experience playing with these concepts as a homebrewer suggests that such beers were better suited to being served warm than comparably dark carbonated beers. To understand why, I think you have to look at carbonation and how temperature affects that. Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water than warm water, so the warmer the beer is, the faster it goes flat, and the more it fizzes when opened. So you have two ways carbonation affects the picture. First it impacts the taste and serving conditions differently at different temperatures, and secondly it imparts a distinctive off-tang when the beer goes flat. Temperature helps offset the latter to a mild extent but at the expense of the former. I think this also helps explain why richer beers are more often served warm than lighter beers.

Aside from the number of barrels they produce, what is the main difference between a craft brewery and a microbrewery? Microbreweries make less than 15,000 barrels per year, and craft breweries make less than 6,000,000 barrels per year. Aside from this distinction, are there any differences in the styles of production by the two entities? If there's no difference in production technique, why make this distinction at all?

According to Wikipedia , hops can be used in other beverages. The only major commercial use for hops is in beer, although hops are also an ingredient in Julmust, a carbonated beverage similar to soda that is popular in Sweden during December, as well as Malta, a Latin American soft drink. Hops are sometimes added to some varieties of kvass. They are also used for flavor in some tisanes. Hops are also used medicinally. Hops are also used in herbal medicine in a way similar to valerian, as a treatment for anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. Also: Hops are of interest for hormone replacement therapy, and are used in preparations for relief of menstruation-related problems.

In answer to part of your question, there are probably no other reasons for large-scale cultivation of hops in the 8th century other than for brewing. While hops were used in medicine, the major national herbals of Anglo-Saxon England don't mention them. That we have strong references in early 8th century England (see "Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink" by Ann Hagen) to comparatively large-scale cultivation of hops strongly suggests they were used in brewing. Hops are used in medicine as well, but the amounts used there are very small in comparison to those used for brewing, and the two major Anglo-Saxon national herbals, Bald's Leechbook and The Lacnunga don't mention them (I think the Old English Herbarium does, but it is a translation into Old English of a continental Latin work). Keep in mind most of my work with these has been in translation (Pollington's) and translating plants from the descriptions often poses interesting issues. I could probably find standarized editions in Old English if needed however. One of the interesting connections here is that two of the most important early brewing herbs, hops and henbane, both had strong connections to female medical concerns (this is also interesting because historically brewing was women's work, hence the obsolete term "alewife" not referring to a fish--- the woman's place in keeping a tavern was privileged but brewing was sort of like cooking, something every woman was supposed to know). Hops to heavy periods, and henbane was used to address pain in childbirth. Both of these may contribute to Bald's warning that pregnant women may drink ale safely but not beer, for beer would cause a risk of miscarriage. In general for hops to be grown to an extent noteworthy, one is almost certainly talking about brewing, whether grains or honey, and whether alone or with other herbs.

I would say that the condensate amounts to no more than 1ml for a 500ml glass, which is a 0.2% dilution. No to be too coarse, but I imagine most people dilute the beer more after taking a sip! Comparatively, I think the excessively cold temperature will contribute more to destroying the flavor than a small amount of condensate from the glass. So, if you enjoy the beer in a frozen glass, then keep at it.

That is the difference. The distinction is purely one of size, and exists mainly for purposes of trade and legal organization. The gulf between the two wasn't always so large, but as the Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) has grown, the standard for 'Craft Brewing' has been increased to allow for their continued categorization as a Craft Brewer. Even with the increases, the gulf in capacity between 'craft' and the various major macrobrewers is so large as to render the adjustments to the definition of 'craft' largely benign. The additional standards that a so called 'craft' brewery must restrict the use of cheap adjuncts in their grain bill keeps out the few smaller regional breweries that might otherwise fall under the umbrella. There's no 'craft' in making cheap alcohol water out of rice and corn.

Ok, so the basic brewing process is this (not homebrewing detail here, just a distant overview): Heat your wort with water, steep, then add hops and boil, add more hops as you begin to cool, once cool enough add yeast, ferment, bottle. Flavored beers can be made a bunch of different ways. You can add herbs, spices, or flavorings before or after the boil, for example. Seeds and roots would usually be added before the boil; herbs would usually be added after. I would probably add fruit after but this is something that folks could argue about forever. If you buy something like smoke-flavored beer, chili flavored beer, etc. these are probably made this way. There's a second type of flavored beer I have seen for sale in certain bars and restaurants in Asia though. That's where you take a fairly light beer on tap and add it to a glass along with a shot of flavoring syrup (like lychee or peach). These usually have sweeter flavor with clearer fruit flavors than the fermented fruit beers. If the beer is pasteurized, the flavoring could be added before bottling and carbonation. I think that is what you are seeing.

Just a fun fact: Some consider if you add something other than hops, malt, water and yeast to beer, it is no longer technically a beer according to German purity law. What you have is a malt beverage. (You can see this in the small print on malt beverages such as SweetWater Blue for example) Sweet Water Brewing Company Label Edit: (This is controversial and certainly not enforced) There are tons of flavors you can impart based on the types of hops and malts you use and when you add them in the brewing process. When boiling the wort, you can add hops to impart flavor midway through the process. If you add them at the beginning, you get bitterness primarily from the hops. If you add them at the end, you get primarily aroma from the hops. It is common practice to add hops in all 3 stages for those reasons. There's also a lot of flavor that you can add to the beer by aging it in barrels. It is common to use barrels from whiskey or bourbon for this purpose among craft brewers. This can add a huge punch of flavor in some beers. (This may be happening on in the Rogue beer you linked to)

Basically, they are experts in beer. They are knowledgeable in everything from the brewing process and the beer styles to properly serving beer and how to pair it with food. Yes, there are certification programs around, such as this one . I'm not sure about training, but it seems like it involves a series of exams, much like actuarial exams or the FE and PE for engineers. craftbeer.com has a great article .

The Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale is an interesting example because the ingredients list shows two different ways flavors can be imparted to beer. The smoky bacon flavor comes both from the actual inclusion of bacon and from the smoked malt: Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, House-smoked Hickory Malt . As discussed in Does chocolate stout contain real chocolate? , certain flavors can be achieved through the malting process rather than through additional ingredients. Similarly maple is fermentable and could be added directly to boost alcohol content and impart a more subtle maple flavor. That said, this beer does contain actual bacon and "maple flavor". To get a look at and when and how the flavors are added, we can look at this clone recipe . Name Amount Time Use Fenugreek 0.25 oz 5.0 min Boil Maple Extract 1.0 oz 6.0 days Primary Bacon, cooked 4.0 oz 0.0 days Bottle Here, fenugreek is added during the boil phase, while creating the wort. The boiling helps extract the flavor from the herb. Maple extract gets added later during fermentation. Maple extract or syrup could be used, but syrup is more expensive and fermentable so a stronger maple flavor is being achieved with extract. The official ingredient list calls for "Pure Maple Flavoring" so I assume the same is being done there. Lastly the bacon is being added at the end. This is to add direct flavoring to the beer without interfering in the fermentation process.

Did everyone drink beer in the middle ages? I've heard that in the middle ages the water was so bad that everyone drank beer or wine. Is that true? Did pregnant women and small children also drink beer?

What do they judge on at beer competitions? When you see advertising for beer, some of them advertise awards that they have won at various beer festivals and/or competitions. What are the judging standards at these competitions, and what are the most prestigious competitions?

Beer was commonly drunk in the middle ages (and renaissance), but what they drank is different from the beer we're used to today. Beer and ale, being grain-based, were important dietary staples -- it's said that beer is liquid bread, and that's not far off. For the common man (not nobility), in particular, grain made up a substantial part of the diet, with meat being fairly rare. (Will try to update later with a friend's research on amount of grain/household consumed in medieval England, but it's substantial.) Common beer was not aged for months or years like some beers today; rather, a batch might be produced in as little as half a week. These are "small beers" (or "small ales", for the unhopped variety), which are mildly alcoholic but drinkable in volume without unfortunate effects. These small beers/ales were produced in the home/manor; it was just one more task for the cooks. (See, for example, Markham's The English Housewife , 1615 -- so that's rnnaissance not medieval, but is consistent with earlier cooking sources I've seen.) I'm not aware of exceptions being made for pregnant women and small children. Arguing from absence of evidence is risky, but I've worked with a variety of medieval and renaissance cookbooks and the occasional medicinal source, and I haven't seen anything along the lines of "drinks for the pregnant and young". You may find the following helpful: discussion of Elizabethan homebrewing Wikipedia article on ale and Wikipedia article on small beers research/recreation notes on 13th/14th C beer , which also cites Judith Bennett's book Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England

There are SO many different subcategories now. You can download the full judging guidelines and registration into the different styles. Main categories include: Beer Mead Cider Some of the sub-categories of beer include: LIGHT LAGER PILSNER EUROPEAN AMBER LAGER DARK LAGER BOCK LIGHT HYBRID BEER AMBER HYBRID BEER ENGLISH PALE ALE SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE AMERICAN ALE ENGLISH BROWN ALE PORTER STOUT INDIA PALE ALE (IPA) GERMAN WHEAT AND RYE BEER BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE SOUR ALE BELGIAN STRONG ALE STRONG ALE FRUIT BEER SPICE / HERB / VEGETABLE BEER SMOKE-FLAVORED AND WOOD-AGED BEER SPECIALTY BEER I think winning an award at any sanctioned competition would be huge. I do see the World Beer Awards, the US Open Beer Championships, Great American Beer Festival, and North American Beer Awards, just to name a few. There are also Homebrewing awards that are very competitive.

How can I brew a black lager? Is a black lager really a lager (in terms of yeast and brewing time)? Can I just throw in whatever would make a good stout but use lager yeast? If not, then how much play is there to the recipe? I've got a little bit of experience brewing ales, mainly stout and brown ale. Just a few months ago I tried my first experiment, deviating a little from a recipe in my choice of malts and yeast, but still using a malt extract for my primary malt. I have zero experience with brewing lager.

Sanitation Options (Hard Liquor) The first time I made a batch of beer, the guy said that you could use wine sanitize to clean the bottles (you can't - beer sanitizer kills more stuff than wine sanitizer). My resulting beer was soapy-tasting and cloudy. After that, I used a bleach solution and the next batch came out way better. At the local homebrewer's club, I've heard people talk about using hard liquor (e.g. cheap whiskey or vodka) to sanitize equipment, because they seem to think that other sanitizers affect the end taste. Has anyone used hard liquor to sanitize? Does it make a difference to the taste? Does it work well?

Some types of hops have interesting flavors. For example, simcoe hops has a pine-y, fruity taste. Some interesting beer ideas would be pine, rosemary, or cardamom (I've had one - it was amazing). Also, some white beers (like Hoegaarden) have coriander and citrus peel.

A black lager, or perhaps a schwarzbier, really is a lager. Aside from the difference in the fermentation process, there will be some difference in your base ingredients, as a schwarzbier will focus less on the chocolates or coffee flavor of a stout. I suspect you may find significantly more information in homebrew.stackexchange.com, as hunse suggests. We would love to go into all sorts of detail over there!

Is there a widely agreed upon beer ranking or competition? Is there one beer competition (or ranking) that is widely recognized as the "Superbowl" of beer competitions? In that being the winner or rankings to come out of that competition are the standard to measure beers against.

Are there any medicinal uses for beer? Are there any common medicinal uses for beer? I'm thinking along the lines of how liquor can be used as an antiseptic and less of how red wine can improve your heart health.

Beer apparently not only lowers the risk of kidney stones, but also helps dissolve and pass existing kidney stones (additionally by dilating the ureters—the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder). Beer consumption was inversely associated with risk of kidney stones; each bottle of beer consumed per day was estimated to reduce risk by 40% [...] Hirvonen, T. et al. Nutrient Intake and Use of Beverages and the Risk of Kidney Stones among Male Smokers. 1999. [PDF]

Just like wine, absolutely! I'm not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice; I am not liable whatsoever for your drunken antics. With that said, in addition to kidney benefits: Beer contains high amounts of silicon, which makes bones stronger In moderation, it has been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular problems. However, when abused, cardiovascular problems spike instead. It helps to raise levels of "good cholesterol" which helps to keep arteries free of blockages. It may help out your brain, keeping Alzheimer's disease at bay. It is high in antioxidants and helps reduce your risk of cancer. It is high in B vitamins, namely B6 and B12 Moderate amounts of any alcohol, beer included, may help decrease your risk of stroke by reducing the chance of blood clotting in the cardiovascular system. I highly doubt this one, but apparently, studies have shown a reduced risk of diabetes among men who drink occasionally. Studies have shown that it has been linked to lower blood pressure. It contain fiber! Beta-glucans in particular, which are a soluble type of fiber. Like sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, yogurt, miso, and kombucha, beer is a fermented food, so many of the benefits of fermented foods such as aiding in digestion may apply to beer as well. Yahoo Beauty 4 Health Benefits Of Beer Drinking: Antioxidants, B-Vitamin, And Protein Are There... But Don't Overdo It

There are some that claim this, such as the World Beer Cup - but like this one, these are mostly US only, so the range of beers is very limited - as well as generally charging to enter. The International Brewing Awards , now in it's 128th year is probably the best known global competition, with a truly international line-up (although this year the cask ales category was dominated by the UK)

I do not know much but I know there is a published book about that. Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by Richard W. Unger . Some lines from the excerpt of the book: Modern beer, however, has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike ... It was the beverage of choice of urban populations that lacked access to secure sources of potable water ; a commodity of economic as well as social importance; a safe drink for daily consumption that was less expensive than wine ; and a major source of tax revenue for the state. Unger describes the transformation of the industry from small-scale production that was a basic part of housewifery to a highly regulated commercial enterprise dominated by the wealthy and overseen by government authorities. These are some part I crop from the excerpt. Probably book have more but since I do not own it, I can not help you more. update: There is a big excerpt in Google Books . It contains first a few tens of pages with some removed pages but I guess it will give you more ingormation about that.

There are a number of uses I have heard of people using beer for. I will add a personal experience below as well. I have heard of people washing their hair with it, believing it helps promote healthy hair and scalp. Heavy, high starch beers, have long been used as a food source for fasting monks, sort of a liquid bread. Beer is commonly used for cooking certain things because the alcohol (as with wine) helps bring out certain flavors. Additionally I want to mention something I use it for. This works for me because of very specific reasons and I am not recommending that anyone else try it. However, I get asthma frequently following upper respiratory illnesses (I have since I was a teenager). I have a couple of alternative medical strategies for dealing with this depending on what is available. Note, if you have asthma, don't take medical advice from me: asthma can be life threatening. Work with a doctor. However, among other things, I find that drinking a number of drinks of beer or wine for two nights in a row will cause the asthma to clear up until I get sick again. This naturally works best when I am not otherwise consuming alcohol, but it allows me to be mostly medication free regarding my asthma (doing this two to three times a year). Again this has a bunch of risks, so I am mentioning it just for informational purposes. In general anything medical deserves a great deal of respect because what can cure can kill. Also some kinds of traditional beer have very specific health benefits. In Indonesia, "tape hitam" (black rice beer, consumed with the lees as a sort of soup) is generally understood to reduce blood cholesterol. As it turns out the helper cultures used are extremely close (and sometimes the same) as those which produce lovostatin. In fact lovostatin was originally found in Chinese fermented rice products.

Almost but not boiling . I've been over a few recipes and "simmering" seems to be the consensus.

It's true that there are different types of hangovers . However, those are mostly the result of differences in the impurities in the alcohol (that is, all the non-alcohol stuff that differentiates beer from wine from vodka). And for those differences, it's largely the difference between different types of liquor. Beer is, compositionally, pretty much the same. There might be enough difference between a heavy chocolate stout and a hoppy IPA, but between different brands of lighter beers (like pilsners), there's unlikely to be a noticeable difference in hangovers barring a weird food allergy to a minor element of one pilsner vs another. Some far more likely causes of your friends reporting worse hangovers for different brands of the same beer type are: Different quantities between evenings. One evening you drank 10 Pilsner Urquells and the next you drink 8 Beck's. How well are you really counting at that point? If you think you had "about 9 beers" both nights, you might blame the worse hangover on Pilner Urquell. Differences in alcohol level between brands. The difference between 3.8% and 4.2% adds up after a while. Small sample size. Would you rely on a medical study of only 3 or 4 people? Probably not. Likewise, if your friend reports getting a bad hangover the last 3 or 4 times they drank Konig, it may just be a bit of coincidence, and they would have had a nasty hangover those nights regardless of what they drank.

What are some ways to quickly cool a beer? It's happened to the best of us: you really want a nice hefeweizen or maybe a good bitter, but all you have are room-temperature bottles. Short of waiting an hour or so or (god forbid) putting ice in it, how can a bottle or can of beer be effectively cooled quickly?

One method I know is to have large, heavy steins kept in the freezer. That way as soon as you bring beer, you can cool it by pouring into the stein. It won't cool your lukewarm beer to optimal temperature but it will give it a good few degrees drop. You can use "reusable ice cubes", which are essentially tiny plastic bags with water - that way you won't dilute your beer. There's also a stainless steel variety, it has slightly worse heat capacity but sinks to the bottom, which is less annoying than plastic bags floating in your stein. I read somewhere about making ice cubes from beer somewhere, so that they don't dilute your beer (you need a good freezer for that though). I can't vouch if they don't affect the taste though. A smart method though, is to use the buffer beer. Remove the "buffer beer" from the fridge, put the the lukewarm beer in the fridge, drink the buffer beer - meanwhile the beer you put in the fridge becomes your new buffer beer ;) edit: if you go with reusable ice cubes, use ones that contain water inside. Don't buy in to the scam of granite ice cubes or solid steel ice cubes. Their thermal capacity is abysmal. To provide the amount of temperature drop a single normal ice cube provides, you'd need to fill your glass with granite cubes to nearly the brim.

Another option might be some what less conservative, but instead of using ice cubes you could also use chilling rocks . This is also often used as an alternative for cooling whisky without diluting it. Soapstone is a non-porous, odorless and inert stone. It is tasteless and will not absorb odors from your freezer like ice cubes do. Soapstone has a high thermal mass, giving it the natural ability to retain its temperature for extended periods of time. If you are a bit more patient, you can just put the beer in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

At the Defcon security conference in Las Vegas, the Beverage Cooling Contraption Contest is an exciting outdoor event. Over the years, techniques have included adiabatic cooling (using a jet engine), dry ice, liquid nitrogen etc. In 2008, this team managed to cool a keg of beer from 80F to 33F in 35 seconds using air power, dry ice and alcohol.

What do you obtain by concentrating/distilling beer? Most of lighter alcohols can be distilled or concentrated to obtain strong liquors. Wine can be distilled into cognac or brandy, apple cider is concentrated into applejack, Sake distilled into Imo—sake etc. Is there any liquor produced by concentrating or distilled from beer?

There are a number of distilled spirits that are made from the same grains that are used to make beer, so could be considered to be "distilled beer". The most obvious one is whisky, which can be made using various grains including including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, buckwheat and corn. [1] Whiskys don't generally include hops though, so you wouldn't use a random beer as a starting point. Vodka can also be made from grain, but the production process removes most of what you'd consider to be "beer".

Take a bucket. Or a bowl. Or a cooler. Or any other similar vessel. Put your beer bottles or cans (sealed! For the love of god, sealed!) at the bottom of the bucket. Fill it most of the way with ice. Then fill in with water until the bottles are submerged. Then throw in any remaining ice. Finally, add a volume of salt commensurate with the quantity of water, both solid and liquid, you've already got in there. Wait anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on desired coldness and quantity of beer. Enjoy! (Rinse the rim of the bottle if you're finicky. Also, this will probably ruin the label. Sorry. Why do you care about that anyway? You weirdo.)

What glasses are meant for which beers and why? I know there are already one or two questions that touch on specific beers. However, I would like more of a comprehensive list. I would also like to understand why those types of glasses are chosen. Is it for head retention? Breathability? Appearances?

Function Beer glassware serves a few primary purposes: it is part of the branding of the beer (for beers with their own glass) it presents the beer (beauty is in the eye of the beer holder) showcasing the beer's color, clarity and/or carbonation. it influences how quickly volatiles (aromatics) are released it influences how much beer can be consumed per sip (e.g. compare champagne flute vs. beer mug) it can promote head retention (through the shape, plus small etchings in the base of the glass) Some examples A Pilsner glass is a long tall V-shaped glass. It emphasizes the color, clarity and effervescence of the Pilsner. It's similar in principle to the fluted champagne glass, but having larger rim, affords larger sips. The traditional mug is a robust glass, primarly aimed at "chinking" glasses together and allowing large swallows of beer. The challace/goblet can be beautiful pieces of work, designed to showcase the beer, and also promote and maintain a large head. The tulip glass captures volatiles (in the narrow part of the glass) while the large opening at the top supports a large head. The Sniffer, typically used for cognac/brandy, but also for very strong ales, has a large base that curves up to a small opening to capture the aromatics, and to allow for swirling to encourage more aromatics to be released. The Stange, a long tall glass, amplifies the malt and hop characteristics by concentrating them in a smaller area, while also providing a simple elegant presentation of the beer. Often used with delicate beers. The Weizen glass is similar to the pilsner glass, but larger (typically 0.5l minimum) with plenty of room for the large head typical of a wheat beer. For more details and images, see Glassware for Beer .

What type of beer should be used in making Beer Soup (Polewka Piwna) I've seen quite a few recipes for this old Polish soup based on beer, egg, cheese and some other ingredients but all of them call for "beer" or at best "light beer". I don't doubt most make a rather tasty dish but I'd like to aim at historical accuracy. While probably Seasoned Advice will be good with the rest of ingredients, I'd like to ask about the beer choice: Which of beers currently in trade would most resemble what was brewed in Poland 300-500 years ago? What traits, properties, brands should I look for, that are most true to the antique recipes?

What is the "nutritional calorie" count of beer? Beer has a fairly high calorie count - roughly between 150 and 300kcal per serving of 0.5l depending on kind. A significant percent of that is alcohol though, which is fully metabolized without any reserves whatsoever being retained - empty calories without actual nutritional contribution to organism. I wonder what is the actual typical contribution of beer to human body energy reserves - energy from sugars, fats, proteins? How should I count beer in my diet?

It really comes down to the specific beer you are drinking. In addition to trace elements, and vitamins, the main dietary contribution of beer is from carbohydrates, proteins and alcohol. Protein and Carbohydrates provide 4 kcal/g energy, while alcohol provides 7 kcal/g. With dietary planing, you need to look at the specific foods you plan to consume, and no different with beer and diet - here you'll need to look at specific beers to determine nutritional and energy value.

Were the Sam Adams seasonal beers actually developed to accommodate seasonal availability of ingredients or are they just a marketing construct? I enjoy the Sam Adams seasonal varieties, as they usually put people in the holiday spirit(s), etc., and they evoke the feeling of "only for a limited time" like a Shamrock shake at McDonalds. In that vein, were the beers originally designated "seasonal" due to the availability of certain ingredients during different times of the year (Harvest Pumpkin Ale springs to mind) or is this notion of a seasonal beer chiefly a marketing construct?

There appears to be no consensus. After scanning hundreds of Google results for polewka piwna (and polewka beer ) using Google Translate to read pages in Polish, I found, as you did, most recipes refer generically to "beer (not dark)." I found several pages getting as specific as "Lager." I found a single blog post whose author used a blueberry-flavored ale. Therefore I'd conclude it's a matter of taste—maybe not a matter at all, but if so, up to experimentation.

It's hard to say either way unless we find a primary source (someone privy to the company's strategies), but I think a refinement of your question might be— Are any ingredients for brewing either unavailable or prohibitively expensive depending on season? I doubt this is the case—if an ingredient were impractical to obtain in other seasons but one, then I'd imagine the price of that seasonal beer would be extraordinary, which isn't the case with Sam Adams' seasonal beers. If by chance there do exist such ingredients, then the next question is—are any of those ingredients used in Sam Adams' seasonal beers, which itself is a difficult question, since Sam Adams' recipes are proprietary. From Sam Adams' site, though, Samuel Adams® Octoberfest is a malt lover's dream, masterfully blending together five roasts of barley to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The beer is kept from being overly sweet by the elegant bitterness imparted by the German Noble hops. Unless one of those "five roasts of barley" (providing the above is even true and not a marketing statement itself) is some rarity in other seasons, which I highly doubt, again, I'd say mass produced seasonal beers are only "seasonal" for the sake of marketing and inducing a certain feel— Samuel Adams® Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the winter's heartier brews. I feel guilty posting this as an answer, since, it's not a definitive answer, but I don't feel the question can be answered by anyone but a primary source, so perhaps this question should be closed instead—but I don't know what the appropriate reason would be.

Let me start off by saying that I am an Italian-American, not a drop of Polish blood in me; so I'm not really in sync with Polish traditions. With that said, most of the recipes I'm seeing make it clear that you want to use a light beer, so obviously you're not gonna want to use a stout or porter here (though I'd be curious how it tastes; my friend swears by Guinness in his beef stew). With that said, most lagers or pilsners (a type of lager) should be fine for your purposes (of course I would avoid macro-lagers like Bud, Coors, and Miller because they are awful). Anchor Steam Beer might be interesting in the soup as it packs a lot of flavor for a lager type beer in my opinion. For authenticity, you're likely gonna want to use a pilsner . You have to realize, as the Wikipedia article points out, that until the 1840's or so, most beer from the area was top-fermented (like ales; modern pilsners and lagers are bottom-fermented) and the taste varied widely, so I'm not sure how a beer 300-500 years ago would have tasted. The closest you'll likely be able to go back is the 1840's; in which case I'd give Pilsner Urquell a shot as it's the first pilsner beer in the world. Victory makes a mean pilsner ( Braumeister Pils ) too. Unfortunately it's draft only, so if you have a growler handy you can use it; otherwise best look elsewhere. Of course you can probably get away with most Czech pilsners . I can't figure out why Beer Advocate doesn't have a sorting option so that you can sort based upon the rating, but I digress. You have to remember that beer was much different 300-500 years ago. Yes, there are some breweries such as Dogfish Head who recreate ancient ales. Yards has also recreated three brews based upon George Washington's, Thomas Jefferson's, and Ben Franklin's (my favorite of the three) original recipes. But for the most part, beer has evolved in the last 300-500 years; even in the case of the Dogfish Head and Yards brews I mentioned since they have to be pasteurized and must meet the (stupid) FDA standards here in the US. If you've ever tried raw milk, you know how much pasteurization changes the flavor; same goes for juice and beer. With that said, lets go back to the whole top-fermenting thing. You might want to give a grätzer a try as well. It's an ancient Polish beer which has been recently making a comeback. There's a project going on right now to recreate the brew. However, since the brew is so (recently) new, I'm not sure how available it is; you'll likely have to make a trip to San Francisco to get some. There are others too, such as those offered by Westbrook Brewing Co. and Schlossbrauerei Au . But I'm not sure how readily available these are either. You're probably better off brewing this once yourself until this beer is pulled off the "endangered beers" list. Yards has also experimented with this style, but again, it's not readily available (see Tadeusz Kosciuszko Smoked Pol ) This website may also be of use to you; it outlines a history of Polish beers.

Why is Guiness so prolific in South-East Asia? One thing I have noticed around South-East Asia is that the primary affordable dark beer is Guiness. This appears to be due to high beer tariffs and the fact that Guiness has breweries all over (for example in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and more places). How did this come to be? How did Guiness come to expand so far and wide? Was it during colonial days or later?

As object88 mentioned, you're gonna want a Flanders Red or Flanders Brown because they are more wine like than beer like. You're gonna want to avoid overly hoppy beers like your IPA's or even pale ales. You could probably get away with a good lager or pilsner as well. Another suggestion, if you can get your hands on it would be one of Dogfish Head's newest ancient ales, Birra Etrusca Bronze , which is a recreation of an ancient Roman beer from the Tuscan part of Italy.

A few notes on brewing and the seasons. It isn't a question of availability today but there are other factors that likely have seasonal impact. Traditionally (say, 1000 years ago), yes, brewing recipes would vary with the seasons. Some ingredients like henbane seed or barley keep extremely well. Others do better fresh (herbs and such). It is likely that gruit components varied with the seasons. This is not an issue today. Aside from some components of other beers (pumpkin ale, beers with seasonal fruit), most beers today do not involve ingredients that are problematic to preserve over a year. There is a second issue though. That is that beers traditionally have another factor which is starch content. The starch contributes significantly to calorie count of the beer, and usually darker, richer beers have higher carbohydrate count. It makes sense to consume more calories in cold weather than warm weather, and it makes sense that darker, heavier beers would be favored in winter while lighter beers would be favored in summer (although as one would note the heavier beers came out of traditions of using them as bread substitutes for fasting monks and so would have year-round applicability in monasteries). I don't think it has to do with availability. I think instead it has to do with seasonal expectations and reserving richer, heavier, higher starch beers for the winter (we have higher metabolism in winter, see http://www.mate.tue.nl/mate/pdfs/4319.pdf , and generally less availability of fresh foods before modern refrigeration and rapid transport). I don't know when this became common though. In general, when I look back a thousand years ago, I don't see anything in primary sources to suggest heavier malts in the winter. So trying to date this would seem speculative. There is a fairly obvious practical pattern though. EDIT : As I think about this, I would note that aside from lagers, it is very hard to brew in the winter in a colder climate. There may also be a component where heavier, stronger beers keep better and therefore keep into the winter better.

The answer is complex, to be honest. In the Middle Ages? Where? When? These are important questions. Lumping around a thousand years and very different cultural eras (ranging from the Vendell-era Norse to the Byzantine Empire) into the same label is problematic at the very least. The answer I think to the question as stated has to be "no" insofar as there were times and places in the Middle Ages where beer was a clear luxury (early medieval Iceland comes to mind). Similarly, it isn't always clear that beer was universally consumed by the lower classes in much of the Middle Ages (though certainly towards the end it became more common). Example 1: Anglo-Saxon England This being said, beer was an important dietary staple in much (though not all!) of medieval Europe at least among monks, merchants, and the upper classes. Heavier beers were used as bread substitutes. For the common man in Anglo-Saxon England, though, even bread was a luxury and most grains were cooked into gruel, porridge, either with or without fracturing (think of bulgur wheat). This would then be supplemented with vegetables, eggs, dairy, and sometimes meat (even for the serfs, at least in Anglo-Saxon England, meat was not out of the question). Well water was the primary source of hydration in this era (again see Hagen, below), and laws were passed to ensure that drinking water directly from someone else's well was protected, legal activity (in other words, a well owner could restrict what people could take away from the well, but not what they could drink on the spot). If we separate out the lower classes and the areas where beer was not commonly available (Iceland, for example) the picture changes dramatically. Beer was very common, but not at all a homogeneous beverage. Bald's Leechbook (10th Century, Anglo-Saxon) contains the warning that while " ealu " (-> ale) may be consumed by pregnant women, " beor " (-> beer) causes miscarriage. Identifying these beverages is problematic. Ann Hagen ("Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink") suggests that "beor" must have been a strong mead instead of a malt liquor based on descriptions of specific gravity (she calculates a minimum alcohol content of around 20%). If it was a strong mead, it may have been further supplemented by herbs like mugwort, henbane, and hops, and therefore even more problematic than a strong mead might be. In this case, it would have been fermented grains would have been certainly consumed by children and pregnant women. Interestingly the traditional fermented rice and cassava dishes here in Indonesia are acceptable to serve to children too. Sources on history : Hagen, Ann. " Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink " Pollington, Stephen. " Leechcraft " (for an edition of Bald's Leechbook with facing page translation). Example 2: Medieval Iceland The early Icelandic settlers tried to grow barley for beer with only very limited success. Alcoholic beverages were thus very much a luxury item, and usually if someone was going to have it (going mostly by medieval saga evidence as ethnography), it was going to be someone who had gone viking and returned with a fair bit of wealth. A second point though is that Icelandic society recognized about three levels of society ( godhi , bondi , and thrall ) based on relationship to certain kinds of property: a godhi (priest-attorney-legislator-jurist) owned a godhord (the office was property and could be sold, loaned, or even put into partnership property). A bondi (free juryman) owned land. And a thrall was owned (though the actual requirements would have been more like early serfdom than slavery due to a lack of central administration and enforcement). In addition to successful bondi-turned-vikings, you would have had the fact that a godhi had sufficient economic benefits from office to likely be able to afford alcoholic beverages at least sometimes. In Iceland, drinking was usually a social action and as far as the existing evidence goes would have been a specifically male activity limited to the sorts of ritualized drinking portrayed in Beowulf (such ritualized drinking is portrayed in the Volsung Saga, Egill's Saga, Njall's Saga, and many many others). Drunkenness was warned against in the literature, and there are very interesting questions of what else was put in the beverages, since poisoning was a pretty clear concern in the literature (Eddic poems such as Havamal and Sigdrifumal speak to both these concerns). From archaeological evidence from "continental" Scandinavia, we may surmise henbane was common, and this may to some extent play into the references to military drinking in Hrolf Kraki's Saga. In short, in Iceland, as far as we can tell, beer and mead would have been limited to far more ritualized roles (reinforcing social obligations, certain forms of oaths, etc). Literature on women and alcohol is very sparse. It's probable that the bride drank at the wedding as part of making the wedding official. There's a lot of uncertainty beyond this however in terms of attitudes towards pregnancy and alcohol. Further reading: the various sagas referenced above. The Poetic Edda (I usually recommend the Hollander translation if you are going to work in translation because he tends to be transparent about which emendations he is using). Byock, Jesse: Viking-Age Iceland Byock, Jesse: Medieval Iceland Roesdahl, Else: The Vikings Pollington, Stephen: Leechcraft (for some archaeological discussions of Scandinavian forts and brewing).

In a nutshell, most beer judging is based on how well the beer represents the style category that it is entered into. These aspects of the beer are evaluated to see if they match with what is expected for the style: appearance: color / foam / clarity aroma: malt / hop / yeast / esters mouthfeel: body / carbonation flavor: lots here - see below aftertaste: flavors and aromas that persist after the beer is swallowed overall impression: drinkability All of these are evaluated with respect to what is expected for the style, and points assigned. The beer may be perfectly drinkable, but be marked down because it doesn't fit with the style. For example, a hefeweizen that is dark would be lose points for appearance since they are light-colored beers by style. Judging sheets often have a list of flavor descriptors. Some flavors are bad for any beer, such as rubber, astringent, soapy, while others may or may not be considered faults depending upon style. For example, fruitiness in an English Ale is much desired, but not in a Pilsner, similarly low levels of diacetyl in a Stout is acceptable, but not in a Hefeweizen. The BJCP Scoresheet provides a working example of the notes a beer judge

Which are the most caloric beers? Are there, say, visual criteria to identify them? Is there a visual criterion to roughly estimate the order of calories a beer contains? Specifically, I wonder if "the darker the beer, the more energetic value it has" holds [1]. Please, prove or disprove. [1] (What lead to this belief: When I drink a trappist or a Guinness Extra Stout , both dark, I somehow identify the density with calories. But is that true?)

One method I've used seen to good effect is to wrap the bottle in wet paper towels, and then put that in the freezer. Once the paper is frozen, the beer is quite cool, also the paper can be removed just by twisting it and it comes right off. Obviously, don't forget that you put them in the freezer to start with...

No. Color has little to do with calories, and possibly surprisingly, mouthfeel can have little influence also. You can have a Belgian Tripel that is medium light bodied, that has many more calories than a pint of Guinness, simply because the alcohol level in the Tripel contributes more calories than the sugars from Guinness. Also Guinness is served on Nitrogen which creates the sensation of a thicker beer, as if there were more carbs and protein giving a fuller body. The calorific load from a beer comes from both carbohydrates and alcohol, which are present in both dark and light beers regardless of beer color.

Color does not effect calories it has. There is a guide at Beer Data for calculating home-brewed beer, but I'd guess it might help you too. cal per 12 oz beer = [(6.9 × ABW) + 4.0 × (RE - 0.1)] × FG × 3.55 The first item in brackets gives the caloric contribution of ethanol, which is determined from the ABW and the known value of 6.9 cal/g of ethanol. The second item in brackets gives the caloric contribution of carbohydrates, which is determined from the RE (Real Extract) and the known value of 4.0 cal/g for carbohydrates. An empirically-derived constant (0.1) accounts for the ash portion of the extract. Together, these terms give the calories per 100 g beer. This is easily converted to calories per 100 ml beer by accounting for the final gravity (FG, in (g beer)/(ml beer)). In turn, 100 ml is converted to 12 oz by a scalar (3.55, in (100ml/12 oz)) Also, there is a list of Complete Beer Calories which lists the calorie content of 250+ beers with calorie and ABV values.

In France we're told that you should always rince the glass with a bit of cold water before serving to remove any trace of dust which will make the foam smoother. Since you're not supposed to dry it afterward, I guess that would dilute the beer more than the fozen condensation and it's still not enough water to have any impact on the flavor.

What's a good way to train your palate? Everyone knows how to drink beer, but it seems like it's an acquired skill to be able to differentiate (and articulate) different flavors. Whereas someone just turning 21 might say "this beer tastes... dark", a more experienced drinker might describe it as "nutty and chocolatey, with mocha overtones and black currents in the aftertaste." What are some good strategies for moving from the first quote to the second? That is to say, how does one train their palate for beer tasting?

What units are used to measure beer by volume? It may be dependent upon local custom, but what scales are used to measure beer? Is there one in particular that is used globally, or could be said to be specific to beer or alcoholic drinks? Typically, I see either pints or whatever the local standard of measurement for liquid is (say, fluid ounces or milliliters) so this isn't really a global standard. Serving sizes also aren't standard; in my country alone, if you go to a pub and ask for a pint or a schooner, the size will depend on what state you're in. However, I have seen the measurement l (lower-case L) used. Is this litres, or something else?

Flights! I didn't know much about beers until I moved to San Diego, where I was introduced to beer flights: Somehow, I'd never heard of or seen them! A flight is 4 or 5 small servings of beer, typically in 4.5- to 5-oz. glasses, usually served on a "paddle." At least in San Diego, a flight costs as much as a pint on draught, so often it's a no-brainer to get flights if you want to taste a variety of beers. When you order a flight, you of course get to choose what 4 or 5 beers you'd like to have. I often select similar beers—a set of stouts and porters—or a bunch of IPAs (and doubles)—so I can really get a chance to taste what distinguishes specific brands and subtypes. When a friend of mine flew in from New York (also never having heard of flights), he was enthusiastic about getting two flights and sharing all 10—doing blind tests on one another. He went from saying, before we got to the bar, "All beer tastes the same to me—I can only taste dark or light," to, "Oh man, I didn't know I was even capable of tasting such little differences!" So, beer flights are an effective yet casual and fun way to get yourself or anyone to appreciate the multifarious tastes of beers. I think trying to start with all the ingredients, brewing processes, and the (dizzying) gamut of terminologies for all the subtle tastes, might be like teaching someone to drive by starting with the difference between torque and horsepower—they can't fully appreciate the meaning of words until they've experienced the sensations they describe. By contrasting beers side-by-side, we build an internal , as-of-yet-wordless "vocabulary" of tastes, e.g "This beer has more of... that thing , whatever it's called, than this one," and then we learn terminology (and ingredients and processes) as a means of filling those voids in words for senses we've experienced. Otherwise, we're storing abstract definitions, which we don't retain very well.

Beer is measured by volume, but which measure depends both on country and on the context in which the measure is being used. For instance, in the US, you will almost always find servings of beer measured in fluid ounces. However, in production, you will regularly find the measure being listed in barrels (31 imperial gallons). You'll regularly find beer sold in pints (16oz), though that could also mean a 20oz glass as you only get 16oz of beer with a proper head. My limited experience with bits of Europe indicates beer there is sold by the mL. Also worth noting is that Liter can be represented as either L or l so when you see "l" you're seeing Liters. So, no. There isn't a global unit of volume for beer. But it is almost always sold by volume . Also, with the rising popularity of high gravity beers, standard beer servings vary in part because to serve similar amounts of alcohol across standard servings you've got to serve differing quantities.

What is a "sour malt" beer? Are there any commercially available sour malt beers? I have seen occasionally discussion of "sour malt" on home brewing forums. What is it? Are there any commercially available sour malt beers?

Sour malt (aka. acidulated malt, saurmalt) is a base malt that has been processed so that it contains lactic acid. The acid is useful in adjusting the pH of the mash during brewing. Typically brewers use a 1-10% with 2-5% being typical. The malt's existence is due to the Reinheitsgebot - the German Beer Purity law. This forbids the use of any ingredients other than malt, hops, water and yeast - making the use of other additives to adjust mash pH illegal. Hence, saurmalt was developed as a way to allow brewers to adjust the mash pH while staying within the restrictions of the purity law. Nowadays, using a sour mash goes way further than just correcting pH. It's used to define the sourness in some beers, such as Berliner Weisse, Lambics, Flemish Reds and Browns and Stouts. So, while you can't buy a beer made only with sour malt, there are plenty that have used it, or an equivalent souring technique to produce the sour notes in the beer.

In a word, practice. Most people drinking beer don't actually "taste" the beer properly. They just drink it. Of course, you do get some impression of the beer just from casual drinking, but it's not on the same level as if you are properly tasting it. So, the first step to getting from the first quote to the second is learning how to taste the beer correctly and completely so that you can pick up all the nuances in the flavor and aroma. How to sample a beer properly? I think that's a good candidate for a new question!

In the UK, beer in Bars and Pubs is still sold in Pints, even though EU regulations require the actual quantity to be described in metric units. But asking for a "pint" is a lot easier than asking for "586ml of beer please barman". (Note that they use imperial units in the UK, and UK pint is bigger than it's US counterpart.) Bottled beer is invariably sold in 500ml bottles or 330ml bottles. In Scandinavia, and I believe most of Europe, beer is sold in half liters (500ml) in bars, while bottles are typically 500ml or 330ml.

How do you properly taste a beer? If I want to fully appreciate what a beer is offering, how do I properly taste the beer to reveal all the nuances in the aroma, flavor and aftertaste?

What are the defining characteristics of a Saison? What should I expect when I drink one? I'll be the first to admit that I have, at best, the palate of a highly experienced amateur. I can tell an IPA from a Stout from a Doppelbock primarily on the common visual, olfactory, and above all else tastes that are found throughout any example of each style. However, while I've had many delightful 'Saisons' in my time as a drinker of beer, I've never been able to get a straight answer about what characteristics define the style. The best I've ever been able to get is vague handwavey historical notions about the beers role as a 'refreshing summer ale'. Which is... somewhat unsatisfying to someone who would hope that the term might actually mean something . So, does it? If so, what? If I pick up a Saison from a brewery I've never heard of, what characteristics should I expect it to exhibit that earn it the name?

According to Oz Clarke , you should burp the beer (to judge the hops). See this clip from Oz & James Drink to Britain (episode 1, starting at about 2:28): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1FH076U4Lk&t=2m28s

What should I expect from a Belgian double (dubbel)? I know dubbels are considered as strong beers, but what should I expect in when I try one of them? What are their defining characteristic? What should I expect in term of taste, foam, color and mouthfeel?

Take Tasting Notes It's easy to "just drink it". If you want to really pay attention to the beer, there's nothing better than forcing yourself to write it down. The format doesn't matter much, but I prefer a multi-part tasting form to force me to think about each part of the beer. For example, I usually break it down into 4 sections: Appearance: How much head? How long did the head last? What color was it? What color is the beer itself? Aroma: What do you smell? How strong is the smell? Taste: What do you taste? How does that compare what you smelled? How's the aftertaste? Mouthfeel: Usually just watery, oily, or creamy. Tasting notes like this force you to really concentrate on the taste, which helps improve your palate. They're also nice because you now have a record of your thoughts on that beer to refer to later (maybe to compare to other beers of that style).

Beer Advocate's Guide is a decent one. The abridged version is: Look at the beer. How's the color and head? Swirl it a little bit to pull out the aroma Smell it. Swirl again if need be. I recommend taking a 20 second break after smelling, then smelling again, since if you smell too long, your nose gets used to it and it becomes harder to pick up the notes. Sip it. Don't swallow immediately, but keep it on your tongue for a moment. Breath out with it still in your mouth and pay attention to the resulting smell (unless you just ate a bunch of garlic before the beer). Taste again as the beer warms up a bit.

In short, prepare for a hangover. They pack a strong amount of alcohol (6-9% ABV), but you won't really taste it much. You're gonna get a lot of malt flavor, they're not very hoppy beers. So expect some sweet, fruity flavors. I'd recommend you give Allagash Dubbel Ale a try. It's a bit pricey (at like $12 for a 4-pack), but it's well worth it. I've never been disappointed by any beer from Allagash. Now If you're curious, a Tripel is like a double, but they use three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "single", hence the name. So expect flavors similar to that of the dubbel, but much more pronounced. They are also higher in alcohol than a dubbel (9-12% ABV). For this style, my personal favorite, as of now (I've only had two of them) is Weyerbacher Brewing Co's Merry Monks Ale. The other one was the Allagash Tripel, which was also outstanding, but I'm partial to the Monks.

As with any style, there's a fair deal of variation from one brewery to another. At a high level, though, you can expect them to be darker (although not stout-dark), rich, and malty. Expect a complex taste, with many notes and flavors. More specifically, the BJCP have this to say (abridged): Aroma : malty sweetness, hints of caramel or chocolate, and moderate fruity esters. Some will have a little spice to them. Appearance : Dark amber to copper in color, Large, dense head. Taste : Same as aroma. Alcohol flavor, if any, should be mild and not solvent-y. No or minimal hop flavor. Mouthfeel : Medium-full body. Medium-high carbonation. See here for the full description.

Well, Saison is quite a broad category simply because it comes from a broad definition. The original term comes from regular strength light ales ca. 3.5% abv) brewed during the Autumn in Belgium, and stored for drinking in the summer by farm workers. (Hence the pseudonym "farmhouse ale".) As wikipedia states: Historically, saisons did not share identifiable characteristics to pin them down as a style, but rather were a group of refreshing summer ales made by farmers. In modern times, the category has been interpreted to mean: a light to golden ale use the Dupont yeast, which gives particular esters and pepper characteristics (hence they have a "Belgian" character) around 7% abv fruity, spicy (some examples add fruit, such as apple juice.) highly carbonated This might seem quite vague, but the combination of yeast, light malt, strength and carbonation lead to a fairly unique and identifiable beer.

I agree with mdma that it's traditionally more of a historical definition than a stylistic one. To expand on their answer, though, in 2008, the BJCP defined a saison as the following (abridged): Aroma : Moderate sweetness with light, grainy, spicy wheat aromatics, often with a bit of tartness. Some coriander, with a complex herbal, spicy, or peppery note in the background. Moderate zesty, citrusy orangey fruitiness. Appearance : Very pale straw to very light gold in color. Cloudy. Flavor : Pleasant sweetness and a zesty, orange-citrusy fruitiness. Crisp with a dry, tart, finish. Can have a low wheat flavor. Optionally has a very light lactic-tasting sourness. Herbal-spicy flavors, which may include coriander and other spices; subtle + not overpowering. Mouthfeel : Medium-light to medium body; effervescent character from high carbonation. Minimal bitterness in finish. For more detail, see the full version .

Beer glass cleaning I've heard it said that you should never use a dish-washer on a proper beer-tasting glass, as it can negatively affect head retention. Is this the case, and if so, what's the best way to keep a tasting glass clean without messing it up for future tasting?

Does aging in oak barrels add the same compounds to beer as it does to wine? If I remember correctly, aging wine in barrels is known to promote aeration and add phenols from the wood into the mix. Does the wood react any differently to produce any flavors unique to beer? Is the aeration beneficial for flavor?

If your dishwasher uses a rinsing/drying agent (Finish/Jet Dry type product), these products contain surfactants, which serve to reduce surface tension and "flatten" the water molecules for faster drying. I would imagine that any residual surfactants on the glass reduce the surface tension of the carbon dioxide bubbles and cause them to pop, reducing the amount of head on the beer. Since these products tend to brag that they remain on the dishes after washing to give them a "sheen" I imagine there is quite a bit of residue. Washing your glasses by hand is probably the best approach to avoid this. While most dishwashing liquids also contain a lot of surfactants, they are designed to be rinsed away easily. I suppose you could empty your dishwasher of rinse aid, but I don't know how other dishes would come out. See this site for some of the details. I think it's run by one of the manufacturers of the rinse aid products, so take it with a grain of salt.

Considering that ethanol is the highest contributor to calorie count of a beer, and that the amount of remaining ingredients only vary to a degree, while variance in ethanol is very high, the odd modern beers with extreme extreme alcohol content will be the most calorical. It appears currently Brewmeister Snake Venom is the top alcohol content beer, at 67,5%, with 2025kcal in 12 fl.oz serving. The alcohol content runners-up don't top that by means of excessive sugar levels, therefore we can safely assume this is the most calorical beer. Of course the competition in topping that is sharp, and we're soon to expect other beers with even more alcohol - and more calories as result. There is no plain visual criterion to what beer has most calories, but you can safely correlate stated alcohol content with that. ...also note: Alcohol is empty calories - calories that are not absorbable - storable by human organism. A good mild caramel beer of 1.5% alc. content might be more fattening than the top alcohol content beers, simply because it contains more sugar.

Drinking from a pewter mug? Modern beer is typically served in glassware, and the reasons for the various styles are addressed in What glasses are meant for which beers and why? I have some alternative vessels at home, including a pewter tankard. The problem I have with drinking from it is that the pewter has a slight tang which you notice on your lips and the tip of your tongue. Depending on the the style of beer, this can either enhance or detract from the taste. (Personally, I've noticed that hefeweizen benefits from the slight acidic tinge, while some Lagers are really undrinkable from it.) Are there any styles of beer for which it's actually advantageous to drink from something other than glassware, like pewter? Say, for example, they've been brewed specifically to pair well with the material of the vessel. Alternatively, should I even be drinking from this kind of vessel at all? While it's documented that pewter and other materials were used historically to make tankards, should I even be bothering today or is it just a gimmick?

Another problem could be that dishwasher procedures could permanently change physical properties of the glass surface. The changes could be: mineral deposits etching and corrosion devitrification (crystallization of the amorphous glass) See hazing of glassware on Wikipedia. The physically changed surface would usually create nucleation points for collecting of the released carbon dioxide to form bubbles. See also beer glass widget . This could cause faster release of carbon dioxide from the beer and a subsequent change of the taste of the beer.

What can I do to prevent beer staling in a keg being pushed by air? On a private party or picnic when we use hand pump to push beer out of a keg the beer can relatively quickly get stale. What can be done to keep the beer in a good quality for as long as possible? I can imagine that a low temperature and not moving the keg can help. What about air pressure? Is it better to keep it low or higher? I guess that low pressure is better because lower amount of air should dissolve in the beer in such a case. What other factors could influence the beer durability in such a situation?

Are there any good uses for beer that has sat in my growler for too long? I usually try to drink all of the beer in my growler over the course of two nights. While the second serving is usually a good bit less stellar than the first it's usually still quite drinkable. However, because I almost always plan to drink it over two nights, sometimes the second half of the growler gets left a few days longer. After that it's basically undrinkable. Usually I snag Imperial Stouts, or other high gravity brews (currently I have a Southern Tier Creme Brulee ripening in the fridge :(). Is there a good use for this spoiled beer or should I just pour it out? I was wondering if beer bread was a good idea or not.

Supposedly washing your hair with it has some nice effects, and people have found other creative uses: How to make good use of flat, leftover beer from your Christmas party . However, if it is only a few days old and has been in the fridge, it's unlikely that it's done much more than go completely flat, so any use that doesn't require it to be carbonated would be fitting. -- I'd go for the bread.

Avoiding agitating the beer and reducing the temperature are the two key ways to slow down the rate of staling, but really once there's air in the beer it's just a matter of time before it goes bad. Have you considered using a small CO 2 charger like this - This uses small CO 2 cartridges to push the beer. The advantage being that the keg won't stale quickly since very little air is introduced.

You could use it to make steak and ale pie, this works particularly well with darker beers. Although you don't need much - about 1 cup / 220ml.

Because CO 2 has a significantly higher affinity for water (and therefore beer), than O 2 or N 2 (the other major components in air) under normal keg conditions (pressure and temperature), I think it's worth a shot: If you take off the air pump and start charging it with CO 2 , and then pump a good bit of beer/foam out of it (to rid it of some of the air), you should have a much nicer ratio of dissolved CO 2 to other gases. That plus keeping it chilled and not shaking it (just like you'd treat a can of beer) should help it last a good deal longer. (This is assuming you've got a "ruined" keg on your hands. Obviously it's preferable to start out with CO 2 .)

You remember correctly. ( http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/age-wine-wooden-barrels/ ) (Tannic acid, a tannin found in oak) Tannins, the chemicals that are transferred from the oak barrels to the wine, are extremely good at forming hydrogen bonds (just look at the structure!), which makes them very soluble in water. Considering that both beer and wine have no shortage of water in them, these molecules are quite willing to join either substance. As for the aeration, I believe that may actually be an undesirable consequence of using the barrels for beer. However I can't imagine the effects being very profound unless you were aging the beer like you would with wine (months or years versus weeks).

Why do steins have lids? What's the point of the lid on the beer stein?

Today they're largely just traditional. However, originally they helped: To keep the beer cool by preventing airflow from above. To keep insects and other contaminants out. To prevent spillage while cheers-ing and generally carousing. See the following article on Stein Lids for more detail.

Cooking with beer is always a good decision, and stouts are a prime choice. Since it doesn't matter if they're a little flat, why not try some? Beef and Guinness Stew Cheese and beer soup Chocolate stout brownies Beer battered anything

In my experience, many recipes that call for beer either work fine with flat beer or call for it that way. Examples include chili, fish poached in beer, and some stews. I would be reluctant to use it for bread unless the recipe calls for a "normal" amount of yeast, though. Some recipes seem to rely on the yeast in the beer and others add bread yeast, so check in order to avoid baking a hockey puck. This is for conventional bread. If you're making a quick bread that uses baking soda, you don't need help from the beer for rising. (Thanks waxeagle.)

I would like to point out that taste is not the only important criterion when drinking beer. What you want is a good experience , and the taste is only a part (albeit a major part) of that. Having different glasses for different types of beers can affect your drinking experience in a number of different ways. First off, having an unusual or unique glass can often be very fun, because it's probably not something you're used to. The first time I ever drank beer from a litre mug was a very fun experience for me, and not because it made the beer taste differently. Secondly, I find that different types of glasses encourage me to enjoy the beer in different ways. I find that glasses with stems, which are often used for stronger beers, encourage me to drink the beer more slowly and savor it a bit more than a glass without a stem. I think these effects on experience are one of the big reasons for the wide variations in beer glassware. As a beer manufacturer, if I could make a unique glass that will better help people remember my beer, I would consider that a worthwhile investment. I'm not trying to say that the effects of glassware on taste don't exist or are unimportant; I think they are important. But they're only part of the story.

Making it into a marinade for steaks would work. Depending on the type of beer, I would also consider using it for boiling sausages/bratwurst with it. Though I find that the darker beers are the best for this.

I'd definitely say cook with it as others have mentioned. You're really just trying to impart some of the beer flavors into the food; you don't really need a fresh beer to do that as carbonation doesn't affect the flavor, it affects the mouth-feel. The carbonation from a fresh beer would be lost in cooking anyway. If it's only been 2 days, it probably hasn't spoiled, so you're fine. Beer bred is always an option. I also saw someone else on here mention Polish Beer Soup . Beer-battered fish is another option. I could go on and on with recipes though. The Brooklyn Brew Shop has a lot of interesting ones that I've never seen before, such as french toast (might be good with a chocolate stout or other dessert stout) and beer braised greens. Household uses include trapping insects in your home, washing hair, fertilizing plants, cleaning wood furniture, etc .

When cleaning a beer glass your goal is to remove everything you can from the surface. As the other answers mention, washing with dish detergent tends to leave an unpleasant film. It's not hard to keep your glassware clean: Don't use beer glasses for other drinks , particularly drinks with fat (like milk) since glassware cleaner isn't designed to remove it. Always rinse your glasses immediately : your job's much harder if the lacing and sediment dries caked on the glass. Hand wash your glassware , not only because of the detergent, but also because the best glasses are made of the thinnest glass, so they're quite delicate. Use a beer-specific cleaning agent , a percarbonate cleaner like PBW, One-Step or B-Brite. These are formulated specifically to deal with the compounds that beer leaves in a glass. If you only ever drink beer out of your beer glasses and always rinse them soon after, you'll find that you can wash with a pretty weak cleaning solution. I almost never need more than about 1/2 ounce of PBW in a gallon of hot water. Also see How to Brew 's section on cleaning products.

How is non-alcoholic beer produced? Is it made brewed in such a way as to have no alcohol, or is it just normal beer with the alcohol removed, or some other process?

Non-alcoholic beers (in the U.S., no more than 0.05% ABV) begin their lives like every other beer; they go through the same 8 step process outlined here , but one step is added between the last two steps -- the conversion. The beer has already been fermented when added to a conditioning tank, where it is left to mature for several days (the 7th step), from here it is cooked to remove the alcohol. Due to the absurdly high boiling point of water (100°C), it is easy to evaporate the alcohol (boiling point = 78.3°C) and leave the rest of the beer behind. Vacuum evaporation is also used in most modern breweries to preserve flavor and speed up the process. Another method used is reverse osmosis, which allows the water and alcohol to escape from the beer through a membrane. The alcohol is then distilled from the solution, and the water is added back to the sugary syrup originally left behind, reforming the beer (minus alcohol). The beer is now non-alcoholic and continues to the last step of the brewing process where it is filtered, carbonated, and stored (until it is packaged for sale).

When are beers better "hard" poured rather than "soft" poured? One of my favorite stouts, Left Hand's "Nitro Milk Stout," is supposed to be poured "hard" (rapidly dumping the whole bottle in the cup by holding it completely upside down) Typical pouring was covered in a previous question: How do you pour the perfect beer In another question Guinness (a 'nitro' beer) was brought up as a special case: Why does Guinness have a special pouring process / bottle, while other stouts do not? Are all nitros poured differently than carbonated beers? And are all nitros poured the same (or very similar) way? (i.e. all carbonated are "soft" poured and all nitros are "hard" poured)

Why do some beers seem to make people feel more full? I know several people who refuse to drink stouts, or will only have 2 as opposed to 4 if we were drinking something else (generally a bock or lighter beer). I feel like I drank less of them too, and it is always to the same end; feeling too full to drink another. I remember looking it up at some point and the Calories & ABV were negligibly different. There must be a reason, I know several people who feel the same way. Since then I've just assumed that it is psychosomatic and that the fuller taste makes you feel more full.

The hoppiest of IPAs... They're good at any (preferably every ) meal. Joking aside, I would personally choose something like a porter, though I have a fairly strong bias toward them. Something with a fuller taste seems appropriate though, since (in my opinion) is would work quite well with the potatoes.

the beers you mention as filling are heavier beers, with much higher starch contents than the lighter beers that are less filling. Basically in brewing you have the following process: before you add yeast you convert some (or all in theory) of the starches to sugar. Then you add yeast. Then that converts the sugars into alcohol. Starches remain as starches. This is a property that older beers made use of to a large extent. Remember that the darker, heavier beers evolved as a bread substitute for fasting monks. They wouldn't be much of a bread substitute if they weren't filling.

To be honest, I think drinking carbonated (with CO2 at least) beer from pewter is asking for trouble if you do it regularly. The tang you feel is dissolved metal and a component of that, depending on the pewter, may be lead (or could be copper, tin, bismuth, antimony, etc). A major factor in that is acidity, and both hops and carbonation contribute. Acidic solutions react with metals to produce hydrogen gas and dissolved metal salts. So carbonic acid from carbonated beer will react with the tin to produce hydrogen and tin carbonate, and the same basic process with other metals. The specific metal that reacts will depend on the pewter. There are some ways around this. You could, for example, coat the inside of the vessel with bees wax. This can then be washed by hand with hot tap water and soap (and is a common method in making drinking horns). This has the pro/con (depending on your taste) of imparting a slight honey taste to everything you drink out of the vessel.

Beers served on nitro have only about 25-40% of the dissolved carbon dioxide compared to regular beers served only on CO 2 . For stouts, the figure is usually closer to 25% - 40% is for lagers served on nitro. With only 25% of the carbon dioxide, there is less concern of creating too large a foam. Plus the nitrogen causes the foam to be made of very very small bubbles, which readily turn back into beer. You can see this as the cascade (video) after the beer has been poured hard into the glass. If the beer served on nitro has more than 35% CO 2 then it's a good idea to reduce how hard you pour - as the percentage of CO 2 increases, so does the size of the foam with a hard pour.

In Germany there are two other possibilities: adding the yeast at 0°C so there will be almost no production of alcohol stopping the fermentation process at an alcohol level of 0,5%

This of course is pretty subjective, but I will try to answer it anyway. I would say that the choice of beer in this case should depend on one of this factors: You want to accompany or match the taste of the steak and seasoning. You want to have the beer as a regular drink nearby that does not disturb the taste of the steak. I will assume that you only use salt and pepper for seasoning. Case 1 : For this, I would recommend a Dunkel (dark lager). From my experience, it compliments the taste of the steak and seasoning, without disturbing it. The taste does not sit in your mouth too long, thus if you wait a moment (few seconds) between beer and the mashed potatoes, it should not cause any trouble with them, too. Case 2 : If the beer is just meant as a drink nearby that should not disturb the taste of the meat, any lighter Pils (pale lager) should be fine. It does not have a long lasting taste, goes well with mashed potato and does not clash with the steak. Disclaimer : I am from Germany, thus my choices might be a bit... regional. All of the above are just personal recommendations, based on my experience.

How long can you store beer? Assuming a relatively cool and stable environment, how long can you store beer in: Bottles Wooden barrels Metallic barrels Cans (Yes, I really asked that.) without it loosing its carbonation and taste or going off? Are there general rules that apply to any sort of beer or is this highly specific? (Please note that this question is not about intentionally aging the beer, just storing it.)

In what amounts is beer beneficial to ones health? As pointed out in Are there any medicinal uses for beer? , beer has some beneficial effects on ones health. Assuming a beer with average alcohol level and an average, healthy adult, how much would be a healthy amount to drink on regular bases? Also, how would the alcohol influence the health benefits?

Do open container laws in the U.S. apply to non-alcoholic beers? Do open container laws in the U.S. apply to non-alcoholic beers? (Open container laws do vary from state to state but there may be a general consensus on definitions, e.g. the definition of "an alcoholic beverage." Focusing on the most populous states, California, Texas, New York, and Florida may be a good estimator of widely-applicable laws.) I'm not looking for speculation (however logical) e.g. "Non-alcoholic beers still have alcohol and are therefore subject to the same laws," or "Non-alcoholic beers can't be purchased by minors, therefore [...]," only citations of state laws or on-the-record statements by law enforcement officials.

Can quick beer cooling have a negative effect on the beer's taste? Is there a difference if we compare the classical cooling of the whole keg : and the quick flow cooling where the keg is at the ambient temperature? Can the quick cooling have negative effect on the beer's taste or head?

Can a brewery in California fill any growler? There has been some confusion around the laws regarding "refillable containers" in California. At times, I have been told that a brewery cannot refill another brewery's growler. At other times, I have been told that a brewery may (or by their discretion, may not) refill. I own growlers from at least 3 different breweries, and I have friends who have many more -- it makes sense to me that I should be able to take any clean container to a brewery which offers growlers, and have it filled. What do the actual laws of California state, regarding who can refill and into what vessels?

In California, it only applies to alcoholic beverages. California Vehicle Code 23223 : Possession of Open Container in Motor Vehicle (a) No driver shall have in his or her possession, while in a motor vehicle upon a highway or on lands, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 23220, any bottle, can, or other receptacle, containing any alcoholic beverage that has been opened, or a seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed. (b) No passenger shall have in his or her possession, while in a motor vehicle upon a highway or on lands, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 23220, any bottle, can, or other receptacle containing any alcoholic beverage that has been opened or a seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed.

Which types of beer are commonly used for half-and-half beers? Which types of beer are commonly used to create half-and-half beers? In frequent recipes are only beers of contrasting colours being used (like pilsener vs porter or pale lager vs stout) or other combinations are being commonly used too? What are some of the most popular recipes?

In a Half and Half (also known as a "Black and Tan" in certain locations), the primary factor will be the density of the two beers -- one beer must be of a lesser density than the other to stay afloat. Contrasting colors are used for visual effect; otherwise, how might you know one was floating? Common recipes involve floating the less dense Guinness over a Bass, or a Guinness over a Harp Lager. Its Guinness' particular light density that makes it a good candidate for so many half-and-half style recipes.

Personally when creating a "Half and Half", Guiness is the only constant. The other beer is usually something only lighter in color. Wheat beers have an interesting flavor. IPA's have their bitterness cut when made into a Half and Half. Beyond that, I will sometimes select the beer so that the drink gets an awesome name: Black and Blue - Guiness w/ Labatt Blue Black Sunset - Guiness w/ Leinie's Sunset Wheat Black Cow - Guiness w/ New Glarus Spotted Cow

They can, provided that they: Cover up existing labels Add their own label containing the brewery name, beer name, and abv. Are a brewery (bars and retailers cannot). You're not alone in being confused, though. A lot of breweries didn't really know either, and as a result decided not to, just to be safe. Further complicating the issue is that many breweries just don't want to, either because they make money on their growlers or because it's a pain to deal with the labeling when their bar is busy. SFGate has a decent article for further reading.

As long the beer's sealed, there should be no difference in taste due to rapid or slow cooling. Lowering the temperature only increases the solubility of CO 2 , which should dissolve later. Temperature itself does impact taste, supposedly due to our taste buds being number in cold, hiding certain flavors (which can be desirable or undesirable depending on the beer). But this isn't related to the rate of cooling of beer.

I think a some of it is psychological - I too remember struggling to drink down a pint of Guinness. But now I can put away plenty! The darker color and dense head give the perception of a bigger beer. But in reality most pub Stouts such as Guinness are quite light beers, in terms of their physical density (specific gravity) so it's not that they are physically harder to drink. Some reasons that Stouts can taste and feel heavier: Stouts tends to be more bitter, so tougher to drink for those not used to it Serving on N 2 ("Nitro") creates the illusion of a thicker mouthfeel (it's not fully understood at present quite why that is) The lower CO 2 levels removes a certain "light" quality from the beer. Beers with more CO 2 feel lighter, effervescent and easier to drink. Of course, there are some stouts that really are fuller bodied, but I focused on Guinness simply because that's the one most available throughout the world and yet is counter-intuitively lighter than typical pub beers.

I can think of three possible impacts this scheme might have on a keg of beer. Since the keg is kept at room temperature, if the beer is unpasteurized the flavor will evolve at a faster rate than refrigerated beer would. This isn't a change due to the quick cooling, per se, but it is a possibly major difference. As mentioned by @acheong, the CO2 solubility of beer is significantly lower at room temperature, so keeping the beer properly carbonated becomes a more difficult task. Specifically, you have to keep the pressure much higher, making the serving pressure higher, which makes the complex calculus of draft line measurements that much harder. Chill haze could be an issue. If the brewer didn't take steps to prevent it, there'll be haze-inducing proteins in suspension. If the beer is stored cool, these will quickly fall out, but if it's kept warm and only cooled at the time it's served, they'll end up in your glass.

You're right to have identified a peculiar flavor coming from pewter. There are two parts to this: the leaching of the metals as mentioned by Chris as well as the oxidation of lipids in your mouth. In my opinion neither of these is particularly pleasant. That being said, when pewter was phased out in favor of glass, there were many who held on to their pewter tankards for drinking porter. Ron Pattinson shares an anecdote about an Irish MP who would hide his pewter mug under the table to avoid the critical eye of others in the pub. Today you might get a similar reaction from craft beer drinkers appalled at your treatment of the beer.

I think it all depends on your personal preference. There are many different combinations out there such as the Black and Tan, but some companies have also started coming out with six packs that they intend for you to mix. Shock Top, for example, released a six pack that featured their Chocolate Wheat and their Belgium White. What I would do is think of a dark beer you enjoy and then a lighter (but still flavorful beer) that you like and just experiment with mixing them. In my case I would choose to mix Left Hand Milk Stout and a Kentucky Kolsch. Let me know what you try! I am curious!

A pictty good summary: (Source: BeerSci: What Is The Difference Between A Lager And An Ale? ) The first part of the picture depicts the description in my answer about where the yeast "works," the temperatures at which they work, and then some common types of ales/lagers. The second picture shows S. cerevisiae (common ale yeast) and a wild yeast S. eubayanus making some new cold tolerant yeast strain babies that are the common lager yeast (S. pastorianus). Note: my biology is rusty but from my reading and looking at the picture, this is what I derived. (From @Grohlier's comment)

What's the difference between a cask beer and a kegged beer? Cask ales seem popular outside of the US (especially in the UK). What distinguishes that style of beer from beer out of a normal keg?

Cask ales are not stored under pressure , and require a pump to transfer the beer from the cask. As the ale is not under pressure, it is also not as heavily carbonated as other beers. In contrast kegged beer is stored under pressure, and is forced to the tap by pumping gas into the keg (usually carbon dioxide or nitrogen).

How was beer brewed before the discovery of Yeast? Yeast was identified as the cause of fermentation in the 1800s, but beer has been around since long before then. How was fermentation started before the intentional introduction of yeast? Was it all lambic-style ambient yeast, or what?

There is no production of alcohol without yeast. Before the "discovery" (better: selection and cultivation) of the Yeasts we know and use today, humans had to rely on luck. Its a wild fermentation, many different microbes and fungi are competing for their nutrition (sugar). The problem here is: Many yeasts produces fusel alcohol, i.e. methyl alcohol (which can cause blindness). Other bacteria could cause the fermentation to vinegar. So the resulting product seldom was good, mostly it was not drinkable for us today ;) Since the cultivation of special yeasts it's possible to control the fermentation, while adding a big amount of the yeast. So this yeast has a big advantage over others. Further the produced alcohol and carbondioxyde protects the beverage from other organisms.

There are many plants where yeast grows in symbiotic mutuality. Take fresh dark grapes - the slight white "sediment" on the surface is natural yeast, and you won't find grapes without it. Another such plant is barley. Normally, the yeast only appears on the seeds, in relatively small amounts. Malting creates optimal environment for the yeast growth though, making the whole volume of the seed (as opposed to just the surface) nutritious for the yeast, and as it grows, it produces alcohol. Sure there is always a risk that a different culture of fungi or bacteria takes over, killing off the yeast (and e.g. producing vinegar instead of alcohol) but if brewing is performed in relative cleanliness, with little contaminants that could disrupt the process, the natural yeast will take over and dominate it, killing off all competing cultures. Currently, cultured yeast provide a kick-start to the process, simply leaving no time for different cultures to dominate the batch, and radically shortening the process that would normally take a long time until natural yeast reaches concentrations you create by just adding cultured yeast, but it's not essential to the process - it's just a strong push in the right direction.

Does beer really help to improve muscles? I have heard from many people that beer helps to improve muscles. Generally one way to improve muscle is by exercise (maybe dance, gym, games). As far as I know, beer (alcohol) is a diuretic, which makes kidney produce more urine, so drinking beer too much can lead to dehydration. So the combination of beer and exercise (sweating) would lead to a worse condition. So my question's are: Does it really help to improve muscle? If it does, then how? And when should it can be taken? Before or after exercise?

What type of beer require the most time to produce? Of all types of beer, what type of beer require the most time to produce?

This is pretty good explanation Source: Twenty Things Worth Knowing About Beer.

The time it takes to make beer can be anywhere from 10 days to several months. There are a few factors that determine how long a beer takes to be ready to drink. The original gravity of the beer (gravity measure the amount of sugar in the wort), the type and strain of yeast used, and alcohol content of the finished beer. Other factors such as any adjuncts used in the beer can affect this as well. For example, a low gravity, low alcohol ale using an efficient yeast strain can be ready to drink in as little as 10 days. However a heavy lager beer can take 2-3 months to complete and some Belgian yeast strains can take several weeks to complete fermentation. Some beers go through additional conditioning post-fermentation before they are at their prime to drink. This conditioning may include simple bottle conditioning or barrel-aging to impart different flavors. There are some barrel-ages stout beers that have taken 18+ months to complete the process before the brewer feels they are ready to serve.

Before brewers discovered the importance of yeast in the brewing process they had to rely on the local wild yeasts for fermentation. Louis Pasteur discovered the importance of yeast to brewing in 1857. Ancient brewers still used the same process of mashing the grains to extract sugars for fermentation and adding hops for bittering and preservation. As a side note, prior to the use of hops in brewing brewers used a mix of herbs called "gruit" which provided flavoring but no preservation. Certain areas of the world are known to have wild yeasts better suited to brewing and still produce beers of this style today, such as Belgian lambics.

In short, no. The time it takes to cool a beer will not have an impact on the flavor of a beer. However there are certain temperatures that are preferred for serving certain beers. The most damaging thing to beer flavor is light pollution. When in direct light, isohumulones from the bittering agents in hops can react with riboflavin (Vitamin B2) in beer and produce 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol (MBT) which has a noticeable skunky flavor and aroma.

Cask beer is not kept under pressure whereas Keg beer is (with CO2 or a nitrogen mixture). Beers served in Cask vs Keg (w/ CO2) vs Keg (w/ Nitro) will have slightly different tastes and appearances. Cask beer will be a "flatter" due to the lack of pressure keeping the CO2 in solution in the beer. Cask beer can also take on a butterscotch flavor due to the exposure to air. Hoppy beers will be mellowed in the Cask vs in a Keg. Beer in a cask needs to be drank within a few days of opening the cask due to the exposure to oxygen. Kegs served with CO2 are typically how beers are served. If the keg is using a Nitro tap, the beer will get a smoother milky texture due to the gas and the head will cascade in waves. The beer will last much longer in a keg because of the gas keeping oxygen away from the beer.

The most time? I'd think Gueze. It is a blend of 1 and 2 (and sometimes 3) year old lambic. So the minimum time to produce would be 2 years.

In addition to what's said, a major caveat is sour beer. Modern breweries have managed to coax and trick lagers into being ready without months of expensive aging, but there is no way to hurry a sour. The bacteria and wild yeast strains that make those flavors require specific conditions, and changing those conditions changes the rates of their activity and the flavor of the beer. Lambics in particular are often blended and contain "young" beer, which is only a year old, and "old" beer which can be 3 or 4 years, or more. Then the beer is aged an additional year in the bottle, but can be kept for 10 years or more.

Is there formaldehyde in beer? Is there formaldehyde in beer? If there is, what purpose does it serve?

You don't need to know what something is to use it effectively. Though yeast was only identified as a microorganism recently, it has been known as the cause of fermentation for many centuries. It's easy to underestimate how sophisticated people throughout history were. Before yeast was monocultured in labs it was actively cultured by brewers. They would transfer the yeast cake from a batch that's finishing into a recently-brewed batch. This cake contained a whole ecosystem of yeasts and bacterias, but a few strains were usually dominant. By applying artificial selection brewers developed different strains of yeast in different areas. The yeast culture was the make-or-break characteristic of a brewery, and defined the styles of beer that could be produced more than any other factor (other than water in Burton). Evidence of this process comes from the history of lager: bottom-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) emerged in the fifteenth century as a direct result of the cold storage regime of northern brewers such as Carlsberg. They may not have known it was a microorganism, but middle ages brewers most certainly knew that yeast was the cause of fermentation. That's why they called it "Godisgood".

Should English/English-style beers be served warmer, since that is how the taste was developed? Given that the British tend to drink their beer at a higher temperature than those of us in the US, should beer brewed in an English style be consumed that way? The justification I can think of is: the people developing the taste of the beer probably consumed it at a certain temperature, which might have not been the ice-cold levels that predominate in the Colonies.

There may be a general consensus for the "proper" serving temperature, which could involve questions like "what do most people seem to like?", and "what temperature does the brewer feel best accentuates the parts of the beer they want to highlight?". So there are good reasons for beer to be served at particular temperatures. In the case of your British bitters, age-old recipes were probably designed to allow the beer to taste its best at room temperature. As for a modern British beer, I suppose that would depend on what the brewer had in mind. That said, my general thought is that you should drink a beer at the temperature you most like it, so the should part of your question is self-determined, and don't let anyone tell you that your taste buds are wrong. Myself, I tend to like my American IPAs cooler than the typical recommended serving temperature. And before I visited the UK, I couldn't stand a room temperature beer. Then, after a week in Tunbridge Wells, I picked up a large appreciation for hand-pumped UK beer, served at room temp. So you should open yourself to trying new things as well.

Serving temperature is, of course, a preference. Serve it frozen or boiling if you want. However, a few opinions are: CAMRA says that Real Ale (aka cask ale, usually english-style) should be served at 12-14 °C (54-57 °F), which is colder than room temperature, but warmer than your usually keg beer. Ratebeer says the same thing regardless of whether it’s cask or not. BeerAdvocate says 7-10 °C (45-50 °F) for an english bitter. So, if you’re looking for a rule of thumb: “cool but not super-cold” or “cellar temp” will probably get you close enough.

Will drinking too much of beer increase the size of belly? Someone told me that drinking beer will increase the size of our belly. Is it true? Since I don’t drink beer, I don’t have any idea about that.

Most beer has a lot of calories. Just like any other calorie intake, if you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight. So, yes, drinking "too much" beer will "increase the size of belly". What "too much" means, however, is dependent on your other habits. The typical "(beer | pot) (belly | gut)" is usually " Abdominal Obesity " which, by definition, means obesity in the abdominal area specifically, i.e. the belly.

There might be trace amounts of it due to the oxidization of methanol from partially fermented sugars. But unless it is added to beer, not enough to be significant as opposed to other compounds that are present.

Use Formaldehyde can be used as a cheap clarification agent (making the beer clear; irish moss is a safe additive used for the same purpose). However, as it's a known carcinogen, it should be used very minimally. Prevalence TLDR: It's not widely used, and its use is in decline. Here's a reasonably well-sourced article on it. It was hard to find any good sources on it, but: Various articles and blog posts seem to indicate there may be some in a few Chinese beers. Most beers with formaldehyde have below the WHO safety limit, and so are fine to drink. Some sources seem to say that formaldehyde may occur naturally in some brewing processes, but only in trace (and safe) amounts.

A beer belly comes not so much from beer and the frequent drinking of it as it does with the food that is typically associated with beer (for example, burgers, pizza, etc... very high in calories).

What beers are good for making shandy? If I'm looking for a beer to make shandy with, what should I be looking for, in terms of flavour?

It seems as though lighter beers are the most popular: In northern Germany, a half-and-half made of Pilsner beer and lemon soda is known as an Alster In southern Germany, a mix of Weißbier and lemon soda is called a "Russ'" (Russian). The Radler (cyclist) Biermischgetränk has a long history in German-speaking regions. It consists of a 80:20 or 70:30 mixture of beer and German-style lemonade (not American-style lemonade, but sparkling lemon soda, similar but not identical to Sprite or 7 Up). From wikipedia In general, shandies are meant to be "refreshing" drinks, so the lighter beers makes sense. You can get creative with dark or hoppy beers, but in general you want lighter brews like pilsners, saisons, golden ales, etc.

I've had the Leinenkugel's Orange Shandy recently, which I liked. Most shandys (shandies?) seem to be lemon, this one was orange. I think using orange and something with a distinctly Belgian taste instead of a basic pilsner could be interesting. Think Blue Moon which everybody puts a slice of orange in anyway.

tl;dr—Yes, but only at safe levels. Formaldehyde was detected in beer, at safe levels, as far back as 1983: A simple procedure was developed for the determination of formaldehyde in samples of beer and soft drinks. [...] Levels of formaldehyde found were in the low mg/kg range. Detection limits were less than 0.1 mg/kg of sample. Lawrence, J. F. and Iyengar, J. R. The Determination of Formaldehyde in Beer and Soft Drinks by HPLC of the 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazone Derivative. 1983; published online 2006. [URL] A more recent study summarizes how China came under scrutiny, but also how industry standards have changed since (emphasis mine, hereon): In 2005, various Chinese newspapers reported that formaldehyde was detected in 95% of the samples of Chinese commercial bottled beers tested in the course of a journalistic investigation. The addition of formaldehyde during mashing is allowed in China, and it is believed to improve the clarity of the resulting wort and beer and the colloidal stability of the latter. Nevertheless, the hygienic standard for fermented alcoholic beverages in China was revised, to stipulate that the formaldehyde content of the finished beer must not exceed 2 mg/L. Wu, Q. et al. Investigation into Benzene, Trihalomethanes, and Formaldehyde in Chinese Lager Beers. 2012. [PDF] From the abstract of the same paper, Beers brewed commercially in China have been surveyed for the presence of a number of potential contaminants, including benzene, trihalomethanes and formaldehyde. [...] Formaldehyde was measured in 29 beers (including 7 imported brands) using solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization. Formaldehyde levels were between 0.082–0.356 mg/L. None of the beer samples exceeded WHO drinking water criteria for benzene, trihalomethanes or formaldehyde. The researchers compared their results to existing literature, which they found were similar: Donhauser and co-workers examined beers from Europe, using a HPLC method, and showed that 65% of them contained detectable formaldehyde, although in many the level was close to the detection limit of 0.2 mg/L. More recently, the South Korean Food and Drug Administration has analysed imported beers (13 from China and 4 from Germany). They found that the average content of formaldehyde was 0.132 mg/L, which was compatible with food safety legislation. (I couldn't find a free link to the above-referenced material, only a citation .) Apparently, formaldehyde does appear naturally in the brewing process (though, again, I couldn't find the study, only another citation ): Borchert has confirmed that formaldehyde can be formed naturally in the brewing process, thus beers can contain up to 0.1 mg/L of formaldehyde, even when none is used in the brewery. Anyway, formaldehyde no longer seems preferred as a clarification agent, as a substitute exists: To meet consumer expectations and to avoid further problems, more and more breweries now choose PVPP as a replacement product for the clarification of wort and beer.

What is the German Beer Purity Law? I see some US beers advertising that they brew according to the "German Beer Purity Law." What is that, and is it still relevant today?

The German Beer Purity Law, also know as the Reinheitsgebot , dictates what ingredients may be used to create beer in Germany: barley, hops, and water. It dates back to 1487, which is why you may notice the omission of yeast : it hadn't been recognized as an ingredient yet. The law was removed from the books in 1993, and replaced by another similar law which allowed yeast, sugar, and some of the more common brewing ingredients. In the case of a US brewery making such a claim, it's a sort of advertisement toward the "purity" of their product, i.e., they don't use adjuncts (rice, etc) or other flavorings (fruit, spices) in their beer.

The purity law has been introduced to regulate the production of beer in the Holy Roman Empire . The original text stipulated that the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops. The "Reinheitsgebot" has actually survived the Holy Roman Empire. Many German brewers are proud of this heritage and claim to stick to it. It's relevance today is commercial. It's used as a label for marketing reasons.

In addition to what's been said, the original purpose of the order was to protect consumers from brewers who used problematic (toxic/psychoactive) herbs to preserve their beer, instead forcing them to use hops. Also only using barley allowed wheat and rye to be used exclusively by bakers to keep the cost of bread down. One could argue the tradition has kept German brewers from innovating, and also keeps a lot of interesting styles out of reach. Most Belgian-style beers, despite having a similar heritage to German styles, will include candi sugar and spices like anise and coriander. Technically, sour beers are also out. Also, a lot of the Trappist ales will use sugar adjuncts. Today, it's mostly a statement of adherence to tradition, which can carry good marketing weight. But this is beer, not marketing.

Can beer be recarbonated? I was perusing a question about uses for flat beer (" Are there any good uses for beer that has sat in my growler for too long? ") when I came across an answer that mentioned " any use that doesn't require it to be carbonated would be fitting ". If I have flat beer, and I have, say, a sodastream (or some such), can I effectively re-carbonate my beer? What would be the disadvantage to doing so?

Sodastream: maybe, but at your own risk. According to Sodastream's FAQ , "You risk damaging your soda maker, not to mention making a big fizzy mess!". However, there are a few articles discussing how to carbonate non-water with one. Anecdotes vary: It overpressurized and sprayed beer everywhere It worked fine, but go slow Wild success! Some tips: It will definitely void your warranty Use plastic, not glass, bottles to avoid shrapnel if you make a mistake. Take your time; most reports indicate it's easy to over-carbonate your beer.

Add sugar to bottle-conditioned beer Warning : This method is error-prone, high-effort, and probably not worth your time. Could be fun, though. :) Most commercial beer is force-carbonated . That is to say, the beer is produced and ready to drink (minus the fizz) before they put it in the bottle and mechanically carbonate the beer. Beer that is bottle-conditioned or bottle-fermented , however, is put into a bottle with some extra sugar. The beer is intentionally left with a little of the yeast from the fermentation process, and is sealed with the sugar. The yeast then does it's normal thing: it eats the sugar and excretes alcohol plus carbon-dioxide. Since the bottle is sealed, the CO2 has nowhere to go, so it goes into dissolution in the beer, giving you that fizz. Most bottled homebrew will be like this. So, if you have a beer that is both flat and was bottle-conditioned (and therefore still has some yeast in it), you might be able to bottle-ferment it again: Add a very small amount of sugar to the bottle. Table sugar works, although corn sugar (which you can find from a brew store) is ideal. It'll be really hard to get the right amount (about 0.083 oz), so I recommend pre-measured tablets of the stuff: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/munton-s-carb-tabs.html Seal the bottle somehow. If you have a bottle-capper and some caps, that'd be ideal. Otherwise, you might be able to get by with a soda bottle and cap. If you're really lucky, your beer is in a swing top bottle. Wait a week, maybe a couple to be sure. If you're lucky, there's enough viable yeast in the bottle to start acting again (now that it has new sugar to eat), which will create more CO2 and recarbonate the bottle.

First, let's say there is what is considered "proper", and then there is personal-preference. To be a good Cicerone, know what is "proper" but also show tolerance for personal preference. With that out the way, it's definitely considered the "proper" thing to do to serve English beers warmer than ice-cold. Many of the delicate malty flavours you get from English malt, the fruitiness from esters produced by the English yeast, plus grassy, herbal or floral tones from the hops are muted greatly when the beer is served too cold. Some people say it's served at room room temperature. Modern room temperature of around 20°C/68°F is too warm. The ideal serving temperature is a cold cellar - typically around 12°C;55°F.

The Vikings used to brew beer (some of us still do!). They did this without the specific knowledge of yeast. Each family owned a stock of wood that belonged to the family brewery which was used to stir the wort prior to fermentation. This inoculated the wort and provided the yeast needed for fermentation. Although they didn't know why it happened, they did know that unless they used the stirring stock, they wouldn't get beer.

What food pairs well with an IPA? Consider your average american IPA. What food would go well with it?

Cured meats - the saltiness of the meat and bitterness in the IPA play well together.

Just like everyone else said, it's a preference. I alway say that the darker the beer, the warmer it has to be, so here are my rules: - Light beer/White beer/Kriek : In the fridge and goes in the freezer for a couple of minutes before serving - Golden beer : In the fridge - Amber beer : In the fridge and stay at room temperature for a couple of minutes before serving - Dark beer : At room temperature and goes in the fridge before serving - Stout : At room temperature at all time.

As a complete novice to food pairings with beer, I've been looking at this nifty pairing chart on http://www.craftbeer.com [PDF] whenever pairing questions have come up on Beer.SE. According to it, the suggested pairing for an IPA is Strong, spicy food (classic with curry!); bold, sweet desserts like carrot cake and for a Double/Imperial IPA is Smoked beef brisket, grilled lamb; Southern chicken-fried steak. I found a great little summary by Michael Agnew (2012) that explains some of the rationale behind these pairings (emphasis mine hereon): When pairing IPA with food you have three basic flavor hooks at your disposal; bitterness, hop flavor (spicy, grassy, herbal, earthy, and citrus), and caramel. Hop flavors have a great affinity for spices and light fruits. Bitterness has a cooling affect. Paired with spicy dishes , IPA will fan the flames at first, but douse them in the end. Bitterness also amplifies salty and umami flavors . The caramel flavors in the beer will latch onto the sweeter side of a dish, tying into things like caramelized onion or the crispy skins of roast poultry. And the hop acids and carbonation make IPAs great palate cleansers to take on even the fattiest deep-fried delights. Samuel Adams has a "Pair with Sam" tool, and looking at its suggested pairings for their Whitewater IPA (hoppier than their Latitude 48 IPA), pork appears to be the meat of choice: pulled pork, barbeque ribs, chorizo, roasted pork tenderloin, and sweet sausage ; and the rest of its suggestions align with the salty-and-spicy pattern we've seen. We seem to have found strong consensus already, but just one more to make sure. In Blue Point Brewing Company's words , its IPA pairings are meant to complement intensely flavorful, highly spiced dishes, such as curry, and bold, sweet desserts like flourless chocolate cake and crème brulée or rich, aromatic, spicy and smoked foods such as chili, BBQ ribs, grilled chicken, and beef. Actually, I think they stole those words from Wegmans' Guide to Beer and Food Pairing .

Who was Michael Jackson? Not referring to the internationally famous pop icon, of course. I have heard beer aficionados talk about someone named Michael Jackson, and it's clear that be played an important part in the modern beer world. Who was he, and what were those contributions?

He was an English author who was a noted expert on beer and whiskey, and he wrote a number of books on beer, probably most famously The World Guide to Beer .

How long can you age an ipa? I understand IPAs are less amenable to aging than, say, a barely wine. But how long, specifically, can you age an IPA - days, months, a year or two?

A half and half is a Guinness with Harp. This style of beer combination is accomplished by using a dense beer on the bottom followed by a beer of lesser density on the top (usually poured over a spoon to ensure that it doesn't sink through). Essentially it is usually an ale or lager underneath a stout. Some popular versions and combinations include The Trinity Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp Blacksmith Guinness & Smithwick’s Irish Ale Black & Black Guinness & Guinness Stout Black Pyramid Guinness & Pyramid Black & Gold Guinness & Magner’s Cider Black & Red Guinness & Killian’s Irish Red Black & Sam Guinness & Sam Adams Black & Fire Guinness & Firestone Black Coffee Guinness & Black Butte Porter Eclipse Guinness & Blue Moon Black Castle Guinness & Newcastle Black on Blonde Guinness & Stella Artois Black Tire Guinness & Fat Tire Black Torpedo Guinness & Sierra Nevada Dark & Steamy Guinness & Anchor Steam Irish American Guinness & Budweiser The Noogie Guinness & Pabst Blue Ribbon Half & Half Guinness & Harp Black & Tan Guinness & Bass San Patricios Guinness & Corona

United States Beer Shipping Laws Does anyone know about the laws when it comes to shipping beers to individual states? I am from Kentucky, which does not allow an individual to have alcohol shipped directly to their home address. Is there a way around this? Are the states doing anything that may legalize this? I would love to start being able to participate in beer of the month clubs.

DIPAs generally have a high enough ABV (7%+) to age for a few months...but you probably don't want to. Most contemporary IPAs and DIPAs are best drank within 3 weeks from the date of bottling. Stone's "Enjoy By" Series gives you 5 weeks to drink the IPA if properly refrigerated. Super hop-bursted IPAs with a ton of aroma like Heady Topper recommend to drink them within 2 days, claiming the flavor and aroma begins to degrade after only a few hours if unrefrigerated. One notable exception is Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA which is super high ABV and can probably be considered a barleywine for the purpose of aging. Less intense IPAs like Long Trail's Vermont IPA could probably keep up to 2 months, maybe 3 with really good refrigeration but not much beyond that without starting to taste real strange and losing a lot of their floral and herbal notes.

To add some information, he was known as the "Beer Hunter". He would travel around the world in the pursuit of new beers. Unfortunately he died in 2007. Wikipedia has quite a lot more info about his life if you are interested. His website, which is called Beer Hunter, contains parts of his work and is accessible here

Porter in the Marketplace Recently, I traveled to Denver, CO, and though I didn't go for beer-specific purposes, I took advantage of a few breweries (and taphouses) that were conveniently close to my hotel. The one I was most excited about was Great Divide, mostly because I had discovered their Saint Bridget's Porter years beforehand. I did not keep track of this beer, however, and was disappointed to find that they no longer produced it. The bartender informed me that this was because "porters don't do well in the marketplace." Is this a common opinion among brewers? Could it just be regional to Denver? What might the reasoning be behind this?

I'm not sure about Kentucky, but it seems to be legal here in NY. I've never ordered beer online as the shipping prices are astronomical and I've got a pretty decent beer distributor down the block with a large selection. With that said, the way it seems to work is that the delivery person (whether it be UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, etc) ID's you at the door when you sign for the package. I've got a big dog (Neapolitan Mastiff) though, so my package carriers usually just sign for me and run for the hills when they have the displeasure of delivering something to my house haha. So I'm not sure if they'd bother checking my ID if I ever bought beer online. I'm perfectly legal drinking age though, so it doesn't matter. With that said, you'd probably be best off looking through your local laws and maybe start a petition to have it legalized. I don't think its in the best interests of this community to be discussing loopholes in the law (despite how much I hate the government). I say start a petition, maybe it'll become a proposition and be placed on the ballot come election day. The only other option would be to have it shipped to another address in a border state if you live near the border. No online beer distributor is going to violate the law or tamper with it to make a buck, there's too much liability; they could lose their license and be put out of business.

TL;DR: Yes, but they're growing. This chart shows, for craft beer sold in 2012, the relative portion of the market each style made up, with IPA being the most popular (a relatively new occurrence). Porters do not even show up. Here's another for 2011 showing porters as quite low on the list. This chart shows the year-over-year increase in sales by style. You'll note here that, at least in 2011, porters weren't growing very fast either. More recent data was a little hard to come by, but it seems that the overall sales numbers are unlikely to change that much in a couple years: IPAs, Pale ales, Ambers and Amber Lagers are probably still topping the charts. So it's not that porters don't sell at all, but they're certainly not top earners. Drifting into conjecture, I would say that the people interested in 'big beers' will take a stout over a porter, and those interested in a more subtle beer will go for a brown or an amber, leaving porters in a bit of a no-man's-land in the middle.

Why do beer bottles overflow when hit from above? You're holding a bottle of beer, mostly full A prankster comes up and hits your bottle from above with hers. Yours immediately and violently overflows (while hers stays unaffected). See this short video . Of special note is the fact that this does not occur when a beer bottle is hit from below or on the sides. What mechanism causes this? Is it a property of beer, or of glass beer bottles, or something else?

tl;dr Tapping the top causes compression waves started through the air in the opening (which is why it only works from the top.) The compression waves bounce at the bottom and become expansion waves. The compression and expansion causes agitation which foams up the beer. Tell me more... The layman's summary from Scientists discover why beer bottles overflow after a sudden impact : A lot happens in the short period of time between tap and torrent. The moment some jerk clocks your bottle's mouth, a compression wave travels down through the glass. When the wave hits bottom, it's reflected as an expansion wave that travels through the beer. These waves keep bouncing back and forth, with the compression waves breaking up the CO2 bubbles in your beer into thousands of incredibly tiny microbubbles, and the expansion waves causing those microbubbles to violently expand into skyrocketing plumes. The result? Millions and millions of expanding CO2 bubbles turn your beer into foam shooting out of your bottle. With any luck, it spills all over your jerk friend's pants. The abstract from the published article : A sudden vertical impact on the mouth of a beer bottle generates a compression wave that propagates through the glass towards the bottom. When this wave reaches the base of the bottle, it is transmitted to the liquid as an expansion wave that travels to free surface, where it bounces back as a compression wave. This train of expansion-compression waves drives the forced cavitation of existing air pockets, leading to their violent collapse. A cloud of very small daughter bubbles are generated upon these collapses, that expand much faster than their mothers due to their smaller size. These rapidly growing bubble clusters effectively act as buoyancy sources, what leads to the formation of bubble-laden plumes whose void fraction increases quickly by several orders of magnitude, eventually turning most of the liquid into foam.

Spicy foods. My personal favorite is stir fry. Something that isn't heavy on carbs is ideal, so with stir fry I go light on the noodles (or rice) and heavy on peppers, onions, and meat (usually chicken or beef). Again, don't use the milder sauces like teriyaki, use something with some kick.

When I visited Stella Artois brewery in Leuven (Belgium), they told us that they distributed the same beer in two kind of bottles. In brown reusable simply labeled bottles for distribution inside Belgium (note that it is a regular beer, the most drunk in Belgium), and in green more fancier labeled bottles with "imported" insciption on it for distribution around the world. In belgium Stella Artois is a normal cheap beer, but where I live, in Spain, it is sold as imported special beer and costs more than double. However, the liquid inside the bottles is the same. So it is just marketing strategy. The guy who showed us the brewery was clear. While people outside belgium are kind to pay more for a fancier bottle, they would distribute more expensive fancier bottles.

What constitutes a Pale Ale? I ask this because I just ordered an "American Pale Ale" and it's actually quite dark in color. So how can I tell a pale ale? What actually defines an ale as pale ?

A pale ale is traditionally an ale that is is brewed predominantly with pale malt and is hop forward. Brewers often add additional malts in order to achieve whatever it is that they're specifically trying to achieve for a given beer, and a pale ale with some caramel or crystal malt will indeed have a darker coloration though on the whole the properties of the beer may still mean that it resides within the definition of the pale ale style.

It's historical. The "Pale" in Pale Ale is mostly historical. In the 18th century, most beers were dark due to being produced with barley malt that was kilned or roasted over wood fires. But from England emerged a new technique using pale malts , cured in coke-fuelled kilns . This applied to both ales and lagers, resulting in beers that were bronze, copper or gold—and while you wouldn't look at such colors today and consider them notably "pale," they certainly were pale in contrast to beers back then. In the turn of the 19th century and beyond, the style spread from England to the rest of Europe— When a new brewery was built in Pilsen in Bohemia in 1842, a coke-fired kiln was imported from England. The result was the first golden lager, Pilsner Urquell, which was made possible by British ingenuity and technical advance. http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/features/ipa.htm Note that American Pales are distinct from India Pales as well as from American India Pales. See my answer about the differences between styles of IPAs .

The American Pale Ale (also known as APA) is normally a light-colored ale that is traditionally hoppy with light malt flavor. But its formal description is a little bit more flexible. It's defined as a very balanced style. It originates from the English Pale Ales. The BJCP describes it as the following (short version): Aroma : Moderate to strong hop. Citrusy hop is very common. Also, low to moderate maltiness. Appearance : Pale golden to deep amber. Moderately large white to off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear. Taste : Pretty much the same as aroma. Mouthfeel : Medium-light to medium-full body. For more information see here !

How accurate is Alcohol by Volume in beer? If I get a beer labelled 5% ABV, how accurate is that measurement likely to be?

tl;dr — By regulation, ±0.3-0.5%. Chemically speaking, I'm not sure—maybe someone else can go into measuring techniques, alterations (continued fermentation?) during distribution, etc. But countries and regions specify tolerances for error. In the United States, according to Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Part 7: Labeling and Advertising of Malt Beverages , §7.71: (c) Tolerances. (1) For malt beverages containing 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume, a tolerance of 0.3 percent will be permitted, either above or below the stated percentage of alcohol. Any malt beverage which is labeled as containing 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume may not contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, regardless of any tolerance. http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1affcd509f9614478fbbc0c85551765a&node=27:1.0.1.1.5.8.41.1&rgn=div8 In the EU, 0.5% vol. for beers having an alcoholic strength not exceeding 5.5 % vol. and beverages classified under subheading 22.07 B II of the Common Customs Tariff and made from grapes 1% vol. for beers having an alcoholic strength exceeding 5.5 % vol. and beverages classified under subheading 22.07 B I of the Common Customs Tariff and made from grapes; ciders, berries, fruit wines, and the like; beverages based on fermented honey 1.5 % vol. for beverages containing macerated fruit or parts of plants 0.3 % vol. for other beverages http://www.icap.org/table/alcoholbeveragelabeling

There are two ways a brewery can measure the abv: By wort gravity : by measuring the specific gravity of the wort (the sugar solution that the yeast ferment into beer) both before and after fermentation. The difference is the amount of sugar consumed, which can be used to approximate the amount of alcohol produced. By distillation : the sample is heated, so the water and ethanol (alcohol) evaporate off and are collected in a condenser. The specific gravity of this is measured, which can then be used to calculate the percentage of alcohol, since the densities of alcohol and water are both known. Both methods are exact and the accuracy is entirely due to the accuracy of the equipment used to measure. The least accurate and precise is the case of (say) a microbrewer using a regular glass hydrometer to measure the OG and FG (method 1 above) - these read to 4 significant digits, with an accuracy of +/-1 SG at best. Without getting into the details, the accuracy then is about +/-5% of the final value for a regular strength beer. So for a 5% beer, that would be +/-0.25%. With lab grade equipment, the accuracy of method 2 can be as good as 0.05%, since the specific gravities are measured with greater precision (and accuracy.) So our 5% beer would be with accuracy 0.0025%.

Why use clear or green bottles? In my experience, as well as accounts of others' experiences, it seems that clear and green bottles are inferior to brown bottles for storing beer. I know this is due to the amount of light allowed through the bottle. But why do breweries continue to use green and (especially) clear bottles? Why bother with a bottle that is more likely to allow beer to spoil?

Fully attributing the Berghoff Beer Blog for this interesting story (emphasis mine), Around World War II, brown glass rose in demand and many companies had to forfeit their brown glass for their country. Unfortunately that meant companies with higher quality beers had to use clear glass, which made their beers look like cheaper, clear glass beers. Higher quality brewers’ solution was to sell their beer in green bottles so a consumer could tell the difference between a regular beer and a higher quality. The green beer bottle became a status symbol for many European breweries. These days, there’s not much of a reason to sell a beer in a green bottle other than for marketing and aesthetic. Many companies use it to distinguish their beer from others. Of course, some beers have used green bottles for so long, it would seem silly to switch to a brown glass now. Lucky for us, glass suppliers are able to apply clear, UV protected coats to glass that help keep beer fresh no matter what kind of bottle it is in. [...] http://www.berghoffbeer.com/blog/what-does-the-color-of-your-beer-bottle-mean/ So, perhaps it's no longer the case that clear and green bottles are (noticeably) inferior to brown bottles! Edit: I failed to find historical sources for the above claims, even some indication of higher demand for brown glass during World War II. However, the story seems widely believed today, true or not.

Why is beer regulated differently than other types of alcohol? In the US there are tons of rules about alcohol that vary widely from state to state and at the federal level. For example you can brew your own beer in most states but you have to have a license for liquor. Similarly, wine tastings are usually OK but beer tastings are illegal in many places. I'm not asking about the specifics of how each law came to be, that would take an encyclopedia. Rather, I want to know if there was an overall philosophy that drove regulating beer differently from other alcohol. Did different companies or industry groups lobby for laws that benefited their product over other companies products? Was there an overall public sentiment that drove the differences?

I would expect that companies which use clear bottles don't expect their product to see that much sunlight, or that they think their customers won't notice a little skunking if it does see any. Anecdotally, I typically associate clear bottles with the larger brewers (Coors, Budweiser), and I don't think of those beers as having much in the way of hops, the source of the isohumulones which, when combined with light, create the "skunk". Wikipedia points out something interesting as well: In some cases, such as Miller High Life, a hop extract that does not have isohumulones is used to bitter the beer so it cannot be 'lightstruck'.

You'll probably do best keeping the room layout simple and as easily organized as possible. The main thing for the beer is to keep the temperature steady and relatively low (around 50F) and keep light out. Even with brown bottles there's still some UV penetration, which you want none of. So keep it dark when you're not in there and try to avoid florescent lighting when you're there. Keeping it organized also helps you minimize your time in there, which keeps light and temperature steady. I wouldn't worry too much about the air flow as long as it's not completely stagnant and all the areas of the room are getting some air of the right temperature. Liquid and glass hold temperature a lot better than air on their own so they won't have significant fluctuation once you get them where you want them. I think most collections prefer shallow shelves for this reason.

What kind of beer should I use when making beer & brats? Making beer & brats involves boiling bratwurst & sliced onions in beer and finishing the brats on the grill. What's a good beer to use to cook with and then drink with the brats once they're done?

Part of the answer has to do with how the beverages survived prohibition. Winemakers were allowed to continue producing various grape products like grape juice, and even sold home wine kits with explicit instructions on how to avoid making wine from them. Very tongue-in-cheek. A lot of liquor distillers managed to survive somewhat on their liquors being considered "medicinal". Beer, however, basically got demolished. Especially considering their suffering during World War 1, which had just ended when prohibition began. Any businesses that survived prohibition that used to be breweries either became producers of other products like ice cream or made barely alcoholic barley-based beverages. Brewing in the US was at a huge disadvantage coming out of prohibition, and the few surviving large companies managed to successfully lobby to have the new distribution laws written to benefit them. Also, as I mentioned wine and liquor sort of continued to be produced during Prohibition. This led to their presence in the speakeasies, and their inclusion in the invention of many new cocktails. People being used to them over the past few years, and the allure of being what was drank in speakeasies, acted as built in marketing. Which beer lacked. Finally, beer was much less transportable than wine or liquor, especially liquor. While localized wineries managed to survive, most people's local brewery had folded. Liquor and wine became go-to drinks, and the only beer being promoted was from a few larger companies that needed to ramp up to reach everyone. They were basically able to write their own ticket. We're sort of in the opposite place now where consumer demand is for beer instead of liquor and wine, and the demand is for beer that's coming from smaller and more regional breweries, which I imagine is how wine was back in the day. I am not an historian, some of this is inference from known fact rather than referenced fact, but I think it makes sense and hopefully it helps you.

Part of it is philosophical Why are airplane pilots regulated differently from car drivers? Because it's much easier to do damage with one vs the other. Likewise, it's a lot easier to get so drunk that you do something stupid (or just get alcohol poisoning) on liquor than beer. As such, they're treated differently. Part of it is political The companies that make beer are not generally the same ones that make liquor. Those two groups of companies also have different groups of lobbyists, who have pushed for laws at different times in different political climates. Part of it is practical Liquor and beer production face different logistical needs. For example: Beer has much higher shipping costs per dollar worth of product, so shipping rules might need to be different. Breweries have a need to keep their product cold at the point of sale, so it might make sense to have them sold in stores that already have coolers (like gas stations), whereas liquor companies wouldn't push as hard for that availability. Liquor has no equivalent of the brewpub, so they don't really care much about sales at their production facility. Beer has less consumer utility per unit of volume than liquor (ie, you need more of it to have the same amount of fun), so people generally need it closer to their houses. Since you don't need to buy liquor as often as you buy beer, it's more feasible to have centralized liquor stores Part of it is "moral" Especially on the US East coast, there are a lot of laws around booze with their origins in religious morality and the puritan aversion to alcohol. Beer, being seen as a "lesser evil", tends to have less opposition to laws that would increase its availability.

Go for lower alcohol and less hoppy. Alcoholic drinks on meat can give great flavor, but the alcohol has a tendency to dry out said meat. Some form of malty session beer would be great to cook with, if you had any near you. Rauchbier would probably work well, since that smoke flavor would really enhance the meat, but drinking it with it might be too much. If you do cook them this way, don't boil, just simmer for a while. What would probably be pretty pimp, would be to make a beer reduction with the onions and serve that on the brats. Sauté some onions, and right after they've started to caramelize, add some of a great malty beer...maybe a Marzen... and simmer it on medium heat until it starts to thicken up and make a syrupy sauce that sticks to the onions.

Why does beer dehydrate you? It's often recommended that you drink water before and during a heavy drinking session. Why is it that, despite being mostly water, beer dehydrates you?

How do I get good layer seperation for a Shock Top Choc-top? I bought a 6 pack of Shock Top last night and is suggests on the package to make a drink they are calling a "Choc-Top." The pack comes with 3 Belgian Wheat normal Shock Tops and 3 Chocolate Wheat beers. I've looked around online and seen a bunch of pictures of nicely layered beverages. How do I acheive this layering when pouring my beer into a glass?

I think it has something to do with the thinking of Whiskey Rebellion, -- a tax was on spirts but not wine or beer. Whiskey was considered a luxury tax - yet it turns out a LOT of people were making and drinking Whiskey at the time

There was a study at the University of Tokushima that showed beer containing flavaprenin (8-Prenylnaringenin), which is found in hops, limited muscle atrophy in debilitated lab mice. The idea that humans could have benefits of flavaprenin through drinking beer is not quite right, as you would die from alcohol poisoning before you would see the benefits. if you are interested here is a non-technical article on the topic: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2208966/Beer-help-strong-old-age--youd-need-drink-83-litres-A-DAY.html

Pour it over the back of a spoon As with any layered beer, your goal is to reduce the velocity of the top beer as it hits the bottom beer. So, pour it over the back of a spoon to split the stream up into smaller rivulets (which won't push as far into the lower beer): ( original source ) For advanced drinkers, bend a spoon handle so that you can lower the spoon further into the glass while still keeping the spoon head perpendicular to the table. This means that the beer doesn't have as far to fall from the spoon into the glass-beer. The technique of making a layered beer takes a little practice, so give it a few tries (and drink all of your mistakes!)

In addition to the ground covered in other answers, some of it undoubtedly is historical in nature due to the fact that wine, beer, and other ales historically were consumed for hydration and energy. This slate article covers some of this; while it was probably a myth that people drank ales as a source of clean water, they did hydrate and gain energy from them. As such, beer and ale were associated with 'normal' consumption, much like soda would be today, and thus is treated somewhat differently from 'spirits', which have no real purpose other than getting one drunk, and even from wine, which was primarily associated with the nobility.

Why is it important to have foam on a beer? I've seen people complain when served a beer without foam. Equally, getting a glass full of foam is no use. When serving a beer, how much is the right amount of foam and why is this important?

Well, this question might get closed as a duplicate, but I'm going to answer it anyway, and try to answer it better. IMO, the suggested duplicate answers a different question, only answering the hydration question too, by side-effect. Personally, I like this question paired with that answer, better than that question. tl;dr — Alcohol is a diuretic (defined: a substance that promotes the production of urine ), causing you to expel more water than the body would normally expel. That much has been shown conclusively. If sufficient alcohol is ingested, the diuresis occurs at the expense of all cellular components, and dehydration ensues. Roberts, K. E. Mechanism of Dehydration Following Alcohol Ingestion. 1963. [Abstract (HTML)] As far back as the 1930s, researchers were trying to understand whether alcohol—the substance itself—is a diuretic, or indirectly induces chemicals which are diuretic (or which inhibit antidiuretics) or triggers cortical functions that cause diuresis. [Most] writers either state categorically or imply that alcohol per se has no diuretic action. In 1932, however, from a comparison of the diuretic effects of a given volume of water, with and without alcohol, [...] Murray concluded that alcohol itself was exerting a diuretic action. [...] The diuretic action of alcohol has now been demonstrated on five other subjects, and its mode of action investigated [...] Eggleton, M. G. The Diuretic Action of Alcohol in Man. 1941. [Full Paper (PDF)] The first paper (1963) actually confirmed that alcohol—yes, ethanol itself—inhibits antidiuretic hormones, causing diuresis, causing dehydration. (Caffeine does this too, by the way.) So, yeah. That's how that happens. Unrelated, but I found this interesting in the second paper... It [the diuresis] is initiated by the increase in blood-alcohol concentration and fails to be maintained if this concentration is kept steady, even at high levels [...] The diuretic response to alcohol differs markedly in one respect from that of the cerebral cortex. The latter is most affected by the rate of increase in blood-alcohol concentration: the greater this rate of increase, the greater the disturbance of function at any absolute concentration. The diuretic response, on the other hand, is dependent mainly on the duration of increasing blood-alcohol concentration and not on the rate of increase (Tables 6, 7). The naturally slow absorber, therefore, tends to give a larger diuretic response than the rapid absorber. The slower you get drunk, the more dehydrated you'll be!

Apart from the simple explanation of people liking the foam, the lack of head could indicate problems with the beer. For example: It could mean that the glass is dirty, or there is left over soap residue on the glass. This can affect the taste of the beer. It could indicate that the beer has lost its carbonation (the head being formed by the gas quickly coming out of solution in the beer). For many forms of storage a lack of internal pressure will indicate that they are no longer sealed properly, which makes it easier for infections to enter the beer or for it to oxidise. As for the ideal amount of head, to some extent it will depend on the style of beer.

What determines how much foam a beer produces when it is poured? Different beers and different types of storage result in different amounts of foam being produced when the beer is poured, from almost none at all to a glass full of foam. What factors, both in terms of ingredients/type of beer and storage, affect how much foam will be produced? And, as a bonus question, how do I avoid excessive amounts of foam when pouring?

Most importantly, a good head helps release the aromas of the beer, especially the hops. Aroma is everything for enjoyment of a good brew. When enjoying a super-hoppy IPA, you should always use a glass that provides a large surface area for aromatics to rise from. It can also provide the a pleasant mouth feel. Stouts definitely benefit from a thick, silky head. And lastly, it's eye candy. As for the right amount of head, it varies. Generally in an average pint glass you want 1-2 finger-widths of head. Some hefeweizens and wit beers are best with a bit more.

When cooking sweeter meats like brats or other sausages, I always use very malty beers, typically of the darker variety. Nut brown ales, dopplebock, stouts are favorites. Flank steak marinated in a combo of Newcastle Brown Ale, lots of red pepper flakes, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper makes universally awesome fajita meat. If you're making sauces or deglazing a pan, definitely go with the malty stuff.

With regards to the beer, 4 things primarily determine the amount and consistency of head: Types of malt used: light malt typically produces larger, more dish-soapy bubbles. Roasted or dark malts will typically produce smaller bubbles. The proteins in the malt are what determine the consistency of the bubbles. There are additives that can alter and enhance the head forming capabilities of the beer. These are usually forms of protein. One of the best silky mouth feel beers I've ever had is Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout. Yes - they actually add oysters to the brew. The protein makes for an amazing feel. Amount of carbonation: pretty self explanatory. Mo' gas, mo' bubbles. Higher ABV beers and very malty beers can sometimes hold almost no CO2. Give these a rough pour to produce a decent head. Type of carbonation: CO2 produces larger bubbles while nitrogen produces very fine small bubbles which gives Guinness its famous silky creamy head. Conditioning & storage: bottle conditioned beer will hold more CO2 and have a different head and mouth feel and coarser bubbles. kegs carbonated by pressurizing with CO2 will hold less and be a bit foamier. With regards to the pour, if less head is desired, tilt the glass at least 45 degrees and pour slowly, on the glass, rising as you pour to always be pouring just above the level of the beer. For more head, well... dump 'er in. The glass will make a difference too. For some high-browed beer-snobbery about cleaning your beer glasses: http://byo.com/porter/item/425-can-you-explain-the-dos-and-donts-of-cleaning-beer-glasses

CHEESE! Extremely sharp cheddar is best. A sharp Vermont or New York white cheddar will do as well. My personal favorite is Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp.

Guinness licenses their brand and recipe to many breweries which is why they are so prolific everywhere. An example is the fact that Labatt's brews most Guinness sold in North America. So, their widespread popularity is simply a combination of marketing and smart distribution.

In Germany, beer in bars and pubs is sold in jars of varying size. Different ingredients, different yeasts (top fermented or bottom fermented), different jars, different traditions. In the Cologne area, the traditional beer Kölsch is sold in traditional jars of 0.2 l (200 ml). It should be drunken quickly and therefore smaller glasses are appropriate. Some pubs use 250 ml as their standard size however. Usually larger glasses are also available (300, 400, or 500 ml). In Bavaria, standard sizes are rather 500 or 1000 ml. Standard bottle is 500 ml, but many brands also offer 330 ml bottles.

From my own experience the effect of frozen-thawed beer tends to be flatter and have a more watery consistency. Possibly this similar question on HomeBrew could help you: Link to HomeBrew question

Tank beer does seem to be mainly a Czech thing, although there are some pubs in England that use tanks too. In terms of why it might not be as popular in other countries, there seem to be some downsides: you would need to clean the tanks about once a week, also if you are dealing with unpasteurized beer it must be consumed in a shorter time period which may lead to possible waste of product. Link to a article of a pub in England with tank beer here

According to the article you linked to, the specific draw of tank beer is that it's unpasteurized. This does also exist (albeit not served from tanks) in the form of Real Ale, or Cask Ale in Britain. Historically, this was not only popular, but the primary distribution mechanism for beer in Britain a hundred years ago. However, its popularity has diminished over time because it's harder to transport and doesn't last as long as pasteurized beer, making it more expensive which necessarily reduces the size of the market that can and will pay for it. Tanked beer is something that you see in brewpubs in the United States, where transportation isn't an issue (since it's being brewed on-site) but real ale is definitely on the decline in the U.K. and possibly only survives due to CAMRA, the British Beer Preservation Society's Campaign for Real Ale.

As mentioned by @Fishtoaster (and as depicted in the cat gif) pouring over the back of a spoon is definitely a must - you really want to make sure none of the top layer breaks into the bottom layer. There are a few other ways to make your layering more effective as well. As seen in the animated gif, a curved beer glass is used. Ideally, you want it to have this shape (source: kegerator.com ) If you use a regular pint glass it will have a greater potential of mixing the layers. A common mistake when making these layers is to get as close to 50% as possible. The downside is that as you drink it, it will mix with these portions. Ideally, you should be looking at a 70% base, 30% top in order to have and maintain two defined layers.

What is happening during aging? IPAs go bad, barley wines improve, and stouts mellow over time. I'm curious though: what's actually happening? What compounds are building up or breaking down? What chemical processes actually happen to constitute "aging" in beer?

In short, the main factors in aging is a combination of compounds breaking down and oxidation. IPAs - hop aroma breakdown For IPAs, it's the hop aromas that break down fairly quickly - the aromatic compounds are volatile and break down noticably within a short timeframe: Tom Nielsen, Sierra Nevada’s senior research analyst focused on hop degradation, says that their research has shown that after about two and a half to three months, hop aroma in a packaged beer, derived mainly from beta acids in the hop flower, has already started to diminish significantly. It’s a sentiment backed by Patrick Langlois at Great Divide in Denver, brewers of notable hoppy beers including their Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Titan IPA, and Hercules Double IPA. “Hops tend to dissipate in three to four months, which is why that is the recommended shelf life for most of our beers. ( Source ) Barley Wines - Oxidation Barley wines are not hop flavor or aroma focused beers - the major hop component is bittering acids, so they don't suffer the same problem with aroma losses as IPAs. However, some of the bittering compounds also have a half-life of 1 year , so clear changes are happening in that timeframe to the bitterness. However, the major change for a barleywine is oxidation. There is always oxygen in the beer - either small amounts introduced during packaging, or from oxidization during the mash, which is then later released into the beer. When alcohol in the beer oxidizes, it becomes ethanal (acetaldehyde) which is a main component in sherry, and gives apple or sherry-like tones, which in a big barleywine are considered positive effects of aging, if kept in check. Stouts Contrasting with both IPAs and barleywines, Stouts that are meant for aging are neither hop focused nor benefit much from oxidation. Oxidizing the medium roasted malts in the wort would produce cardboard flavors due to production of trans-2-nonenal . Fortunately, the highly kilned malts act as an anti-oxidant to help prevent the beer from oxidizing. What little odization does occur tends to produce port-like flavors. The roasty character in stout comes from large Maillard compounds. These are still poorly understood, I can't find research to back it up, but I would guess the roasty character mellows due to the large compounds breaking down into shorter ones. This might explain why in some stouts the dark fruit flavors become more emphasized over time (since they are shorter Maillard compounds.)

It's complicated. I think you have to look at these laws as an intersection of the practical and the cultural. Let's look at two different distinctions you make. Home Production In the US, you can usually make your own beer, mead, or wine, but cannot make hard liquor without a license from BATF, state licenses, tax payments, etc. Exact laws of course vary state by state, but the US tax code contains exemptions for home brewers and wine makers. Part of the reason here is historical. Liquor is a major tax source, and black market liquor hasn't always been very safe. We hear stories about wood alcohol making people go blind, but the real problems were either accidental heavy metal poisoning or deliberate adulteration with relatively nasty chemicals. In practice methyl alcohol was not a major problem, particularly accidental inclusion of it, as in most concentrations primarily makes the hangover significantly worse (btw, red wine is known for harsh hangovers as are some fruit brandies because of methyl alcohol content). The adulterants have included (and do include in some parts of the world) things like battery acid, caustic soda, and the like. A second problem of course is safety. In the distilling process, you are dealing the combination, usually, of heating elements or open flames and a liquid that is roughly as flammable as gasolene. While it is quite possible to distil safely, there are generally acknowledged gains health and safety-wise to pushing for a formal economy here. Wine Tastings vs Beer Tastings Here laws vary considerably between states. For example, the one part of the liquor code that is explicitly applied to home brewers is an exemption for home brewing competitions. So you can take your beer to a competition without losing the home brewing exemption. Wine tastings have almost always had some acceptance on the theory that making fine wine has a level of cultural refinement and aesthetic nuance that beer does not (we may find this false but it an attitude --- if you don't believe me, compare reading a wine review with a beer review). The wine culture is different from the beer culture and so they make a different case. Again laws here vary state by state. However, the argument, I think, is that wine tasting is essential to the sales process, while beer drinkers are less picky on average. In essence these laws have a practical component particularly where hard liquor is concerned, and a cultural component.

What do these "OG" and "RDF" numbers mean? I recently got a "Gnarly Oak" craft brew package. Three 22 oz beers and a glass. However, on the beers are some abbreviations and numbers I don't understand. they all have a 5.5% ABV, and I get the IBU and color numbers but what are the rest? The numbers and abbr's are below: Winter Bock - 15 OG, 62.5 RDF - light, tasty, ever so slightly bitter Hazelnut Dark - 15 OG, 60.4 RDF - nice bitter red with slightly sweet aftertaste Chocolate Stout - 14.8 OG, 66.8 RDF - very sweet with hints of chocolate and malt EDIT In light of the answers so far, I should say I have brewed my own, and if OG is original gravity, it doesn't fit with the scale I know of. if 15 OG ~= 1.015, it doesn't match what that would give in final ABV. Is this OG on a different scale I haven't seen

OG = Original Gravity The amount of sugar available for fermentation, measured based on density vs water (1.000) RDF = Real Degree of Fermentation sugar in cold wort has been fermented into alcohol in beer with the term degree of fermentation. More residual sugar == more sweetness

OG stands for "original gravity", which is the density of the liquid, before fermentation in the case of beer. Another "gravity" you may hear is "final gravity", or FG: the density of the beer after fermentation. Typically, gravity is expressed as thousandths over 1.0, where 1.0 is water. However, Gnarly Oak says that their Winter Bock has an OG of 15, which is likely in degrees Plato. I leave it to other answers to thoroughly explain what that is. The density, of course, is increased by the sugar and other "good stuff" that makes beer, well, beer. After the yeast has eaten the sugar and produced alcohol, you can measure the final gravity. What makes this interesting is that if you have the OG and the FG, you can calculate your alcohol by volume with a little math . I am completely unfamiliar with RDF, however.

I'll answer one half and leave the other half to someone else. OG is “Original Gravity” Specific Gravity (often shorted to just ‘gravity’) is a measure of the density of a liquid. Since its is mostly water, you can compare beer’s density to water to find out how much other stuff is in it. Water has a gravity of 1.000, and beers will often have an original gravity of 1.200 to 1.020. “Original Gravity” is the density of beer before it’s fermented (when it’s called ‘wort’), and “Final Gravity” is the density after it’s fermented. You can determine the alcohol content of a beer by comparing the two gravities and inferring how much fermentable “stuff” disappeared during fermentation (i.e., was converted to alcohol and CO2). In commercial beer, you can use OG as a shorthand for how “Big” the beer is because it indicates how much malt and other fermentable stuff was in it. So a lighter-flavored beer like a blonde or a pilnser will often have a low original gravity (1.020 to 1.050, for example), whereas a big stout or barelywine might have a higher original gravity (1.080 up to as much as 1.200). OG is in important measurement for home brewers, so another use of it on a commercial beer is to help people produce clones of said beer at home by reproducing the OG (among other factors). Definition To get a little more technical, Specific Gravity is the ratio of the density of one liquid to another. In brewing, we always use water. So, the density of water divided by the density of water is 1.000. The density of beer divided by the density of water is what we refer to as ‘gravity’ when discussing beer. And since it’s a ratio of two identical measures, there are no units. It’s not 1.000 somethings; it’s just 1.000. Plato Homebrewers often use "brewer's points" (eg 1.123), but you'll sometimes see the "Plato Scale", which is more popular in central Europe. A good approximation is that 1˚ plato = 4 brewer's points. So 12˚ Plato corresponds to a gravity of 1.048.

From the figures you posted, OG - "Original Gravity". When measured with a hydrometer, it measures the density relative to water. E.g. 1.010 is 1% heavier than water. The units here are degrees Plato (°P), which describe the amount of dissolved sugars. Here, 15 means 15% dissolved sugar. This means the beer (or more correctly, the wort ) contained 15% sugar before fermentation started. RDF - The real degree of fermentation. This is in contrast to the Apparent Degree of Fermentation, which is (OG-FG)/OG. When the final gravity is measured using hydrometer, the alcohol in the beer, being less dense than water ( SG. 0.789 ) causes the gravity to appear lower, so it looks as though the yeast has fermented more sugar than it actually has. The Real degree of Fermentation takes the alcohol into account and computes the actual amount of sugars fermented. This tells you the how much of the original sugar was fermented (as a percentage). So, what does this mean in practice? Winter Bock - 15 OG, 62.5 RDF - light, tasty, ever so slightly bitter This has an average RDF for a beer that size, so it will be somewhat malty, but not cloying. Hazelnut Dark - 15 OG, 60.4 RDF - nice bitter red with slightly sweet aftertaste This has more dissolved sugars in it compared to the Bock, so you'd expect it to be a thicker mouthfeel and slightly more sweet, although you may not taste the sweetness if it's offset by roasted malts. Chocolate Stout - 14.8 OG, 66.8 RDF - very sweet with hints of chocolate and malt Being the driest of all the beers, yet the taste description is given as very sweet. This shows that knowing the residual sugars doesn't tell you the sweetness, simply because there are different kinds of residual sugar. For example, dextrins create body, but have relatively little taste, so would taste not as sweet as a beer containing a lot of residual maltose or glucose.

Does a session beer have to be below a specific ABV? Does anyone know if a "session beer" has to be below a specific ABV to qualify as a session beer?

Like many beer terms, "session beer" is not rigorously defined. Several groups have tried, though: The Brewers Association (PDF) called it 4.0-5.1% ABV Beer Advocate calls it less than 5% The Session Beer Project calls it 4.5%. Really, though, if you call something a session beer, most people will understand that to mean something you could easily drink several of in a session (ie, lighter and more mild than a "big" beer).

What are the characteristics of a rye beer? After my taste adjusted to the flavors of IPAs, one of my favorites was He'brew Brewing's Bittersweet Lenny , which as it turns out is an IPA made with rye. I poked around on BeerAdvocate, and found this long list of rye beers , which seem to include pales, IPAs, and even a brown rye. What constitutes a "rye" beer (i.e., a certain ratio of rye to other grain)? Are there characteristics common to a rye beers, and if so, what are they? In other words, if I like a rye beer, am I likely to enjoy any rye beer?

A rye beer is any beer that incorporates rye, usually malted rye. How much Rye and how it tastes There are no laws to state that the quantity of rye should be above some minimum, so some rye beers include just a few percent of the malt bill as rye, while others such as Roggenbier base their entire flavor profile on rye, using over 50% rye malt. With such a large difference in the grain bill and the amount of rye, the two beers taste very different. When rye is added to beer between 10-20% of the grain bill, it gives a pleasant spiciness and bread-like quality to the beer that blends well with most hop types, particularly spicy or citrussy hops. Rye can also add some dryness to the aftertaste. Above 20% the spiciness becomes progressively more assertive and the beer fuller, more earthy and hearty, and perhaps not unsurprisingly, tastes similar to rye bread. Var-rye-ation Rye beers show considerable variation. Rye is a versatile ingredient, which has become increasingly popular recently with craft brewers, so there is no longer a common theme underlying rye beers, other than the rye itself. In fact, even the rye can vary. New malts are appearing, such as crystal rye which give a new flavor dimension to beers - crystal rye provides some of the spiciness of malted rye with dark fruits, and a pleasant dryness in the finish. This means the brewer can make a rye beer from: malted rye flaked (unmalted) rye crystal rye Rye is becoming at least as versatile as wheat, if not in fact more so. While most Wheat beers focus on the esters and phenolics produced by the yeast (banana/clove), Rye beers have the freedom to exploit the full spectrum of beer flavors and are not constrained by adherence to a particular style entrenched in tradition. But will you like some other rye beer having tried one? If you don't like the taste of rye in beer, then there's a good chance you won't like most rye beers, since the rye flavor is most likely going to be present. However, if you do like the taste of rye, there is still no saying up front that you will like any rye beer simply due to the diversity of beers that can be brewed with rye.

What is the best serving size for a beer tasting? I saw a comment asking this question here , and became curious. In the context of a tasting panel or competition, what is the appropriate serving size?

You want to have enough beer so that a person would be able to see the head profile along with getting a good look at the color/clarity of the beer. Along with being able to take 2 - 3 sips of the beer. A tasting would be a larger pour as this would be more of a friendly gathering and you want the people to enjoy the beer, I would aim for 4 - 6 oz. It is also not too much if they don't like it. For a tasting, you don't really care if people are getting drunk. For a competition since you are not aiming to really "drink" the beer, I would say that it would probably be 2 - 3 oz. Judges are going to aim to not get drunk on the beer, so the smaller pour helps with that.

There are two angles to consider what is best for the beer what is best for the tasting scenario For the beer, a serving size that is appropriate should: provide sufficient beer to not warm up excessively in the cup or glass in the minute or two tasting is underway. This means serving sizes should be at least 60ml/2 oz. (If the beer is served too cold, leave it in the bottle to warm, so that all samples are poured together and tasted at the same temperature.) For the tasting situation we have to consider: There may be a limited amount of an evaluation beer to share between the number of judges so serving sizes should be restrained. Furthermore, some additional beer should be left over in case a re-evaluation is necessary. This is particularly important with styles where volatiles are a key contributor, since they dissipate quickly, plus the olfactory sense quickly becomes tired, requiring a pause and then a fresh sample. Taking these two into account gives a typical serving size in the order of 3-4oz/75-100ml. Note that the glass can be larger - particularly a long tall glass is good for capturing the aromatics of a smaller sample.

Do cans change the taste of beer? My favorite beers come in bottles and in cans. I always buy it in bottles because I've heard that cans negatively impact the flavor of the beer. Is this true? If so, how does it work?

First, I love this question because it is actually interesting. I researched this when I noticed that bottled coke tasted so much better than canned coke. Cans keep out all light so the contents actually never become tainted. The reason that most like bottled over canned is because they like the taste with those impurities. Some complain that they can taste aluminum with cans, but this is more than likely in their head since cans are lined with a thin layer of plastic. I like certain beers better in cans and certain ones better in bottles. I would try both :)

I heard a quote from the revered Charlie Bamforth , who basically said that packaging beers in cans was a far better way to preserve the beer from brewery to customer than packaging in bottles, but bottles are still more aesthetically pleasing to the customer, so they are usually preferred. And that's from a man that has been head of Quality Assurance for a number of years. It's purely in the mind - there isn't any real change to the beer. If anything, the difference with bottled beer is that the canned version is better preserved.

Does bottle size affect aging or storage? Typically I want to age 22oz bottles, but I'm curious if I could get away with aging a smaller bottle. Is there any difference based on bottle size?

Are Spittoons Used in Beer Tastings? When tasting wine, it is often suggested that tasters do not swallow the wine, but simply taste as necessary and then spit into a bucket/spittoon of some sort. This, of course, aids in the tasting of large amounts of wine without the effect of the alcohol (getting drunk). In casual tastings among friends, part of the fun is obviously getting drunk. However, I've been wondering if judges at competitions or more formal tasting venues (possibly breweries themselves) use spittoons. To put it in the form of a question: Are spittoons ever used for beer tasting?

This is an incomplete answer, but I know that there are some smaller bottles of " old ale " beers which are made for aging. In particular, there are several from the UK which are sold in the 200-300mL range, such as Thomas Hardy 's. I'm afraid that I can't tell you anything about the effect (or non-effect) of bottle size.

No. While in a wine tasting it's acceptable to spit out the wine, in beer tasting you actually have to drink the beer. I don't remember the exact reasoning since it's been a few years since my Beers of the World class, but I think it had something to do with the carbonation affecting the after taste if you don't swallow the beer. Keep in mind that while judging beers at a tasting you only get ~2 ounces, so it's easier to pace yourself and dump out anything past what you need to get your impression. Half of beer judge training is learning to quickly assess flavor.

As far as I've seen, no. The reason has nothing to do with alcohol content or getting drunk (some beers like Belgian tripels, imperial stouts, or barley wines can easily clock in at a higher ABV than wines). It's got more to do with the human tongue itself and how taste buds are organized on the tongue. Essentially, beer is a much more complex drink; beer tasters use all of their taste buds while wine drinkers may only use a select few. So when you drink beer, you're not going to be overwhelming any set of taste buds unevenly while you run that risk when drinking wine. Generally when drinking wine, you're only using your sweet and sour sets of taste buds. For instance, I don't know about you, but I've never really had a bitter wine. I've had sweet or sour wines, but never bitter or salty wines. On the other hand, I've had all of that with beer. If you look at the diagram of the tongue below, you'll notice that the bitter taste bud receptors are on the back of the tongue. In order to reach these receptors and taste the beer to its fullest, you must swallow the beer. If you're curious, see page 3-4 of this article. It goes into much more detail: http://www.gabc-boston.org/_Newsl/2012_11.pdf

Who do the brewers of extra strong lager claim their target market is? I'm not sure about other countries, but in the UK we have various brands of 'extra strong' lager beers, the most famous of which is Carlsberg Special Brew (9%), but there are others. The perception a lot of people have is that these beers are favoured by Alcoholics and avoided by everyone else and that the brewers continue to produce the product regardless. Is this actually the case, or is there another, more legitimate market out there for extra strong lager?

Not really. In theory , larger bottles mean that the little bit of air trapped at the top of the bottle is smaller compared to the volume of beer than it would be in a standard 12 oz bottle. However, I've been unable to find any research backing this up, and anecdotally it makes no difference. Larger bottles are favored for aging beers mostly for practical reasons: Stores are more willing to sell a single large bottle (whereas many often require the purchase of an entire six-pack for smaller beers) It's easier to share a large bottle, which you often want to do with a good beer you're aging They're often (but not always) cheaper than the equivalent beer split up between several smaller bottles. But taste and aging-wise, there's no benefit to larger bottles.

I agree with the other answers: IPA's are not really intended to be aged like a barleywine. However, the style was historically brewed to survive the long journey by ship from England to India. So while they might lose some the freshness and hop volatiles over time, you can certainly keep them for many months and they will still be very drinkable. (Assuming, of course, that the brewery handled the beer properly prior to bottling). So, don't be in a rush to finish them. And never, ever throw beer out that you think may be too old without tasting it first. Beer does not spoil in the sense that it becomes harmful or dangerous.

You’re absolutely right about the perception. It’s similar in the US for people who buy Steel Reserve and other malt liquors: they’re a cheap means to an end. The reality, though, seems to be that a lot of people like the taste: 'Of course, the most common question I get asked is: 'Isn't it just winos who drink it?' ' admits Katie Rawll, Carlsberg's senior brand manager responsible for Special Brew. 'But our researches show that the underneath-the-arches brigade accounts for only 2 per cent of its overall drinkers. They're certainly not consuming the volume.' From what I can tell, it’s a special occasion beer for the crowd that isn’t into good beer. They drink cheap lager year round, but if they want to reward themselves, celebrate an occasion, or make a party a bit more interesting, they’ll break out a strong lager. Much like breaking out a bottle of wine, but cheaper (and tastier if you don’t care for wine).

Not generally. The aftertaste of beer is more important than it is in wine, and much of the aftertaste comes from swallowing. Also, beer isn't generally as alcoholic as wine, so the risk of getting drunk on a taste is lower. Although some beers can be in the 10-12% range, the average abv is much lower. Further, although the idea of a tongue map has been relatively discredited in scientific circles, it was taught in schools for a long time. As such, many people (including beer judges) incorrectly believe you taste bitterness with the back of your tongue. Since bitterness is a much larger part of beer than wine, many believe you need to swallow to properly taste it.

As a member of a Studentenverbindung, having one principle of scientia, we of course tested this a long time ago with around a dozen or maybe a bit more testers. We poured beer from the same manufacturer (fresh batch) into glasses and had people taste them, and for every glass (everyone had multiple ones) they had to say if they think it was from a bottle, a can, or a keg, and which tasted better. After around 50 or 60 glasses, there was no statistical evidence whatsoever that any of the three could be identified, or tasted better. From my personal experience though, I always think that a keg is better than a bottle is better than a can. But why is that so? I only have the theory that due to the feeling of the container you drink from, your taste is altered (just like food with the same flavour/taste somehow tastes different, with a different texture). Additionally I think the amount of beer that flows into your mouth is different, as well as maybe the turbulence, causing a different amount of carbon dioxide (or nitrogen, depending on your beer culture) to leave the beer before you can actually taste and swallow (which again changes the texture).

Why do corking fees exist? I've been to multiple combination bars/beer stores, where you can either buy bottles to go, or drink them on premises. If you buy a bottle to go, it costs the base price, but if you buy one to drink there, you have to pay an additional "corking" fee. Is this due to licensing or tax laws, or just a way for a store to make a quick extra buck? I know that restaurants will charge you this same type of fee if you bring in your own bottle of wine, but I don't understand why a beer store would charge you this for drinking a bottle of beer that you bought from them.

Reviewing various state regulations on GoBYO , corking fees generally do not appear to be mandatory but instead optional for establishments that already have liquor licenses. Beverage sales generally represent some of the highest profit items for restaurants. Soda tends to have the highest margins since it is so cheap, but alcohol is easily a 200% or higher margin and sells per bottle/glass. If people can bring in their own beverages without paying, or just paying cost, it dramatically reduces the amount of money a restaurant can make. For a retail beer store that lets you drink on premises, it's possible that they are now dealing with two sets of rules, one for selling and one for consumption, or that they have to take on higher insurance liabilities. You're also transforming retail space into dining space creating an opportunity cost. This would justify an increased cost. It would probably also wreck their general retail business if they tried not charging a corking fee. If you knew of a bar where you could buy beer at retail cost, wouldn't you go there all the time?

There are a few types of beers which are (generally) good to age. Strong Beers: like such as barleywines, robust porters, and imperial stouts. It is benefical if a beer is 8-10 percent or stronger, since an elevated alcohol profile will typically become smoother, mellower and more agreeable. That does not mean lower alcohol percentage beers can not be aged, but higer percentage beers are more suitable most of the time. Dark Malt: like Palo Santo and World Wide Stout. Darker, maltier beer is better because the sweet, residual sugars tend to soften over time. Even lower-alcohol beers with a malt-heavy profile will age better. Wild Beers: living organisms change the beer as it ages in the bottle. Orval Trappist Ale is a classic example. The Belgian pale ale receives a dose of Brettanomyces yeast as it goes in the bottle. The yeast can live in the bottle for years, slowly consuming sugars and protecting the beer’s existing flavors by consuming oxygen. Over time it goes from being bright and hoppy to bready, earthy and spicy. But sometimes they are unstable, because the yeast rapidly works through a beer and alters its character. What not to age: IPA do not improve with age. Hoppy beers are not for aging.

I actually do not think that the can itself changes the taste of the beer as much as the beer placed in the can may be a little different. I think that the real difference is going to be between keg beer and can/bottle beer. Canned/bottled beer has a longer shelf life than keg beer. Canned/bottled beer has a shelf life of roughly 45-60 days, whereas a keg is only 25-40 days 1 . This means that worst case scenario for comparison you could be tasting a 2 month old canned beer versus a 3 week old draft. It can cause a difference in taste, there is a "freshness date" after all. (See this excellent answer from @mdma for more information on what happens as beer ages ) But where does this date come from? Almost all imported retail beer is pasteurized. The reason for pasteurizing the beer is from a business standpoint. It basically allows the beer to last longer and be shipped at room temperature (this applies to kegs, cans, and bottles). An alternative to the pasteurization process is bottle conditioning. Most domestic beers follow this path. Essentially this process involves beers being sterile filtered and chilled to the point that any surviving bacteria, which could ferment the beer, become dormant 2 . So basically the probability that the beer begins to ferment is higher over time. A canned beer and a keg beer can taste the same if they both left the brewery at the same time, and both experienced the same conditions during the time it took them to reach you. It is just that kegs have a better chance of taking less time and of being better preserved. From a practical standpoint though, bottles can cause broken glass, kegs weigh close to 50 lbs. full, and cans allow for shotgunning. Make sure your container of choice fits your environment :) 1. How long will a keg of draft beer remain fresh? 2. What is pasteurized and non-pasteurized keg beer?

Beer containing electrolytes I love drinking beer after a run. It's also good to drink electrolytes after a run. Is it possible to add electrolytes to beer? How would you do it?

Electrolytes are just dissolved salts, where the ions can help transmit an electrical charge through the liquid. So adding some table salt to your beer would be a way to add electrolytes. That said, drinking alcohol will dehydrate you , so added electrolytes might not actually help. If you are feeling thirsty after your run, it would be best to drink water (with or without added elecrolytes) rather than replacing water with beer. Save the beer until after you've rehydrated.

To my knowledge, the answer is always no . To fully experience the flavor of beer, one must swallow it. This is because, unlike the vast majority of wine, beer is carbonated (albeit to varying degrees). When you swallow beer, some of the carbonation escapes the liquid as gas, and actually rises up from your throat into your nose (or, at least, into your nasal passages), carrying with it some of the flavor molecules of the beer. Thus your sense of smell combines with your sense of taste to produce an overall sense of flavor in a manner that is different from what occurs when you drink (uncarbonated) wine. If you spit out your beer, you're ruining the experience. (This explanation is based on one that I heard years ago from a brewmaster at Anheuser-Busch. I can't remember his exact words, but you get the gist.) On a side note, regarding the important relationship between taste and smell, I'm sure you will see tasters at both beer tastings and especially wine tastings swirl their drink a bit to smell it from the glass before tasting it. The difference is that carbonated beverages pack a smell double-whammy coming at you after you swallow.

Where can I found out which beer cans are "collectable"? I have started to collect beer cans over the past year or so, some are older and some are new. I am curious to see where I can find more information on what specific old or new beer cans (by brand, etc) are considered valuable and/or collector items?

Beer already contains electrolytes, which are disassociated metal salts (the compound splits into positive and negatively-charged ions.) In beer, Calcium (Ca), Pootassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Iron (F) and Sodium (Na) ions are found in quite high levels Mineral content in a 25 cl glass of lager or light beer, average values. +------------+----+------+----+----+----+----+------+-------+-------+-----+ | 1 glass | Ca | Fe | Mg | F | K | Na | Zn | Cu | Mn | Se | +------------+----+------+----+----+----+----+------+-------+-------+-----+ | | mg | mg | mg | mg | mg | mg | mg | mg | mg | mcg | | Lager | 18 | 0,10 | 21 | 43 | 89 | 18 | 0,07 | 0,032 | 0,043 | 4,3 | | Light beer | 18 | 0,14 | 18 | 42 | 64 | 11 | 0,11 | 0,085 | 0,057 | 4,2 | +------------+----+------+----+----+----+----+------+-------+-------+-----+ ( source ) If you wanted to increase the electrolyte level, you could experiment with adding small amounts (e.g. 1/8tsp) of these salts, since they also have an effect on the taste of the beer (so makes for an interesting taste experiment!): Calcium Chloride (CaCl) - rounds out and softens the beer emphasizing the malt Calcium Sulphate (CaSO 4 ) - makes the hop bitterness crisper However, eating some commonly available foods is even more effective at replenishing electrolyte levels, simply because they contain so many, and is better for you than the typical sports drink that contains a lot of sugar to cover the taste of the salts. Also keep in mind, that beer is a diuretic, so you should drink water prior to and after drinking beer to avoid further dehydration after your exercise.

Breweriana has a database of collectable beer paraphernalia with prices. Tick the "include All (In-Stock & Sold)" button for their complete range. They're trying to sell to you, of course, so their prices are probably a bit higher than you'd getting selling the same thing, but it's useful if you have an item you want to get valued. Ebay, on the other hand, is more limited but more practical. It's a good first stop for selling any collectable, since you can see what people have actually gotten for items. That'll be the most accurate price estimate, although you're not likely to find really rare stuff on there because of the small audience. Also, there are a number of books on the subject, of which breweriana helpfully lists a few . Finally, the BCCA is the largest organization around beer can collecting, and have a lot of resource son the subject. You can use their site to find a local chapter and ask someone about your specific collection in person. To expand on this a little, here is a really quick guide: If it's from the mid 70s or so on, it's probably not that valuable. Exceptions sometimes include aluminum cans, cans with punch tops , and cans with cone tops . If it's in poor condition, it's probably not worth much unless it's quite rare. Unless it's better than "grade 2" (defined as "Has a clean label, but there may be rust or other blemishes near the seam, the lid, or the bottom. Colors may be irregular"), it's probably not valuable. American OIs (opening instructions, named after the instructions that came with them on how to open them) can be worth $35 to $1000. Most others before the 70s will have a chance of being between $10 and $500, depending on their rarity.

Should bottle conditioned beers be consumed quickly after purchase and do they carry on changing taste for a while? Just wondering how a bottle conditioned beer will change over its life - if at all? And is there a perfect time to drink one? Also do different types change differently?

Quite the opposite, bottle conditioned beer is perfect for aging. The yeast carbonates the beer and will produce slight changes over time, like upping the ABV. This needs to be done in climate controlled environments similar to wine. The yeast will settle to bottom and you want to avoid pouring this into your glass when finished. I brewed a Imperial honey stout and aged a few bottles at 68f for about a year for my birthday. The beer started at about 7.2 ABV The beer finished at over 9 ABV (this is because the yeast had plenty of starch to munch on and the carbonation was not affected.

Why are half gallon growlers illegal in Florida? Florida has a strange bottling law that allows growlers in 32 oz and 128 oz sizes but not 64 oz. People have tried to get the law changed but so far it's failed. How did the 64 oz size come to be illegal and what is the rationale for not legalizing it?

In 2001, Florida State Senator Tom Lee championed a bill which was passed that allowed for more sizes of beer containers to be sold in Florida. Prior to the bill passing, only 12 ounce, 16 ounce or 32 ounce packaging was allowed. This prevented most craft beers from entering the state and to allow those entry, the law enacted stated that anything under 32 ounces or over 1 gallon would now be allowed. The unintended side affect of this law was that anything in between that range was still banned, including the 64 ounce container. 3 years ago, there was a bill written which would allow the sale of a 64 ounce container in Florida, but it was not sent to the floor for a vote because it involved other caveats with regards to craft breweries in the state. The main reason a vote was not taken was that the legislature felt that there should be more consideration taken to assist the craft brewers. Although that bill was stopped, the movement is still ongoing to have these container sizes legalized. Read more: Tampa Bay Times: Size matters: Craft brewers challenge Florida's beer container laws

It isn't that half-gallon growlers are specifically illegal as such, but more of a quirk of how the different types and sizes of legal containers are defined. The Florida laws governing beer (or more accurately "malt beverage") container sizes specify that: Individual containers of malt beverage sold or offered for sale shall be no larger than 32 ounces. However: The above law does not apply to malt beverages packaged "in bulk" which is defined as a keg or "other individual container" containing 1 gallon or more of malt beverage. So it isn't really that 32oz and 1 gallon growlers are legal and 64oz growlers aren't, it's that a 32oz container is the largest legal sized individual container, and a gallon is the smallest legal container for "bulk" packaging exempt from the maximum container size regulation.

In addition to Waitkus his answer I would like to note that the perfect time to drink a beer depends on the type, brand and most importantly taste. There is also a difference when storing larger bottles. For instance a 75 cl Duvel bottle (or larger) can be stored easily for several years, whereas the smaller bottles of the same beer don't fair too well. Other beers, mostly heavier abbey beers allow for prolonged storing. For instance an Orval changes taste quite drastically once you have stored it for about 1 - 2 years. I've even seen these beers being stored for 30 years and still being drinkable (although you needed to pour it very carefully as there was a lot of cediment). The monks of Westmalle even have 35 year old beer on site for their own consumption. In regards to taste, they tend to become heavier, stronger in taste, sometimes a bit more sour. They also loose a bit of their carbonation (very old beers).

How do you pour a bottle conditioned beer? Bottle conditioned beers (such as many homebrews or those explicitly labelled as bottle conditioned/fermented) are, I'm told, supposed to be poured a specific way to avoid getting the yeast from the bottle into the glass. How should I pour such a beer? Bonus points for gifs or diagrams I can distribute with my homebrew. :)

When pouring a beer with sediment, or lees, make sure your glass is of a size to accommodate the full contents of the bottle plus the attendant foam. Pour smoothly into the glass, watching the neck of the bottle, and suspend pouring when you see sediment starting to come to the neck. If you haven’t screwed it up, you have a glass of clear, inviting beer. Well done.

Unfortunately, I don't know the source of this image—a Google reverse image search reveals only a single webpage which itself attributes the image to Google searching.

Bottle conditioned beers definitely have longer shelf-lives than their pasteurized/filtered counterparts - the yeast helps scavenge oxygen and release sulphites to stop free radicals (such as from lipid breakdown) from staling the beer. The yeast can survive for decades - Guinness observed yeast still alive in the bottle after 35 years! How long a bottle conditioned beer can be aged for and, thus how soon you should drink, comes mainly down to the alcohol percentage - stronger beers age better, and the color - darker beers age better than lighter ones While a light beer may be best consumed within 5 years, darker beers can be aged much longer than that. See bottle aging beers - do's and don'ts

Will a collection of 100 beers collectively be worth more 20 years from now than their value today? Different beer bottles and cans (with contents) from different places collected in the past 3 years.

No for the cans; maybe for the contents. While it's hard to predict the future, we can infer from the past. As it stands, beer cans as old as 40 years are pretty much worthless (with a few exceptions). This is because right around the mid 70s, beer can collection as an activity exploded. Beer cans before that point became valuable, but beer cans from after that point were heavily collected (up through the present day), and are therefore pretty low value. TLDR: There exist too many well-preserved beer cans from the current era for them to be worth anything in the next 20 years at least (and probably well through the next 40-60 years). That's just the cans, though. Exceptions might be very specific beers known to be age-able for decades. Unfortunately, most beers just don't age that long. Even a hearty barely wine usually peaks, at most, after a couple years. The Stone Vertical Epic 020202 series was meant to be aged 10 years, which is unusually long for a beer. If you could find a beer you reasonably believed would improve over the course of several decades, you might be able to get some money out of it if it were stored properly.

What is the single most influential book every beer enthusiast should read? If you could go back in time and tell yourself to read a specific book about beer, which book would it be?

What are some online sources for information on beer of high repute? When looking for source material to quote, often I find articles from a wide variety of places when it comes to beer. When looking for technology information, I find it best to simply go to the most highly reputable sources (such as a source authored by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, etc.). Are there any readily available online sources of high repute for beer?

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is by far the most valuable beer book I've ever read. It covers the styles you'll encounter, the flavors, the technology, the history, the science, and more. I was a fairly knowledgeable beer enthusiast when I read it, but I wish I'd read it ten years earlier. If I had, it would have increased my enjoyment of getting to know beer ten-fold by increasing my understanding of what I was drinking.

There are quire a few poorly-sourced beer blogs out there, many of whom get their information from other beer blogs. If you want high-quality information, I'd suggest: Well-known authors. Anything by Michael Jackson is usually pretty well-regarded. Randy Mosher is also reasonably trustworthy. Honestly, any published author is likely to be considerably more authoritative than random blogs. Beer-related Organizations like the bjcp or the aha and their magazine "Zymurgy" Industry publications like the brewers association Brewing literature. There's a very active homebrewing community out there, and you can find answers to some questions on beer production there. How to Brew is one of the better ones available for free online.

Should a meal with beer as an ingredient be paired with that same beer? I was wondering if it's generally a good idea to pair beer-based recipes with the same beer that you use to cook them. For instance, should you drink a Guinness with Beef and Guinness Stew? Should you drink the same beer that you use to make your batter when you make Beer Battered Fish and Chips?

Definitely yes. you could add the beer of your choice to add some extra flavour to the sauce and enjoy the whole dish with a nice beer at the right temperature. For the right temperature I would refere to that: What temperature should I serve my beer? In my humble opinion, you can also refine your stew with wine and drink the same one while eating.

I don't know how/if the actual storage in cans vs bottles affects the taste, however you should expect that they are not filled with the same beer. Many companies will have different production logistics, and the can will often come from a different site than a bottle of the same brand, and will have slightly different water and production process, so the beers will taste slightly different before they even touch the can; and they may even have intentionally different production and additives.

There is no culinary basis to make that generalization. The choice of beer (or wine or any other ingredient used to add depth) may be selected to enhance, balance, contrast, or even counteract one of the other ingredients . But that doesn't necessarily make it the beverage of choice to accompany the resulting dish. The beer-as-an-ingredient may not even be the dominant flavor of the dish. And if it is the dominant flavor, that doesn't necessarily mean "more of the same" is the best accompaniment. For example, (I'm drawing an analogy) I might add a dry white wine to a pasta sauce to add depth or a sweeter white wine to help cut acidity. But tomato-based pasta dishes are traditionally accompanied by a red wine, not white. These are broad generalizations, but there's nothing to say that my favorite bread recipe enhanced with a light lager must (or even preferably) be matched with a lager. It's the overall flavor of the dish that determines the best accompaniment. Not the beer ingredient.

Countries not producing beer It seems like it's possible to find beer from almost every corner of the world today. What are the countries without any national brands / breweries?

Spitoon? No. Bucket for dumping the remainder? Yes. I agree with the other posters, with the addition that in the ONE competition I've judged in as a Novice, as Sloleam points out, we typically did not finish the 2-3 oz or so that was poured, and the remainder was dumped in a bucket. According to the BJCP guidelines , you sniff it, look at it, taste it (allowing it to linger before swallowing). That's it. After that, you typically dump the rest in a bucket, especially if you are going to be judging several categories :) However, unlike a wine competition, you swallow what you taste.

While not exhaustive, countries that observe strict Islamic law, such as Iran , do not allow the production of alcoholic beverages. In the case of Iran, there are some companies that produce non-alcoholic beer, but none that produce a traditional alcoholic beer.

If you are drinking beer directly from the can or bottle, then one measurable difference is the speed at which it warms up while you are drinking it. As glass is an insulator and aluminium is a conductor, you'd expect the can to be more efficient at transferring heat from your hand and the environment into the beer. So a glass bottle should keep the within the optimum temperature range for longer than the can. This result is backed up by some research done by students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute , which compared the rate at which refrigerated liquid warms up to room temperature in glass and aluminium bottles. The heating rate differences should be even more noticeable if the bottles were in contact with a body temperature heat source. This effect can be minimised by insulating the can using a stubby holder/beer cozy. In another experiment comparing cans held in a person's hand , over a 30 minute period an uninsulated can rose in temperature by about 14°C while the insulated can rose only 3°C.

Why do stouts foam so much when you pour them over ice cream? I was just making a stout float and noticed that my beer foamed up a ton. It's not a very carbonated beer (there was barely a hiss when I opened the growler), yet the head was several inches with not very much beer poured into the chilled mug. What causes this massive head and is there a good way to prevent it?

For the same reason that root beer floats behave in a similar fashion. Even though there is less carbonation than in root beer (and I presume similarly less foam, though still a significant quantity) the irregular surface of the ice cream offers a massively larger number of nucleation sites than the smooth glass of your favorite beer vessel. These nucleation sites cause the CO2 to come out of solution, and voila, much foam does appear. I believe that the ice cream has properties that enhance the foaming effect as well.

Not likely, unless there are some rare beers in there that benefit from aging and are kept in the right conditions. Most beers will oxidize over time, even with a sealed cork or cap a minute amount of oxygen can permeate the seal, over the course of 20 years this could damage the beer. Some companies may wax dip their beers as well, in many cases wax dipping is more for aesthetics but can also help minimize oxygen exchange for periods of long storage. Only certains beers are suited for aging, such as some lambics, saisons, Belgian quads, and high ABV stouts and barleywines, to name a few. Even for some of these it may be noted to cellar for no more than 3-5 years. For long term aging you also need to maintain temperatures in the range of 55°F. This temperature should be held consistently with any major swings up or down being avoided. Outside of this you would need to have beers that are rare and highly sought after today to have even a chance of them being valuable in the future. Even if you picked out 20 of the most sought after beers today it's important to remember tastes change and they may not be sought after in 20 years. Just look at the changes the American craft beer environment has gone through in 20 years!

How much fermentation happens post-bottling in a UFO? In Harpoon's UFO series (and other related products from other companies), the beer is bottled unfiltered, so some of the yeast carries over into the bottled beer. As long as the beer is kept in a cool area, as not to promote the growth of the yeast, how much fermentation will occur? Aside from producing extra carbon dioxide and eventually ruining the beer, is this harmful when it proceeds over short periods?

It depends on how much sugar is present in the bottled beer. If the beer is bottle-conditioned, a small amount of sugar is added deliberately in order to carbonate the beer. Once the yeast have eaten all the sugar, they stop producing carbon dioxide and fall to the bottom of the bottle. This is not physiologically harmful in any way, but the beer might need to be poured carefully to avoid too much yeast in the glass. (If the beer is force-carbonated at the brewery, the yeast may contribute to the flavor of the beer, but does not produce any CO 2 .) Harpoon's UFO appears to be bottle-conditioned, meaning the carbonation is produced naturally by the yeast. It's a hefeweizen, where the yeast character is actually desired - most people recommend to pour half the bottle, swirl it to suspend the remaining yeast, and then pour the rest. (Now, home-brewed beer can be harmful if too much sugar is added at bottling - the bottles can explode and cause injury. The beer itself doesn't become harmful, though.)

The yeast have most likely stopped fermenting by the time you get the bottle, considering it's probably at least a 5 days old by that point. The yeast stop when the fermentable sugars have been consumed. This doesn't mean they consume all sugars in the beer, but rather just those that are fermentable. Most beer has both fermentable and unfermentable sugars. This ensures there is some body still to the beer from the unfermentable sugars when fermentation is complete. It's unlikely even if kept warm that the yeast will produce more carbon dioxide or cause any harm to the beer - there is nothing available they can metabolize, so they floc to the bottom and go dormant.

Are some beers brewed with meat? I've heard this urban legend that when Guinness changed their brewing equipment at some point, people started to complain that the beer tasted worse. According to the legend, it turned out that before rats were getting into the barrels, drowned in them and thus gave Guinness its "unique flavour". That legend aside (although I would also be interested to hear opinions on that), are there any beers that are deliberately brewed with meat or meat products? What does adding meat to the brewing process achieve?

Bacon Beer I've heard of beers made with rauchmalt - smoked malt, where the brewer has " dry hopped " with bacon or bacon flavored soya to give the beer a bacon flavor and aroma - allowing the bacon and the smoked malt to enhance each other. One commercial example is Bacon Maple Ale from Rogue, which features a variety of smoked malts (over different woods) plus applewood smoked bacon. Cock Ale Here is a recipe for ale made with chicken broth: PERIOD: England, 17th century | SOURCE: The Closet Of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Kt. Opened, 1677 | CLASS: Authentic DESCRIPTION: A drink of ale, chicken broth, & sack To make Cock-Ale. Take eight gallons of Ale, take a Cock and boil him well; then take four pounds of Raisins of the Sun well stoned, two or three Nutmegs, three or four flakes of Mace, half a pound of Dates; beat these all in a Mortar, and put to them two quarts of the best Sack: and when the Ale hath done working, put these in, and stop it close six or seven days, and then bottle it, and a month after you may drink it. And PS: the Guinness meat story because of finding rats in the fermentation tanks or barrels is a myth. Or to put it another way, even if it did ever did happen once, it's not practiced now. It's hard enough for bacteria to get into the fermentation tanks or barrels, let alone something as big as a rat! (Nowadays they use stainless or aluminum kegs.)

Another example is oyster stout . While some breweries today use the name for beers that don't contain oysters, it was originally brewed with oysters. It seems that the style grew out of the popular food pairing of stout and oysters, leading to attempts to combine the two, starting in New Zealand in 1929. One example of a modern brewery using oysters is Porterhouse Brewing Company in Ireland . More information on the style can be found in this article .

A recent release by an Icelandic brewery actually contains whale meat, and inevitably this has been quite controversial! Whale Meat Beer From Icelandic Brewery Stirs Up Controversy, Outrages Conservationists. I'd like to try it myself but it's not for export and the only way I could afford to get to Iceland anytime soon would be canoe. Seems a bit chilly out for that, though.

Guinness, in common with some other beers, does actually involve a meat product in the brewing process, specifically the swim bladders of fish . This substance is not nominally retained in the final beverage.

What are some breweries locals like to visit in New York City? I wasn't a beer enthusiast while living in NYC, but still I don't recall hearing much about local breweries. Are there any worthwhile beers brewed in NYC, worth visiting at their sources? Looking to hear from people who have actually visited breweries in NYC, since anyone could just Google "breweries in NYC". A local might take into consideration breweries which are easily accessible via the subway system, or breweries in fun neighborhoods, not some desolate industrial park in Brooklyn (unless that's part of the appeal) or a shady neighborhood in the Bronx.

Local beers to try at airports (major airports only) I fly a lot, and like to seek out new beers while waiting or between connecting flights. Frequent flyers: let's help each other out and compile (community wiki-style) a list of establishments in major airports that serve local beers. For definition's sake, though arbitrary, let's say a "major airport" is one which serves more than 5,000,000+ passengers per year ("enplanements"), or serves the most passengers per year in its country. So, outside of the U.S., check the airport's Wikipedia page for the stats—for example Berlin's Schönefeld Airport , with 7,000,000+ enplanements in 2010. Also eligible are airports like Luxembourg's main airport , serving less than 5,000,000 passengers per year, but the most in its country. If this definition seems to rule out some rather important airports, we can modify the rules. This list would probably help me with "tiebreaking" when I can't decide what flights I'd rather take. It would also give me a reason to enjoy longer-than-desired connections :-) This is a question asked among the series of regional-but-potentially-useful-if-specific-enough questions. See Asking brand-specific / regional questions "responsibly" What kinds of questions will keep Beer.SE active? (Relax the culture against brands and regional questions.)

This is a community wiki . Please be respectful while editing others' contributions. Let's keep the list alphabetical by IATA code . ATL — Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Int'l Airport Concourse B. SweetWater Draft House & Grill . BOS - Logan Int'l Airport Terminal A / Gate A22. Harpoon Tap Room . (Highly rated!) CLE - Cleveland Hopkins Airport Main Terminal Great Lakes Brewery https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/home Full selection of beers on tap. The Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is delicious and year-round, but the Spring 2014 seasonal is most likely the Chill Wave Double IPA, which is one of their best. Sometimes, they have brewery-exclusive kegs, which are always very good! JFK - John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport Terminal 2 / Gate 67. (That's most popularly the Domestic US Delta terminal.) BRKLYN Beer Garden . As of 2014, they've got 6 Brooklyn / Bronx beers on draught, and a few from Long Island and upstate. Source: acheong87 LHR - London Heathrow Terminal 5 / near gate A7. The Crown Rivers always has some real ale on tap, from a hand pump. MSP - Minneapolis / St. Paul Int'l Airport Terminal 1 / Concourse G near gate 17. Taste of Mill City Tavern serving Surly Bender, Summit IPA, Fulton Sweet Child of Vine and Shell's Pilsner on tap. ORD - Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport Terminal 3 / Gate L8. Goose Island Beer Company . SAN - San Diego Int'l Airport Terminal 2 / Gate 23. (Terminal 2 is the more popular of SAN's two terminals, by far .) Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens features 12 taps—10 Stone brews, 2 rotations from other craft brewing companies—and many bottled selections. Source: http://blog.stonebrew.com/index.php/stoneairport/ TPA - Tampa Int'l Airport Airside C Terminal. Cigar City Brewing . Advertised on website as "nation's only airport brewery" with airport exclusive beers and Tampa-style cuban food. Source: http://cigarcitybrewing.com/cigar-city-brewing-airport-location/?age-verified=90aad2c053

Here is a decent blog . It has been some time since I was in NYC, but, Brooklyn Brewery produces many good beers and i recommend visiting them. Here is their schedule

Does use of Isinglass require special mention on the beer? Isinglass is a fining - when added to beer it helps the beer clarify - and it's a form of collagen derived from fish swim bladders. Given that this is an animal-derived product, do breweries have to declare this on the packaging?

At least in the United States, there is no requirement for ingredients to be listed on bottles/packaging. While foods are required to list ingredients, this is because they are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Beer and other alcohol, on the other hand, are regulated by the Treasury Department which has no such ingredient listing requirements. So, Isinglass would need no special ingredient listing. Some of the ingredients found in many American beers that might surprise you include: Propylene Glycol (Also used in anti -freeze) GMO sugars/corn syrup Monosodium Glutamate Calcium Disodium EDTA Insect derived food dyes There was a law enacted in Germany in the 1400's concerning purity of beer, known as Reinheitsgebot. This has been adapted and changed slightly since then, and was adapted in the 1950's into a taxation law that also addressed purity (Biersteuergesetz). The taxation law was relaxed in the late 1980's, and allowed any ingredients allowed in food to be allowed in beer. This only applies to imported beers, however, as German breweries still have to abide by the purity restrictions.

NO . In 2003, the EC discussed requiring labeling for Isinglass as a potential food allergen. The brewers in the EC successfully argued that it was part of the processing and not an additive and thus did not require labeling. Isinglass finings are a tried and tested method of clarifying beer and so it came as a great relief to traditional cask ale brewers when the EC, last year, introduced an amendment to the 2003 labelling directive. The brewing industry successfully argued that as a processing aid, not an ingredient that would be consumed, and with a long history of use with no recorded incidents of an allergic reaction, there was a good case for isinglass to be exempt from the directive.

I think what you are trying to get at is should it be disclosed for people who might be ideologically or otherwise opposed to consuming or using animal products. If that is the case then I think you should disclose on your packaging. It does should like more of a filtering agent than an ingredient though, so like passing something through a charcoal filter. You don't see charcoal as an ingredient.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand approved an amendment to the code in March 2009 , providing an exemption to mandatory labelling requirements for the use of isinglass in beer and wine. Clause 4 of Standard 1.2.3 deals with ingredients that trigger a mandatory declaration. The "fish products" line of the table of covered ingredients was amended to read Fish and fish products, except for isinglass derived from swim bladders and used as a clarifying agent in beer and wine The report from FSANZ also included a survey of international laws regarding isinglass. In addition to the USA and EU that have been covered by other questions, it mentions: Health Canada amended its food labelling requirements in September 2004 such that fining agents derived from fish, milk and egg, used during the manufacture of standardised alcoholic beverages, would be exempt from the allergen labelling requirements. In Japan, Fish is not included on the list of allergens requiring mandatory labelling, with only certain fish species being recommended for labelling. However, alcohol beverages and related products are not subject to the allergen labelling requirements, so wouldn't be covered anyway. The Codex Alimentarius General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods ( Codex Stan 1-1985 ) requires the declaration of fish products used as ingredients or food additive, and makes no mention of an exemption for isinglass. In countries that have adopted this standard without making any modifications and apply it to alcoholic beverages, use of isinglass would presumably have to be declared.

How did South Australia come to have smaller measures of beer? The "Beer in Australia" article on Wikipedia, includes a table listing the names for various size glasses in the different states. One peculiarity is that some South Australian glasses are one size down compared to the equivalents in other states. For example, it lists their pint glass as three quarters of an imperial pint (which would be called a schooner in other states that use that size), and their schooner glass as half a pint (which would be called a middy in a number of other states). So my question is how did this discrepancy occur? The Wikipedia page includes a number of references that indicate that these names have been used in SA, but doesn't indicate why.

What's the definition of beer? What defines beer? Specifically, what's a definition of beer that allows this to be classed as one: Snake Venom is the world’s strongest beer as of 24 October 2013, coming in at 67.5%. It is dark amber in colour with no carbonation due to the high ABV. Unlike the previous Armageddon, the alcohol is not masked in Snake Venom. It is highly present yet it still tastes like a beer with a good degree of hop profile. Each batch is tested by the brewery before bottling and random batches are tested externally. An alcohol content of 67.5% is not something I would associate with beer. So, why is this considered one and not a spirit? Dictionary.com defines beer as an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermentation from cereals, usually malted barley, and flavored with hops and the like for a slightly bitter taste. This is not a very restrictive definition and would seem to also apply to whisky if you add some hops to it. So, is there a better one?

Snake Venom is beer not a spirit because spirits are distilled . Beer is technically not distilled. As the definition you cited says, beer is the product of fermenting sugar derived from cereal grain which is dissolved in water. So water + grain + yeast = beer. The grain has to undergo a saccharification process where the carbohydrate chains (starches) in the grain are transformed into sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose...) which is then converted into alcohol by yeast. Fermentable sugar is extracted from barley through malting and mashing . The yeast is generally added to the wort (unfermented sugary water) manually by the brewer or wild yeast can fall into the beer from the air. Other processes may be involved with fermenting other grains. For example, in sake brewing, koji (a type of mold) is grown on rice (and soybeans) before fermentation in order to convert starches into fermentable sugars, as rice does not contain the enzymes needed to convert its starches into sugars (note: sake is generally not consider beer, but there are beers made with significant quantities of rice, up to 100% rice beer is possible). Hops is not a necessary ingredient in beer, and beer was made for thousands of years before people started adding hops to it. These strong beers like Snake Venom are generally brewed to this high ABV level through freeze "distillation." This isn't really distillation, because no heat is involved, so people still call them beers. But this is a concentration process similar to distillation. Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, so when you freeze beer, you can remove the ice and you're left with a more concentrated beer. This is the process used in the German eisbock style. The brewers also start with a high ABV beer, using special ingredients (sugar sources other than malt, like table sugar) along with strains of yeast that can tolerate high levels of alcohol and still continue to live and ferment. This process can be somewhat difficult and expensive, so it gets attention. In my opinion it's a novelty, but I guess people like it, because they sell a lot of it.

Some key attributes that make a beer a beer: the primary process to make it typically involves brewing, i.e. steeping something in water. For beer it's cereals or grains to extract something, that something is usually mainly carbohydrates, but also color, flavor and aroma. fermentation is used to convert the brew liquor (wort) into beer. There are unfermented "beers" such as the Norwegian "vørterøl" (wort-Ale) but these aren't strictly beers. Fermentation is usually by yeast, Saccaromyces cerevisiae (ales) or S. uvarum (lagers) but other yeasts (S. Brettanomyces) or bacteria (such as lactobacillus) may be used.

Brew York (which is one of the foremost local news sites for Beer Enthusiasts in NYC) wrote up a really great guide to NYC's Beer Culture for Super Bowl visitors last week. The strongest picks, if I had to rattle them off myself, would be Brooklyn Brewery for someplace with some serious scale, Singlecut's taproom in Astoria for some great hoppy lagers and the best in-brewery drinking experience in town, and Peekskill Brewery and Barrier Brewery if you're willing to spend 30 minutes on a commuter rail line (Metro North or LIRR respectively), for two of the most daring and inventive brewers in the region. Really though, even though NYC has a number of local breweries, it isn't a great place for drinking at the source - beer culture in the city, while heavily local, is largely centered around a number of fantastic bars; Check out Torst , Barcade , Spuyten Duyvil , Alewife , The Pony Bar , Blind Tiger , the Ginger Man , Burp Castle , or any of the tons and tons of other great venues. The Craft Beer New York app for both major smartphone platforms is also excellent, with up to date listings on new bar and brewery openings, local events, limited releases, and more. Easily worth a few bucks for any serious enthusiast.

What should I expect from a Belgian triple (tripel)? I know from this question that doubles and triples are stronger than the "single" version. And from what I've seen, Belgian triple are often closer to be blond and golden while doubles are often darker. My question though is what should I expect from a triple? What are it's defining characteristics (meaning that I can recognize one when I drink it, or recognize an off-style one)?

Are there any beer styles that are best enjoyed hot? I'm well aware that beer is commonly enjoyed warm in Europe. However, mulled beer aside, are there any beer styles that fare well when enjoyed hot?

I expect a high alcohol beer, with a lot of complex flavors. One that the alcohol content will "sneak" up on you because it isn't very obvious in the taste. Quoting from the Beer Judge Criteria : Aroma: Complex with moderate to significant spiciness, moderate fruity esters and low alcohol and hop aromas. Generous spicy, peppery, sometimes clove-like phenols. Esters are often reminiscent of citrus fruits such as oranges, but may sometimes have a slight banana character. A low yet distinctive spicy, floral, sometimes perfumy hop character is usually found. Alcohols are soft, spicy and low in intensity. No hot alcohol or solventy aromas. The malt character is light. No diacetyl. Appearance: Deep yellow to deep gold in color. Good clarity. Effervescent. Long-lasting, creamy, rocky, white head resulting in characteristic “Belgian lace” on the glass as it fades. Flavor: Marriage of spicy, fruity and alcohol flavors supported by a soft malt character. Low to moderate phenols are peppery in character. Esters are reminiscent of citrus fruit such as orange or sometimes lemon. A low to moderate spicy hop character is usually found. Alcohols are soft, spicy, often a bit sweet and low in intensity. Bitterness is typically medium to high from a combination of hop bitterness and yeast-produced phenolics. Substantial carbonation and bitterness lends a dry finish with a moderately bitter aftertaste. No diacetyl. Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, although lighter than the substantial gravity would suggest (thanks to sugar and high carbonation). High alcohol content adds a pleasant creaminess but little to no obvious warming sensation. No hot alcohol or solventy character. Always effervescent. Never astringent. Overall Impression: Strongly resembles a Strong Golden Ale but slightly darker and somewhat fuller-bodied. Usually has a more rounded malt flavor but should not be sweet. Comments: High in alcohol but does not taste strongly of alcohol. The best examples are sneaky, not obvious. High carbonation and attenuation helps to bring out the many flavors and to increase the perception of a dry finish. Most Trappist versions have at least 30 IBUs and are very dry. Traditionally bottle-conditioned (“refermented in the bottle”). History: Originally popularized by the Trappist monastery at Westmalle. Ingredients: The light color and relatively light body for a beer of this strength are the result of using Pilsner malt and up to 20% white sugar. Noble hops or Styrian Goldings are commonly used. Belgian yeast strains are used – those that produce fruity esters, spicy phenolics and higher alcohols – often aided by slightly warmer fermentation temperatures. Spice additions are generally not traditional, and if used, should not be recognizable as such. Fairly soft water.

First, to clear up the myth. European beer is not served warm. Some beers, such as real ale (or cask ale) are served at cellar temperature, which while certainly above the temperature of a beer fresh out a refrigerator, at 12-14 degrees celsius (53-57F) is still much colder than room temperature. To answer your question: Mulled beer is heated beer. As with wine, mulled beer is usually warmed over a low stove or in a crockpot with spices, often including cinnamon, nutmeg, citrus zest, and a sweetener like brown sugar, but it doesn't need to include any additional ingredients, particularly if it already has strong spice or fruit characteristics. So, any beer style that you heat is, in fact, mulled beer. As to styles of beer that would be suitable for mulling, Belgian Strong Dark ales would be good candidates, as would nice fruity lambics. Barleywine ales, milk stouts, chocolate stouts, and oatmeal stouts I would imagine might also be nice. The characteristics I'd look for would be a heavy body, more malty than hoppy, a bit of sweetness, and if present, dark fruit (plumbs, figs, raisins) or berries.

I am a big fan of tripels and quadrupels. They are dark, and much smoother, I find, than blondes and other lower-alcohol beers (and yes, tripels are substantially more alcoholic). Contrary to the previous answer, I find they taste less bitter than typical beers, although perhaps it may be because the bitterness is masked by the other flavors perhaps? It may depend, though; Chimay yellow label has a note of bitterness that I don't find in, say, a Westmalle. Part of it depends on what you're used to. If you're used to mass-market beers you will find these very different. Heavier and more substantial. Richer, more luxurious. Very much not something you quaff down a few at a time to quench your thirst; these are savored. There are also quadrupels, such as the Roquefort 10 or Westvleteren XII, which are even better in my mind. These are very dark and pack an alcoholic punch.

What are the difference between a dubbel and a tripel? From a question about german beers , the difference between a doppelbock and triple bock seems to be simply about the abv and maltiness. Basically just a stronger version of the "single" bock. Is is the same difference for Belgian versions (dubbels and trippels)? From a comment I read, the difference seemed to be more complex, and I would like to get more information about it.

Dubbels and Tripels are vastly different beers. While dubbels are generally something akin to a brown ale, malt forward with some light hints of dark fruit and roastiness, Tripels are pale to golden, being a vehicle for both the yeast flavors (clove/bananna), fruity esters, and the whims of the brewer (Belgian candi sugar, coriander and other spices are common additions). The additional Trappist style ale the Quadripel (Quad) is much more like a bigger version of the dubbel, although they have their own distinct flavor profiles as well.

It's often a misconception that one comes forth from the other, this is incorrect. The name was used to indicate the strength of the Westmalle beers. Originally there was the Enkel, Dubbel and Tripel. It is said that they represent the holy trinity. Later quadruppels were added. Both Dubbel and Tripel as name were first used by the Trappist brewery of Westmalle. Westmalle produced the first dark beer in 1856 named "Dubbel" (the recipe was changed in 1926). Dubbels are dark in color, and tend to have malt flavors dominating over hops. Whereas the Quadrupels have more of a fruit presence, the Dubbels tend to be a bit spicier with strong caramel flavors. They tend to have an ABV of 6.5-9.0%. Some examples: Chimay Red La Trappe Dubbel Ommegang Westvleteren 8 Rochefort 6 Westmalle Dubbel Tripels are lighter color, often blonde. They are generally a lot fruitier and lighter in flavor. The name Tripel originally was first used in 1956 by the Westmalle brewery to name their strongest beer (originally produced in 1930 and named Superbier, it was renamed to Tripel). The ABV is a lot higher than the double, 8.0-12.0%. Some examples: Tripel Karmeliet Westmalle Tripel St. Bernardus Tripel Leuvense Tripel Chimay Cinq Cents Tripel

Does beer suffer from being warmed and then rechilled? I typically prefer my beer only a bit cold, so when I buy a 12-pack from a store's cooler I typically just leave it out. The excess I'll refrigerate at the end of the night, and sometimes repeat the process with the same beer on a different night. Does this affect the quality of the beer in some chemical way? I almost exclusively drink IPA's and personally never notice a difference, but many of my friends have commented on the habit of mine to let beer warm.

What are some high-ABV IPA's in the Northeast United States? I'm very familiar with Dogfishhead's series of 60/75/90/120 minute IPA's, Harpoon's Leviathan, and have recently found new favorites in Sixpoint Hi-Res and Resin. What are some similar high-ABV Double/Imperial IPA's in this area?

Are there any beer styles that are served flat? I thought of this question when I've read the one about mulled beer . I thought heating the beer would make it lose carbonation, but then I've read somewhere that you have to carbonate the mulled beer as well. So are there any beer styles that are served without carbonation or nitrogenation? I myself think that there are probably none, but I'm no beer expert (yet :D).

Cask beers have very low levels of carbonation, enough that one could almost consider them to be flat. This is due to the fact that they aren't served under any pressure.

What you're most likely to find everyday are not beers that are flat, exactly, but are very low in carbonation. Barleywine ale is one of these styles, and though it will typically have some carbonation, it will be very little. In the UK, real (or cask) ale is another style with very little carbonation. The only style I can think of off the top of my head that is really and truly uncarbonated are the super high alcohol beers like Boston Beer's Samuel Adams Utopias and some of the various high-alcohol freeze-distilled* varieties. To me, these styles have nearly as much in common with fortified wine or spirits as they do with beer, and they're not easy to find, so they're a bit of an outlier. * Distillation requires heat, so the process of freezing to concentrate alcohol in a beer isn't really technically distillation, but hey, that's what it's called, so when it Rome...

Historically beer was almost definitely still (flat) for thousands of years. Before the discovery/invention of force carbonation methods, all beer was carbonated naturally via bottle or cask conditioning. But people were brewing alcoholic beverages commonly referred to as beer in antiquity, and evidence from these cultures ( ancient China , Neolithic culture, etc) suggests that they were doing this in big stone and earthenware pots and jugs, which may have had no lids or loose lids. Their vessels probably could not have withstood the pressure of carbonation even if they were using wax or cork to seal the vessels. So if you were to brew a historical style and you wanted to be truly accurate, then you would not carbonate it. But the modern historical interpretations usually are carbonated (like Dogfish Head's ancient ales ), because they are selling them and Westerners generally prefer them :) There is one "modern style" (e.g. a style you'd find in the BJCP style guide ), that can be served with no carbonation , namely straight (unblended) lambic . Several have little or low carbonation, (e.g. barleywine) mentioned in other answers. Sahti also has very little carbonation. But people do still drink flat/still beer all over the world, for example there's some uncarbonated corn beers that are popular, like chicha in Latin America ( Dogfish Head made a Chicha inspired beer ) and umqombothi in South Africa. There are other names for similar beers in other regions. These are typically homebrewed.

Bluepoint Brewery of Long Island NY makes Old Howling Bastard at 10% ABV (though I won't buy their beer anymore as they just sold to InBev a few weeks ago) Dirtwolf from Victory Brewing Company of Pennsylvania at 8.7% ABV At 9% ABV, you've got Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher Brewing Co of Pennsylvania Out of NY, you have Unearthly from Southern Tier , rolling in at 9.5% ABV From NY, you've got He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. by Shmaltz Brewing Company at 10 % ABV Dogfish Head makes other IPA's outside of the 60/90/120 Minutes. Give Robert Johnson's Hellhound On My Ale a try (10% ABV). At 9.7% ABV, Smuttynose of New Hampshire makes the Big A IPA at 9.7% ABV Stoudt's Double IPA from Stoudt's brewing Co. of PA rolls in at 9.43 ABV From Vermont, you've got Ephraim by Hill Farmstead Brewery rolling in at 10.5% ABV. I've never seen a beer with a 100 rating on Beer Advocate before...good luck finding this one. Out of Pennsylvania from Allentown Brew Works you've got Hop'solutely rolling in at 11.5% ABV Bluepoint also makes No Apologies Imperial IPA at 10% ABV. Again, my discretion about InBev still applies. Flying Dog out of Frederick Maryland makes Single Hop Imperial IPA at 10% ABV Brash Brewing Company of Taxachusetts makes The Bollocks at a whopping 12% ABV I think that list will do for now. Again, It'd be best to rephrase your question as I was not sure if you meant beer brewed in the Northeast or beer available there. I went with the former (since it should satisfy both conditions anyway). What you want to keep an eye out for are so called Imperial IPA's ; it is a category of high ABV IPA's

What is pale pilsen? We have this local beer in the Philippines called San Miguel Pale Pilsen. Looking at this style guide I don't see any mention of the word Pilsen, though there is the word Pilsner. Are they in any way related?

How can canned beer be draft without the widget? (Japan-specific) Here in Japan, draft beer is called nama (生) beer, or so my boss said. Referencing my previous question , one answer said that draft beer is "pushed using gas, or drawn via a partial vacuum". I get the concept of the widget being used to facilitate that. However, canned draft beers in Japan have no widget at all! They come in different can sizes from very small to a liter size, and all have no widget whatsoever. So I wonder how it is classified as draft without having the characteristic of draft beer. Or am I missing something? Is it possible the term draft means something different around here?

Yes, they are related. The pilsner beer style got its name from the city of Pilsen , in what is now the Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed in 1842. Reference: Pilsner

Draft isn't a very regulated term but most often draws its meaning from context. At a bar, draft is usually placed opposite bottled, meaning like you said that the beer is pushed using gas from a keg or drawn via vacuum from a cask. This is the actual meaning of draft. But.. On bottles and cans it most often means "Like-Draft", or the marketing department's way of telling you this beer tastes more like the version of our beer that you get when you go to bar and get off the tap, but in the comfort of your own home. For a beer like Guinness or Boddingtons, this means a widget to hold high pressure Nitrogen gas to simulate the effects of a "Beer Gas" pouring system which uses a high pressure mixture of Nitrogen and CO2. Guinness has actually replaced the widget in some of their "draught" packages as well, I believe the draught bottles. But for a beer like Miller Genuine Draft, or the other Japanese beers you're mentioning, it just means the beer is unpasteurized which gives it a flavor more like what you get from a fresh, unpasteurized keg rather than a pasteurized and/or filtered bottled beer. This is in line with the meaning of "nama" as you mentioned, as the beer is more "fresh" than traditional bottled beer.

TL DR; No. Beer flavor changes over time (hops fade away, oxidation takes hold, etc.), and this process happens more quickly at warmer temperatures than colder ones. But there are no additional chemical reactions caused by temperature changes, so warming to room temperature and re-chilling multiple times is not going to have any added effects on the beer. Assuming you are drinking it within a few weeks, you won't notice the difference with bottled or canned beer. I think this myth took hold from left-over kegs after parties: A half-empty keg that was dispensed by pumping air into it will start to oxidize much more quickly since oxygen is being added to it. When it warms the oxidation speeds up and it tastes stale within a day or two. Keeping it cold slows that down a bit, but even cold it won't last very long. A keg being dispensed using CO2 is a different story: that will last as long as bottled beer and can be warmed and rechilled without ill effects. In all of this, I am referring to room temperature. Beer left in a car in the sun for hours will start to stale much more quickly, even if bottles are protected from the sunlight. You won't get the skunky flavor caused by the light, but it will taste stale.

How can I follow limited releases? I've recently been tracking some of Founders's limited releases (like the Kentucky Breakfast Stout, coming out in March I believe). It's easy enough to check brewery-by-brewery, but are there any services or websites that consolidate information about USA-distributed limited releases?

Is there a taste or texture difference between gravity breweries and those that use pumps? I visited the UK's oldest licensed brewery, the Three Tuns , in Shropshire, which has been licenced since 1642. One of its key features is that all transfers can be carried out using gravity: all raw materials are brought to the top of the tower, and then each movement of materials or fluids is carried out using gravity - not pumps My question is: does this provide a difference in flavour, texture or other qualities to beers from those breweries that use pumps? I can imagine it might, as pumps cause agitation that won't exist in a simple pipe letting liquid flow downhill. (additional information: the Three Tuns is well worth a visit - all the beers on show that day were delicious)

I'd say beermenus.com would be a good bet. My favorite local brewery updates their page every other day or so. It's funny that you mention this though. I just had an email exchange with the brewmaster regarding this very thing. I asked him to set up a webcam system which will update the list of beer offerings in realtime (similar to what the Dogfish Head Ale Houses do at the bottom of the page). He liked the idea and said he's game for it, so hopefully we'll start seeing these type of things pop up more and more. In the meantime, I think beermenus.com is your best bet (aside from calling the brewery probably). There's also a smartphone app called UnTapped that was pretty good at this as well, last time I checked (I'm happily a dumb phone user once again as part of a personal experiment of mine; so I haven't used it recently).

A Belgian Double is an amber/brown beer of usually 6-7.5% ABV (They can drift higher). The style was most likely originated at Westmalle in the mid 19th Century. While Trappist abbeys tend to be the origin and driver of the style, many secular Belgian breweries produce them as Abbey beers which may have actually been a brewing monastery at one point or simply as a Dubbel. They're not as popular amongst American brewers as triples though. As far as flavor profile, it's a malty but dry beer. The Belgian abbey yeast strains will ferment the beer fairly dry but will create a whole host of fruity esters and spicy phenols that will add to the mid range caramel malts. Many of the Trappist versions have attenuation of 80%-90%. Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Red Label, New Belgium Abbey, St. Martin Brune are all good examples of the style. With regards to AudiFanatic's answer, In this case, Beer Advocate is wrong in their description of a Triple. Triples do NOT use 3x's the malt as a Single. No brewer will tell you that, nor is it true historically. Malt extraction is linear, meaning 3x's the malt will be 3x's the alcohol. The closest you get to that is historically when the single was the 3rd running (like a small beer). With this method, the 1st run had triple the fermentables extracted than the 3rd run. And while I may only be a blogger, with 13 years of industry experience, I spoke with highly trained brewmasters and read references written by authoritative experts. I'm pretty sure my answer article is more accurate than the Beer Advocate's, in this case. Also, the flavor profile of a triple does not have "flavors similar" to a dubbel. Dark malt and light malt will give very different flavors. The only Triple that has similar flavor is Stift Engelzell's triple, which is a unique dark triple, as they're labeling it.

What sort of flavours distinguish ultra-high IBU beers from other high IBU beers? When I've drunk high-IBU beers such as Mikkeller's Hop Burn High (labelled as 300 IBU) I've been able to taste and smell the hops, but I'd be hard pressed to say that it was e.g. 6 times as bitter as a 50 IBU beer. So I was wondering if there is something about the beer that I'm missing that would indicate that it was a 300 IBU beer? Or is this more of a marketing thing when breweries label beers with such high numbers?

International Bittering Units (IBUs) are a measure of bitterness in a beer. As such, the distinguishing factor is bitterness. :) Since hops are the primary contributor to bitterness in beer, high IBU beers also tend to be hoppy (although that's not always the case, since hops added at certain points in the brewing process contribute mostly to bitterness, while hops added at other points contribute mostly to hop aroma and flavor). As an aside, heavier beers (specifically, those with lots of malt) will taste less bitter than a lighter beer with the same IBU. To elaborate: there is still the complication that IBUs do not really correlate with perceived bitterness because other aspects of beer affect the perception of bitterness. For example, two beers containing 25 IBUs will be perceived very different with respect to bitterness if one beer had an O.G. of 10 °Plato and finished at 1.5 °Plato and the other beer had an O.G. of 12.5 °Plato and finished at 2.5 °Plato. Begin varying the malt bill by adding crystal malt, for example, and changing the content of various water salts and things become even muddier. This is the reason that measures like the IBU are extremely useful when used within a population of similar beers, but not so handy when looking at very different populations. - http://byo.com/light-ale/item/2084-measuring-ibus-mr-wizard

The brewery really needs to indicate how they get the 300 IBU measurement. Most just work it out from the hops they add using hop bitterness calculators , rather than it being an actual measurement of the bittering compounds in the beer. For highly hopped beers, the calculated IBUs can be far off compared to reality - above around 100 IBUs it becomes more and more difficult to increase the IBUs of the beer. The isomerized alpha acids that give the bitterness are only marginally soluble in wort (they are hydrophobic), and their solubility decreases as more is dissolved: solubility decreases with lower pH and dissolving the iso-acids lowers the pH, so solubility is self-limiting. Thus, labels with over 100 IBUs should not be considered accurate, unless the brewer has specifically measured the IBUs in the beer, rather than guessed them from the hop regime.

ABV of small beer? I understand that a much weaker version of beer, called 'small beer', was historically drunk as a safe way to drink liquid. This was at a time when drinking plain water might well have made you sick, as it would not have been boiled. Do we have any idea what the ABV of 'small beer' drunk around 1800 would have been?

What are the true origins of the yard of ale? From here , though they do not cite their source: The origins of the yard of ale date back to the early 17th century, during the reign of King James I (1603-1625). Glass-making in England was then in its infancy; the first glass-making factory had only recently been established. Many of the first yard glasses have not survived due to their brittle nature, until George Ravenscroft (1674) introduced a new glass process known as the flint glass. The yard of ale was made and used not for normal drinking purposes, but for feast and manly displays of prowess. During Anglo-Saxon times through the Middle Ages, the English nation has always engaged in the traditions of heavy drinking. As put in Young’s quote “England’s Bane” written in 1617, “He is a man of no fashion that can not drink by the dozen, by the yard, so by measure we drink out of measure.” Legend suggests that the yard was also used in old England to serve the driver of a coach. Upon arriving at their destination and relieving its passengers, the coachman would stay and the length of the yard glass would allow him some refreshment. Some of the same information is repeated in Wikipedia . I'm certain that most of the history of using this style of vessel comes from fellow drinkers trying to show each other up at parties, but aside from the sheer volume (and perhaps limitations of glass-making artisans), how did this length and volume of the glass first come about? Is there more definitive evidence for the year of birth of the yard, besides the milestone in their history of the introduction of flint glass? I'm also curious about whether the volume of the glass was satisfying to stagecoach drivers because of their need to wait long periods for their passenger, or whether it was just easier to hand them a tall glass as they remained in the seat.

Historically small beer is believed to be between 2 and 3.5% ABV, based on notes from Belgian monasteries which produced small beer from the 3rd runnings of the mash and original French Saison recipes. Those numbers are probably accurate for brewing between the middle ages and about the 1500s. Small beer got a little stronger a few hundred years later when it came to America. George Washington's famous 1757 Small Beer has been estimated as a little stronger, around 4-4.5% ABV by recreations. Another famous historic small beer recipe from 1820 has been estimated around 3.8% and included lemon peel, clove, ginger, and cream of tartar for acidity in addition to hops. Basically it runs the same gamut as session beer does today, maybe staying a bit towards the lower end of what we'd consider session.

I did some experimentation at home to answer this question. My results indicated that room temperature and temperature fluctuation had no impact on flavour. Very high temperature (140° for 24 hours) seems to create a very slight hard to define harshness. Check out my results here: Beer Experiments: Sunlight Exposure and Temperature Regulation Beer Experiments: Temperature Regulation Part 2

As stated above, if you want to know about a certain style the BJCP guidelines are a great place to start. Not all styles are reflected in the BJCP guidelines though. For instance, the BJCP doesn't recognize Black IPAs, or American Wild Ales. The Beer Advocate style guidelines , and the guidelines from the Great American Beer Festival might also be useful to you. With regard to your specific question about Tripels, you can read my own thoughts about them on my blog (I'm trying to drink all the BJCP styles are write about them): The Beer Style Project

Is Oyster Stout really made using oysters? One of my favorite stouts is Oesterstout by the Schelde Brewery . The website states: During the brewing process, the wort of the beer is pumped across the oyster shells. Is this what gives it it's distinct taste? In Denmark, another more easily available Oyster stout is Marston's Oyster Stout . Do all Oyster Stouts follow this particular process, or is it more of a sales pitch?

Oyster stout traditionally uses oysters as part of the brewing process, and that is the flavour that differentiates them from other stouts. While it is traditional to use oysters, some modern breweries use artifical flavours in their oyster stouts, or simply say that they are intended to be eaten with seafood. You mention Marston's Oyster Stout, which is one example of an oyster stout that doesn't use actual oysters in the brew. From their website : Marston’s Oyster Stout is a dark, creamy, smooth, clean tasting English stout. It doesn’t contain oysters, just called Oyster Stout as this style of ale is a great complement to shell fish dishes.

Should I leave a beer age before drinking it? I think the title is self explanatory, but I would like to add: does it make any difference letting it aging in a can or in a bottle?

Given that your question asked about a "pale pilsen" the answer would be that this is in a way a pleonasm since Pilsner/Pils/Pilsen is a lager beer brewed with pale malt and therefore pale by definition. The only not so super pale Pilsner I've seen so far is the Imperial Pilsner "Draft Bear" by Mikkeller which still is quite pale and also a very lose interpretation of the style.

Directly not. Agitation won't change the properties of the beer enough as such. BUT... when pumping, it is harder to avoid oxygen/air being mixed into the wort/beer. Oxygen is very bad for the beer in most stages of the brewing process. So if you have a pumping system, it needs to be a good one that doesn't wirl air into the wort/beer. The only stage in the brewing process where you actually want as much oxygen/air as possible is when pitching the yeast. At every other stage you will get oxidation which is one of the top reasons for off flavours, stuck fermentations, etc.

Why do most beers from ex-soviet countries have a honey note? Almost all beers, especially lager beers I've had in ex-soviet countries have a slight honey taste to them. I'm sure this is not intentional. It could be due to Pentanedione but why in this region? Let me specify that I do not think that honey is used in the brewing process. I see the sickly sweet honey taste as an off-taste and I wonder how this could be explained in the case of a whole region having it. It turns up in regular lager beers as well as darker things. It also turns up in former soviet EU countries that are not very russian and have their beer tradition rather from germany. Examples: Almost all Saku beers (Estonia) Almost all A. Le Coq beers (Estonia) Švyturys Ekstra (Lithuania) Baltika (Russia) And more...

I found a blog post where the author has (most thoroughly, in my opinion) gone in search of some primary source of evidence for the origins of the yard glass. Unfortunately, they seem to have turned up nothing definitive. On one point, the post is quite consistent: there isn't any real evidence to suggest that the story of the stagecoach or mailcoach driver drinking from the yard-glass is true. It mentions sources on the history of glassmakers: The same absence of evidence occurs in specialist books on drinking glasses. The history of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, published in 1898, has a drawing of the Eton “long glass”, but no coach drivers. And also the history of coaches: Specialist books on coach travel also fail to supply references to coach drivers and ale-yards. The coach explanation appears to be wholly made-up: The earliest reference to the coach driver legend I have found is from 1952 And, inferring from previous evidence provided by the author, this is almost a century after coach travel has been superseded by steam trains. The author also makes an interesting point; a coach driver was almost certainly not handed a yard of ale from the alehouse window, because the risk of breaking the glass (which would have been expensive) was too great! Most of the evidence of the post tends to suggest that the yard of ale was originally intended as a bit of a joke, and attempting to drink the whole thing without spilling a drop was a fun game to play. When air reaches the bulb it displaces the liquor with a splash, startling the toper, and compelling him involuntarily to withdraw his mouth by the rush of the cold liquid over his face and dress. To summarise, in one final quote from the most-excellent article: But with all that, I hope you’ll agree, we have found no evidence that the yard of ale was originally “designed to meet the needs of stagecoach drivers” in a hurry. In fact, there is no evidence that the yard of ale was ever used to refresh coach drivers at all (and if it had been, it certainly wouldn’t have been handed up to the driver through an inn window, which would be an excellent way to either spill the ale or smash the glass). Instead, I think, it seems clear that the yard of ale was (1) produced as something of a show-off, for the glassmaker and the owner, and (2) primarily or almost solely supplied and bought as a “forfeit glass”, for use in drinking games and contests of skill, just as it is today.

First, let me state that I'm a 4th generation Italian American; I know nothing about Russian customs other than what I learned in a Russian history class (humanities requirement) a few semesters ago. With that said, I could probably shoot an email to the professor who I took the class with if you want more info, but I think my answer will suffice (but please let me know, he is a pretty cool guy). Anyway, I would presume it has something to do with Russian culture and the importance of honey in that part of the world. I remember when I was a kid (like 2nd grade I think), we read a collection of short, non-fiction stories of a Russian girl and her grandfather, who was a beekeeper. I cannot remember what the name of the book was nor the author nor whether or not the stories took before or during the Soviet era; but I do remember that honey played a really important role in most of the stories. Of course there is other more concrete evidence other than my childhood reading material. For instance, just take a look at Russian cuisine. They have a mead-like beverage called Medovukha , which is made with honey and yeast. It's apparently a traditional drink at weddings over there. Also, you've got Russian honey cakes and other food based items . Finally, honey is also a good preservative as it's antibacterial, so it was often mixed in with jams back in the day to preserve them. So I'd be surprised if many of the ex-soviet brewers didn't use honey as an additive to their beer. Especially if the beers you have in mind are bottle conditioned, they would need to add a sweetener of sorts for proper carbonation. I've used honey in two of my home brews and I like it. Perhaps some substantiating points: Baltika Medovoe Light seems to be a popular "first Russian beer" to try. It's a pale lager with natural honey added. Indeed honey does seem to have played a central role in Russian culture. Like the Assumption, the three "Saviors" ( Spas ), August 1, 6, and 16, were associated with the fruits of the earth. The first was called the "Honey" ( medovyi ) or "Wet Savior" ( mokryi Spas ), signifying either the gathering of honey or the religious procession and blessing of the waters traditional for this day. Ivanits, L. "Russian Folk Belief." [http://books.google.com] . According to Russian historian Vasili Kliuchevskii (1841–1911), we must learn about the Russian forest, river and steppe in order to understand the Russian people. [...] "The forest provided the Russian with oak and pine to build his house, it warmed him with aspen and birch, it lit his hut with birchwood splinters, it shod him in birch bast sandals, it gave him plates and dishes, clothed him in hides and furs and fed him honey. The forest was the best shelter from his enemies." Riordan, J. "Russian Fairy Tales and Their Collectors." [http://books.google.com] It's notable how closely intertwined honey and their ideals of paradise were, as found by a search for the term "honey" in "The Paradise Myth in Eighteenth-century Russia: Utopian Patterns in Early Secular Russian Literature and Culture" (Baehr, S. L.). So, though still conjecture, it may be so that Russian culture has had a higher demand for honey notes in their foods and beverages, naturally selecting those tastes. Frankly, it may simply be the case that there's not an objective ("provable") answer to this question.

Where can I find a Coriolis IPA in the UK? We tried the amazing Coriolis IPA by New England Brewery during a trip to the USA. However, upon our return to the UK, we have been unable to find it anywhere. Long shot, but has anyone ever seen/found this beer in the UK? Thank you for the help!

From their website, it looks like they only distribute around Connecticut . If you are really interested in pursuing it, acheong87's recommendation of finding someone to trade with may be your best bet.

What the heck is a lambic? I had a most-delicious, cherry-red beer last night that tasted like raspberries. It was tart, a little low in alcoholic content (4%), and tasted like no other beer I've had. It was intriguing enough that I think I'll go back for a growler today. The chalkboard said it was a 'lambic'. What exactly is a lambic? What are typical characteristics of one? I quite enjoyed it, but it seemed a little sweet. Is there a variety of lambic I should keep an eye out for that is dry, but still tart?

For how lambics are made and what distinguishes them from other beers, see this Wikipedia article . To summarize, lambics are exposed to wild yeast (rather than the usual cultivated yeasts) and tend to have a dry, tart taste. These are not heavy-bodied beers, nor are they bitter. (Hops are used for their preservative effect, but old, dry hops are used to minimize the flavor impact.) Frequently, lambics (like the one you had) have fruit added later in fermentation. Common fruits for this include raspberry, peach, and cherry, and I've also encountered apple. The sweetness you're tasting probably comes from the fruit (and some of these varieties taste sweeter to me than others). If you'd like to try a lambic that doesn't have the fruit, which is likely to be less sweet, look for "gueuze".

The 'stage-coach driver' explanation seems to be an ex post facto explanation, almost certainly affected by the fact that a post-horn (sounded by mail-coach drivers to warn tollkeepers to open the gate so as not to delay the mails) was frequently (and genuinely) called a 'yard of tin'. The habit of calling the coach-horn the "yard of tin" arose from the fact that it really was a yard, or thirty-six inches, of tin, many of the old horns on the inferior coaches being made of tin, and not of copper or brass. -- Highways and Horses by Athol Maudslay , cited on the excellent if somewhat obsessive [and now apparently deceased] site www.coachhorntootlers.com

It's important enough that many British brewers modify the composition of their water to more closely mimic the mineral content of water drawn from wells near Burton upon Trent , where traditional styles are considered to originate from. This process is called Burtonisation . I've noticed for my part that some traditional bitters I've drunk have had a noticeable and not entirely pleasant aroma somewhat like old eggs, which I would guess is the sulphur content that is added in this process. I don't particularly care for beers that taste like this, but each to their own.

Personally as a rule of thumb I would allow my choice to be dictated by the level of carbonation in the beer. Temperature affects how rapidly carbon dioxide dissipates from the beer, so the more carbon dioxide it starts with, the colder I would serve it, in order to preserve it in its intended state for as long as possible. My personal taste would also entail a slightly cooler temperature for pale ale styles (lighter in colour and body and hoppier) and slightly warmer for brown ales, bitters, stouts and so on. I would also like to register my objection to the term 'warm' used for beer. I don't know of any drinking culture that really does encourage the warm serving of beer in any normal understanding of the word. 'Warm' really refers to cellar temperature rather than refrigerator or just-above-zero temperature. A similar temperature to that you'd expect in red wine would be appropriate for the 'warm' beers.

Is there anything I can do short of leaving a glass out on the counter to mitigate overcarbonation? I recently picked up a bunch of bottles of what seemed like interesting brews from Hitachino , because I was interested in exploring some Japanese beers. Unfortunately, the first two bottles I've opened now seem to have both been severely overcarbonated. We're talking foam overflowing out of the bottle once I open it. These bottles have not been exposed to significant agitation recently. They've been sitting on a shelf, upright as is proper, for days. Worse still, they don't just explode and make a mess, but they also simply taste severely overcarbonated. It's like drinking shaken seltzer water mixed with my beer, and it's decidedly unpleasant. At this point, the only thing I've been able to do is pour a glass, leave it out for an hour or three, and then drink it. Which is... impractical at best, and is only going to become less so as the weather warms up. Is there anything else I can do to mitigate this?

Are Hitachino's beers characteristically really heavily carbonated? I recently picked up a bunch of bottles of what seemed like interesting brews from Hitachino , because I was interested in exploring some Japanese beers. However, more than anything, I've found both to be severely overcarbonated. To the point of both making a mess, and being unpleasant to drink. Is this sort of over-the-top carbonation characteristic of Hitachino's beer (or Japanese beer in general)? Or is it more likely that the bottles (which I purchased all at once from a single retailer) were somehow compromised or spoiled in the process of being imported to the US? Or just spoiled by sitting on the shelf too long? None of the bottles are marked with any sort of freshness or sell-by date, so is this possibly some sort of spoilage I've just never encountered before?

Depends what you mean with Belgian Triple. As I understand in the US it is used as a style name and it is base on the Westmalle Triple. You can see the style discription in the answer of Schleis. But if you want to know what to expect, try Westmalle Triple, it's a good (my preferred) benchmark. In Belgium it's not a style. It's merely a label to mark that more ingredient were used, comparatively with the other beers within the same brewery. A little history: The ingredients to make beer were expensive in the middle ages, so the brewers tried to use as little as possible for there beer. There was however also an market for more tasteful, more expensive, beer. To differentiate between the brewed barrels they used X for the cheap bear, XX for the expensive one. Not saying that there were double the ingredients in it, just more. Later came also XXX. You can still find these X's on some labels these days. The name Triple is a more recent appellation (1930's), but it is based on the same idea. A classic trio you find in Belgium, but with a lot of exceptions, is a blond(X), a brown (XX, double) and a strong blond ale (XXX, triple). These are relative references, within the brewery and like already mentioned, more ingredients, not doubling or tripling the amount of ingredients. Making the beers stronger in alcohol and taste. I guess you now also know what to expect with a quadruple...

You can decant the beer between two large glasses or pitchers - the agitation will cause the CO 2 to come out of solution quickly and also not raise the temperature too much. Sample after 4-5 decants to see how much the carbonation has dropped, and repeat as necessary. You will end up with quite a bit of foam, hence the need for larger glasses or a pitcher.

Difference between Dark Lager and Black Lager Is there a difference between Black Lager and Dark Lager, or is it just the name? Since the recipes for Dark/Black Lagers seem to be quite varied, it is hard to tell if there are any majorly different components.

How long do you leave them in the fridge before you open them? Making sure they've had a good several hours to chill may mitigate the explosion. You could also try a homebrewer's trick, which is to chill them really cold, pop the caps all off then put new caps on. You would need a bottle capper to do this. They're fairly cheap but you probably wouldn't have them unless you were or knew a homebrewer. That said, your best course of action may actually be to contact Hitachino. Gushing bottles are often a sign of a wild yeast infection, so it's possible you may have just gotten some bad beer that got mishandled in shipping or something messed up on the bottling line and they missed it. They may replace the pack or at least give you some other cool stuff to make up for the mistake.

It's likely just naming differences. Though the BJCP has distinct categories for "Dark American Lager" and "Schwarzbier (Black Beer)". The main difference seems to be that Dark lager is sweeter and more towards caramel malt than Black which is more dry and slightly roasty.

Why would we presume a New Zealand beer contains dairy? In researching beer as it relates to the Jewish dietary laws, I came across this page , which states that most unflavoured beers are OK. Even imported beers are given a wary thumbs up, however the page repeats a curious warning that Beer from New Zealand must be presumed Dairy unless stated otherwise. What's special about New Zealand beer that we would assume that it contained dairy or dairy by-products by default, but imports from other countries do not?

I asked a rabbi at the KAA and he said that the ruling was because in NZ ethanol is produced from whey and there was concern about that ethanol being used to fortify beers. However, they have now determined that no major NZ breweries fortify their beer in that way, so they now consider NZ beer to be pareve (neutral, neither dairy nor meat). See more here . The KAA page notes that major import brands (but not boutique breweries) that contain no additives are kosher/pareve even without certification (other than NZ, as previously discussed). This must mean that NZ is unique in either using whey to produce ethanol or using ethanol to fortify beer, but I don't know which and didn't pursue that question with KAA.

Water is the primary ingredient in beer. In my opinion, the water quality is more important than anything else. I believe in drinking beer for health, and as I don't drink dirty municipal water, why would I drink beer from it? Just think about city water from a second. Much of it comes from the same river that the sewage is dumped in. Just because the stink has been taken out of it with carbon filters, does that make it tasty to you? Also, I don't believe in drinking sodium fluoride. No rat poison in my beer, thank you. I don't care how many people say that it's in there for your smile. When I buy commercial beer, my primary criteria is the water. If it is fluoridated, no thanks. If it is spring water, super thanks! Spring water is natural and it has natural minerals built in. Also, you will notice that the finest beers have spring water. See BFM of Switzerland and Samuel Smith of England.

What are the specific laws regarding growler fills in Massachusetts? I'm headed up to Boston next weekend for an event, and was planning to take up a few empty (or maybe full!) growlers to fill with interesting and delicious things from some of the local breweries up in the area. However, I've heard that MA has some fairly restrictive laws regarding fills (i.e., that breweries are not able to fill growlers other than those with their own logo/which they themselves distribute). This is baffling and monstrous to me coming from NY, where just about anyplace that's willing to can fill just about any appropriately sized bottle I bring up to the tap with me. What exactly are the rules regarding growler refills in Massachusetts? Do they differ if I am looking to get a fill at a bar or retail store, rather than direct from a brewery? Are there size restrictions?

Where can I find open APIs about beer? Not sure if this is on topic! Could be interesting though. Feel free to flag/VTC if you disagree. I'm looking to build an app that has to do with beer. It occurred to me that ratings/information/any beer-related API could be useful. Both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer seem to have no officially available API. Are there any beer-related sites or resources with an open API?

There are a number of beer-related APIs available. RateBeer does have a JSON API , but it's apparently currently unavailable and I don't know if they intend on making it available again or not. Here are several that I've found: Brewery DB has an API that can return JSON, XML, or PHP, and from their API documentation, it appear that they have quite a bit of info available about both breweries and beers. Open Beer Database is a beer API, but it appears that it's still under development and may be unstable, so YMMV. The Beer Spot offers an API that includes some social aspects, such as what people are drinking, and ratings, but not as much in the way of rich data about the beers themselves. Untappd is another social/beer app that offers an API, but you need an account on the site to view the documentation and they seem to be a bit more strict in that they have to actually review and approve your app idea before they'll give you an API key. Open Food Facts while not limited to beers, has 1500 of them and an API with barcodes, nutrition, ingredients… It's fully opendata and collaborative, meaning you can upload new beers from their mobile apps. There are others, but those are a few of the most common and/or promising from what I've seen.

What are the drawback of not using "brewer's yeast" when brewing beer? When walking through a brewery supply store, you will see a variety of yeasts. Likewise, you can find a variety of yeasts when walking through a grocery store. What "happens" if you use the 'wrong kind' of yeast when brewing? How much of a beer's flavor / texture / body / etc is derived from the yeast vs all other ingredients?

Short answer; you get a lot of the flavour from the yeast, you can get a fairly big difference by varying the yeast in your recipe. For example, a Saison and a Pale ale have similar ingredients, but taste quite different, a Saison yeast imparts a considerable amount of flavour... likewise if you use a lager yeast, and properly lager your beer, you can get a different flavour again, without modifying any other part of your recipe. Lots of discussion on HomeBrewTalk forums, and other places. For a fun experiment, brew split batches and try two different yeasts to compare!

This outlines the basic laws for all states. http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/growler-laws Growlers permitted under manufacturer license: Yes Growlers permitted under brewpub license: Yes Growlers permitted under retailer license: Yes Specific "growler" language in statute: No There is a link to the actual laws in Massachusetts on the this page too And since some people can't follow links, I'll do the research for them so they have the answers to their questions. First when looking for answers to legal questions ask a lawyer not random people on the Internet. "(i.e., that breweries are not able to fill growlers other than those with their own logo/which they themselves distribute)" Reading the laws and talking to some people the answer is yes you have to purchase the growler from the brewery.

It appears that there may be several laws in play here, but perhaps the interpretation of those laws by the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, the brewers, and the Mass Brewers Guild that determine how growler fills work in practice. The first law in question is the regulation on labeling . Nothing in there appears to prevent brewers from filling any growler, but the standard interpretation from both the ABCC and the brewers is that they believe it makes it illegal for them to fill any growlers other than their own, and that is the policy by which they seem to all operate. As for retail establishments, there do seem to be some non-brewery bars that offer growlers, (see Ducali Pizzeria and Bar on this list ) but those may be for on-premise use. There was a proposal for a bill to allow on-premise / off-premise licensees to do growler fills but as far as I can tell, it died in committee, primarily due to strong opposition from craft brewers who were worried it would cut into their bottle profits. Beyond issues of distribution, the joint legislative committee also heard from industry members interested in allowing both on- and off-premise retailers to fill beer containers up to 64 ounces for take-away and off-site consumption. The bill, sponsored by Representative William Pignatelli, has caused some division in the industry between retailers and small brewers. “We think it would be a disaster for our business by cannibalizing our bottle sales, our only real income source,” says one small Massachusetts brewer. “We for one couldn't thrive in a situation where the profit on bottled beer transfers from brewery to store or bar.” Source: http://www.beveragebusiness.com/archives/article.php?cid=1&eid=88&aid=2031

What Beers are Brewed with Wild Yeast? Is this practiced commercially? I'm not sure if it would scale very well, because I understand that the technique takes a long time even for a home brew batch. If so, what beers are brewed using this technique and why? Is it specific types of beer, or specific brewers, perhaps going for the "organic" angle?

Belgian Lambics are probably the most notable beers brewed with wild yeast. They are fermented in open vats, and wild yeast strains specific to the area contribute a very distinctive flavor to these beers. Lindeman's is probably the best known commerical example in the US, although these beers are sweetened and are not usually considered a true example of the style. There are strains of wild yeast that have been cultivated for commercial use such as Brettanomyces . Breweries use this yeast to produce sour flavors via lactic acid production. Brewers will use it both in primary fermentation, and by aging their beer in barrels that have been "infected" with it.

As a Belgian chap, I obviously love our beer :). More specific, my favorite beers are always tripel beers. The thing about tripel beers is that the fermentation is achieved further in the bottle. In general I can tell you all tripel beers are always pretty blonde looking (maybe slightly darker) and doubles are always darker (like really brown!). In Belgium, we would call a double beer a dark beer (Double Leffe we would call: Donkere Leffe or Dark Leffe in English). The taste of double beers will always be sweeter while tripel beers are far more bitter. I don't like those sweet drinks so I very much prefer tripel beers. However, all tripel beers are different from each other so there is not a real way of describing them. In general bitter, but there are sweeter tripels as well... The difference in taste between blonde and tripel beers in general is that tripel beers have far more flavors (= more expensive) than blonde beers. The sad thing is that blonde beers are very popular and I don't even know why... Tripel beers have way more flavors :). As a side note, my favorite beers are: Tripel Karmeliet and Tripel Kasteelbier. The more poular (blonde) beers are Duvel and Leffe for example. Both in my opinion hugely overrated beers.

What does rolling/swirling a hefeweizen actually do? I remember the first hefeweizen I had. It was made by Widmer, and I didn't like it. The second time I tried it, I noticed there were pouring instructions on the box/bottle. The instructions said to pour two thirds of the beer in to a glass, swirl, then pour the remainder. They even have an official YouTube video on it. I gave it a try, and maybe it was my imagination, but it tasted surprisingly different. I liked it. What does rolling/swirling a hefeweizen actually do?

A proper hefeweizen is an unfiltered beer. The yeast and other sediment that would be filtered out for other brews is left in. These particles tend to accumulate on the bottom of the bottle during storage. By swirling the the beer in the bottle you're suspending that yeast and sediment so it can be poured into your glass. This is what gives hefeweizens their fruity (banana?) flavor.

What is the strongest beer? I've always wondered what the strongest beer in the world is and how would taste. Are there reliable historical records of a very strong beer? What would be the highest % alcohol that's Brewable for a beer? And also of course it would be great to know where to get such a beer from.

This might be a duplicate question , but since as far as I know beer uses fermentation and no distillation, I expect the maximum alcohol level to be around the same maximum as for wine, which I believe is somewhere around the 13% to 15% level (by volume) as this is the level around which micro organisms seem to die . I know some beers in the 10% to 12% range, like the Dutch het Kanon ("the canon") by Grolsch at 11.6% and Grand Prestige by Hertog Jan at 10%, both of which I like. They have a bit of a sweet caramel-like flavour, but I'm not sure if that related to the amount of alcohol in any way.

There are strains of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (brewer's yeast) such as WLP099 - Super High Gravity Ale Yeast that reportedly can tolerate up to 25% alcohol by volume. The world's strongest beer is Snake Venom coming in at a colossal 67.5% abv. Sources cite it as freeze-distilled, where the beer is frozen and the ice (pure water) is drawn off, leaving a more concentrated beer behind. Although, comments in the same link cast doubt upon if the beer is truly the abv claimed.

There was a national drink called "Medovukha" (Med - honey). Nowadays it is very rare drink, meaning that few people consume it. The drink has almost same properties and is brewed just like beer. So, I suppose, this drink has influenced Russian tastes. And during soviet times Russia have shared this tastes around all Soviet block. By the way, I'm sure not all beers have honey flavour, however almost every brewery makes as well honey flavoured beer.

Cooking with beer for a vegetarian I know, that there are many threads on what you can cook with beer as an ingredient. But: I recognized that all of them include some sort of meat or fish and I eat neither. So what am I asking you: Do you have some ideas on how to use the possibly greatest liquid of all times to cook some awesome (vegetarian or vegan) dishes? To start I think I found a nice beer-pumpkin soup which ingredients are, besides the obvious beer and pumpkin, butter, onions, vinegar, cream and cress. EDIT : To be more clear. I ask you to name me something that you have tried and that you would recommend.

How do Trappists Brew so much? I'm pleasantly surprised to find a small selection of Trappist beers for sale at a venue in Inner City Brisbane, Australia. A quick look at the Chimay website (one of the beers available) shows a map explaining that you can get a Chimay pretty much anywhere. This map doesn't even include Australia, so I assume it's more widely available than they claim. Now, all the branding explains how the beer is brewed in a traditional Trappist abbey, under the supervision of the monks, which is congruent to my understanding of how Trappist brewers operate. So how does one Abbey produce enough beer to be able to sell it not only all over Europe, but on the other side of the world in seemingly mainstream quantities?

Brewdog's The End of History, at 55% is currently the world's strongest beer. Take a look at the Brewdog Blog .

I am not sure about this but as it occurs to me, through the years these abbey breweries got larger and get operated with more efficiency and more modern equipment (I guess!!). What I do know however: Chimay is one of the largest Trappist brewers so it's not that weird that it's widely available. With hundreds (thousands!) of beers in Belgium, Chimay is a popular beer, but far from the most popular. I think that's the reason why they can sell a lot abroad. Also a fact, beers like Westvleteren (that won a lot of prizes) are even in Belgium (where it is brewed) pretty rare and hard to get. Basically you have to go to the Abbey yourself to get some beer. If you're there, you only get ONE crate (6 beers) per person. I was lucky enough to visit Westvleteren a while ago and found out that in the nearby cafe you also could buy one crate per person, however there were only about 100 crates available that day and only one type was available. You can drink all types though by ordering it to drink in the café (3 types). If you would ever want to taste Westvleteren but cannot find it, Sint-Bernardus Abt 12 is a very similar beer. I've heard that it is brewn exactly the same way but with some slight differences.

The strongest beer I know - made without distillation - is a Belgian beer called Bush Prestige, with 13%. Source and description of taste: Dubuisson

Since I can't comment yet, I need to use this answer box... I guess you could just create the exact same dish and leave out the meat or replace it by those vegetarian replacements (quorn etc.). I can imagine a beer stew would be epic without the meat but with more vegetables. I quickly looked up one of our Belgian dishes in a vegetarian way, more specific: stoverij Stoverij translated would be "stewed things" or something like that. Here is the original recipe (in Dutch). Try to translate it through Google translate. If you have troubles, I could help I guess. The old tradition is to use a sandwich with mustard and high quality beer, you'll read that :).

There has been a bit of a battle recently, with Brewdog and Schorschbräu constantly topping each other's efforts: BrewDog Blog. Currently it's a Schorschbräu Schorschbock 57% finis coronat opus, which comes in at 57.7% , beating Brewdog's latest effort: Schorschbräu Schorschbock 57% finis coronat opus. I'd say the strongest commercially viable option (these 50% beers only ever have a few bottles in the batch and cost a silly amount) in the UK anyway, is Watt Dickie , also by Brewdog, which comes in at 35.0% : BrewDog UK. EDIT: Oops, I didn't know about Snake Venom, 67.5% : Brewmeister Beer.

I suppose it depends on how one defines beer. Following the German Reinheitsgebot, beer may contain only 4 ingredients: Water Yeast Hops Barly malt Beverages which do not adhere to these restrictions may not be labeled as beer in Germany, and several other countries. To my knowlege, the strongest beer of kind is Schorschbock 57 , an ice-distilled doppelbock with 57,5% alcohol content.

It depends on your definition, commercially available is Kwak, around the same as wine, if you go to the Grand Place it comes in those horse & cart designed bulbous glasses (like a mini yard of ale). Once you go above that the others are all pretty specialist.

Wikipedia's article leads to several sources that substantiate what @ValentinGregoire preempted. For example, Chimay put up a series of short video clips that take us through surprisingly up-to-date facilities capable of bottling up to 40,000 bottles a day! (Probably it's just my own prejudices—associating monks and monasteries with old times, thus old technologies—causing surprise in my case.) With many other competing beers, and demand checked by relatively higher prices, the abbey alone suffices. The volume produced, according to this 2012 article , is 120,000 hectoliters of beer annually, or 16,000,000 bottles (750 mL) of beer. To put this in some perspective, according to this 2008 article St. Bernardus at the time was exporting to 20 countries and producing 13,000 hectoliters (considerably lesser than Chimay) annually. And as @ValentinGregoire started saying, Westvleteren is difficult to find because the monks of the abbey of Saint Sixtus decided not to increase production despite the beer's popularity, and thus produce only 4,800 hectoliters according to a 2005 publication. For me, it's hard to grasp such large numbers in any meaningful way. I looked up Stella Artois' production figures (and not because it's Belgian—it was just the first popular, global beer to come to mind), and found that in 2012 they produced a little over 10,000,000 hectoliters that year. Divide that by Chimay's 120,000 hectoliters per annum. Can I believe that 83 units of Stella are being consumed for every 1 equivalent unit of Chimay? Meant only as a sanity check and not any rigorous argument, it checks out as believable to me—after all, Stella's on draught all over the U.S. (I can't speak for other countries but I'm sure everywhere else too).

When and where did shandies first become popular and why do they get such a bad reputation? I was recently at a local craft beer festival and I tried a few shandies (my favorite was Time Traveler ) and now I'm starting to get into them as well. But I've heard mixed things about their history. Some people say it goes back hundreds of years and others say it's a much more recent phenomenon. With that said, why do they have such a bad reputation? They always seem to score low on beeradvocate and ratebeer . To me it seems as though people are rating them as beers rather than what they actually are, shandies.

I would like to add the Beer Mapping API as well. I really don't know much about any of this but when I read the question I thought it was such a cool concept! Definitely worth looking around a litle bit.

From what I understand, Shandies as we see them now are more similar to the German Radler. Radler means cyclist in German. The way I understand the story is that a small pub owner was besieged one day by a slew of thirsty cyclists and knew that his beer supply wouldn't hold out, so he cut it by mixing it with some sort of lemon drink he had on hand. As far as I know this origin story isn't confirmed and Radler likely grew out of folk attempts to "sessionize" and extend the supply of leftover lager through the summer when lower alcohol and more refreshing drinks were wanted. According to wikipedia the first printed mention of Radler as a drink was in 1912: Lena Christ: Erinnerungen einer Überflüssigen - Kapitel 20 . I believe contemporary Radlers use a lemon-soda sort of drink that's more like a carbonated lemonade than what we'd think of as soda. Shandy itself is short for Shandygaff which is a British English term from the mid-1800s referring to beer cut with ginger beer or ginger ale. In fact, the OED still defines it as such while Mariam-Webster has loosened it up and allows for any non-alcoholic drink to be used in place of ginger. As to their reputation, if you'll forgive me a little supposition, most commercial shandies are very pale duplications of mixing lemonade (or lemon soda) with a beer yourself. The first commercial example I saw was Lienenkugel's and it was abusively sweet. Sam Adams and The Traveler have fared a little better, but I think a major problem is that to commercially produce a shandy you need to heavily filter and pasteurize the beer and lemonade to make sure the sugar doesn't ferment or use a non-fermentable sugar, which would change the taste from fresh beer and fresh lemonade. At the scale a lot of breweries operate at, it possible some of them aren't even using real lemonade regardless of sugar type. Also, while continuously popular in Europe, beer cocktails never caught on or were lost in America and we tend to think of them now as marketing gimmicks by macro-brewers (Bud Light Lime, Bud Chelada, Miller Chill), though as they become more visible, I think they'll become more accepted. That said, fresh shandy is incredible, I like using wheat beer.

Are there Hefeweizen beers with coriander? White beer (" witbier " in Dutch) is a typical Dutch/Belgian thing, from research I found that it's wheat bear with flavours. This question is about the coriander flavour used in those beers. The question is about the wheat bear siblings of white beer: Hefeweizen. Are there any hefeweizen that also are coriander-flavoured? To add a more subjective bonus question: are any of those commercially available? I've tried Googling , this mainly seems to lead to brewing recipes or extremely localized experiments. I've assumed (perhaps incorrectly) most if not all German candidates would be bound by the Reinheitsgebot and as such will not contain coriander. Finally, I've checked some Dutch beers (e.g. "Grolsch Weizen") marketed as "weizen" and the listed ingredients, but so far no dice. To reiterate the question: are there any hefeweizen beers with coriander commercially available?

Why isn't Sam Adams Infinium being produced anymore? I had Sam Adams Infinium first back in the fall of 2011. It was promoted to beer club members by my local distributor as being a first-come first-serve limited batch with a restriction on the number of bottles sold per customer. It was, and still is to this date, the best beer I had ever had. Since then I have not seen it anywhere, and their site gives no information as to when it will be back. I'm curious if anyone knows anything about the availability changing, or when it will be out next.

There is whole style of beer, which is made with honey. It is made by adding honey to the wort during or before fermentation. Thanks to addition of honey in early stages you get balanced, homogeneous taste. Nothing to add that honey will ferment along with malt. Technically you can add anything to beer when it is ready (including honey), but then you get this aggressive flavor on top.

In my country drink made of mulled beer (usually with some spices) mixed with egg yolks beaten with sugar is quite popular. It is kind of thing you prepare when you are ill. As dessert it is considered "controversial") But you can try, some people really like it. Maybe I should add that it is rather hard to make, because you need right temperature of a liquid, so that mixture thickens but yolks do not coagulate.

I got a response from the Samuel Adams Twitter account : We brew around 60 different styles a year - sometimes we have to retire some brews to make room for new ones. So it seems as if this beer is out of production. For good.

Why is it a Ginger "Beer" and not a Ginger "Cider"? It seems that Ginger Beer has no barley, no hops, no wort, no malted anything; so why is it a "beer"? Seems like it is closer to a cider.

As stated earlier, temperature is a matter of taste regarding beer. Necessity may also play a part (Given a choice between a warm beer vs no beer it depends how thirsty you are!). German-style lagers are almost exclusively recommended to be served no lower than 6°C (43°F)no higher than 9°C (49°F), but I often find that the last (and warmest) mouthfuls from a glass actually have the most flavour - but I would always start with the lager cold when possible. Real ales are a different story. On the continent of Europe there still seems to be a myth that British drink their beer 'luke-warm', but if served at that temperature most Brits would complain (and maybe continue to drink it while complaining). I believe the phrase 'serve cool' rather than 'cold' applies. Some live, bottled beers actually suffer from being too cold. On of my favourites, Black Sheep Ale develops a 'chill haze' - going a little cloudy if left in the fridge too long. 13°C (55°F)is about right for such beers. Reference the book Beer For Dummies!

Similar to the new question, 'what temperature should I serve my beer', which I've just commented on - serving warm beer is largely a myth! The continental Europeans think British beer is served 'luke-warm'. No. Cool, not ice-cold is the preference, at a cellar temp around 13C (room temp being 20-22C). Not sure where the OP is from, but they appear to believe that all Europeans drink warm to hot beer I really thought the myth of warm or luke-warm beer had dissipated - obviously not.

Why did my Big Bad Baptist come in a brandy snifter? Over the weekend, I decided to order something new from the menu: a Big Bad Baptist . I thoroughly enjoyed it (lots of coffee flavor and not nearly as much alcohol taste as I feared). But it came in what looked to be a brandy snifter. Is this the typical way to serve that type of beer? I assume the purpose has something to do with the aroma, but is there any other reason (either traditional or practical)?

First, yes, this is quite typical. Snifters are widely used for beer and generally for two reasons, in my experience. As you suspect, the bowl shaped glass helps to concentrate the aroma. However, this isn't unique to the snifter as many types of beer glasses incorporate a narrowing throat to provide this effect. Quantity. With a glass of beer that has a particularly high alcohol content, or particularly strong flavor, you'll often get much less than a standard 12-16 oz. pour. The beer you refer to for instance, the Big Bad Baptist, has an alcohol content of 11.8% ABV, which closer to wine than beer, (and wine has a standard 5oz serving size per glass, or thereabouts) so it calls for a smaller serving size. However, a 5oz or 6oz serving would look rather silly in a pint glass, so a snifter is more appropriate in proportion.

Generally you won't find coriander or other spices added to hefeweizen beers, due to the traditional beer purity law . However, one famous exception is Gose: http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/gose.html

How exactly does buying directly from Westvleteren work? Even if I managed to reserve some beer, it appears here that I need my own car, or at least one whose plate # I will know long in advance to pick up beer. Has anyone done this? What is the exact procedure?

I live in Amsterdam, and I have not personally been to Westvleteren but I have friends who have made the trip. It turns out that you have a few options: You can call and make an appointment and IF you get an appointment then you must drive there at the appointed time to pick up your crate of bier. If you can't make it at the appointed time then you lose out, and you must start the process all over again. I forget how much bier this is for, but I think it is 24-48 bottles. Indeed when you make the appointment then you must supply your license place number which they use to keep track of you. They will not allow you to make 2 appointments with the same license plate number in a 60 day period. Additionally, the phone number you must call to get an appointment is always busy, I have heard of people using automatic redial for hours before they finally get through. If you are in the area (again you will need a car, because there is no public transport, and biking there is unreasonable from most places.) You can pop in and there is a small shop next to the monastery where you can buy a 6 pack per person without appointment, and also with out a huge price markup. Of course while you are there you can also eat some good food, and buy other items that the monks make and sell. This is much less hassle, but you cannot get much bier, so it may not be worth trekking all the way out there specifically for this. However if you are in the area already and you have the time to take a small detour then you should certainly pop in for lunch or dinner and get some tasty brew. Finally if you are in the Benelux region you can sometimes find Westvleteren in local shops or cafes, however the prices range from 10-16 euros per bottle (in Amsterdam) which is a lot more than you will pay at the monastery. (However, beer bought at the monastery isn't meant for selling, it's meant for private consumption, it says so every time you buy some)

I used this recipe for Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano Chiles . It doesn't include beer as an ingredient but I chose this recipe as part of the beer/food pairing menu I put together for my parents. I decided to pair it with Out of the Ashes (Smoked Marzen) from Fort Collins Brewery. I poured about 1 1/2 cups of it into the soup while it was cooking. You may not be a fan of smoked beers, but it went amazing with this soup. The smokiness blended with the soup and did not have a strong flavor.

In addition to what Chris has answered, here are some nice to knows: To see which beer is available at which time etc, look at this page: http://www.sintsixtus.be/bierverkoopactueel.htm In addition to the 60 days you need to wait for your license plate, also your phone number will be blocked once you made an order for the beer. Callers with an anonymous phone number will be blocked automatically. One crate of 24 bottles costs: Trappist Westvleteren Blond (5,8 vol.% alc.) 30,00 euro Trappist Westvleteren Acht (dark) (8 vol.% alc.) 35,00 euro Trappist Westvleteren Twaalf (dark) (10,2 vol.% alc.) 40,00 euro The Trappist Westvleteren Twaalf is the dark beer that won several prizes and is world famous. In my opinion, the Blond and the Acht are a bit overrated (opinion!!). You could in fact go by buss, but that would be really complicated and almost impossible to do, so indeed it's better to go by car/taxi. In the end, if you think it's not worth it, you could try the St. Bernardus Abt 12 beer. It's is brewed almost the exact same way and it tastes pretty much the same. The Sint Bernardus Abt 12 is basically for sale throughout whole Belgium in every big grocery store (or beer/drink shop). In addition to the abbey, you can also buy the beer in the café/restaurant nearby. However, depending which beer is left over, that beer will be for sale and you can only buy 1 pack of 6 bottles per person (if there would be any left!). You could also just go there and sit and enjoy a Westvleteren there because they sell them there :). You could also buy glasses and some other souvenirs at the café. They have a little shop. If you have any questions in addition, please don't hesitate!

Stan Hieronymus, the author of "Brew Like a Monk" has some info on his website (from 2006) about production numbers from various Monasteries: Monastery Production Brew staff Monks Monks in br’y Achel 2,000 HL 2 17 1 Chimay 120,000 HL 82 20 0 Orval 45,000 HL 32 16 0 Rochefort 18,000 HL 15 17 6 Westmalle 120,000 HL 41 20 0 Westvleteren 4,750 HL 10 28 7 Stan also mentions in Ep 37 of Beersmith Radio that some of these Monasteries own their own bottling plants and production facilities. I can't remember which one, but one of the Abbey's facility that they operate out of is owned by Heineken, but operated by the monks.

I'm not sure whether by Hefeweizen, you mean German white beer? or any white beer? I am no beer expert, but in Belgium, the famous Hoegaarden does use coriander as a spice for the beer, it gives that imitation-hoppy flavor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoegaarden_Brewery

What is the difference between Trappist beer and Abbey Beer? Abbaye Bier (Abbey Beer) refer to monastic beer brewed by monks. And there is almost Trappist beer brewed by monks but specifically from Trappist monasteries. But what is the difference in terms of brewing process, resulting product and historically, why are they different?

Why is Frankfurt famous for Apple Cider? Why is Frankfurt famous for Apple Cider? And is Apple Cider considered a beer? Can any Cider be a beer?

Trappist beer is a designation of the origin of the beer, rather than a designation for the style. That is, it must come from one of the ten Trappist monasteries recognised by the International Trappist Association . There are similarities between the styles produced by these monasteries, but if one decided to make something in a completely different style it could presumably still be called a Trappist beer. In contrast, the term abbey beer is used to refer to any beers produced in the style of the Trappist monasteries. It isn't necessarily produced by a monastery, and some beers produced by major breweries could be described as abbey beer. It is kind of like the difference between "Champagne" and "sparkling white wine".

Does real ale make you fart more than lager? I've read anecdotal evidence that says that real ale, though not as gassy as lager, makes you fart more. Is there any truth to this and does it apply to ales in general or just certain types?

Technically, yes. The actual answer has more to do with yeast content than carbonation. Unfiltered beers like real ale have much more yeast in suspension, and yeast has a tendency to make you gassy when digested. Lager in general has very little yeast due to the long, cold, aging process. I believe commercial examples are filtered as well. In general most commercial beers are filtered, or at least have had the yeast killed off somehow, which mitigates the effect. Real ale's major selling points are that it's unpasteurized and unfiltered, and is refermented in the cask...so it's basically got way more yeast and way more active yeast than other kinds of beer. And then cask ales are served from a tap at the front near the bottom...near the yeast. Basically the perfect storm of fart-induction.

I can't speak to the fame of Frankfurt, but Apple Cider is not a beer by most or all common definitions. It's probably closer to a fruit wine. The major characteristic that defines beer is that some conversion has taken place which converts starches from a grain of some sort into sugars, while wines are simply fermenting simple sugars already present in a fruit's juice. Ironically this makes Ginger Beer more like a wine and Sake, though commonly called Rice Wine, more like a beer.

Ginger beer is not just water, sugar, crushed ginger and yeast. I make it with some spices boilled in water to flavour it, some of it to kill off the yeast if I want it to. KIlling off the yeast makes it an ale ; and cider must have apples or apple juice in it. That's my opinion.

The wort in a trappist beer contains several kinds of malt and 'candy' (sugar) to increase the alcohol content.

Just returned from the abbey after collecting some westy 12 Being as I was going in friends car the monk takes your name and used that instead of car reg is on his paperwork The monk also asked me if my car reg was still the same! Must put car reg numbers to phone numbers from the last time we managed to get a booking . Clever monks While there we collected another 12 bottles each from the inn they had all 3 for sale And yes it is worth seeking out We drove over 700mile round trip from UK to collect

Does drinking hot beer prevent the common cold? After graduating from school, I served my two years of mandatory alternative civilian service with a hospital gardener in Swabia . In Winter, every morning we used to come in one hour early to drink hot beer. Warming beer – "stauchen" in German –, by placing the bottle in hot water, was common in the southwest of Germany, and althought the practice has fallen out of use in recent years you can still order your beer "gestaucht", i.e. warmed to about 50 to 60°C (122 to 140°F), in traditional restaurants (at no extra price, of course). Here is an image of one restaurant that uses old hot-water bottles to warm their beer as a gimmick ( source ): The old gardener and his younger colleague claimed that drinking warm beer would keep away any cold that working in the wet and cold outside would otherwise bring on them. We were certainly all very healthy those two winters (and got a lot of snow shovelled), so my question is: Does drinking hot beer prevent the common cold ?

Due to differing geographic and climatic conditions, different areas of Germany specialize on different kinds of agriculture. The area to the south and west of Frankfurt is one of the major fruit producing regions in Germany (red in the map below, source ): In this area apple trees start to bloom much earlier in the year than elsewhere ( source , visit link to see the progression of apple blooming over Germany): Since people like to turn everything they produce into alcoholic beverages, fruit wines – of which (grape) wine is a just a variety – are common and popular in fruit growing regions. Most popular with everyone I know is home-made strawberry wine, but plum wine is a favourite, too, and any berry or fruit is used, with every family that owns a garden making one or two bottles of these fruit wines each autumn. Apples are different because we grow so much more of them than strawberries or plums, and they are regularly pressed into apple juice in large quantities by the fruit grower cooperatives that sell it to the beverage industry. If you don't pasteurize the juice (for long term stability), it turns alcoholic after a couple of days, and after the apple harvest everyone gets large cannisters of freshly pressed juice from the cooperative presses, bakes onion tarts ("Dinnele"), and eats and drinks this seasonal speciality, with more or less alcohol, depending on taste. "Most" ( must ) or "Süßmost" (sweet must) is freshly pressed juice; once it has turned alcoholic (and sour) it has different names in different areas, such as "Sauermost" (sour must) and Apfelwein (apple wine). Within southern Germany and Austria, Frankfurt is not specifically famous for apple wine, the drink, because it is drunk elsewhere, too. What the region around Frankfurt is somewhat well-known for are the festivities surrounding the end of the apple harvest and the pressing of apple juice, which have been the background theme for a musical tv show, Zum Blauen Bock (The Blue Goat Buck), that ran from 1957 to 1987. The tv studio for that show was styled like a Hessian apple wine folk fair, and the moderator gave each of the folksy musicians and other guests one " Bembel ", the stoneware jug traditionally used to serve the apple wine in that region, for them to take home. At that time there were only two national tv channels in Germany, and many kids grew up spending cosy weekend family tv evenings watching that show. I would guess that this is what makes Apple Wine "famous" (for us), but only in the special Hessian pronunciation "Ebbelwoi".

No, drinking warm beer will not prevent the common cold. There was at least one study conducted revealing that humulone, an chemical found in hops, could help to fight a cold. This study seems to be both biased and exaggerated, as it was conducted by a beer company and the concentration in beer is so low that getting a therapeutic dose would create more problems than it would solve. Got a Cold? Have a Beer! I imagine that the rumor was based on either the above misleading story or a similar one based on a historical view of beer through "rose colored glasses". This coupled with the commonly known (and scientifically supported) method of drinking hot fluids to treat cold symptoms creates a believable enough tale to increase sales. Study finds hot drinks help colds.

Giving beer a decent head and why people like it? I love beer, but when I pour myself one, I try not to make it foam too much, I personally don't like the 'head' of a beer (Don't really know how to say it). My dad drinks beer religiously and demands a head when ever I pour one for him. A few (Most of my friends) aren't keen on having a head, but some love it. Obviously this is personal preference, but is beer normally supposed to have a head?

Yes, beer is indeed generally supposed to have a head. The foam can add to both the flavor and the texture of your beer. It is preference for sure, and if you don't like it, then you don't like it, but I'd encourage you to try it from time to time with an open mind. The head of a beer is quite complex, consisting of proteins that are acted on by the hops, the yeast, and the carbonation. Because of the complexity, creating the perfect recipe for foam in a beer is something the brewers spend quite a lot of time and energy on, and it's a fairly integral part of a good beer. Note that there are exceptions. Truly non-carbonated beer, like Samuel Adams Utopias will not have a head. Hever, from what I've read, that specific example is probably more closely comparable to a fortified wine than a common beer in any case.

What gives a porter or a stout its dark colour? I imagine it's probably just that the barley has been roasted darker, and that comes out.

If you follow the information trail through Wikipedia's page about Stout beer , you find that what was known as Stout became a strong, dark beer in the 1800s: In the 19th century, the beer gained its customary black colour through the use of black patent malt, and became stronger in flavour. You can see from the article about mash ingredients that black patent malt is "barley malt that has been kilned to the point of carbonizing, around 200 °C." It is apparently called "patent" malt because the inventor was awarded a patent for it. Sometimes, this malt is used to darken the colour of other beers.

You're right - is the high kilning temperatures used in the malt that give it a dark color. Note that not all Stouts use black patent malt - some use roasted unmalted barley, most famously, Guinness, which uses 18% roasted barley in the recipe (IIRC from my trip to the brewery.) If you look through a pint of Guinness, you'll see that it's not simply jet black, but in fact fairly clear, and the light will give ruby highlights to the beer.

Master New Beer List Is there a site that attempts to list new beers as they become available? I am always hearing about new beers from friends but I want to know when a brewery markets a new brew without having to go to everyone's site myself... Thanks! Edit: Originally, I was thinking just a list of the national/international 'major' brews but I suppose even a local list (that is accurate/updated) would be helpful if visiting a certain area. The scope of this question is really just a general list of major brews.

I don't think there's a site dedicated to that purpose specifically. However, Untapped and Beermenus are probably your best bets. I've never used Untapped as I do not have a smartphone and I think they've just recently added desktop/laptop support, but I have used Beermenus. It's ok, not great though. Again, it's really up to the brewery/bar to update their menu and sometimes they just forget; they're human too, despite being able to brew some godly beers. But in general, this question is a bit too broad. in my opinion. You don't specify whether or not you're talking about local beers or just beers in general. There's a few thousand breweries worldwide; many of them coming out with new releases regularly. Keeping tabs on all of them would be somewhat of a challenge (especially the ones who don't update their sites regularly ( ahem...if my local friends across the bay are on here, I'm looking at you ). So in terms of local beers, Untapped and Beermenus should do what you're looking for. But At this point in time, I think a global list is infeasible until somebody develops an easy-to-use API which gets some traction in the industry.

Woodchuck Cider w/Fox on bottle? A friend had a woodchuck cider with a picture of a fox on the bottle a while back and she keeps going on and on about how 'it was the best cider ever'. Anyone know which cider that is? I looked at their website, but the pictures do not show the labels themselves. Thanks! EDIT: Can anyone confirm that Woodchuck does not have foxes on their labels?

I disagree: boil time can affect ABV. Assuming you're not trapping the steam, most of what boils off is water, meaning your final wort will have a higher O.G. In general, that will result in a smaller quantity of a higher ABV beer. (Of course, there are many variables, such as your yeast, your fermentation time, your ratio of fermentable:unfermentable sugars, and so on.) Also, the starch->sugar conversion is generally terminated by your sparge (that being one of its purposes), so how fast you get to your boil doesn't have much of an impact.

Heat and light are the enemies of beer. If you have a "bottle conditioned" beer -- that is, one in which live yeast are still present -- then under warmer conditions, you potentially have active yeast. To some extent, this may just increase the carbonation and alcohol content. However, if most of the fermentable sugars have already been fermented (that is, converted to CO2 and alcohol), the yeast will start "eating" each other, which will result in some very "off" flavors (though nothing toxic). Under cooler conditions, the yeast will be only minimally active. Regardless of whether your beer is "bottle conditioned" or not, the hop acids present from the brewing process don't respond favorably to heat or light. In particular, light can cause them to turn "skunky", which is why Corona -- with their clear glass bottles -- often tastes "skunky". Don't trust a beer in a clear bottle ... seriously. Keep it cool; keep it dark; keep it upright (unlike wine).

Are brown bottles sufficient to protect beer from skunking? I have read that when stored in a clear container, sunlight can cause beer to skunk in a matter of seconds or minutes. I have also read that brown bottles are "better" when it comes to preventing this. But how much better? Enough to "not worry about it" for short-term storage? My specific situation is this: I have a (clear) glass cupboard in the living room. I also have a rotating (every few weeks or so) selection of beers, some of which are in rather nice bottles. I would like to store the bottles in said cupboard. The bottles are brown, and the cupboard is not exposed to direct sunlight, but the room is generally well-lit. Would I be risking (or just waiting for) spoilage?

Beer is typically supposed to have a head of about 1/2 inch. This enhances the flavor and gives off an aroma that will add to the experience. A good bartender should give you a nice head on your beer unless you ask for your beer sans head. You should not be getting a glass half full of foam. Some brewers (I know Guinness specifically, but I'm sure there are others) even have special glasses and pouring procedures to give their beer the perfect head. If you try a beer with a head, try not to look down into your beer, but instead look straight ahead and bring your glass to your mouth with your elbow out. This will keep you from getting a mouth full of foam, and is how you are supposed to drink most beers.

Are adjunct ingredients always GMO by default? Does the presence of adjunct ingredients like rice or corn imply that these ingredients are always of the genetically modified variety? I mean, if you are going to add adjuncts to a beer, the main reason is usually to reduce production costs right? In that case, GMO rice and corn adjuncts are the cheapest, so it seems to me like any beers using adjuncts will be using GMO adjuncts.

No. An adjunct is simply an ingredient that is not strictly necessary to brew the beer. In some cases the purpose of the adjunct is to reduce costs, while in others it is to achieve certain flavours (e.g. in honey beers, or various spiced beers). If cost is the primary concern, then GMO ingredients may be picked if they are cheapest. When adjuncts are used for flavour, cost is not going to be the primary concern so it would be incorrect to assume that a GMO source would be picked by default.

How do you tame a 'foamy' keg? Have a kegerator home built system for 1/2 barrel beer in the garage. Recently had a keg of beer that was foamy no matter what we tried to do. Served it low temp, 37 degrews, and almost no CO2 pressure. Tried serving warmer, with more pressure, still tons of foam.

Decreasing foam in over-carbonated beer I have some homebrew that is really over-carbonated (before i learned about priming sugar calculators ). Consequently, i have to pour it into two pint glasses to contain all the foam, and wait 5-10 minutes for the foam to settle out enough to actually drink it. The bottles are well-chilled first. Is there something i can do when pouring it to reduce the head? I know some amount of head is desirable, but this is over the top (literally). [Edit] I get this much foam despite pouring very slowly and carefully down the side of the glass.

This isn't the "best" answer but a dab of soap (think back to grade school science) with help break up the bubbles and bring that head down real fast

The chances of corn being grown for industrial purposes, like making dextrose have a very high probability of being GMO. If you are buying specialty grains (like for steeping), the probability of those ingredients being genetically modified are much lower. That said, finding out whether or not your adjunct is made from GMO corn (or rice) is very difficult. You may be able to find companies that market things as GMO-free, in that case, they are probably GMO free. Otherwise, they may or may not contain GMOs. If you are concerned about the safety of genetic modification, you should know that GMOs are very safe and are tested for safety much more than the wild crops their genes are borrowed from.

Soap is absolutely the worst thing you could do I guess :P. Sometimes I notice that badly dried glasses (with soap rests) produce more foam... In general, make sure your glass is spotlessly clean. You could then either leave it dry or make it a little wet, works sometimes... Keep your glass diagonal to make sure the liquid touches the glass almost parallel to the glass' inner side. Then when pouring, make sure you have a slow and fluent ray of beer that doesn't splash out of your bottle.

Certain wavelengths of light are responsible for skunking beer. I believe these are mostly in the blue and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum. Brown bottles do the best at blocking out the UV rays. This is why you can get an occasional Rolling Rock that tastes off. I've never heard of a UV reflective coating before, but it makes sense. What follows is probably only relevant if you want to be nit-picky about this: If it is not in direct sunlight, I'd say your pretty ok. I don't know what your lighting situation is, but I know most incandescent bulbs mostly give off infrared light (I'm not sure if infrared light has been correlated to skunking) and the modern CFL bulbs mostly give off light in the visible spectrum. I'd say both however give off some sort of UV light. If you are really concerned, you could tint the cupboard glass. Vehicle window tint is designed to block out UV rays that can damage the interior of cars. Your level of protection depends on how dark you want your tint. If you want the highest protection though, I'd recommend a wooden cupboard.

Over-carbonation is typically a sign of infection, which is certainly a possibility. It's not a problem I've had with Hitachino, but at their price point I don't drink them often

You were right to lower the temperature. Beer (or any liquid for that matter) is better at retaining gasses at lower temperatures. Therefore: cold beer = less gas released = less foam produced. Occam's Razor says your keg is probably warm. I'd check if your temperature is correct. Make sure the temperature is being checked from the bottom of the keg, as this is where your beer is coming from. I'm assuming you're pouring properly, (this includes using a clean, unfrozen glass with a smooth interior). Aside from that, I'd make sure all the parts of your system are clean and in good working order.

According to google: ci·der noun 1. an unfermented drink made by crushing fruit, typically apples. No fruit in ginger beer.

Are some beers 'too hoppy'? Hoppy beers appear to be fad at the moment. It seems that some brewers are aiming to produce beer with the sole aim to be as hoppy as possible, without consideration to other flavors or characteristics. Is it fair to say that some beers are simply 'too hoppy' by some objective measure? I would say the New Zealand's Boundry Road Mumbo Jumbo IPA fits this category.

Why do some cheap beers taste sweet? I had a Tui (cheap New Zealand pale lager) the other day, and it tasted sweet! Why is this? Is possible that sugar is added during the brewing? What else would make it taste sweet?

The price and quality (or lack thereof) of the beer doesn't particularly come into play in whether it is sweet or not but rather how much residual sugar is left. All beer has sugar in some form, as fermentable sugars are is what the yeast eat to turn into alcohol. No sugar, no alcohol. No alcohol, no beer. The sugar in beer primarily comes from malted barley, though other grains are often used including rye, wheat, oats, and open in the case of cheap beer, rice and corn. In my experience, it's fairly rare to find a lager (particularly a cheap one, where they want to minimize the cost of the ingredients for a given batch) with enough residual sugar to taste sweet, but it could happen I suppose. Sweet beers are frequently heavier, like barleywine style ales, milk stouts, and chocolate stouts. You can also add non-traditional ingredients to boost the amount of residual sugar in beer, and sugar itself, in a number of forms (table sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, etc.) is certainly one of those ingredients that is used from time to time. Fruit is another common ingredient used to manipulate the flavor and sweetness in beer, and you'll find virtually all kinds used in various brews. Some or the more fruits that can particularly add to the final sugar content are cherries, berries, grapes, peaches, apricots, and grapefruit.

As the old saying goes, "There's no accounting for taste." So, objectively, no, there is no such thing as too hoppy as long as some enjoy them. There certainly are beers that are so bitter that they have very limited appeal and that can completely drown out other flavors rending not only the beer itself a one-note show, but eliminates the taste from anything else you eat or drink in close proximity. Stone's Ruination is an example of this. So, while many aren't drawn to the "hop-bombs" that seem to get bigger and bigger all the time, the fact that there's a market to support them would indicate that they are not, in fact, "too hoppy."

The alcohol in beer is created as a byproduct of the yeast consuming the sugar in wort during the fermentation process. For a beer to taste sweet, there are two possibilities: The yeast died before the fermentation process ran to completion. There are various chemicals that can do this. The wort contained some non-fermentable sugars. If the yeast can't feed on a particular type of sugar, then it is going to remain in the end product. Lactose is a traditional example of such a sugar but some artificial sweeteners have a similar effect. Assuming that the flavour was intended, I would guess that this was (2): using non-fermentable sugars allows the brewer to know exactly how much will end up in the final beer. It is also the only option if they do in-bottle carbonation, since that requires live yeast in the bottle.

International bittering units (IBU) measure the bitterness of different beer styles. IPAs have a wide range, and they're typically higher on the scale. If you can find the IBU of a beer you want to try (on Untappd, on the bottle, or some bars make this information available), you can compare it to other beers that you like to determine if it might be too bitter for your tastes. I've tasted some beers that are way off the IBU scale that I linked to, but it's still subjective to say that these beers are "too hoppy." It's a matter of taste that I'd compare to saying that some foods are "too spicy." Some people might just like to try these novelty beers once, and other people might really develop a taste for them.

I've had beers that were sub 100 IPU's that were too hoppy and 100+ IPU's that were very good. Question of taste to the drinker.

There are a few things you can check with you keg. You said it's a home built system, yes? So is this a mini-fridge conversion, chest freezer/keezer conversion, or some other kit? Anyway, what length are the beer lines? Generally you need to balance CO2 pressure against beer lines to avoid consistently foamy pours. If your system isn't properly balanced the beer will always be foamy, on every pour. I have 5-6 foot lines in my kegerator and it works pretty well for me, when I was having foamy pour problems everyone suggested replacing them with 10 foot lines just to make damn sure the pour wasn't too violent. Also making sure the lines are clean. Any beer stone or other sediment in the lines is going to cause foam. Serving warmer with lower CO2 would also be a better step. One frustrating thing about these sorts of adjustments is that it takes time for equilibrium to be hit. So if you lower the CO2 pressure, the headspace is still pressurize. You'll need to vent the keg via the pressure release valve. Same deal with raising the temperature. Once the beer actually comes up to the new temp, there will have been CO2 driven out of solution that you need to vent from the headspace via the pressure release valve. It's a pain. Regulators will also often have their own pressure valve, which you should poke and vent slightly when setting the pressure...especially when coming down since excess pressure in the system is going to mess with the reading. So vent, watch it rise to the actual pressure, then adjust, vent again, and watch. It takes some time but generally once you set it there's very little change required. It's hard to tell without seeing the speed of your pour. Definitely check the keg temperature itself. As a homebrewer I reuse kegs, so I have stickers on all my kegs that have a little temperature line. These liquid crystal thermometers, like this one , are pretty cheap. You can also check the ambient temperature using a regular thermometer and a small glass of water. You should check temperature at multiple spots inside the kegerator, so you could fill some tumblers or shot glasses with water and place them at the bottom of the kegerator, then maybe on top of the keg, and then maybe a back shelf if you have anything like that. This lets you know if you have any hot spots which you can reduce by reorganizing tubes or tossing a small computer case fan in there. Also, if you haven't disabled the dome light in the fridge, do so or find some way to make sure the switch stays down beyond a doubt. When I first built my kegerator I was getting incredibly foamy pours and a huge contributor wound up being the dome light kept coming on and heating up the tops of the kegs and the beer in my lines. Another final check is the temperature inside of the tower. If you have no way for the cold air to get from the body of the fridge into the tower the lines in the tower will get warm and cause foamy beer, though if the CO2 pressure is set correctly, this would likely only result in the first 1-2 pours being foamy, then it calms down until the lines warm back up. A lot of people will put fans or run copper tubes up the towers. I filled mine with insulation.

I feel like this is a pretty opinion based question, especially with IPAs being so "in" right now. Ignoring the taste of hoppiness, which is different from bitterness (dear Bob that myth needs to die), there's a limit to how much bitterness we humans can actually perceive. Past about 100 IBUs the tongue straight up can't tell that there are any more. Now we perceive the quality of bitterness differently. So bitterness in beer is provided primarily by adding hops and boiling them for a long time. The length of time and pH of the wort affects a chemical reaction called "Isomerization", which is the process by which Alpha Acids in hop oils become Iso-Alpha Acids which stay stably in solution and make beer taste bitter. Similarly, there are also Beta Acids. Generally these are in 1:1 ratio with the Alpha acids but sometimes there are more or less depending on the hop types. Beta Acids are chemically Lupulones and Alpha Acids are Humulones. We've identified 3 types of each as well: No prefix, Co-, and Ad-. Most homebrewing hop packets list total alpha acid %, then % of those acids that are Cohumulone. But straight IBUs don't take which acids were used to get to that number. Humulone is thought to give the best, smoothest, most pleasing bitterness. Cohumulone can be pretty abrasive, and the bitterness may seem rougher or more astringent...or just more bitter, even at the same IBUs. Beta acids are also thought of as a "rough" bitterness, but they primarily produce bitterness via oxidation and can help long term shelf-stability. I don't know what all this really helps to answer, but I guess the main points are that you can't taste past 100 IBUs, but there are qualities to bitterness that can make some beers more abusive than others. Also my final point is that hop flavor and aroma don't make a beer bitter. If the hops have been boiled enough to actually make a beer that bitter...you do not taste those hops. You can have hoppy beers that are smooth and not bitter at all by hop selection, yeast selection, dry hopping, and not boiling them hops very much. You can also make beer more bitter by yeast selection and certain grains. You can also make Ruination or Palate Wrecker, but the point is that hoppiness and bitterness are not the same thing.

Using the BeerAdvocate web site could be very helpful. As a craft beer enthusiast, I've used it on my travels. Start your search at the following URL: http://www.beeradvocate.com/place/ You can break down your search results by Continent, Country, City and State. You may be able to find some local breweries that fit your liking. Also, you can stay on top of all the latest beer release news by going to the following forum: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/forums/beer-releases.38/ If you're not sure what you like, be sure to check out the Top 250 beers section of the Web Site to learn about some highly reviewed beers.

Every beer has a shelf life. Beer will certainly "last" longer if refrigerated. That is, the flavor will evolve more slowly over time at lower temperatures. Storage at higher than room temperature will invite a turning of the beer's flavor for the worse. In some cases, an aged beer might be considered to have an appealing taste, but still refrigeration will slow the aging process and allow the beer to be kept longer. Additionally, the flavor of highly hopped beers will degrade fairly quickly (within several months) at room temperature, and most people would agree that very hoppy beers in particular should be refrigerated because of this.

What is a "White IPA" and is it actually an IPA? What is a "White IPA" and can it actually be considered an IPA? I'm asking in general but specifically I'm having a Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA.

Bellwoods Brewery Beer in the UK So, I was in Toronto (Canada) a little while ago and absolutely fell in love with a couple of the beers from Bellwoods Brewery . Specifically: Witchshark; and Monogamy I have been casually looking online to see if I could find their beers here in the London (England) or on the internet, but with no luck. Anyone know if I can find these beers somewhere?

WHITE IPA A basic definition would be: strong hop character - similar to ipa wheat / wit grainbill- essentially a mashup (beer pun) of wit and ipa, lighter malts with strong hops As far as the is it an IPA question: as long as its fairly high alcohol, most of the ingredients would point to being almost the same as an IPA. but like noted above, there are different malts and probably a different yeast.

'X' marks to indicate quality? The iconic mass-produced lager in Queensland, Australia, is XXXX (pronounced FourEx). On their label, they tell a story about how historically beers were marked with a number of Xs to indicate their quality, with three Xs being the best. According to XXXX, the original brewer found that his beer was so good that he added a fourth X. So what's the real story with the 'X' mark? I know there are other beers, such as Dos Equis, which incorporate an X in their name and branding. I have also heard of a number of Xs being used with whisky as a crude ABV indicator.

I had an opportunity to visit the Heineken Brewery on a trip to Amsterdam. During my tour, our bartender was able to give a succinct and general answer: to protect the beer, it's flavor and aroma. If you like, you can read more about foam physics and the importance of foam in this dated WSJ article: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/FOAM/bcbeer.htm

First of all, GMO seem to be getting a bad reputation, as opposed to the hormones that are given to animals, like dairy cows. In general, GMOs are safe. In fact, modifying plants' properties and features to something that the farmer wants is been going on for thousands of years (it's how we got broccoli from a plant that looked more like kale). That said, many of the Light Lagers (BJCP Styles 1A, 1B and 1C) have adjuncts like corn and rice (as much as 40% of the total grain bill), both of which are notorious for having many varieties that are GMO. One of the reasons for this is that it allows the brewer to brew a high ABV beer and add water back to bring the ABV down to whatever the local laws say are the maximum without being labeled with the ABV. Large breweries will manufacture in one state and sell their product in many states. I have noticed that some beer labels list GMO free rather prominently, however, if a GMO free lifestyle is something you're interested in, I would stick to beers that have ONLY Barley, Hops, Water and Yeast as ingredients. According the Briess, a very large maltster, website: [B]ecause malt is made from whole grain and minimally processed, it is an all natural ingredient that helps achieve product claims like natural, healthy, Kosher and non-GMO.

There's a good explanation of the 'X' as it pertains to whiskey over at MoonshineHeritage . Essentially, the number of X's indicates the number of times the whiskey was run through the still back when very simple pot stills were commonly used. The correlation to quality is probably based on the notion that the purer the alcohol the better the quality of the whiskey.

X's and K's actually derive from turn of the last century British brewing practices where the letters and how often they were repeated denoted the basic style and relative strength of the beer. See more here . The more in depth answer is that back then malting and kilning practices weren't as good so you generally just ended up with "Malt", which was kindof brownish but varied wildly. So you just sort of made "Beer" out of it. X Ales were table beer, made to be consumed relatively fresh, and K Ales were keeping beer made to be kept. Hopping rates likely differed as well as starting strength. I think at some point later X came to denote "mild" ale, which referred to a lower hopping rate and K/AK/etc came to refer to "bitter", but the blogger I linked to above knows more about that progression than I ever will so I may be totally wrong.

From the looks of it they sell their beers on rotation in their own bottle shop : We are just a humble micro brewery producing small batches of beer. Often times people develop a love affair with one particular beer (Roman Candle fanatics tend to be the most assertive!), but we brew over 50 styles in a year! With only 9 fermentors this ultimately means that availability works in ebbs and flows. If your favourite beer isn’t on draft or in the bottle shop, this gives you a chance to experiment with something new. We promise, there are no wrong choices. They are available in some restaurants and bars in Toronto (they don't have a list of which ones those are on their website), however this doesn't help you in the UK. They don't ship, and they don't seem to have any links to a proper distributor (from the sounds of it on their website, they sell everything they can make in house already). The relevant bit from their FAQ there: Do you ship to other parts of Canada? The US? Jupiter? At this point no. There’s no legal way to ship beer to an individual. Stay tuned for an online retail store where you’ll be able to purchase merchandise. Aliens, be damned! Looks like your best bet is to head back to Toronto and hit their bottle shop. That's not too far of a drive from the UK...right?

What gives a "smoky" beer a smoked flavor? I recently started getting interested in smoked beers. Quite a few years back, Shiner had a seasonal called Smokehouse. I didn't care for it. However, I've recently been intrigued by varieties of smoked saisons, ipas and marzenbiers. What makes a beer smoky? Is the flavor created by casking, adding flavor or part of the brewing process?

It is certainly possible to make a smoked beer by using a smoked malt at the brewing stage. Excellent information here: Brewing Smoked Beers: Tips from the Pros.

Peated malt can provide a beer with subtle smokiness. Peated malt is malt that has been smoked over peat (decaying vegetation). This is common in Scotch & Whisky Ales. Cheers

To add a bit of detail to the existing answers, the primary method for adding a smoked flavor to beer is by using malts that have been dried over a smoky fire, rather than in a kiln which allows the malt to absorb compounds from the smoke that they then release into the beer during brewing. Some of the oldest smoked beers still produced are German (Rauchbiers) and the malt is dried over beechwood . Other woods can be used, and you can find malt smoked over oak, cherrywood, and any number of other species. As mentioned in another answer, peat can be used as well and in fact is for Stone's Smoked Porter . Another method for adding a smoky flavor is to use liquid smoke extract . This is made my cooling and condensing smoke with water, and can be used instead of smoked malt. I'm not aware of commercial brewers who use this method, but it's a way for home brewers who use malt extract instead of dried malt to add smokiness to their beers.

Smoked malts. Start with a normal malt put malt in a large metal screen COLD smoke for a few hours (if you add heat it will also add color to the malt) Let sit for a day or so. brew beer with it enjoy something not many get to taste, yet alone the possibilities of different woods to use for the smoking make it an unused "5th" beer ingredient. How to Smoke Malts Woods to use for smoking cherry apple maple mesquite pecan other fruitwoods alder (alaskan) beechwood (Rauchbeir) OAK is usually used raw, added as "barrelling" addition not normally used to smoke malts NEVER USE EVERGREEN WOOD FOR SMOKING MALT. - PINEY (HOP TERRITORY) Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer Peat malt is bad stuff- only used for scotch and whiskey mashes. DO NOT USE IT IN BEER unless you want to throw it out.

In terms of bitterness vs hoppiness, with the 3 stages in the process where hops are generally added, only the final stage gives distinct hoppiness (as opposed to bitterness) as the hops aren't in the mix long enough for heat to break down the oils and flavour. The reason why there are so many types of hops used, in varying concentrations, at various stages throughout beer making is because people are different . I love a hoppy beer. Hoppier the better (at least in the summer months) My wife hates them. So really, the answer to your question is No - some beers aren't too hoppy; they are just too hoppy for you.

Sour Beers for the beginner What sour beers would be a good starting point for someone that enjoys pale ales and too strong of a flavor profile may turn them off at first?

In general, G(u)euze Beer is pretty sour. More on that here . Since I don't like Geuze beer, I don't know much about it. However, I once tasted 7 different Geuze beers from a region in Belgium around Brussels and those were really sour. I wouldn't recommend those.

I'd start an introduction to sour, or wild ales with the more approachable Lambics, like Lindemans Framboise Lambic . With a beer like that, the sour notes from the wild yeast are offset by the sweetness of the fruit and the pleasant texture from the fizz of the carbonation, making it an approachable drink not only for one not used to sour ales, but for one not used to beer at all. Another option (for a North American) might be a beer categorized as an American Wild Ale, such as Russian River's Consecration, or Sierra Nevada Brux which will have the sour character but also be conscientious of the flavors favorable to the American palate.

Glassware for lagers: why did my Stella Artois come in this kind of glass? I've seen Why did my Big Bad Baptist come in a brandy snifter? and understand from the answer there that there are two basic reasons to use a glass with a wider bowl for beer: to concentrate armoas, or to reduce quantity for stronger beers. (That question was about a stout.) I don't have a lot of experience with this, but until now when I've ordered lagers they've generally come in a tall glass (not curved). A few days ago I ordered a Stella Artois and it came in the following glass: 1 (The glass was full when delivered; I didn't think to take a picture for this question right away.) This glass does not concentrate aromas to the extent that a brandy snifter does; further, this beer did not seem to be particularly aromatic. (I've never had this one before, which is why I ordered it.) Nor is it a highly-alcoholic or expensive beer that they might want to serve in a smaller quantity. I'd guess this glass to have been in the 10-12oz range. Is there a benefit to the mildly curved shape of this glass for this type of beer? I note that it's a Stella Artois glass, so presumably it's not just a bartender's arbitrary choice. 1 I was traveling, so I can't just go visit them again to see how they serve other beers.

You might also want to try a berliner weisse. They can be pretty sour, but are still very drinkable (at least in my opinion). Some breweries have these on tap, and offer a choice of flavored syrup as a sweetener (e.g., raspberry, strawberry, peach). In terms of bottled ones to look for, Dogfish head has Festina Peche. My current favorite is Cruiser, a recent release by the Ithaca Beer Co. available in 6 packs and pretty reasonably priced. Berliner Weisse are usually available this time of year, so check your local beer store for some other seasonals.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as too hoppy. Beers like Heady Topper have an incredible amount of hops, yet are highly drinkable. However, some beers have a poor malt/hops balance, and as as result have an overbearing hope profile. These beers smell and taste like grass, and are not very drinkable.

Gluten free beer recommendations? I have noticed a number of gluten free beers pop up on the shelf of my local beer store over the past few years. Are these drinkable? And does anyone have any recommendations of any to try?

Omission isn't too bad. My wife is gluten free and she drinks this from time to time. I've tried it and is better (IMO) then most other GF beers. Omission Beer And from their FAQ In 2013, Mass Spec research was conducted by an independent lab which validated that Omission Lager and Pale Ale are devoid of known barley toxic epitopes, the specific peptide sequences and reactive sites in gluten molecules that cause reactions in the human small intestine. These same beers were tested using the R5 Competitive ELISA and were found to lack any measureable gluten content. A growing body of peer reviewed scientific literature supports that our process is effective in breaking up and detoxifying gluten peptides. Another option is Ghostfish, which is a pretty good IPA Ghostfish Brewing Company

According to Stella Artois In order to perfectly enjoy the unique taste and beauty of Stella Artois, we created the Chalice, instead of merely a glass. The Chalice is designed so that every curve serves a discrete purpose to how Stella Artois should be enjoyed. The authentic shape of the body encourages the perfect balance of C02 and liquid, enhancing head retention and flavor. The angles at the bottom cause a wave that works in harmony with the liquid alchemy. The stem provides a means to hold the chalice so that the Stella Artois stays cold longer and it's embellished with a star to honor our history. All of these details, however small, make a big impact on the flavor and experience, giving everyone the opportunity to taste a proper Stella Artois. Source

Go to the store and get Bitburger german pilsner in a can, and in a bottle. Tell me if you taste a difference. I tried that and the canned stuff is a heck of a lot better tasting than the skunked stuff in the brown glass bottle.

I've tried several different Gluten Free beers in the past few years. So far, the only brand that I've tasted that resembles normal beer almost 100%, is Omission Lager and Pale Ale. Their IPA doesn't really do it for me, but it's still the closest Gluten Free IPA I've tasted.

What is the definition of Beer or the Beer "family" of drinks I was picked up by someone on another SE site (unrelated) when I used the phrase "Some beers, like mead...(blah blah)" - Apparently a mead isn't a beer. I'm good with that in the pedantic sense that it's correct , but I wasn't intending to be quite so specific, and was merely suggesting that I was not talking about spirits etc. It got me thinking about the definition of what could, or could not be called a beer, and whether a beer is an actual drink at all, or just the name of the group of drinks that we call beers, but which really have more specific names and definitions. The key phrase for me, in understanding it from a simple taxonomy point of view is that alcoholic drinks are essentially either Beers Wines or Spirits . That's my starting point, which may well be rudimentary at best and wrong at worst Using this definition, a Mead must clearly be a beer in the most basic definition; it's certainly not a win or spirit? Obviously under beer you then have ales, lagers, ciders, perrys, meads, stouts, bitters and probably a million others, and probably further sublevels (dry cider, sweet cider, sparkling cider....), but is there a second level "beer" also at this level? Really, is there actually a single specific drink that is a beer that is not further defined as, for example, an IPA, or a Stout?

IMHO, I would classify ciders, perrys, and meads to be more like wine than beer -- they are made by fermenting fruit or honey without substantial change to the base ingredients. Beer is made from malted grain, which must first be mashed to convert starch into fermentable sugars. Beer must contain 4 essential ingredients: Malt extract (from the grain), hops, water and yeast. It may contain others as well, but if any of these four are missing it is not beer. I think that your premise of "that alcoholic drinks are essentially either Beers Wines or Spirits." is wrong because it oversimplifies and excludes some beverages. Besides mead and cider, there are also malt-based alcho-pop beverages (Mike's Hard Lemon, Twisted Tea, etc.) that I would not call beer either - they contain 3 of the four ingredients, but lack hops. There are other local indigenous alcoholic beverages around the world that don't fit any of these categories, like Japanese sake. There are many styles of beer -- so the word "beer" refers to all of them, and there is no style that is called just "beer". Here is a link that describes many styles of beer, mead and cider. Note that this is not a comprehensive list; brewers keep developing new styles all the time to create desirable products. For example, Black IPAs came into vogue a couple of years ago, now I am seeing White IPAs. BJCP Style Descriptions

The first, and primary reason any beer comes in branded glassware is this: Marketing. Brewers, like any other businesses, like for the general public to know that the anonymous tapped beer you're drinking is theirs. That is why they provide branded glasses to bars, and request (or require) that their beer be served in their glasses. Is there a benefit to the mildly curved shape of this glass for this type of beer? In my observations, yes, there is. While the throat may not narrow as severely as a brandy snifter, the effect of concentrating the aroma is still achieved. Eyeballing it, I'd say that the curvature is somewhere in between that of my champagne flutes and my red wines glasses, which are presumed to have the same general effect. More generally I'd say that a glass with a narrowing or restricted throat does concentrate the aroma, and the degree of restriction doesn't seem to matter significantly, to my nose. (Assuming it isn't too great, that is. Beer in a bottle or can, for instance, is definitely at a disadvantage.) I'd like to also look at a few of the reasons they state in their marketing material as well. The authentic shape of the body encourages the perfect balance of C02 and liquid, enhancing head retention and flavor. I don't have any evidence to back this up, but I suspect that this is probably the most legitimate of the claims. This would have a significant effect on the experience of drinking the beer, it is going to be specific to their recipe, and it's a reason that's often given for custom beer glassware. (Boston Beer Company laser etches the bottom of their Sam Adams Boston Lager glass to enhance cavitation, for instance.) The angles at the bottom cause a wave that works in harmony with the liquid alchemy. I have no idea what this means. Alchemy is the term for pre-chemistry, and primarily deals with trying to turn ordinary substances into gold. I assume they're trying to insinuate that the glass magically turns Stella into better beer. The stem provides a means to hold the chalice so that the Stella Artois stays cold longer This is plausible, and perhaps unfortunate. This is why you are supposed to hold red wine glasses by the bowl (to warm the wine) and white wine glasses by the stem (to keep it cool.) However, with wine, a serving is generally five ounces or so, compared to twelve or more of lager. The effect certainly won't be the same given the significantly higher mass. The unfortunate bit is that colder is not generally what you want when you're talking about good beer. Colder is the realm of the cheap macro-brews like Coors Light. Cold subdues flavor compounds, which is useful when the flavor of the beer is nasty, and not so useful when it's pleasant. This certainly isn't a a requirement or general best practice for lagers as you won't find stemmed glassware used for Boston Beer's Samuel Adams Lager glass: or my classic Spiegelau Lager glass: or any of the glasses you'll see used for the many fine Lagers of Germany. So, I have to suppose one of the following two reasons. First, they may simply be pandering to the general belief that colder beer is better. Second, it would be unfortunate if they were trying to hide a lack of quality by trying to ensure the beer was too cold to taste properly. Finally, and I've left this to last, because it's purely my opinion...I think they've chosen the chalice glass specifically because it's fancy, and that's the image they want to portray for their beer. When people see the Stella glass, they don't want their beer to be lumped in with the pint-glass styles, they want it to stand out as sophisticated, and the chalice specifically gives it that cachet. So, my top line and bottom line are down to marketing, with a bit of truth and a bit of fiction to all the bits in between.

It is quite simple. Beer is made off starch (read: the alcohol) and Wines are made from fruit's sugar (fructose and glucose).

I think the main difference is that beer is brewed - you have to steep the grain in water. You don't do this for meads or wines.

One other potential source of smoke flavors is actually the yeast. Some yeast produce phenolic compounds during fermentation that produce smoke flavors and aromas. Scottish yeast strains in particular are known for this.

I would highly recommend Rodenbach as a starting point. It is relatively inexpensive, surprisingly available for it's style, and damn tasty. It is a Flanders Red style, brewed with sour cherries, of which there are many similar brands ranging from candy-sweet to very sour. Rodenbach is the perfect balance of the two IMO. If you like the style, graduate to the Grand Cru, which adds more age, funk and sour. After these I'd check out Flanders Brown ales (similar though less cherry), and Geuzes, such as Almanac's Golden Gate Gose. If you're feeling adventurous and spendy, make your way through Almanac's unique "Farm to Barrel" series of wild fruit beers, as well as The Bruery's Oude Tarte and possibly Sour in the Rye (warning, this one will melt your tastebuds).

What are abbey beers? How did they come about? Why do monks brew beer? What are abbey beers? How did they come about? Why did monks brew beer? Does the monks still brew beer or is it done by brewing companies now?

It is exactly as you would interpret it from the name. It is brewed in abbeys. Monks started brewing beer to gain money. Beer was very popular in the middle ages and water was mostly infected. The brewing process would cleanse the water from bacteria and other filthy stuff because of the boiling process. Some unofficial abbey beers are in fact not linked officially to an abbey but use the name to gain profit out of this. I am not sure whether the monks still brew it completely themselves, but I would strongly believe that they are still hugely involved. The Trappist is a special and rare beer that is also an abbey beer. An abbey beer can only be called Trappist if it is brewed by monks that are Cisterciënzers. The only trappist beers in the world: Achel Abdij van Achel (Belgium) Chimay Abdij Notre-Dame de Scourmont (Belgium) Engelszell Stift Engelszell (Austria) La Trappe Abdij Koningshoeven (The Netherlands) Orval Abdij Notre-Dame d'Orval (Belgium) Rochefort Abdij Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy (Belgium) Spencer Saint Joseph's Abey (USA) Westmalle Abdij van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart (Belgium) Westvleteren Sint-Sixtusabdij (Belgium) Zundert Abdij Maria Toevlucht (The Netherlands)

Stone Brewery serves a smokey cheddar garlic soup at their tasting room bistro which is cooked with their Ruination IPA. The bitterness balances the salt and richness of the cheddar. I would definitely use IPA cautiously in cooking though, as the beer and alcohol will partially evaporate, causing the hop bitterness to concentrate noticably.

What is Altbier? Altbier is found in Dusseldorf. Is Altbier "alt" (i.e. "old" in german) because they are aged like wine? Can altbier be found outside of Dusseldorf?

Looking for local beers on the Canary Islands? The common beers in Gran Canaria are Topical and Dorada . What other local beers are there on the Canary Island? Is there any microbrewery / local brewery in the Canary Island? Are there craft beers in the Las Palma de Gran Canaria?

According to Beer Advocate , a longer than normal conditioning period is one possible reason for it being an "altbier". A second explanation is that it's tied to Latin and refers to the rising yeast. Quite a few breweries outside Dusseldorf make altbiers (or have made, at least). That BeerAdvocate page lists

Are there any Italian craft beers? I'm spending my summer in Florence, Italy. I've been here for a week already and I've since realized they much rather prefer wine, but I don't. I'm looking for some Italian craft beers because I don't know how much longer I can drink Heineken. So any ideas?

The question could be changed to "craft Italian beer" or "Italian real ale" instead of good. That would fix the question quality. To answer the better question, there are about 360 micro-breweries in italy under the umbrella MoBI organization ( http://www.movimentobirra.it/ ) which is similar to CAMRA and has an English translation to their website. I would recommend using that as an initial source of information as breweries change and I am not familiar with the Florence area. http://www.pintamedicea.com/birra/ based in Florence may also be helpful depending on your level of Italian language skills.

What kind or kinds of beer are common in Bavaria, Germany? I visited Bavaria Germany once and had my first taste of beer ever. It was delicious! I have no idea what beer or even what type of beer it was. I've since "sampled extensively" many beers in my home area ( Minnesota, USA ) but whenever I look through a liquor store, I never see "Bavarian Beer" on any labels. I sometimes see "Belgian" and get that by mistake, but I usually don't like those ones, haha. Looking suggestions of beer type or specific brands or flavors.

Was the beer that you tried pale yellow, slightly sour in flavour and cloudy? If so it was probably Weissbier which is Bavarian wheat based beer. Any Weissbier or wheat beer should be similar to it and these are widely available (some British and American breweries have started to make wheat beers recently). If you like Weissbier you will probably like the Saison (style) beers from France and Belguim. It the beer was dark coloured it was probably the highly seasonal and delicious Bockbier which is extremely difficult to get outside Bavaria and out of season.

Essentially it is an ale that ends up being lagered after the primary fermentation is completed. The malts used are primarily pilsen, which is normally used in lagers. Not a lot of hop flavor and aroma, some bitterness but a closer malt/hop balance. Altbiers are light copper to light brown ales with white heads. The beer is very clear due to the lagering. The aroma is slightly malty, with almost no hop aroma. The flavor is bitter. Not an IPA bitter, but still a firm bitter flavor. Some of the altbiers have a light caramel flavor, which I like, and is followed by a dry finish. The beer could be compared to a hoppy Vienna style lager. The alcohol content of the beer is lower than average, usually between 4.5% to 5.2%. This makes altbiers a great session beer. quoted from link below. German AltBier - Homebrew

How can I try a wide variety beers without buying them by the case/spending a lot of money? Like most of you here, I thoroughly enjoy beer. How can I try a wide variety beers without buying them by the case/spending a lot of money? Aspiring beer enthusiast that is grows tired of the usual, and wants to branch out. Also on a broke, paying for school out of pocket, college kid budget.

I will update this answer when I get more information from OP about region but I believe the following will be helpful: [edit]: reread the tags and spotted that it was US - think that my thoughts all still stand up but will check some specifics on US beer festivals. In the UK and a few other countries and regions organizations like CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) run beer festivals which work out, on a pint for pint basis, cheaper when trying a wide variety of beers. Although there is usually an entry fee (at least as far as CAMRA events go) each drink tends to be cheaper and there is the option of trying more different beers by buying in half pint measures (recommended). The biggest benefit of going to festivals, however, is the range of beers available. A liquor store / off license / bar can only really stock a few different beers and these are usually ones that they can get consistently, in volume, and at either a suitable price or within their tie (don't get me started on the beer tie), whereas festivals are much freer to buy different beers from varying sources as they are one-off events and less restricted. A second idea would be to set up a tasting club so that you can share the costs and the beers. This runs the risk (!) of making new friends as well! source: I help to run a CAMRA beer festival and work at 2+ others dependent on my free time

Have you guys ever tried Chinese beer? How would you rate it? I am a Food & Beverage industry analyst from China and I'd like to know if other overseas consumers know Chinese Beer and how do you guys rate it? Also, which brands do you know of (Tsingtao)? And any other opinions. Personally I prefer German beer and don't like Chinese beer.

Any beer is only as good as the brewer's skills. In London (UK) we have a brewery producing a 2.8% abv beer (Redemption brewery, beer name escapes me) which is packed with hops and of greater hop depth than many IPAs. Batches of a beer that are brewed to be low alcohol will necessarily be different to those brewed at full strength which is why I would hope (pray?) that any brewer whose product is worth drinking would make a different beer, brewed at low strength for these markets. These beers can be as flavoursome and exciting as, if not more so than, higher strength beers. The process to make the beer lower ABV is simply reducing the amount of sugar that can be converted into alcohol by using a lower sugar content mash either using specific lower sugar malts, using less malt, or using a yeast that will not support higher alcohol concentrations (alcohol kills yeast...!). Using less yeast won't work as the given yeast will continue to multiply to make up the shortfall. If you are not making real beer halting the fermentation early by killing the yeast with heat (or similar) will produce a lower alcohol beer but it will be sweeter as there is more unfermented sugar. Fining and serving real ale before fermentation has produced a higher strength may have a similar effect for those types of beer. Since alcohol dissolves flavouring compounds better than water it is much harder to brew a highly flavoured weak beer but this may be offset by taste complexity. Larger breweries will reduce alcohol levels chemically post-production by boiling off alcohol or similar. this will reduce the flavouring compounds in the beer (see GCSE fractional distillation notes or similar for details) and so make the beer taste weaker. These are produced at mass market quantities and even the full strength product is pretty awful compared with crafted or real beers.

You can look for breweries in your areas that give tours. These often include free tastings. (Since you mentioned you're from the Chicago area, I know there's a bus tour that takes you to different breweries in Chicago and Milwaukee. There's a fee, but you'd get to try a lot of different beers.) Also, look for brewpubs and restaurants in your area that sell flights of beer. A flight is 4-5 samples of different beers served together. The cost is normally about the same as a full glass, and the total volume is usually the same or a little more. This allows you to try 4 or 5 different beers for about the same price as you'd normally pay for one.

Most Chinese Beers are pale lagers or pilsners - bland, tasteless, and topped with glycerin as a stabilizer which gives people a pounding headache. Many of my Chinese and foreigner friends would drink Carelsberg at the bar - a danish bland and tasteless beer. When we had the money for it, everyone bought German or Belgian beer, even my friends in the far western provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan.

One source of smokiness unmentioned as of yet is vinvyl-guaiacol production from bacteria metabolism. The answers already given are more relevant, however there is one important source that has been unmentioned. Although more common in distilling, lactobacillus and other strains of bacteria can attribute flavor to fermentation products. Different strains induce a different, possibly harmful, effect. Focusing on lactobacillus, which is your common bacteria used in cheese making, lactobacillus can introduce more lactic acid into the beer. This anaerobic bacteria is more active either before fermentation has started (either by contamination or inoculation) and after fermentation has ended. More so after fermentation this bacteria has metabolize the autolysis products of yeast. The acids from this bacteria later form into vinvyl-guaiacol, a flavor compound that lends a spicy and smokey note.

Most beer shops and some grocery stores (if that's legal in your state) allow you to do a "Mixer-Sixer" or "Create your own six-pack" where you can combine a variety of single bottles/cans for a variety six pack. You pay a little bit extra per bottle for the convenience but and you get to pick specifically which ones you try. To learn your preferences, I would suggest the following styles: (ordered from darkest to lightest with a recommended beer in parenthesis) Stout (Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout) Double Bock/Doppelbock (Ayinger Doppelbock) IPA (Dogfish Head 60min or 90min IPA) Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) Pilsner (Bell's Beer by Bells Brewery - this is a traditional Czech Pilsner) Hefeweizen (Paulaner Bavarian Hefeweizen) EDIT @Bill The Lizard's answer: Going on a brewery tour is definitely good advice. Additionally, you should consider getting beer on tap which tends to be fresher and in better condition while at restaurants or breweries. Furthermore, if you have the chance to visit a brewery, you should specifically try their seasonal, limited, and special releases. Answered by: The Gastrograph Team

As was said before, a Weissbier is also called a Hefeweizen and is very common in Bavaria and the rest of Germany. If you want something similiar look for a Paulaner Hefeweizen which is sold in America. The yeast that is added gives it a strong Banana like flavor. It is typically served in a tall narrow glass. Other common beers in Bavaria are Oktoberfest, Pilsner, Doppelbock, and Dunkel. Out of those the Pilsner and Oktoberfest don't have a ton a flavor. The other two have sweeter flavors and are darker with the Doppelbock being available in the winter as a high alcohol beer. Very few labels will specify Bavaria, but all imported beers are required by law to specify their country of origin. Bavarian Beers(or Biers if you will) are the same as other German beers, so simply look for a German beer. Answered by: The Gastrograph Team

Another thing to note is try and use a car if you are going for the simple six pack. If you don't you can rent bikes from Hotel Palace? I believe in the center market. The hotel isn't open on Sundays.

YES. Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA is in fact made with ale yeast using pilsner, malted wheat, wheat, and a large quantity of hops. A pale ale is an ale (a beer made with ale yeast) and lightly malted barley and adjuncts. An IPA is a pale ale that has been hopped greatly. Your particular white IPA is light in color and has 55 IBUs, qualifying it for the IPA class of beer. In case you are curious: The reason IPAs were established is because the English brewers receiving spices from India made a habit of sending the would be empty ship back loaded with beer. At the time pale ales were the staple beer. At first the beer developed a bad flavor during the long voyage. English brewers learned to cover the negative flavor of their pale ales with more bittering hops. IBUs stands for International Bitterness Units, it is an approximation of how much bitterness you will taste. Answered by: The GastroGraph Team

Craft beer and beer tourism seems to have not yet hit the Canary Islands. The other notable beer local to the Canary Islands that we know of is Viva ( http://www.cervezaviva.com/ ). We don't know of any craft beers in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria but Cerveza Gourmet ( http://www.ratebeer.com/p/cerveza-gourmet-las-palmas-de-gran-canaria/34492/ ) appears to be a store to visit if you are looking for a wide selection to choose from. Answered by: The Gastrograph Team

The answer is subjective. A lot of people are referring to IBUs in their answers. IBUs are a weak approximation, they only give you an idea. Try the beer yourself! I for one love bitterness and believe brewers should always push the limit of any flavor in pursuit of exciting, tasty beer. Yet as with anything it is a matter of balance. Some flavors compliment each other, some do not. Learn what you like, share. Answered by: The GastroGraph Team

The chances of contamination at a Japanese brewery are very low. The Japanese tend to drink their beer much colder than craft beer drinkers in the United States - Think Coors cold. We suggest placing the beer in the freezer for 3-5 minutes before opening the bottle, leaving it undisturbed and pouring it into an over-sized nonic glass. Hitachino's beers when stored and poured correctly are quite good, but buying them in the United States after a trans-pacific journey is both expensive and less tasty than on tap. Answered by: The Gastrograph Team

If you venture west to Iowa most HyVee stores will let you do the mixer-sixer as Gastrograph describes. Two of Iowa's best breweries are on the eastern side of the state as well in Toppling Goliath and Backpocket.

I think for short term storage it shouldn't be a problem. It sounds like you're just keeping the bottles in the cupboard outside their cardboard carriers? You could always use the carriers or keep most in carriers in the back and single bottles in the front if you enjoy the appearance of the bottles. Samuel Adams' carriers are taller for the exact reason of keeping out light, and they use brown bottles so obviously even with brown bottles light is still of some concern. I've usually had a problem with beer tasting off if it goes from a refrigerated state to room temperature and then back in the fridge. I've noticed this happens to me more frequently than anything with light.

As more and more companies/breweries enter the craft beer market I think this is one of the most obvious ways they see to differentiate themselves, therefore I believe the beers you see that are solely for the purpose of being very hoppy and/or bitter are for marketing purposes. It would be akin to different hot sauce companies attempting to gain fame by making the hottest sauce, not necessarily the one that best complements food. In either case the consumer will have a memorable experience and will remember the name and possibly tell a friend.

Some of the highest ranked breweries in Italy include: Le Baladin (Highly recommended but these might be harder to find) Panil Birra Artigianale Revelation Cat Craft Brewing Birra del Borgo Birrificio Toccalmatto Birrificio Lambrate Maltus Faber Note that in Europe there aren't as many mega breweries so local craft brewing is much more popular. You should look for a local brewery for fresher and more easily accessible (in terms of cost and rarity).

A great recipe that use lots of beer: Vegetarian Pot Pie: 2 Bottles of Stout Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, oil or butter, potatos (pre-baked for 30min) salt and pepper to taste 2 pie shells 1 bag of white flower Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Brown the vegetables in a skillet over medium heat. Add salt and sugar to get the caramelization going. Pour in the beer and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in and stir the white flour, 1 cup at a time, until it becomes very gloopy. Keep at a low simmer / boil. Fill the pie shell with the gloopy stew, and cover the top with the 2nd pie shell. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Then take it out and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

I live in a state that (mostly) requires that you buy beer by the case. I feel your pain. ("Mostly": there's still the bar option, and there are a very few places where you can buy mixed cases or six-packs of things other than the big mainstream beers.) The solution I'm partial to is the beer co-op. Mine started as a group of coworkers; we've scattered to a bunch of different companies by now, but the co-op remains. Every 4-6 weeks the organizer sends out email announcing a planned buy, with the goal of getting a multiple of 8 people (12 works, but we prefer 8). Participants get a case with variety of beers and divide the total cost. I've gotten to sample some beers I'd never have tried (or known about) otherwise. (Most people don't participate every time, but the organizer does because, hey, beer.) If you're doing a co-op anyway, then it's easy to add on the occasional "side buy" -- something that comes in 25oz bottles, or is particularly expensive, etc. So long as there's enough interest to get the case, people can then buy them individually. You can be very organized about this, requiring commitments in advance, or you can be flexible and deal with the occasional surplus. People interested enough to organize co-ops usually don't mind some surplus (assuming finances aren't too tight).

No. They are not sufficient, but are one of several necessary conditions to keep beer from going bad. In general, keep beer at a cool temperature (50-60 degrees), away from light, and stand the bottle up (do not lie them sideways like wine bottles are stored). Brown bottles help keep beer away from light, but as a rule of them, store your beer someplace dark.

Are there microbreweries or craft breweries in Iceland? Are there any microbreweries in Iceland? If so, are any of them in Reykjavik? What is the most distinct / unique beer from Iceland that one can get at the supermarket?

I don't know which is the most distinct / unique beer, but did find this list of beer in Iceland .

I am able to consume gluten with no ill effect, but have drunk Wold Top "against the grain" a couple of times, just because it's a decent beer :) different, but not at all in a bad way Against The Grain (World Top Yorkshire Brewery)

Why does Beck's taste more bitter than Heineken? Why does Beck's taste more bitter than Heineken? Is it due to the sugar content?

How do restaurants/businesses get their beer? Do they get them from stores, or do they set up a distributor? Also, is it cheaper than getting the beer from a store?

Some businesses (brew pubs and brewery taps for example) produce their own so don't have to buy it. Most businesses (pubs, bars, restuarants etc.) order from a wholesaler or cash-and-carry in the same way that they order pretty much everything else, or they may order direct from the brewery or an distributors. The prices are wholesale price so cheaper than they would be in a store so that they make a profit. I help to run a beer festival in the UK and we tend to order our beers from distributors or direct from the brewery (we know most of the 50+ breweries in London well enough that a few donate some barrels as well as we are a not for profit organization). A distributor works partially as a broker between breweries and buyers and partially as a wholesaler, the difference is that they tend to keep the beer at the brewery and only pick it up and transport it to fulfill an order. One of the distributors that we use is FlyingFirkin http://www.flyingfirkin.co.uk/ , just to give you some idea of how it works. Additionally, in the UK, duty is paid at point of sale so VAT is paid on the beer when it is bought from the supplier but duty is only applied when it is sold to the end user, or "drinker", and so the price paid from the supplier will be significantly lower.

There is no way to prevent skunking! Except drink it fast and drink it cold;) This is awesome!!

The answer to this question is going to depend largely on which specific beers you are referring to. Assuming you are referring to Becks Premium Lager (as opposed to one of their other offerings), Becks has an IBU (International Bitterness Units) of 20 where Heineken has 23 IBUs. Based on IBUs, Heineken should be more bitter but not by much. What you're tasting could be accounted for by batch to batch variation on behalf of the brewer or the conditions that the bottles were stored (length of storage, lighting, etc.) Furthermore, the bitterness in most of Becks' beers come from the use of darker malts, while the majority of the bitterness in Heineken comes from the use of (pellet) hops. This makes the bitterness in Becks tend towards roastier flavors, and the bitterness in Heineken to tend to be more herbaceous or floral. It is possible that you are more personally sensitive to one set of those flavor compounds. Note that IBUs are an imperfect measurement of bitterness so only consider it as an approximation. Many people say that differences in bitterness beyond 100 IBUs are indiscernible but that is often conflicted. Answered by: the Gastrograph Team

It's basically because of the ingredients - the two beers contain different amounts of sweet and bitter flavors which balance out to give you the perceived bitterness. Some will say that it's because of higher hop bitterness, measured in IBUs (International Bitterness Units), but this is really only part of the picture. You can have a beer with a larger number of IBUs but also a large amount of residual sweetness such as caramel malts) and this will generally taste sweeter than a beer that has a lower IBUs and almost no residual sweetness. Each brewer designs a beer with a taste profile in mind, and then seeks ingredients and sometimes process changes to arrive at this desired flavor profile. This often requires several iterations until the desired result is reached, and even then it may not be possible to reach it every time, so the brewer may also choose to blend beers from different batches to arrive close to the desired result. The same is true for Heineken - their Quality Assurance team will have been given clear guidelines on the spec for the beer, both as hard and fast measurable, objective facts (IBUs, Color, carbonation, diacetyl, fusel alcohols, esters etc...) and also as subjective - how it tastes. So the final answer about why one beer is more bitter than another is because their respective breweries have decided that's the flavor they want, and they have crafted a brew to produce their chosen flavor profile.

I'm aging a few bottles. They've been in the fridge for a while. Should I take them out now? Pretty much this. I'm storing/aging bottles. They've been in my fridge for 6+ months now. I want to leave them there at least another 6+ months and on. But I've read aging beers in fridge is a "bad" idea because the cork will dry up. (All my bottles have corks). Temperature in the fridge is just above 32F (0 celsius) I've talked to my father recently who's more into wine and told me I should get them out of the fridge and leave them somewhere else. That somewhere else is pitch black, pretty much on a cool floor and ambient temperature is about 65F(18 celsius), 85% humidity Is there a risk to change the ambient temperature while it is aging, am I better getting them out of the fridge or does it matter little. I have a few bottles I've left out of the fridge in that place already. Should they go into the fridge? I'm also a bit curious as to why as well how it would affect the beers.

I've had amazing beer from Iceland from a brewery called Einstök. Here is their website: The Einstök Brewery. The Winter Ale and Pale Ale are one of the best that I've ever had and one of the few that got 5 stars from me on the Untappd App. Cheers

Beer generally refers to the fermented product of malted grains, yeast, water, and hops. An incredible variety of beers are derived from only these key ingredients, though many brewers do add additional ingredients called adjuncts (fruit, spices, herbs, etc). Mead is the product of fermented honey, sometimes called "honey wine", and is more comparable to the wine family (including cider and fruit wines) than beer in terms of body, alcohol, bitterness, base sugars, and typically effervescence.

The answer is no, there is not an objective measurement of "too hoppy". It is entirely preferential. You could however state that a beer is too hoppy to match a given style, for example a Berliner Weisse with a bitterness of 70 IBUs would be considered imbalanced for the style and would occupy it's own experimental category.

I believe the general principal is that lower temperatures will result in slower (or negligible) aging process than warmer temperatures. The results will certainly vary depending on the ABV and other qualities of the beer. Storing bottles horizontally should prevent the corks from drying.

Remember, that not all of the beers are suitable for aging. Mainly porter beer can be stored beyond expiration date (30 years!), but some others too. And i see no point for aging beer in a fridge.

In the United States, is a beer required to state ABV on the bottle/label? I recently purchased a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. I bought it on a whim because 1. I was looking for a stout, and 2. I typically enjoy Dogfish Head. Only after I got home and looked it up did I realize it has an ABV of roughly 18%. Then I checked the bottle and realized that no where on it does it state the ABV. I found that quite strange especially considering "liquor", by law, must state such information. So are fermented drinks simply exempt from having to state this info? I've never come across another beer that did not state ABV on it -- let alone one with 18%. (P.S. It was a delicious beer.)

Not really a Chinese beer, but in what I assume is Chinese style... I've enjoyed a couple lucky buddha's. Maybe it's similar in that it's rice based. It was very light and easy drinking. I've heard of a Chinese beer called Snow and heard that it's extremely popular and well rated. I don't know how I can get any (probably can't) but would love to try it.

I've had Budweiser's Red Bridge and have seen it at local bars thanks to the mass distribution possible. It wasn't too bad actually. I don't suffer from celiac disease and I would consider drinking it again.

No, federal malt beverage labeling laws make it optional (though they do describe standards the label must meet if brewers do choose to add the alcohol content label.) State laws, however, may require a brewer to add alcohol content to the label. Clearly Delaware law (where Dogfish Head is based) must not. In my experience, this is not terribly uncommon. It is true that most beers do have alcohol content disclosed on the label, but I've run across quite a number that do not. If you're interested in learning more about it straight from the source, it's available in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations in Title 27, Chapter I, Subchapter A, Part 7—LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF MALT BEVERAGES .

I visited China last year and tried some of the local beers, including Tsingtao. I was a bit surprised at the lack of variety (almost everything was a pilsner style larger) and that most beers were mid-strength at most. None of them tasted bad, but nothing really stood out.

Here is a review for Estrella Damm Daura Estrella Damm Daura – Gluten Free Lager It is one of, if not the first gluten free beers to be made. This is one of my favorites.

I recently tried Schnitzer Brau Gluten Free . It tasted great so much so that if I was offered without knowing it was gluten free I wouldn't notice the difference. I think I'm ok with gluten but I'm cutting down. Either way I would definitely go for another one.

How to store a bottle of beer once it has been opened? Some of my favorite beers come in 22+oz bottles. Typically these are heavier beers and sometimes, I simply cannot finish the entire bottle in one sitting (maybe I had too much to eat previously. Who knows). Because they are nice beers, I want to enjoy them to their fullest extent, and so I will save the remainder for another night. How can I prevent these beers from losing any (at least a bare minimum) of their quality once they've been opened? And, does this being opened for a duration -- typically 1 to 2 days -- have a noticeable effect on their quality?

The short answer is that the beer will not last long after opening, and in most cases you are best off resealing the bottle with an airtight cap/stopper that can withstand mild pressure. Two things you want to prevent in this situation are: oxidation of the beer, which will change the taste of a beer. loss of carbonation. For non-carbonated drinks such as wine, a common method to combat oxidation in an opened bottle is to remove the air from the bottle using a vacuum pump. This is a bad idea for carbonated drinks, since the lower pressure will force carbon dioxide to out of solution causing it to go flat. One alternative would be to replace the air with an inert gas (perhaps with a product like Private Preserve ). To minimise loss of carbonation, you really only need to reseal the bottle so it is airtight: carbon dioxide will stop coming out of solution once the pressure builds. The smaller the air gap in the bottle the faster the pressure will build, so if it is a large bottle with only a small amount of beer left it might make sense to transfer it to a smaller bottle first.

If you have a sparkling water maker, you could theoretically use it to force-carbonate a flat beer. You should make sure to keep it cold and sealed however, as exposure to oxygen or sunlight will rapidly degrade the flavor.

Are there any craft beer or microbrewery in Washington and Baltimore? Are there any microbreweries in Washington/Baltimore region? What are the specialty brew from that part of the states?

Is beer bad for dogs I've read that raw hops can be bad for dogs, somehow causing hyperthermia. But once it's brewed, is beer bad also? What about very hoppy beers? Answers might include reports on what it is in hops (alpha acids?) that make hops bad for dogs. Please keep answers restricted to the effect of brewed hops. I already realize the fermented alcohol can be bad for smaller pets. I'm not looking for alcohol related answers, just answers on boiled and fermented hops. As an aside, it seems okay for cats. Mine decided to take a sip, seemed to like it, and came back for more.

I haven't looked for a full toxicology report (not that I would be able to understand it), but this Wikipedia article mentions that hops causes hyperthermia and may cause death. I personally do not think that a sip of beer, especially of the standard lagers, will cause any major problems, but I prefer to err on the side of safety when it comes to my pets.

"Green Schlitz" myth: Was the beer green, or the flakes? I am editing an academic economics paper (I'm a grad student), and I ran across the following line: Schlitz changed preservatives, which led to green flakes in the beer. The paper references an article --- amusingly titled Why the Schlitz Hit the Fan --- which makes the following claim: In 1976, new Food and Drug Administration regulations regarding which ingredients needed to be printed on the bottles prompted Schlitz to change the preservatives it used (it had been using silica gel). The company did not spend sufficient time testing the new process, and tiny green flakes appeared in the beer. Internet sleuthing reveals this Beer Connoisseur article , which gives more info and claims that the flakes were, in fact, white: Schlitz decided to use another beer stabilizer instead, one that would be filtered out of the final product and thus would not have to be listed as among the ingredients. Unfortunately, what Schlitz's brewing technicians did not know was that the new anti-haze agent, called Chill-garde, would react in the bottles and cans with the foam stabiliser they also used, to cause protein to settle out. At its best this protein looked liked tiny white flakes floating in the beer and at its worst it looked like mucus, or "snot," as one observer bluntly called it. After more research, I can't find any other references to Schlitz being [literally] green. As a beer lover and homebrewer, this inconsistency is driving me nuts. Does anyone know which color the flakes in Schlitz were in the mid-1970s? I have the following hypotheses: Beer Connoisseur also mentions that Schlitz switched from whole to pellet hops; coupled with inadequate filtration, this could have led to green flakes. Adults doing research thought of "snot" like kids, which meant that a "snotlike" substance in beer was probably green. This is a misunderstanding created by non-brewers reading that Schlitz was "green" (which does appear frequently in search results); combined with knowing that there were flakes, and that the liquid of beer is generally amber-ish, it must have been [to someone unfamiliar with "green beer" being beer which needs to be further aged] that the flakes were literally green. Beer Connoisseur is wrong, and the flakes were in fact green. Does anyone have first-hand experience with this era of beer?

Spent hops (hops dumped from a brew kettle) may cause hyperthermia in dogs in addition to raw hops, so you should never dump them as fertilizer in an area accessible to dogs. Source: Vet Learn web site Beer is bad for dogs (and cats!) due to the alcohol. I don't know about the hops, but I wouldn't risk it with my pets. It seems like someone sneaking booze into a punch bowl -- the animals that trust you aren't consenting to it.

That sounds pretty much like an ideal place to store and age beer and wine. 65F is maybe a tad on the warm side, but nowhere near the temperatures that would actually cook the beer and be harmful to it. There is no harm in taking the bottles out from the fridge and in to your "cellar". And yes, leaving them in the fridge will not be good from an aging point of view and yes, the corks are likely to dry out in the fridge.

It won't hurt the beer to take it out of the fridge. Work done by Dr. Charles Bamforth has suggested that every extra 10 degrees Celcius of temperate cuts doubles the speed of beer deterioration. So, if you pull them out and store them at cellar temp (~55 F), they'll age about twice as fast. Dark is definitely good. Higher humidity vertical storage is preferential to horizontal storage in a bottle conditioned beer, as you'll want particulate settling in the bottom. You can see an interview with Charlie here .

Specialty Beers at Local Markets so I am trying to find some pretty nice beers, beer like a Delirium Tremens, to try. Does anyone have any recommendations on some nice beer that isn't insanely hard to find. Money is not really the issue, it's just I do not want to go looking at several specialty alcohol stores for one type of beer. I live in North Carolina, near the triad area.

This is really incomplete since you haven't given us your locale. But Tremens is a Belgian Golden Strong ale, so you could find similar flavors in anything with a description like "Belgian Gold", "Belgian Strong", "Belgian Pale", "Tripel", "Blonde" (Except American Blonde). For well-known brands you'd be looking for something like... Duvel, Piraat, Hades (Great Divide), St. Bernardus Tripel, Chimay, Westmalle, Leffe Blonde, La Trappe Blonde, a few of the beers by Unibroue...

I'm not sure if you are looking for STRICTLY beer but, what about hard cider? I am pretty sure all ciders are GF. I personally like Original Sin and Ace Cider's.

Removing the Crown / Neck paper I recently moved to Germany and took Rothaus Pils here at the party. I opened the cap after tearing the crown/neck paper (Gold colored paper as shown below) partially. Reference Image : I was told that Germans really don't like to keep that crown/neck paper. I wanted to ask for reason, but felt it is too rude. Is there any specific reason behind removing the crown paper

This topic is very broad and subjective, but I would recommend anything by Allagash , especially Tiarna (outstanding), Mischief and Saison Rue by The Bruery, Inferno by Lost Abbey, as well as widely available Belgian classics like Chimay, Duvel, Rochefort, Leffe, Kwak.

Tweason'ale by Dogfish Head is a unique fruit and vegetable beer that is available in many places in the States. We like Omission Pale Ale, but apparently anything by Omission is quite good. Good luck and let us know what you find! Answered by: the Gastrograph Team

I can imagine multiple reasons. I assume that Rothaus owns the patents to this kind of glueless neckpaper fixing what leds to a feeling belonging to the 1337 group of zäpfle-fans as the common germann biertrinker is always prowd of his local beer. First, this kind of wrapping the top makes sence from an hyenic point of view. Second, since they wrap their aluminium foil, which is thick compared to others, not just around the neck but also over the cab, you may have realised that the artifacts caused from opening the bottle feels uncomfortable on the lips. But most important, biertrinkers are way conservative on anything related to their local beer. Prost!

Raven Dog DuClaw Monocacy And the list goes on...

This depends on a few things (mostly the location & regulations associated with). Sometimes breweries will be able to sell directly to liquor stores, pubs and so on, they may also have to go through a liquor distribution board (LDB). (And as breweries expand it is most defiantly worth it to go through a LDB or other distributor, as you can't be making sales calls to the other side of a country to deliver a 20L keg.) From my experience, businesses will generally contact or be contacted by a sales rep who will take care of them. Somewhat surprisingly, a lot of new-ish pubs and bars will actually be provided with very low cost or even free beer (or other alcohol) on the condition that only that brand will be on tap for x amount of months/years. This generally happens with bigger breweries. Pubs also will sometimes sell taps to breweries. In terms of cost, no, it wouldn't be cheaper for a pub to go the the local liquor store and buy the beer there (might be 20%+ more expensive). When a brewery sells to a organization (pub, restaurant, liquor store etc.) it is generally at a 18-26% discount so that it can then be marked up by the pubs at a reasonable price. A lot of this is the same sort of way that pubs get their chicken wings, just more heavily regulated.

I'm from Germany. Don't care too much about this. Just remove that part of it which would be disturbing when drinking, since some minor pieces might get into the glass or into your mouth directly if you are drinking out of the bottle, which is common in Germany, except in a restaurant or during a dinner. Also you wouldn't normally remove the gold paper before opening the bottle. Most of the parts will getting removed automatically when opening it. You just need to remove the remaining, disturbing parts, if there are any left. Try it! ;) That's all you need to know. Cheers!

What transforms a beer into a Barley Wine? Is it merely high alcohol content or some change, alteration or addition to the brewing process, mandated by law or otherwise that requires the brew be called Barley Wine?

Barley wine is a style of beer: it isn't something that is made using beer as an ingredient (as you might describe whisky). There are a number of varieties of barley wine (some hoppy, and some with almost no hop characteristics), but they all have a relatively high alcohol content compared to most beers. The alcohol is produced via fermentation, the same as any other beer, and without distillation. Note that not all high alcohol beers are necessarily described as "barley wine" though. As for the legal aspects, I don't know of any regulations that specifically target barley wine. The law usually deals with alcoholic beverages based on the alcohol content, and from that point of view barley wines would usually be treated similar to normal wines due to the similar ABV.

What characteristics does Becks have, and what are similar beers? I haven't been drinking for years. And over the last month, I've been trying a small variety of beers, but they all had a taste I can't put my finger on that I didn't like. I was starting to wonder if I had lost my taste for beer. However, I was lucky enough to have had a Becks the other day, because I remembered it was a beer I used to enjoy. Anyways, I really liked the Becks, so I'd like to know what I'm drinking and why I like it. Also what are other similar beers to Becks?

Beck's is a pale German pilsner brewed by Beck's Brewery headquartered in Bremen. The actual beer you drank was likely brewed in St. Louis, however, as Beck's is wholly owned by AB InBev. Pale Lagers as a style are usually straw colored, up to a light gold with a white head. The flavor is very light and dry with only slight malty sweetness. A little crisp hop bitterness without too much hop aroma. Most "macrobrews" will be somewhat similar, though the stock "American" variant of Pale Lager like Budweiser or Miller will have a corn sugar flavor to them and likely be a bit lighter in body. Beck's claimed to adhere to the German Beer Purity Law which would prohibit the use of an adjunct like corn. St. Pauli Girl is a very similar beer, and I think is even brewed in the same town as the original Beck's. If you want to stick with imports just about any pale German lager is going to do it for you since it's a very traditional style. Anything by Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, or Weihenstephan is solid and usually pretty easy to get ahold of. Pilsner-Urquell is also a great beer, but it's in the Pilsner style so while it's still a pale lager Pilsners can have a sulfur-y or buttery tinge due to the green bottles and slight diacetyl. Pilsners also have a strong hop character and bitterness. If you wanted to try local or American brewed versions just about anyone's Session Lager (Full Sail comes to mind, as does Notch if you're near MA at all) should be similar. According to this list on BeerAdvocate you should be near Berghoff and Baderbrau which will both make traditional German styles. Some breweries, Baderbrau included, will call their pale lager a "Lawnmower beer". Branching out, Sam Adams Boston Lager is a style called Vienna Lager which may also appeal you. Though it will be significantly maltier than Beck's. Anything with Dortmunder in the name will also be similar, though hoppier but not like an American Pale Ale or IPA or anything. You might also be interested in any brewery's Cream Ale, which is an Ale version of the Pale Lager style. Kolsch style beers may also appeal to you since they share the same light body and slight maltiness. Kolsch's are hybrid beers which are fermented warm like an Ale would be, but then cold conditioned like a Lager. Officially Kolsch can only be brewed in Cologne, Germany, but many American breweries will make a Kolsch style since it drinks really well in the summer and provides more flavor variety than pale lager or Cream Ale. Does that help?

I would suggest Heritage Brewing ( Link ) in Manassas, VA. Small brewery, great beers. Kings Mountain is pretty good. Lost Rhino ( Link ) is another good one in Ashburn, VA.

The term "cider" is generally reserved for apples. There are 'pear ciders' such as Woodchuck that use the name, but as Wikipedia points out, "A similar product made from pears is called perry but sometimes (incorrectly) called Pear Cider in the marketing of some producers' products". I personally can forgive this, since pears are closely related to apples, and the result is quite tasty. The "beer" part of ginger beer is due to the fermentation process involved in its creation. In this way, it is more similar to "root beer", since ginger is a root, like the sassafras root used in root beer and birch roots used in birch beer. The website todayifoundout.com has a well referenced article for Why Root Beer is Called That covering the naming of root beer. If the ginger based version isn't fermented, but is instead ginger flavouring added to carbonated water, it would be "ginger ale"; I have no idea why, since an India Pale Ale is certainly fermented. Even with ginger products, the differentiation is not really all that terribly strict, as noted by this Huffington Post article . Initially, ginger beer, root beer, birch beer, etc, were frequently alcoholic, but Prohibition ruined that for the U.S. As a bit of a side note, the alcoholic versions are making a wonderful comeback (in my personal opinion) with Sprecher's and Small Town Brewery for root beer. I personally have not seen as much alcoholic ginger beer, but Crabbies from the U.K. is quite good. Although I personally do not like Kuchi's ginger beer , I have several friends who absolutely love it.

Lucas Kauffman has given a lot of details about the question you asked. I want only to add that all Trappist beers have this logo on their label except Westvleteren beer which does not have any kind of label on the bottle.

If you're in Northern Virginia, there are 3 that I would highly recommend (in no particular order): 1. Port City, Alexandria, VA 2. Wild Run, Stafford, VA 3. Adventure Brewing, Stafford, VA All three produce excellent beers. If you're visiting the area, I would suggest that you start with Wild Run, since they are actually on a campground and next door to a hotel.

Please take a step back and remember that beer may include isinglass as fining as per this wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_and_beer . Going back to your question of dishes with beer that I tried, adding some beer to a crepe is good to make it taste richer. Crepe recipe is really easy. Mix the following in a blender: 1 glass of milk, 1 egg, 1 glass of wheat flour, some oil, some beer, a bit of salt and a bit of sugar. Use a fry-pan to bake the crepes. Tomato, cheese and herbs are my favorite topping for crepes. Good luck.

Would Japanese happoshu or third-category beer be considered beer in other countries? In Japan, beer is classified in three types for taxation purposes: beer (66.6% of more of malt), happoshu ( under 66.6% malt and no added liqueur), third-type beer (contain some added liquerur) Would happoshu be considered beer in other countries?

What does "fl. oz" mean? I have seen the expression "fl. oz" accompanied by a number in a lot of labels of beers. For instance, I have seen "9.4 fl. oz", "12 fl. oz", "11.2 fl. oz"... What do these numbers mean?

Fluid Ounces, even though it sounds like a measure of weight, is actually a measure of volume. Specifically, 1 fluid ounce is the volume of 1 ounce (by weight) of pure water. Similarly, in the metric system, 1 ml (or cubic centimeter) has 1 gram of mass, so often times (even in the US) you'll see ml listed as the volume as well.

It sounds like you live in a place that uses the metric system. A fluid ounce (fl. oz.) is a measure of volume in U.S. customary units: 1 fluid ounce = 29.5735 milliliters. A Fluid ounce in British Imperial Units is slightly smaller: 1 fluid ounce = 28.413 ml. However, you are unlikely to find any modern labeling that uses British Imperial units since the U.K. has fully adopted the metric system, so in all likelihood the labels you are seeing refer to U.S. customary units.

Many large brewers, like AB InBev's famous Budweiser line, Miller-Coors' flagship brands and other Standard American Lagers (BJCP Style 1B) use adjunct grains in their grain bill. Aroma: Little to no malt aroma, although it can be grainy, sweet or corn-like if present. Hop aroma may range from none to a light, spicy or floral hop presence. Low levels of yeast character (green apples, DMS, or fruitiness) are optional but acceptable. No diacetyl. Appearance: Very pale straw to medium yellow color. White, frothy head seldom persists. Very clear. Flavor: Crisp and dry flavor with some low levels of grainy or corn-like sweetness. Hop flavor ranges from none to low levels. Hop bitterness at low to medium-low level. Balance may vary from slightly malty to slightly bitter, but is relatively close to even. High levels of carbonation may provide a slight acidity or dry "sting." No diacetyl. No fruitiness. Mouthfeel: Light body from use of a high percentage of adjuncts such as rice or corn. Very highly carbonated with slight carbonic bite on the tongue. Overall Impression: Very refreshing and thirst quenching. Comments: Strong flavors are a fault. An international style including the standard mass-market lager from most countries. Ingredients: Two- or six-row barley with high percentage (up to 40%) of rice or corn as adjuncts. Some beers bill themselves as a "Pale Ale", like Rolling Rock also use adjuncts, like rice. This notation is designed to set them apart from those other beers. It should be noted that the BJCP guidelines for a Pale Ale are: Aroma: Usually moderate to strong hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties. A citrusy hop character is very common, but not required. Low to moderate maltiness supports the hop presentation, and may optionally show small amounts of specialty malt character (bready, toasty, biscuity). Fruity esters vary from moderate to none. No diacetyl. Dry hopping (if used) may add grassy notes, although this character should not be excessive. Appearance: Pale golden to deep amber. Moderately large white to off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear, although dry-hopped versions may be slightly hazy. Flavor: Usually a moderate to high hop flavor, often showing a citrusy American hop character (although other hop varieties may be used). Low to moderately high clean malt character supports the hop presentation, and may optionally show small amounts of specialty malt character (bready, toasty, biscuity). The balance is typically towards the late hops and bitterness, but the malt presence can be substantial. Caramel flavors are usually restrained or absent. Fruity esters can be moderate to none. Moderate to high hop bitterness with a medium to dry finish. Hop flavor and bitterness often lingers into the finish. No diacetyl. Dry hopping (if used) may add grassy notes, although this character should not be excessive. Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Carbonation moderate to high. Overall smooth finish without astringency often associated with high hopping rates. Overall Impression: Refreshing and hoppy, yet with sufficient supporting malt. Comments: There is some overlap in color between American pale ale and American amber ale. The American pale ale will generally be cleaner, have a less caramelly malt profile, less body, and often more finishing hops. History: An American adaptation of English pale ale, reflecting indigenous ingredients (hops, malt, yeast, and water). Often lighter in color, cleaner in fermentation by-products, and having less caramel flavors than English counterparts. Ingredients: Pale ale malt, typically American two-row. American hops, often but not always ones with a citrusy character. American ale yeast. Water can vary in sulfate content, but carbonate content should be relatively low. Specialty grains may add character and complexity, but generally make up a relatively small portion of the grist. Grains that add malt flavor and richness, light sweetness, and toasty or bready notes are often used (along with late hops) to differentiate brands.

The only fermentable sugars are from malt, 2 row North American barley and English crystal malt in the case of this beer. So as others have stated no adjuncts are added. This beer does add ginger for flavoring

Are there any microbrewery in Lisbon/Tomar in portugal? Are there any microbrewery in Lisbon/Tomar in Portugal? What is the specialty brew in Portugal? Is there any special beer or beer-like alcohol from Portugal?

I would suggest going with the beers that are brewed closest to you. Although transportation and supply chain storage has greatly improved, beer is always best when you are closest to the source. The North Carolina Brewers Guild will be a great resource for you to find beers in your area. http://www.ncbeer.org Belgian style beers, like the Delirium Tremens are growing in popularity very quickly. You should have no trouble finding some in your local area. This might be a good place to start. http://www.newbelgium.com/community/ashevillebrewery.aspx

Are some beers meant to be served flat? My friend ordered a Wells Banana Bread Beer and to all three of us the beer tasted flat (carbonation-wise). She brought the beer to the bartender, who replied that that's just how that beer is. Is it true that some beers are meant to be served flat? Why? (What does it do for the taste?)

Yes, some beers have more carbonation than others. I've yet to drink one that is 100% flat but some are pretty close. I couldn't tell you exactly what it does for any beer - the brewer simply decided that it was a good fit for this beer.

Traditional ale styles of beer were only carbonated by using natural yeast and remaining sugars post fermentation. The ale house would "pull" pints from huge wood tanks, generally located below their taps by using traditional cask systems. CO2 was not available to breweries for most of the worlds brewing history. This led to a ale that was cellar temperature and with little to no carbonation. Today breweries try to replicate this process by "cask conditioning" carbonating naturally their beers. So, there is no forced carbonation with CO2 and generally they do not refrigerate cask ales either.

Here is a list of all the breweries in Maryland. http://www.marylandbeer.org/default.asp?iId=LIILE Flying Dog has been around for a while and has a great reputation. We get it here in California.

Many restaurants in the area will have Flying Dog beer from Frederick, MD. Be sure to try some from Flying Dog, although it is somewhat widely distributed so that you may have some varieties where you are from. Try to find a variety that you can't get back home.

Belgian Styles brewed in Seattle? Suggestions on breweries that brew Belgian styles within Seattle city limits?

Well in Germany these wouldn't be called beer because in Germany beer can contain only malt, hop, water and yeast. Since many Asian beers contain rice these aren't called beer in Germany. I don't know if other countries even have regulations whether a drink is allowed to call itself beer.

Lantern Brewing Lantern Brewing is a family-owned microbrewery in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. We focus on creating unhurried, honest beer following the brewing traditions of Belgium and Northern France.

I made beer bagels several years ago, and the beer imparted a sort of sour dough flavor. Guinness ice cream was also delightful - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/guinness-ice-cream-with-dark-chocolate-honey-sauce-recipe.html Beer batter onion rings also come out nicely, but I've never really tasted the beer after frying. That being said, if you are up for frying, anything that asks for a seltzer in the batter for the bubbles could probably sub in a brew.

It was likely a pear cider from the folks at Fox Barrel ( http://www.foxbarrel.com/ ).

I typically drink all of the beer in a sitting, or share it with someone. However, if you need to save it, a good cork will work. Pour the beer you want in a glass, cork it and return it to whatever cooling method you used before.

Yes it does! A beer belly is caused by excess calorie intake and reduced calorie expenditure because of a sedentary lifestyle. Read in detail: http://healthmeup.com/news-weight-loss/the-truth-about-beer-belly-fat/5947

How does the PA liquor control board decide which beers can be sold in the state? I live in Pennsylvania, where the folks in charge cling desperately to the last vestiges of Prohibition, with a protection racket on the side. What this means is that the state heavily regulates alcohol import and distribution. Wine and hard alcohol can only be bought from stores run by the state, and beer is largely sold through licensed distributors. (I'm not counting ordering single servings in bars/restaurants; that's a separate matter.) I recently learned that PLCB (PA Liquor Control Board) has opinions on which beers can be sold in the state. On a recent trip out of town I had a local beer that I liked, but it's not on the approved list so I can't buy it here. This led me to wonder how PLCB decides -- is there some sort of certification they depend on, or does it depend on breweries paying a fee to sell in Pennsylvania, or what? I could find nothing on their web site that explains how these decisions are made. How does the PLCB decide what beers I'm allowed to buy here?

What is the micronutritional value of stouts such as Guinness? I can only find (on their website, and on other nutrition websites) the macronutrients of Guinness. Can someone provide a specific breakdown of micronutrient information for Guinness, or another similar stout? By micronutrients I mean vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.

I also live in PA and am equally baffled by the PALCB regulations. If I had a dime for every time an out of stater asked me where they could buy alcohol, I could buy a brewery. My guess would be the local beer you tried just hasn't gotten to registering in PA. As far as opinions and rules on what beers can and can't be sold in PA, I'd think there are no official "rules", especially given the wide assortment of beer our supreme liquor overlords graciously allow us to consume. (I too could not find any set of standards for beer in PA) If there is a vetting process, it's probably a black-box (Request goes in, ruling comes out with no hows or whys). You can visit freemybeer.com to learn more about the restrictions in PA and learn how to contact your state representatives about changing the laws. EDIT: Don Russell asked Francesca Chapman (PLCB's Spokeswoman) in a Daily News article. Her response: "the registration requirement helps the state assure payment of state beer taxes and helps prosecutors identify alcoholic beverages in drunk driving cases or any other types of prosecution." Article with some good points and source of quote here

There is a table of amino acid composition in beers on page 105 of Beer: Health and Nutrition (C. W. Bamforth, 2004) (page 119 of the overall PDF): Other than that, I cannot find any nutritional breakdowns that include vitamins for stouts (and porters, in general). However, as far as micronutrients are concerned, there may not be as great a difference between stouts and other ales as one might think, since, despite the perceptibly large differences in color and taste, the ingredients and processes in brewing are largely the same. Here are some findings on beer in general: Querying alcohol on USDA's National Nutrient Database yields breakdowns for Alcoholic beverage, beer, light Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, all Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, BUDWEISER Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, BUDWEISER SELECT Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, BUD LIGHT Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, MICHELOB ULTRA Here's a screenshot, because the host doesn't always resolve for me for some reason: I'm willing to bet that The Irish Food Composition Database has a similar report on Guinness, but the document must be purchased for 15.00€ from EuroFIR . According to a table of contents viewable in the demo link , the document should contain compositions of 57 manufactured beverages. Perhaps you can infer some properties of Guinness by knowing its ingredients and process and also knowing how these ingredients and processes affect micronutrient levels. According to this paper 1 , as far as major B vitamins are concerned, beer contains very little thiamine (B 1 ), of which malting the barley causes a slight loss, but otherwise stays intact through the rest of the brewing operations, riboflavin (B 2 ) increases during the malting and brewing processes, resulting in nutritionally significant amounts ( e.g. seven pints supplying total daily requirements), nicotinic acid (niacin, B 3 ) fluctuates throughout the malting and brewing process, but also results in nutritionally significant amounts ( e.g. three-and-a-half to four pints supplying total daily requirements). This study 2 measured phylloquinone (K 1 ) composition of beers, specifically a "bitter," a lager, and Guinness, and concluded only trace amounts in each. 1 Stringer, W. J. Vitamins in Beer. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 2013. 2 Bolton-Smith, C. et al. Compilation of a provisional UK database for the phylloquinone (vitamin K 1 ) content of foods. British Journal of Nutrition. 2000.

What are the differences between mead and beer? Where can I try one in the US? From my understanding, mead is primarily made from honey and may or may not have hops added. Is mead considered a style of beer, or more of a wine, or a completely separate kind of beverage? Are they brewed similarly? More specifically, would it be reasonable to think a brewery I like may make, or consider making mead as well?

Mead is an entirely different product which tastes more like a wine than a beer but is quite distinct from either in terms of taste, designation and production. I have never come across a mead flavoured with hops but some are flavoured with other botanicals such as spices or orange peel so I cannot guarantee that none are. Most beer breweries undertake a more complex brewing process involving adding ingredients to the mash at different stages and as such, knowing a few hundred UK brewers as I do, they are all about getting the complex mixture correct and blending ingredients correctly they are disinterested in the simple mead making process. That said the mead making process; adding honey to water, adding yeast and letting it ferment may be boring to them it doesn't mean that none do, but I have never known any to be interested. On the other hand some wineries in the UK have their own beehives to help pollinate their fruit and so they produce mead as a side product. This may also be true in the US. A quick search bears out my thoughts on wineries in the US: Where to buy Mead .

Mead is not considered a style of beer, since the sugars in mead come from honey, not from the starch of a grain. Hops are sometimes added to mead for flavor and as a preservative. The process for making mead is more similar to wine making than brewing beer. There's no brewing (boiling) stage necessary in making mead. All of the fermentable sugar comes from the honey in mead, so you just mix honey with water (and whatever spices you want) and go directly to the fermenting stage. Mead also has a higher alcohol content than most beers (8 - 20%, which is more similar to wine, or even brandy). ...would it be reasonable to think a brewery I like may make, or consider making mead as well? Not really. At least not in the U.S. Beer is much more popular than mead, and the process for making mead is different, so relatively few brewers are going to make it. I tried mead once at a specialty beer & wine store, which is your best bet for finding it in the U.S. You may have to ask around to see if a store can order some for you.

Are growlers considered open containers? My local brewery fills growlers and just adds a twist-off cap to the top. They do not place any kind of seal or sticker on the cap to prove it hasn't been opened. So if I get pulled over for whatever reason and the cop sees the growler, in say, the backseat, is this considered a crime? Even if the growler hasn't been opened since it was filled and no beer was removed? What makes this different than a six pack with twist off caps? I live in Pennsylvania, so answers from a PA perspective will be most useful, but even just a general feel from law enforcement's view would be helpful.

Here is what the PA Liquor Control Board has to say: PA LCB answer to legality of selling growlers In a nutshell, a growler is an open container, but it is up to the local police or state police to decide whether or not to enforce the law. My guess is that if the growler is full and out of your easy reach, you are probably OK unless you have given the cop some reason to hassle you. As I read the law, you are 100% legal if the growler is in the trunk of the car. If the growler is empty and clean (at least rinsed out), I think they would have a hard time pressing a case. If there is any beer or residue in it, then keep it in the trunk.

Here is a link to the application for for registering beer brands As you can see on the form, there is a fee of $75 for each "beer brand". They define a "brand" as an individual beer style. No big deal if you are Miller/Coors/Bud, but a real hassle if you are a micro with a couple of dozen seasonal beers. Note that you also must list the "importing distributors with whom territorial agreements have been established". So, I can see that getting a foot in the door would be a daunting task for a small brewery. And once a brewery is established, the process starts over every time they develop a new beer. You can thank Gifford Pichot for this mess. He was the prohibitionist governor of PA when prohibition ended, and he established the PA LCB and State Store system to "discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible." Recent efforts to reform the system keep failing because there are too many entrenched interests making money off of the status quo.

In addition to what was already said, there's a lot of legal gray area, as most if not all states have different laws governing breweries and wineries. Mead is really something different than both, but I believe most meaderies choose to identify as wineries, and many if not all states prohibit wineries from having malt on premises, and breweries MUST use malt in fermentation. You'd either need to find someone that has a license for both beer and wine, which probably isn't that common in commercial operations (brewpubs may be your best bet there), or look for someone who makes a braggot, which is generally a beer/mead blend. Dogfish Head makes Bitches' Brew, and Sprecher Brewery just released a braggot this year. If you're looking to buy, wine shops are generally a better bet - again, lots of people don't know exactly what to do with mead, but I've had good luck finding it, usually around the dessert wines, sherry, port type of wines.

Is Heady Topper by The Alchemist worth it? I have heard a lot about Heady Topper, the Double IPA by The Alchemist brewery, and how it is a fantastic beer. Online reviews always rank it exceptionally high and everyone I have asked that has tried it has said it was good. However, I have also been told that it is fairly pricey; due to name, renown, and the exclusivity of it. Would it be worth trying to get or order some?

Where to buy "Medalla"? Where can I order Puerto Rican brand "Medalla" (canned) from Germany/online ? May there is better German beer available, but I liked drinking frozen Medalla when I was visiting PR last summer - and right now it's hot in Germany and I really miss it...

I've had it and I would say it's not really worth going out of your way for it. It's been overhyped, in my opinion, and while it's a good beer I don't think it's really as mind-breakingly good as many others seem to think. I believe this discrepancy arises from the fact that Heady Topper is a relatively well balanced IPA. It has the hops bitterness to it that IPAs do, and the high alcohol content of a double, however it also has more of a malty body to it that most people are unused to when drinking IPAs. So lots of people are shocked when drinking it that it actually has some balance between the body and the aftertaste, so that's part of what leads to the high reviews (in my opinion). So if the opportunity comes up to try it, sure, go for it. But I wouldn't really go out of my way to chase after it - there are other well balanced IPAs out there that are more readily available.

I live in Vermont and I've had quite a few cans of Heady Topper and some from cask. I really love Heady Topper and I haven't yet had another DIPA that tastes similar. First, it's not that expensive. It's $3.75 for a 16 oz can. $14 for a 4-pack. You can get it at local bars, pubs, and restaurants for $5/can. Around $78 for a case (24 x 16oz cans). Compared to other DIPA of similar quality, it's not that expensive (sure if you compared it to macro lagers...) It's produced by a small family owned brewery that's went through 2 expansions which doubled their brewery in size each time over the last 2 years (cannery has only existed for 2 years, before that they brewed it at a brewpub until the brewpub was destroyed by Hurricane Irene). They are currently getting their paperwork finalized for construction of a second brewery which will expand their production even more than before. For locals, it's not that difficult to acquire. If you visit Vermont and plan ahead, then you're sure to leave with a case or two. I think it's worth trading for, but just remember that there's no beer that's life changing. Just a lot of really good tasting beer.

Being in California, I have only been able to get my hands on one can. I did enjoy it, however I found it to be very common. In California we are bombarded with IPAs of this same ilk. High alcohol, created by adding sugar to lighten the body, and huge amounts of hops. Call me old school but I prefer IPAs that have about 7 ABV. and about as much hops as the average Pale Ale these days. Lagunitas just put out a beer that is 4.75 ABV with a bunch of hops. Maybe I can have two!

Recommended Android app Do you recommend any specific Android app to keep track of the different beers (and of course different kind of beers) that you have tasted? Someone recommended me Untappd but I may need something less social and more informative...

Beeradvocate.com Beer Expert - from "Rate Beer" data Both of these are the largest rating/tasting databases for beer, I haven't used them but they would be the place to look for the information that untapped is lacking.

In terms of an Android app, I personally use Beer Citizen . It does not have every beer imaginable in its listing, but it has quite a large amount. I find the community to be pretty helpful. They helped me find a lot of different beers whenever and wherever I might travel. Jeff Wurz is also right to suggest Beer Advocate, which recently came out with a new app back in June of this year. I do frequently use Beer Advocate's website and am eager to try out their new app. If you end up not liking Beer Citizen I would recommend trying this app out; though I base this off the usefulness of the website, since I have no experience with the application. Hope I was able to help you out!

Where to find Okocim beer in or around Pennsylvania I'm looking for distributors/shops close to central Pennsylvania that sell Okocim beers such as Okocim Porter, Okocim Beer, or Okocim Mocne. I've seen O.K. Beer around here (another Okocim product), but the branded Okocim beers are what I'm really interested in. I don't mind driving a bit either, but hopefully something in or around the state...

You should try the famous smoke beer "Schlenkerla". Maybe you can find it in North Carolina: http://www.schlenkerla.de/verkauf/haendlerint/retailer-us.html

Actually, there are still people who brew the same way people did before the discovery of yeast, so we have a pretty good idea how it worked. There are also data from early 20-th century ethnological surveys where brewers describe their methods. Some of the equipment used for yeast transfer is still in use, or in ethnological museums. People usually didn't brew that often, so they couldn't transfer the yeast cake itself. Instead, they would collect yeast from the previous brew and either keep it in a jar that they kept cool, for example in a well, or by drying it on a wooden log, piece of linen, straw ring, etc etc etc. There were lots of methods, but they basically boil down to either keeping wet or dry yeast. Odd Nordland's 1969 book is the only detailed source of information on this that I know; unfortunately it's near-impossible to get hold of. As far as I know, this type of yeast and yeast use only survives in two places: the Lithuanian province of Aukstatija, and western Norway (specfically, Hardanger, Voss, and Sunnmøre). I've written a summary of what's known of Norwegian practices , and earlier this year I was able to brew with a brewer who still uses his family's ancestral yeast strain. I've published an account of that brewing session . I hope people will forgive me for linking to my own stuff here. I don't know of any other detailed sources of information on the web anywhere.

Apps for recording variety of beers consumed I'm looking for apps, as a beer aficionado, to record the different beers that I try. Is there a vivino for beer?

I would suggest the app Untappd . It gives you an opportunity to comment on beers and include pictures and locations. You can even earn badges that notate various "beer achievements".

Yes, there are craft breweries in Iceland. There aren't that many, but with a population of only 300,000 people that's to be expected. The main ones are Einstök, Borg, Gædingur, and Ölvisholt. There's also Stedji and Kaldi, but these are less interesting. I felt Gædingur was a bit variable on quality. Note that none of these produce extreme beers. They focus more on drinkability. Only Borg is in Reykjavik. I don't know if you can visit the brewery. You can't buy interesting beer in Icelandic supermarkets, because the alcohol limit is 2.25%. As far as I could tell, only 4 beers were available in supermarkets, all of them pale lagers. You have to go to Vinbudin. There's a branch in the Austurstræti in the city centre, but the one out in the Kringlan shopping center has a bigger selection. Look for these bars in the Reykjavik city centre: Micro Bar, Cafe Laundromat, K-Bar, and 73. All of them on Austurstræti and Laugarvegur. Edit: I forgot to say what's the most unique/distinct beer. I'd say Borg Fenrir, which they describe "tadreyktur IPA", meaning IPA smoked in the traditional Icelandic way. That is, it's smoked by burning sheep dung. (Seriously.) The smoke aroma is really unusual, but actually quite nice.

Portugal Beer History Lisbon Beer Museum Edit: Dois Corvos and Oitava Colina are both craft breweries in the area. Generally, Lisbon seems to be a wine destination, which means beer doesn't end up shining in any significant way in the region.

I have personally used Pintley on iOS (but it's cross platform) and found it to be a pretty good app. The quality of the graphics isn't intensely refined, but the beer list is very comprehensive. I found that the beer list was one of the most important things in an app like this, since I was usually in quick situations when I wanted to record and rate a beer. I didn't want to be out with friends and browsing through a ton of pages to finally have to input all the details of a beer that was fairly common. A friend of mine just switched to Beer Citizen (also cross platform), which seems to have a more refined look. I've done some searching through the database though, and there seems to be quite a bit missing...

In my opinion most of such apps are not what you really need and they often lack something. Therefore I simply use Google Drive Spreadsheet. As cheap as it sounds, it has everything that you want out of it.

There is a chain restaurant over in Portugal called Cervejeira Lusitana ; also known as the Lusitanian Brewery. This restaurant is a brewpub that sells beer and Portuguese food. There should be a few in Lisbon, but I am not quite sure about Tomar. Portugal is not really known for their beer that I know of. It seems like the beers they sell commonly aren't too much on the hoppy-side either. From what I found about the usual style of beer over there, it seems that lagers are very common. There are a few other styles it seems, but no real specialty brew. I would ask around and see if any of the locals know of any particular bars and brews to try. EDIT: Forgot to add the TripAdvisor link for them.

Beer Buddy. Hands down best beer tracking, rating, and review app ever. It's associated with ratebeer.com so if you have an account with them you can sync your reviews.

Spicy Hard Cider So I enjoy spicy beers from time to time (when they're done well). Chili porters, jalapeno/habanero IPAs, etc. I have a friend who loves spicy things but also has Celiac's and so can't drink beer. Anyone know of any spicy hard ciders out there or spicy gluten-free beers that might work for someone who's gluten-free? One available in Southern California is preferable. A little internet searching turned up the following two, but at least one of the two isn't available in San Diego: Finn River (Washington state based, might be here), Rate Beer page for Finn River McClure's (Indiana based), Rate Beer for McClure's

I started an open beer n brewery data project, that is, beer.db - all data is public domain, that is, license-free, no rights reserved). You can also run your own HTTP JSON API service e.g GET /beer/brooklynlager or GET /brewery/guiness etc. Adding new beers and breweries works like a wiki - that is, anyone can update the plain text documents (datasets) in your browser or on your local machine with your text editor of choice and than upload the changes back to the repo (e.g. git push ) Cheers. Prost.

How to order a beer without garnish, simply? Is there a simple word for ordering a beer sans garnish? Say for instance I want a Hoegaarden... It's a great beer in it's own right, and I don't want it to come decorated with a slice of orange that I have to take responsibility for disposing of. How can I order the beer without it, quickly and easily? I've tried "no decoration," but that sounds pretentious. For a scotch, I would say "neat." Is there a way to do that for beer?

For me, I usually just ask for "no fruit" or "no orange/lime/garnish" and it has always seemed to work. Sometimes I will say "straight up" though I do still get the garnish on occasion I've come to find. I am not sure if this was because the bartender was busy and forgot or if there was some other reason, but I just tend to not say this as much anymore. I've never felt pretentious when I ask, I feel like I am just asking for a beer as is because I just happen to not want the garnish in it. Just be polite about ordering it and I am sure you won't come across as pretentious.

Drink from the can? Why is The Alchemist Heady Topper recommended to "Drink from the can"? Also, are there other beers that "should" also be drank from the can?

Estrella Damn Daura FTW! My friends from DC recommended me Omission, it also tastes good. I've tried New Planet but I didn't liked it.

Some Gluten Free beers actually have gluten at the moment they are made, for example in the case of Omission the beer goes trough a proprietary "gluten removal process" and then they use a gluten test called the Competitive R5 ELISA, which is used to test foods that are "hydrolyzed," or broken down. This test looks for a specific lengthy fragment of the gluten protein and returns a negative result if it doesn't finds it. If the test results are under 20 parts per million (as @LessPop_MoreFizz's answer says), then it can be called "gluten free" in the USA... and yes, I've heard people with serious celiac disease can still "feel" that concentrations and get sick. "Estrella Damm Daura" on the other hand has only 3 parts per million, they also have a proprietary process to remove gluten. Estrella Damm Daura is an European beer made in Spain, obviously in Europe health and food standards are way better than USA's. In Europe, food authorities will never allow a brewery to call a beer with 20 ppm "gluten free". Just don't confuse it with "Estrella Damm" which is their regular beer.

Independently of any ingredients like hops and barley, beer and any other beverage or food containing alcohol is SUPER BAD for your dog. A few drops licked from the floor may not be a problem for a 70 pound dog (like mine) but in greater concentrations such as a cup or bowl it will cause your dog's liver to fail killing him/her in a short period of time. It also depends on how much the dog weights and his/her particular sensibility to alcohol.

Here is what the founder has to say: http://www.beerpulse.com/2013/04/why-to-drink-alchemist-heady-topper-out-of-the-can-and-other-questions-answered-video/ Sounds like oxidation is a main reason, but he gives several other reasons.

Beer n Brewery Statistics - Any Sources for Production, Consumption, Number of Breweries, etc. per Country? Looking for sources for beer n brewery statistics such as production in hl per year, consumption, consumption per capita, number of breweries (macro, regional, micro, brewpubs, and so on) etc. ideally for all countries in the world. Any insight and help appreciated. Disclaimer: I'm the project lead of the beer.csv project that collects (open, free) beer statistics in the CSV (comma-separated values) format.

Trying to Find a Good Beer for A Friend I have a friend who never really got into beer. Something about it just doesn't taste right to her, I guess; regardless, she is still open to trying beer and wants to find some that she actually enjoys. I have been trying to find beers for her to try for a while now, but haven't had much luck. I know that she would not be a fan of any sour or overly bitter beer, so something sweeter would be more suited for her. It might also be worth mentioning that she isn't a huge fan of chocolate, but absolutely loves vanilla. I have tried giving her some beers like Wild Blue and those seem to be a step in the right direction, but she still wants to find less fruit flavored beer that she would enjoy. I have been looking for either something with a decent vanilla flavor, like Leinie's Snowdrift Vanilla Porter . However, everything I have tried to introduce her too doesn't seem to cut it. I really want to find a beer she'll drink, so if you have any more suggestions let me know!

I like Untappd . It would be better if it automatically recognized the beer labels, but it is fine. You must type the beer name.

What about Desperados ? The flavor goes in the direction of lemonade. Generally, you could try some beer mix drinks. Would that be an option?

There is a bit of statistics on Norway here . In the US the Brewers' Association publishes statistics. Generally that's where you'll find statistics world-wide. Here is corresponding statistics for Norway. Trawling through the "Beer_in_Xxx" pages on Wikipedia may provide you with more pointers. For historical data, European Beer Guide is a great source.

When I try to pick beers for friends that don't tend to like "regular beer" in general, there are a few different styles I focus on. It's worth mentioning up front that there are certain taste aversions that people have to different beers. You mentioned getting her into a vanilla porter. I have a favorite from Mill Street in Canada; they make a great vanilla porter. The caveat though is that I like coffee a lot, and many people averse to beer tend to have trouble with the intense flavors of different varieties of beer, such as extreme hoppiness, heavily malted barley, or, darkly roasted barley that make up stouts and porters. You mentioned less fruity beers, but talked about "Wild Blue" when you mentioned that. Wild Blue is a Blueberry flavored lager; it's basically a "regular beer," but is infused with blueberry flavor to change it up. I would look at other "fruity" styles that are still very authentic and internationally renowned, but pack less of a general beer flavor than a filtered rice/grain/barley beer would... A good starter would be a more heavily wheat based beer. Styles like Belgian wheats or German hefeweizens have less of that pronounced "regular beer" flavor, but are still in their own right, very prolific styles. I tend to find Belgian wheats/"weisse/wittes(whites)" to be a bit more "chewy" with more of a banana/coriander flavor than their full blown German counterparts. Good wheats that I would recommend would be Franziskaner or Hoegaarden. They're safe forays into that style of beer that I almost always tend to get for new drinkers. The cool thing is that if she likes them, you can really experiment with other varieties in that field. Belgian doubles and triples tend to generally fall into a similar category, and they're arguably some of the finest beers in the world...

In my country, girls commonly love sweet beers. An example is Kriek. It is cherry beer (kriek is Dutch for cherry). I guess any sweet fruity beer could do the trick?

Is there any meaningful difference in acidity level between beer styles? I would guess that a Porter pH is higher than for an IPA, because of alpha acids or other acids from the hops. I also heard that it can heavily depend on the acidity of the water used. But anyway, are those pH differences really significant in the final product ? For instance, if I have an ulcer, would it be worse to drink some type of beer rather than an other ?

Is beer dangerous to drink past its "sell by" date? I have a bud light in a friend's refrigerator that has a date of May 14 2007. I have heard of people drinking beer after the posted date, but does it turn harmful after all these years if I drink it?

It won't be harmful, but neither will it taste any good. Pale low-alcohol beers don't age very well, and a beer that was low on flavour to start with is not going to improve with time. You'll get lots of wet cardboard flavours and a very thin body. I would pour it out.

The main difference between the two is the different types of yeast that they both use. Lager yeasts are more tolerant to cold temperatures and so are fermented at a lower temperature. This is what gives the lager a crisp flavour. The ale yeasts ferment at higher temperatures and take less time to complete as the yeast is more active the higher the temperature. Both types also use very different hops and malts... Source: http://www.homebrew-zone.com

Well, brewers typically control pH during the fermentation process top avoid unwanted bacterial growth, etc., fermentation actually doesn't even happen below ~4. So not a significant difference. Sources - I brew and web

It is unlikely to be harmful (assuming it hasn't become infected), but the flavour may have changed compared to fresher bottles of the same brand. In particular, the aromatic oils from the hops will break down as the beer ages. Whether this makes the beer undrinkable will depend partly on the beer and partly on the tastes of the person drinking it. If you are curious you may as well try a mouthful or two.

The pH of beer is low enough that no known pathogens can survive in it. That's why you never hear about botulism problems with home-brewed beer like you do with home-canned foods, for example. Beer slowly changes over time. High gravity beers, like barley wines or imperial stouts benefit from this, and acquire richer flavors as they slowly oxydize. Belgian styles, like lambics do as well and the wild yeasts and bacteria continue to grow. However, even those have a limit -- eventually they will begin to taste very stale. Low gravity beers begin to taste stale much more quickly. If you are keeping them refrigerated, they may last for 6 months or more. Seven years is definitely way too long. So it won't make you sick or harm you if you want to taste it. But it is extremely unlikely that you will enjoy it.

Does drinking mainstream, mass-produced lagers give you a worse hangover than real ale? I have noticed that when I spend a night drinking the usual lagers found on bar taps in the UK (Heineken, Carlsberg, etc.), I have a much worse hangover than when I spend a night drinking locally brewed real ales (or mass-produced real ales such as Spitfire, Wainwright, etc.). Is there any reason for this? Do lagers contain any ingredients that can cause worse hangovers than real ales?

No. The most important thing is, that you control if the beer lathers when you open it. If there is no foam, throw it away ;) best regards from austria

Yes, they contain adjuncts which aren't malted barley to make them cheaper to produce. These adjuncts aren't the same type of sugar so are fermented differently than maltose.

Why do some grocery stores in Colorado have regular beer and liquor but some only sell 3.2% beer? I live in Denver, Colorado and I have noticed many grocery stores will have full a liquor selection and normal alcohol content beer, but others will only sell 3.2% beer and no liquor. This goes even for the same chain of stores. For example, Safeway will carry a full liquor selection at one location but only 3.2% beer at another. This seems to apply to every chain in town including: King Soopers, Safeway, Walmart, Target, etc. Therefore I am wondering if there is a law limiting this? If so, what are the details?

Retail stores in Colorado sell spirits, wine, and beer. Grocery and convenience stores sell 3.2 percent beer only, and then not between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Package stores are open 8 a.m. until midnight and are closed on Sundays. Bars stop selling alcohol between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. http://www.alcohollaws.org/coloradoalcohollaws.html I would guess those "grocery stores" selling spirits and such are probably classified as something other than a grocery store. This information may be a little out of date, Colorado does allow Sunday sales now. I found this on Wikipedia: Spirituous, vinous & malt liquor available in liquor stores and liquor-licensed drug stores only. Liquor stores closed on Christmas Day. Sunday sales restriction lifted on July 1, 2008. Liquor stores and liquor-licensed drug stores may have only one location, while 3.2% beer may be sold in gas stations, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Appropriately licensed businesses may also sell 3.2% beer for both on and off-premise consumption. A small number of grocery stores are licensed as drug stores and sell full strength beer, wine, and spirits. As an example, a chain grocery store that has pharmacy services at most or all locations may elect a single location in the chain as the licensed establishment to sell beer, wine, and spirits.

In Belgium, you have the breweries itself that distribute their beer. They have a large collection of different beers (and even soda, cola,..). When you open a pub, you can choose to buy directly from the brewery. You will have lower prices and you have to possibility to get parasols, cards, logo's, chairs, tables, ... with the logo of one of their beers. If you don't choose to buy from the brewery, you can buy from a local distributer and compose your own beer-list. But no perks this way and it is more expensive.

That is possible to a level, but not proven, and probably does not make a huge difference, as there are many factors causing hangover , some stronger than others. Moreover, that would be saying that all commercial beers have the same effects and all local brewed ales have the same other (better) effect, which sounds to me very simple and convenient to conclude. That being said, adjuncts in mass-produced beers may still play a role, but I would tend to seek the explanation for the hangover difference in context first. But anyway, hangover mechanisms are not well understood, so I could be wrong !

Sure, there are major differences in acidity. Unsurprisingly, the sour beer styles can have very low pH levels. Here's an example of someone measuring the pH of sour beers and finding that even within that category there are significant differences. Here's a short presentation showing that expected pH ranges from 3.2-3.4 for Berliner Weisse to 4.5-4.8 for pilsner and bock. So, yes, there are definitely major differences, and they do matter to the perception of the finished product. At the most obvious level, low-pH beers actually taste sour. There are also indications that smaller pH variations matter to how people perceive the flavour.

Beer swapping online? I've tried hundreds of beers in recent years. But it starts to get expensive buying some beers less accessible online. Is there any site about swapping beers between people of different countries?

Do bubbles in Guinness go down? We are used to seeing bubbles float up in a glass of beer, but bubbles in Guinness appear to break the rules. Do the bubbles really sink in Guinness, or is it just an illusion? If the bubbles go down, where do they go? Why do they all end up at the head? Links: Scientists confirm phenomenon of falling beer bubbles Zare explains the mystery of descending beer bubbles Do bubbles in Guinness go down? at Stanford University

Who invented beer and when? It is known who invented the beer? And when was beer invented? Links: History of Beer at Wikipedia When was the first beer ever brewed?

As your link indicates there is evidence of beer going back to around 5000 BC, however, this is only the first time that it is known to have been recorded. Alcoholic drinks made by naturally fermenting fruit are drunk by monkeys and elephants and probably long pre-date the evolution of humans. Evidence of breads, which could result in a type of beer if allowed to ferment in the same way as the fruits if the mixture was left with yeast in too long, exists from 30,000 years and pre-dates the advent writing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bread ). It is likely therefore that beers existed tens of thousands of years ago through accident at first and eventually design and were likely to be similar to traditional African beers such as the Kenyan busaa, which by coincidence is still made by my girlfriend's grandmother for the elder men of her tribe. I.e. these beers would be a form of thick, alcoholic liquid bread. In other words we cannot know who "invented" beer as it probably pre-dates written language and it wasn't "invented" by anyone really it was made serendipitously at first. the date was probably some time over 20,000 years ago but that is unknowable for the same reasons. Interestingly, as it is a drink made from a cheap foodstuff that was widely consumed by the people rather than by nobility who could record such things, it is not known who invented lager either. It is likely that Lambics were the precursors of Lagers though.

How can I learn to recognize the flavor and aroma of different varieties of hops? Background: I was drinking a New Belgium "Tour de Fall" last week and thinking about the hops that I was tasting in the finish. For me, hops in general were a pretty slowly acquired taste, and I didn't start truly appreciating the hoppy West Coast style until I encountered Sierra Nevada "Torpedo" and fell in love. Now I finally find myself wanting to get to know specific varieties of hops by flavor and scent. Amarillo, Cascade, and so on - I know there are dozens and dozens of varieties, but how do I start training myself to recognize their differences (and identify the most common varieties) in the drink itself? Should I buy some hops from a supply store, and huff 'em like a soccer mom in a fabric softener commercial? Or would that be totally different from what comes through in a beer? Would it be better to find a stool at a local brewery/brewpub and ask for a lesson in liquid form?

Hop Union has an " Aroma Wheel " that can help with scent: Also look at the Hop Variety page to get a little more information. The thing to remember is scent doesn't always translate to taste, especially with hoppy beers such as IPA's after the beer has aged a bit. To get the taste you really need to try a beer made only with that hop (my opinion) to see what characteristics it imparts. Hop Union does have a Hop and Brew School every year for both craft (professional) brewers and home brewers.

If you're looking for brands, you find a List of Bavarian breweries on Wikipedia. The page is in German, but due to the fact that you are interested in the brand names, this should also work if you don't speak any German.

You can buy a small selection of a few hops and a 6 or 12 pack of bud light or coors light. Pop the tops, toss in a few hops, re-cap and mark what hop is in each. Wait a day or two and then taste. This will highlight the aroma and some of the upfront flavors of the hop more than it's bitterness and will get you familiar with that hop variety. This does require having a bottle caper and some caps, but those can be bought either at a local homebrew store or online for less than 20 dollars when you purchase the small 1oz bags of hops. If you homebrew, try to brew small brew in a bag batches of 1 gallon to try different hop varieties. I don't do it too often but it's an easy 3 hour brew day and helps a lot with identifying hop profiles for bitterness, late addition, and dry hopping.

How can I diagnose dirty taps from drinking a beer? There's a restaurant I've visited several times where the food is good, but the draught beer often tastes... off. It's hard to describe exactly how the taste is wrong, but the word "musty" comes to mind. I know it's not the natural taste of the beer because the effect applies to beers I'm familiar with the taste of, such as Sam Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Lager. It's can't just be a single bad keg, either, because it happened with different beers and on different days (weeks if not months apart from each other). A friend suggested to me that the restaurant probably had dirty taps, but only based on my description of what happened (basically what I said above) and wasn't able to give me any more information than that. Is it possible to trace the cause of a bad-tasting beer to dirty taps just from drinking it, and if so, how?

Yes, tap lines that aren't cleaned regularly (every few weeks at least) are susceptible to infection, and you can detect these infections by taste or smell alone. Common bacteria involved are Pediococcus acidilactici and and Lactobacillus which Tasting Beer describes as having a buttery or "goaty, sweat socks" like aroma/flavor. I think that probably aligns pretty closely with your "musty" description. Is it serious? In the sense that it can cause illness, no, at least not these organisms. These are probiotic bacteria similar to what are advertised in some yogurt. However, given that it does speak poorly to the maintenance routines of this establishment, I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to continue to opt for the draft beer, if for no other reason than that it doesn't taste very good. Lastly, it might be worth a quick friendly word to management. They may not realize that they need to clean their tap lines more frequently, or not realize that it isn't being done. It's an easily fixable problem and if they do take steps to fix it, everyone will be better off.

Yes, they do. A new experiment done jointly by Stanford University and the University of Edinburgh has finally proven that when beer is poured into a glass, the bubbles sometimes go down. "Bubbles are lighter than beer, so they're supposed to rise upward," – Richard N. Zare, the Professor of Natural Sciences at Stanford. "But countless drinkers have claimed that the bubbles actually go down the side of the glass. Could they be right, or would that defy the laws of physics?" In 1999, Australian researchers announced that they had created a computer model showing it was possible for beer bubbles to flow downward. But Zare and former Stanford post doctoral fellow Andrew J. Alexander were unconvinced by the virtual Guinness model and decided to put it to the test by analysing it physically. "Indeed, Andy and I first disbelieved this and wondered if the people had had maybe too much Guinness to drink," Zare recalled. "We tried our own experiments, which were fun but inconclusive. So Andy got hold of a camera that takes 750 frames a second and recorded some rather gorgeous video clips of what was happening." A careful analysis of the video confirmed findings: Beer bubbles do sink. "The answer turns out to be really very simple. It's based on the idea of what goes up has to come down. In this case, the bubbles go up more easily in the centre of the beer glass than on the sides because of drag from the walls. As they go up, they raise the beer, and the beer has to spill back, and it does. It runs down the sides of the glass carrying the bubbles -- particularly little bubbles -- with it, downward. After a while it stops, but it's really quite dramatic and it's easy to demonstrate." The phenomenon also occurred in other beers, said Alexander "The bubbles are small enough to be pushed down by the liquid. We've shown you can do this with any liquid, really -- water with a fizzing tablet in it, for example." "It's just paying attention to the world around you and trying to figure out why things happen the way they do..." Source

You have different beer types. For example, Kilkenny (Ginger Irish beer) is really tasty. Guinness, with an hard hops aroma. White beers from Germany are really tasty too, weight, but don't drink it too much... Belgium got blond et brunes, & are really famous. Or, for a sweety beer, you can drink some banana, cherry, strawberry, cherry, passions beer. Best beers comes from Eire, Germany & Belgium ;)

This is a great question, I'm still learning but here's what I've tried: Single hop beers. I'm in the UK but here's what I've managed to get in the past Mikkeller single hop series IPA is dead by BrewDog Arbor often do single hop beers Your mileage may vary but if you keep your eye out, hopefully you'll find a local brewer doing this kind of thing. I've also had a couple of single yeast flights which were very enlightening. Tastings A couple of hops really stick in my mind because of when I had them. I remember going to a tasting of a local's brewers Galaxy IPA and he'd filled the shop with glasses of Galaxy hops and it smelled incredable. Another time was tasting a Sorachi Ace beer by Wiper and True. It was horrific, but hearing the descriptions my fellow drinkers came up with and having the brewer explaining the history of the hop really anchored it to me. It meant when I had Little Things that Kill by weird beard, I could pick it out straight away. Geography The other thing that I enjoy is learning where and when and why a hop has come about. European hops are so different from American which are different again from British. Not to mention New Zealand hops which have their own aromas. Obviously it's not always consistant but being able to say what kind of region a hop tastes like is a good start!

I would also recommend she try a sour ale. They are a completely different kind of beer that doesn't taste like "normal beer". Since it's often the standard "beer" flavor that some don't like, going outside of the standard can't be a great way to find a favorable flavor. Flemish sours are excellent and would be a good place to start.

"Pumpkin" beers made with actual pumpkin? It's about that time of year again, when pumpkin flavored beer (and everything else) starts making its way onto store shelves. I was wondering, what pumpkin flavored beers are out there, if any, are made with actual pumpkin and not just pumpkin pie spices? My personal favorite is Pumpkin Head by Shipyard, but I've been unable to find any evidence that would suggest it is made with real pumpkin. Are there readily available beers made with real pumpkin? I live in western PA, but any brand not specifically available here would be good to know.

At least some pumpkin ales are brewed with real pumpkin (for example polish Dyniamit brewed by PINTA). If you are interested in recepies you can look for them from the examples found at Brewtoad.

You can try on BeerRate forum .

I drank once Post Road Pumkin Ale from Brooklyn brewery that is brewed with, to quote them, Hundreds of pounds of pumpkins [...] blended into the mash of each batch: Post Road Pumpkin Ale

I was on a quest to find some hoppy beers in Iceland and here is what I found: Hollie's Hobbies which has a huge selection of Mikeller beers.

Why does Trento (Italy) have such a range of German beers? Trento in Italy has a lot of German influence and especially when it comes to food and beer. They even serve their versions of German Weizenbier. See Wikipedia and TripAdvisor . Why is that so? Does anyone know whether there is a difference between Trento's German style beers and German German style beers?

Is "because local people want to buy it" too glib? Where there's demand there is (or should be) supply. If the Italian versions of German style beers are anything like their British counterparts there will be a flavour difference (just as there is between the different beers that are produced within Germany) but the brewers will tend to (in their own unique fashion) try to be as true to the original style as possible. As this depends on the availability and quality of raw materials there will always be a difference, but that is true even within Germany. In total: 1) because people like it. 2) not consistently but probably slightly more variation than in Germany.

My favorite is Pumpking from Southern Tier . They claim it is brewed with real pumpkin. Schlafly also makes a popular pumpkin beer with real pumpkin.

I prefer DrinkGAS . It's a good solution for a party, I use it in my restaurants.

I would drink it, if it wasn't Bud Light ;-) I had old beer before, probably 2 years after expiration. If the pressure is still there when you open it and if the can/bottle has no dents/rust/etc there shouldn't be an issue. They found a WWII food can and it was still edible when they opened in 2013, tested by a lab. Obviously taste is a different issue. There may be some deterioration. If it smells like vinegar you'll know it's bad

How fast do I need to finish a Hefe Weissbier Keg? If I remember correctly, the website of Erdinger states their 'Dunkle Hefe' needs to be finished within just 3 days after opening. I know it isn't pasteurized but I wonder, can we stretch that a little? 3 days for a keg is kind of short.... Why is that anyways? Is it because the yeast settles?

This does indeed happen to me, too. So I stopped drinking beer where the ingredients aren't listed or if I think the beer is likely to contain GMO. Call me a tree hugger I don't care;-) I remember reading the head aches may come from fusel oils, which are byproducts of fermentation. Depending on the ingredients there may be more or less of them. I remember reading a while back that mold and spoilage can cause a higher concentration of those fusel oils in the wine; hence, wine made from handpicked grapes is of higher quality. I wouldn't be surprised if it's similar in beer production

Where did you read this? I am unfamiliar with Dunkle Hefe exactly, but this is true for wooden casks. Typically a wooden cask is served with gravity or with a hand pump to lift from a cellar. There is an opening in the top that draws air in to equalise the pressure. This air will reduce the shelf life to 3 days. A "Donkey Pump" on the common sankey keg is similar. The beer will spoil quite fast.

It is probably because it is so close to Austria and Germany and because the cold climate is excellent for brewing such beers.

Unusal recepticles I understand openings of a glass allow for aroma to add to the taste. However I recently had Kwak in its recommended glass, which is similar to a test tube. I have seen a number of other unique glasses. Are these really only for asthetics or are these meant to add to the flavour?

Some brewers design glasses to enhance the experience of the beer in various ways. IPAs in general benefit from a large opening to release as much aroma as possible, but there are other benefits. I know Guinness in particular has designed a very special glass for their beer. The special glass features their golden harp, which you are supposed to aim for when pouring. This and the special curvatures of the glass help give the beer a good head and keep it until you're done with the beer. Stouts especially benefit from a silky, creamy head, so Guinness designed a glass around that. I've never had Kwak, but from the looks of the glass it seems to be more of a branding effort than anything else. I can't imagine any potential benefits from a glass that shape. This wikipedia article is a good read. It tells you what beer goes in what glass and why. EDIT: Actually, the glass does serve a purpose. This site says the glass was invented for coachmen who weren't able to leave the horses and have some beer. The glass's peculiar shape allows it to be hung on the side of the coach for easy drinking.

Along with Marty's reccommendation of Pumpking, Southern Tier also makes an Imperial Pumpkin Stout called Warlock . Best Pumpkin beers I've had so far ( Warlock > Pumpking imo ). I've also heard Griffin Claw makes a good one too: Screamin' Pumpkin

Elysian Brewing in Seattle has a beer made with pumpkin festival every year. Their festival site has a great list of beers to try - http://www.elysianbrewing.com/great-pumpkin-beer-fest/ My favorites are the ones which taste nothing like pumpkin pie and Black Raven's Harbinger is the top of that list - http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/black-raven-harbinger-strong-pumpkin-squash-stout/189456/

Is it ok to take antacid tablet after drinking beer? Once I had couple of large beers. After that I've got acidity. So Is it OK to take antacid tablet after drinking beer?

It depends... I don't see an issue with the standard Tums or Rolaids but there might be issues with ranitidine according to some studies. http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20000215/zantac-alcohol-dont-mix "The effect was striking," says author Charles Lieber, MD. In a three-hour test period, conducted under conditions similar to social drinking, the study showed that ranitidine can increase blood alcohol content by 38%. Levels reached in the study exceeded the legal drinking limit -- and the effects lasted up to two hours after drinking stopped.

I saw today that my local Whole Foods had on display an island of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale which is brewed with real pumpkin, though I myself prefer Southern Tier's.

Pump Up The Volume by Hi-Fi Brewing is the best pumpkin beer I've had, but you'll only get it poured in Redmond, if you're lucky enough to find it. "Pump Up the Volume A blast of pumpkin pie aroma introduces you to this full-bodied and fairly malty beer. We brew it with fresh Washington pumpkin and add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and vanilla after fermentation. It finishes with a very subtle warmth. Alcohol: 6.8% ABV, Bitterness: 35 IBU." Witch Hunt by Bridgeport Brewing was decent, but doesn't specify whether or not it's made with actual pumpkin flesh. I think we got a 22oz at Costco.

Why are breweries against freezing pint glasses? It makes no sense to me why breweries are against freezing pint glasses. I think that there's nothing better than ice cold beer, and it seems in most ways the breweries agree. They try and cool beer lines, beer in bottles is always served cold, and some beer is bottled with labels that let you know when the beer is cold. So why are they so against freezing pint glasses, particularly when there are some great inventions out there that can freeze pint glasses in seconds? I think they should promote instead of being against it, so why don't they?

It depends on the beer style. Craft beers in general were not designed to be served at a near freezing (for water) temperature. Drink an IPA at 35 degrees and 45 degrees and you'll probably find the hop notes more pronounced at the higher temperature. Here is a general guideline: Very Cold: 35-40 degrees •American Adjunct Lagers (“Macros”) •Malt Liquors •Light or low alcohol beers Cold: 40-45 degrees •Pilsner •Light-bodied lagers •Kolsch •Belgian Wit •Hefeweizen •Berliner weisse •American Wheat Cool: 45-50 degrees •American Pale Ales •Medium-bodied lagers •India Pale Ale (IPA) •Porters •Alt •Irish Stouts •Sweet Stout Cellar Temp: 50-55 degrees •Sour Ales •Lambic/Gueuze •English Bitter •Strong Ales •Baltic Porters •Bocks •Scotch Ales •Belgian Ales •Trappist Ales Warm: 55-60 degrees •Imperial Stouts •Belgian Quads •Belgian Strong Ales •Barley Wines •Old Ales •Dopplebock •Eisbock Serving Beer

To add to Leo's answer... Northern Italy is very much associated with Austro-Bavarian heritage. The province of South Tyrol is predominantly German speaking, and Trento is just south of that province. In addition, Weissbier is to Bavaria/Munich as Pretzels are to Philadelphia or Pizza is to New York.... Hmmm maybe that pretzels analogy was a bad idea since they are a German thing. Oh well, I think you get the point. You've got German people in Northern Italy making German beer. I would trust any Hefeweizen from Trentino over Blue Moon, that's for sure. Cheers!

A while back Jim Koch, the owner of Boston Beer Company, said in an interview that his secret to hangover avoidance was straight up eating live brewer's yeast. This is probably dubious at best, but if you had to stretch to make something sound plausible...yeast has a good amount of Vitamin B and Magnesium, which are essential nutrients. Anything marketed as Real Ale is likely unfiltered and will therefor have more live yeast in it than filtered ale or lager. So it could, in theory, maybe, sortof, a bit, if you squint at it, sideways, have something to do with buffering the hangover better vs filtered ale or lager. It may also be an adjunct fermentation or ABV related thing like others have mentioned. Or it may not?

Tripel beers on tap I was under the impression that tripel beer is supposed to be fermented inside the bottle. From time to time I come across beers that are tripel but on tap. There is a substantial difference in taste I noticed. In my opinion, tripel beers that are served bottled are way better than the same tripel beer on tap. How and why do companies serve tripel beers on tap while they lack taste and they aren't really fermented further inside the bottle? Do they just bottle them and put them in kegs at the same time so the beer that is bottled actually ferments more or do they keep the beer for the kegs fermenting longer and then put it in kegs?

As of today (2016), there are several microbreweries operating in Iceland. The micro- and homebrewing scene has been budding nicely in the last few years, the latest player being Segull 67. The Breweries In a category of their own are Borg and Einstök . These two operate under the wing of the two "large" local breweries (Egils and Víking), serving as their respective experimental departments. Borg keeps up a steady stream of new beers each year, easily Iceland's most "prolific publisher". They have a steady production of the big-name styles (a lager, an IPA, a porter, etc.), and nearly always one or two beers on limited/temporary release. Einstök produces the country's most widely sold ales, and seasonal varieties. Other microbreweries are: Bruggsmiðjan . Founded in 2006, they are the oldest microbrewery in Iceland (yup). They produce a line of Czech-style lagers, brand name Kaldi. Gæðingur . Their gig is essentially similar to Borg's - steady production of big name styles, interspersed with experiments. Steðji . Their lineup is a mix of very normal German-style lagers and some truly wacky stuff - for instance, their infamous whale beer , Hvalur . Ölvisholt Brugghús . ÖB is of the more established players, but their beers do not follow a particular trend that I have noticed. If anything, I could say they rely on beers "with a twist" more than the others, not many of their beers fall neatly into a common style. Segull 67 . Segull 67 is the newest and by far the smallest operating brewery. They released one beer in 2015, a dark lager. At the time of writing, this list is exhaustive for operational breweries. In addition, I know of three breweries which will be opening "any day now": Hún/Hann brugghús (in Reykjavík), Austri (in the eastern part of the country) and Hið austfirska bruggfélag (also in the eastern part of the country). Brewpubs In addition to the breweries that sell nation-wide, there are a few who focus on their own premises. Bryggjan Brugghús, in Reykjavík near the harbor area. The only brewpub in Reykjavík, and unlike most Icelandic "pubs", also operates an actual restaurant. Brothers Brewery, in Vestmannaeyjar (islands off the south coast). It's the place to get craft beer in Vestmannaeyjar, apparently! Don't know much about it, unfortunately. Bjórsetur Íslands, in Hólar (in the northern part of the country). This tiny establishment is the oldest brewpub by several years. It's basically run as a hobby - open on Fridays only. It is notable for its association with a beer festival (Bjórhátíð á Hólum), held annually at Hólar. Microbrews and Craft Beers on Tap Several bars pride themselves on selling Icelandic micro- and craft brews. These are: Microbar. There are two bars operating under this name, one in downtown Reykjavík, the other in Sauðárkrókur. The one in Reykjavík is the pioneer of the Icelandic craft bar scene. It is owned by the Gæðingur brewery, and appropriately, you can always find Gæðingur beers on tap here (among other local beers) Skúli Craft Bar, in downtown Reykjavík. It is notable for its diverse and rapidly rotating taps. At any given time, about half of them are likely to be connected to local beers. The bar is independent, but beers from Borg brewery are always prominent in their choices. Bjórgarðurinn, in Reykjavík. They have 22 taps, Icelandic craft beers always among them. They serve food other than bar snacks, mostly gourmet sausages that they recommend pairing with particular beers. It is a hotel bar, not associated with a brewery. Kaldi Bar, in downtown Reykjavík. It is not owned by Bruggsmiðjan, but it brands itself as a place where you can get local beer, in particular, Bruggsmiðjan's Kaldi. This is, however, not a place I would call a craft bar that prides itself on a varied selection. R5 Micro Bar, in Akureyri. I have not visited, but it's marketing itself as a craft beer bar. The locals seem impressed! Micro/Craft beer fans will also want to know of Mikkeller & Friends Reykjavík. Large tap selection there, but no focus on local produce. Borg and Einstök taps can commonly be found interspersed with the common Egils and Víking taps. Steðji and Ölvisholt beers are only sporadically found on taps. Many other bars (but definitely not all) have some ambition when it comes to craft beer availability without making a particular deal of it. Hlemmur Square, a hostel/bar near the main bus station, is usually particularly well stocked. But always, ask your bartender! Selected products Off the top of my head, here are a few items I consider distinctive - or at least, I have not found anything quite like them abroad. Garún. Imperial stout, more heavy on the licorice than most. Lava. A smoked imperial stout. Snorri. An ale spiced with Icelandic thyme. And always, keep an eye out for seasonal beers. The breweries usually allow themselves more creative freedom on those products. In 2014, we saw beers like the Einstök Arctic Berry Ale (beer flavored with Icelandic berries), Fenrir (an IPA smoked with sheep dung) and Hvalur (the whale beer mentioned earlier). General beer buying advisory You won't buy Icelandic beers in the supermarket. The things that look like beers in those shelves are low-alcohol versions. To buy beers, you must go to one of the state-operated "Wine stores" (Vínbúð). Beware of their opening hours - they are never open after 20:00, on Sundays, or on holidays. Source: Icelandic beer enthusiast.

Local microbreweries and craft beer in Tokyo Are there local micro-breweries in Tokyo? Are they serving local Japanese craft beer? What are Japanese craft beer that one can find in Tokyo?

You can find a lot of different bars that sell micro-brews in Tokyo. most All of the micro-breweries I know of are located outside of Tokyo. However, I can't definitely say "there are no micro-breweries in Tokyo" as I am not omnipotent . Again , there are a ton of places to get micro-brews in Tokyo; here is a restaurant that I have frequented over the past years that serves Japanese micro-brews exclusively: BanKan . BanKan has 14 taps of Japanese micro-brews and they rotate their offering frequently; whenever a keg runs out it is replaced with a new brew. A pint runs between 900 to 1400 yen and the current offering is here . Notice that the prefecture the brew comes from is listed as well. Enjoy!

Home made beer in Moscow I will be visiting Moscow in short time and I would like to try out some domestic beers (home brewed if possible). Can anyone recommend a place in Moscow like that and what beer should I try out?

Beer with hops will get skunky shortly after exposure to sun light. Exposure of about 15 seconds and you can smell the change start if you hold it to your nose in bright sun light. I have one and use it during outdoor barbecues.

Ratebeer has a list of bars and brewpubs . In the brewpubs you can get beer produced in the pub (or at least for the pub), which I assume is what you mean by home brewed. I really liked Durdin, which had both good food, good music, and good beer. Try their kvass! GlavPivTorg is interesting for the historical associations, and also quite good. Their unfiltered pale lager was very good.

Although I don't have any medical data to back it up, I feel that the old remedy of drinking hot beer actually helps with cold. I live in Poland, and just like in Germany we do use this old world remedy of drinking warm/hot beer to keep the cold away. What's more is, that here in Poland serving warm beer with spices, sometimes with honey is really popular in the fall. And although my comment will probably get bashed by not having a medical back up -- it really feels like the warm beer helps the body fight off the bacteria/germs. Now that I think of it...The tradition of drinking warm beer is probably comparable to drinking mulled wine (in poland referred to as Grzaniec, and Glühwein in Germany).

The only thing I can add to the already given answers is for you to try out Ölvisholt 's beer Jólabjór (or Lava if you find it). Here in Sweden we get the annual Jólabjór at the state-operated monopoly Systembolaget. It's a discrete smoked beer imho. Jólabjór at Ratebeer

Craft Beer vs Real Ale I've been following the craft beer scene in the UK for some time now, and much prefer true craft beers to real ales (and beers labeled "craft" when they have no business being represented in such a way). Comparatively, real ales I've tried have a bland, waxy taste to them, unlike craft beers such as Brewdog's Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club, and 5AM Saint. A friend expressed to me his view that the terms “craft beer” and “real ale” are synonymous, stating: “You realise that most of the industrialised breweries started out making “craft beer,” however demand and greed caused them to skimp on ingredients, adding less and less to make more and more profit? Most of these new breweries will probably go the same way.” Whilst I agree in principle regarding greed and industrialisation, I am skeptical of the claim that most industrialised breweries started out making “craft beer.” Nor do I believe that “real ale” breweries have changed their recipes to that degree over time. To put this into context, some beers I consider real ales are Youngs London Gold, Bombardier, Tribute, and Deuchars IPA, while some beers I consider craft beers are Brewdog IPA is Dead Citra, Kernel Black IPA, Lagunitas IPA, and Moor So’Hop. What distinguishes a “craft beer” from a “real ale”? Do “craft beers” change as breweries scale up for profits? Did “real ales” use to taste nicer than it does today?

First, a disclaimer: I'm American and most of my knowledge of craft beer comes from the American beer scene. I am somewhat aware of the evolution of the UK brewing industry, but nowhere near as knowledgeable as I am about America's. Now, definitions. Craft Beer commonly derives the Brewer's Association definition of a Craft Brewer. Which is Small, Independent, Traditional. Sparing the specifics it's a definition meant to exclude the world's largest brewing companies, and their "crafty" portfolios. "Crafty" is a pejorative used to describe brands or brewers which may or may not produce good tasting beer, but are owned by the larger brands in attempts to diversify their portfolios. While the BA is primarily focused on the American market, it seems most European writers defer to their terms. Real Ale, is a distinctly British term. Coined by CAMRA in the 70's it's more to do with the packaging and serving of the beer in the pub than the business scale of the brewer. All Real Ale has to do is be cask conditioned and served via a gravity tap or hand-pulled with a beer engine. This excludes a majority of what we in the US would consider craft beer, because it excludes anything kegged, filtered, force carbonated, or pushed with pressurized gas. This leads to an interesting overlap where an unfiltered beer, carbonated by natural fermentation, could NOT be a real ale because it was kegged and served on gas. Also, nothing prevents a large brand like Murphy's or Beamish (both owned by Heineken) from marketing a "Real Ale". These definitions aside: It sounds like you may just be an IPA fan. Your craft beer list is entirely IPAs. It's not really accurate to conflate Craft and IPAs because plenty of craft beers are stouts, rye beers, Scotch ales, English bitters, or totally non-traditional things. Another issue you might have with "Real Ale" is a technical note. Because it's exposed to oxygen as soon as the cask is tapped real ale tends to spoil if it's not drank quickly. The characteristic tastes of oxidized beer are cardboard, and the characteristic tastes of beer left on dead yeast for way too long is soapy. I can easily see that coming off as "waxy", especially if it's warmer than you're used to drinking and you've just downed some IPAs. Beer today is probably the best its ever tasted because of refinements in production techniques and farming. Consumers are becoming interested in what their beer is made of so the quality of ingredients and care on a whole is improving. But real ale is a niche, there are going to be great traditional brewers making phenomenal beer, but it's prone to spoilage if not treated well. There may also be those using it as a marketing gimmick. And finally a last point about industrialization: It has vastly improved the quality of ingredient and process that all brewers use. The huge brands we now have, all started off as craft at one point. But if they are no longer craft they either couldn't weather the market and faced the choice of no longer being a company or selling to a business and risk becoming more about business than beer. In the US we have large breweries proving you can still be pretty big and make good beer. Sam Adams, Stone Brewing, Dogfish Head, Yuengling, are HUGE by craft standards and haven't compromised the quality of their ingredients because brewers are still in charge. Industrialization will never prevent a brewery lead by a passionate brewer from making interesting beer, but leaving brewing decisions up to a business man will always making boring beer.

Is there a BeerAdvocate-like ranking of beers commonly found in supermarkets? Is there a ranking of beers (maybe by country) you can actually find in a supermarket? I know the BeerAdvocate one, but it seems I would need to sell my soul to get any beer in the top 250.

Drinking beer alone does not cause you to get a big belly, it's the amount food that goes along with it. People usually drink beer in the evening, and tend to eat a lot of food at the same time. And this is great and dandy, but what people forget about is that they eat late (here combined with drinking beer so even more calories), and then go straight to bed. The body does not have a chance to break down all of these calories, and instead all of this excess fat is being stored. In short, the beer alone does not cause the fat, it's the food that goes along with it.

This gels with what I've heard of Hefe's in general. The recommendation to store the keg upside down is definitely yeast-centric, when you flip the keg to tap it it'll stir the yeast up again... which you want. The 3 day thing is a little more puzzling. Wheat beers in general are a style that should be had as fresh as possible, but 3 days is definitely pushing it. Most bars will try to finish a keg of a fresh wheat beer in 2 weeks or less, if memory serves. From reading the Google automated translation of that PDF you're referencing, that sounds like a sales/marketing document. The way I'm taking the information is that the document is selection criteria for starting accounts with Erdinger to sell the beer at your bar. A lot of the document seems like quality control steps like making sure the draft system is setup correctly and properly balanced, making sure the lines get cleaned at appropriate intervals, and the 3 day thing for assuring max freshness. From a consumer standpoint: It'll last more than 3 days, you can take however long you want if it's on CO2, but for best flavor for a wheat beer you probably want to drink it within a month or 2...probably a bit longer if it's been refrigerated.

As MD-Tech mentioned, beer wasn't exactly invented. However, the answer of when seems to be that it followed the production of wine. Here's a clip from a paper I had written a while back. Based on available evidence, it is likely that S. cerevisiae was first used in the production of wine. DNA evidence dates winemaking to 3150 BC, and the earliest molecular evidence available indicates winemaking having taken place at least as early as 7000 BC in China. (Fay J. C. and Benavides J. A. 2005) One issue with production of alcohol is that it takes away precious food supplies and so is a lot easier to produce when agriculture is in place than when it is not.

From what I have researched, the term "real ale" derives from the original distinction between beer, which was brewed with hops, and ale, which was not. The term real ale also relates to whether or not the drink was artificially carbonated or cask conditions. Craft beer is generally brewed with hops, although some craft brewers are trying to use other bittering agents. Likewise, there are craft brewers who use cask conditioning and even more so, bottle conditioning. I would say that "craft" beer is a rather vague term. The best way that I could distinguish between "craft" brewers and other brewers is through the use of "craft" or trade. Those who produce beer as a trade would be craft brewers rather as opposed to industrial producers.

Please also see this question When was the first beer ever brewed? Which has more information

I grew up in Belgium, near the town of Leuven where Stella was originally brewed. The classic Belgian beers all have their characteristic glass shapes, which are a part of the experience of the beer. Duvel, Kwak, Mort Subite and the rest come in glasses of various shapes and sizes. The traditional Stella Artois glass was a straight, narrow-ish glass, much like that of other basic lager-style beers like Jupiler or Maes Pils. They usually have a set of ridges towards the bottom for improved grip and to reduce heat transfer. The lager brand glasses are all very similar, reflecting their status as "ordinary, everyday" beers. Only the expensive specialty beers have really distinctive glasses. The glasses are usually small for Belgian lager (about 275ml), so the beer would still taste cold and fresh at the bottom. Larger half-litres are sold, but older Belgians would always drink a small beer as larger beers go "off". In my view the Chalice is pure marketing bullshit. Taking an ordinary beer and dressing it up as something more expensive and more special than it is. It makes me as angry as the UK positioning of the brand as French, when it is brewed in the very Flemish town of Leuven.

The above answer is correct. Just to expand a little, companies can only hold one Colorado retail liquor store license, which is the type of license that allows them to sell "full strength" beer, wine and spirits. It's the same class of liquor license held by the liquor stores found in most shopping centers. There is no limit to the number of 3.2% beer licenses a company can hold. For example, a Safeway store in Glendale holds their only retail liquor store license, while Target holds theirs at a store in Littleton. Their other Colorado stores all hold licenses to sell 3.2% beer.

Selling/buying limited edition beers online I have some opened and unopened beer bottles that are limited edition and is not produced anymore. I would like to ask if there is any online store like eBay where I could sell these beers, opened empty bottles is OK to sell anywhere, but full bottles with an alcohol cannot be sold depending on privacy policies. So does anyone knows some kind of place to make such deal?

It is not legal to ship alcohol(beer, wine, or spirits) through the mail across state or national lines unless you have a license. This has to do with each state wanting to get it's tax revenue for the imported alcohol. That doesn't mean it's not done, it's just less likely for a site that wants to stay in business to allow transactions that would result in it. I have friends that are part of "exchange programs" that are on various forums. There is a "beertrade" sub Reddit for example.

Just had a bottle of Marston's Oyster Stout two days ago (10/25/14), the label states it is brewed with oyster shells.

by-volume/by-weight conversion formula Okay, because I have nothing better to do on a Friday night ( i.e. , my carboys are all currently fermenting), I've decided to fiddle a little bit with math. I know that 0% alcohol by weight (ABW) is also 0% alcohol by volume (ABV), and I know that 100% ABW is 100% ABV. I also know that, in between those two extremes, the relationship is not linear ( e.g. , 3.2% ABW is approximately 4.0% ABV). However, any web-site calculator that I see pretty much performs the calculation as linear. I've been fiddling with my TI-89 from high school, and I think that I have it figured out. Assuming ethyl alcohol has a density of .789 kg/l and water has a density of 1 kg/l and assuming that water and alcohol are the only substances in an alcoholic beverage (which I know isn't true), the formula is: ABV = ABW ÷ (.211 · ABW + .789) The problem is that I can't confirm my formula. I'm searching Google and can't find much on the topic. Well… I can find plenty of calculators, but they all seem to be using a linear formula. So… is this formula correct? EDIT: So, I've done a little more tweaking on this (after I already got the accepted answer). I already made the assumption that the density of water is 1 kg/l. The density that I used for ethyl alcohol was for 20°C. At that same temperature, water has a density of approximately .99823 kg/l and not 1 kg/l. Using this, I arrived at a different formula that's probably more accurate (at 20°C, that is): ABV = (99823 · ABW) ÷ (20923 · ABW + 78945) EDIT: Please see AlkonMikko's comment.

It is easier to reason about how to derive the alcohol-by-weight value from the alcohol-by-volume rather than the reverse. If abv is the alcohol-by-volume value expressed as a number between 0 and 1, then for a unit volume of the liquid, the weight of the alcohol will be 0.789 * abv . Similarly, the weight of the non-alcohol component will be 1 - abv (assuming it has a density of 1). So the total weight of the liquid will be: 0.789 * abv + (1 - abv) = 1 - 0.211 * abv Using the weight of alcohol and the total weight, we can easily determine the alcohol-by-weight (also expressed as a number between 0 and 1): abw = 0.789 * abv / (1 - 0.211 * abv) So this is clearly not linear (it is hyperbolic ), and maintains identity for the 0% and 100% cases as expected. We can invert the equation in a few steps: 0.789 * abv = abw * (1 - 0.211 * abv) 0.789 * abv = abw - 0.211 * abv * abw 0.789 * abv + 0.211 * abv * abw = abw (0.789 + 0.211 * abw) * abv = abw abv = abw / (0.789 + 0.211 * abw) So that confirms the formula you derived. Wolfram Alpha seems to agree.

Is there any diet beer? I want to drink beer because I feel stress of my life. However, I don't want to gain weight because I have been overweighted. Is there any diet beer in US?

This is what would be referred to as the "Light Beer" category. For the most part, this is mass-produced beer, done by the big commercial breweries in the USA (I don't know much about beer production outside North America). If you want some good light beers, I'd suggest taking a look at lists like BeerAdvocate's Best Light Lagers

West coast beer recommendations, please! I'm an east coast guy who loves east coast and mid-west beer. I'm about to head out on a west coast tour with a show band and am looking for "must have" west coast beers. We will be all over CA, OR and WA. I'm aware of the ones that are must tries like Russian River, Deschutes, etc. I'm wondering if there are some hidden gems out there of some beer stores/breweries that can't be missed. West coast beer aficionados, brag away!

Best advice I can give is to go to a Bevmo or Whole Foods to see what's available. My west coast staples: Ballast Point, Bear Republic, Drakes, Lagunitas, Russian River, Sierra Nevada, Stone. Russian River have a pub in Santa Rosa, Lagunitas in Petaluma, and Bear Republic in Healdsburg.

My Austrian father-in-law tells me that they're also handy for keeping ashes out of your beer. I don't smoke, so that had never really occurred to me until he mentioned it.

Seattle: Black Raven, Elysian, Georgetown, and Naked City Spokane: Iron Goat and River City Bellingham: Boundry Bay, Chuckanut, and Kulshan In Oregon, Hop Valley, Deschutes, Boneyard and Laurelwood would be on my list. If driving around Washington you will probably be going by Roslyn so stop by Wild Earth and check out the Brick Tavern.

Freezing pint glasses is like using subwoofers in your Mini. It's too much of a good thing that drowns out the subtlety that is supposed to sell the product over and over. Just because some beers taste better cold, such as lagers compared to ales, doesn't mean they taste better when they are nearly frozen at +1C. Our perception of flavour diminishes as something is cooled, and so beer tastes less sweet and wines taste more acidic as they get colder. Breweries know this and they spend significant dollars to invent a beverage that has the maximum taste profile for the least amount of ingredient spend. Bringing that product out of its intended temperature zone and into numbness makes a Coors or Bud have almost no character at all. I can also imagine that bars are going to be reluctant to cool their pint glasses and spend a lot of money on electricity when it makes the beers taste little better than ordinary ice water. The end result is a disappointing "freezie"-like experience that reduces the likelihood of someone ordering multiples of those over the course of an evening out, which is the ultimate benchmark for most bars.

This beer may be the best of all the light beer. Bud Light (110 calories)

In Canada you can get Molson 67, which comes in at 3% alcohol and 67 calories for 12 ounces. That's about as light as there is.

Calories are calories. A typical middle-aged male needs about 2100 calories per day. Consuming more calories than this per day will increase your weight. If you drink four 12-ounce regular (5%) beers per day, you will add between 500-700 calories to your daily diet -- depending on the style of beer you consume, meaning its sugar content, which will vary with beer style. This calorie range translates into around 3500-5000 extra calories per week, which is equivalent to gaining about 1.0-1.4 lbs of weight per week if this calorie intake is above your body's minimum requirement (ie: 2100 x 7 days). After 3 months you will have gained anywhere from 13-18 lbs. It doesn't matter what you eat or don't eat along with your beer. If your beer drinking brings you over the 2100 calorie per-day threshold, those calories will show up as fat in your body. All of this assumes no exercise. If you are active and can burn off 300-500 calories a day through a combination of working out and regular body movement (general walking, going up and down stairs, prolonged upper-body activity), then you will cut into that calorie gain in proportion to your activity.

No pathogens can survive in beer. But the beer may taste off. Remember that the Pilgrims survived the journey across the Atlantic because they had beer, not water, since beer stays drinkable much longer due to the alcohol and hops that act as preservatives. Nothing will happen to you if you drink that beer.

When you are in Merced it will definately be worth the drive up to Turlock (about half an hour up Hwy 99). Dust Bowl Brewing has their tap room on Main Street. They have many popular beers and normally have about 20 of their own brews on tap. The food there is top notch as well. If you like big IPAs I would strongly suggest you check out their Therapist. They are poised to become the next major brewery in CA as they are just beginning to build out a $10M brewery west of town. Definitely worth a trip up from Merced.

BeerAdvocate has some swapping features including the ability to create a "want" and "have" list of beers.

Myths and truths about alcohol and antibiotics In general, it is said that you should not mix antibiotics and alcoholic beverages and it seems prudent to do so, but the reasons behind it seems to be really fuzzy. Some people say that the worse that can happen is that the antibiotics will not have effect. But other say that it will make you sicker. Some other say that both of these are true but it depends on the antibiotic. Some other say: "Just one won't hurt". If someone could make this clear for us, it would be great.

QI provides the answer: with a few exceptions (where it will make you vomit) it is perfectly safe to drink alcohol whilst taking antibiotics. Apart from some special circumstances, it is on the whole OK to drink while on antibiotics. The reason why people think that you should not is that when antibiotics was first being used it was to cure syphilis. The patients would still be infectious for the first week, so were told not to drink because they were more likely to have sex while drunk. This has since passed down and has become a "tradition" in a way. The main reason that people are told not to drink when on antibiotics is because doctors prefer people not to drink because it is better for them. However, the are some antibiotics like Flagyl which will make you vomit if you take them with alcohol. ref: Transcript for QI episode 8.10: "health and safety"

Anxiolytics, Antidepressants and Alcohol Is it safe to drink while on Anxiolytics or Antidepressants? In general it is known that some drugs should not be mixed with alcohol. Some of this knowledge are myths and some other are true. As alcohol itself is a kind of anxiolytic it isn't clear if it really could cause a side effect while on anxiliytics medication. On the other hand, it seems that alcohol tends to make depressions worse. If there are undesired side effects, is there a limit? is it safe to drink just a little or it is better to avoid it completely?

is "Capilano Pale Ale" still being produced and is it possible to get it in the States? is "Capilano Pale Ale" still being produced and is it possible to get it in the States?I'm referring to the Vancouver, British Colombia, microbrew.

Just to add to this topic, I think it's important that the correct terminology is used since the author asked for "gluten free" beer suggestions. In the beer world, "gluten free" can only be used if the ingredients used to brew the beer do not contain gluten. Sorghum appears to be the most popular ingredient for making GF beers, but there are a number of other options including buckwheat, millet, honey, even chestnuts. Redbridge is an example of a GF beer. IMO, sorghum gives off a cider-y flavor so I have not really enjoyed the sorghum-based beers. Only gluten free beers that I've enjoyed are made by a Canada-based brewery called Glutenberg. Their APA and IPA are fantastic. Unfortunately, they don't currently distribute everywhere so I have to drive to a neighboring state to buy it. There are also beers that are brewed with traditional ingredients that contain gluten, but an enzyme called Brewer's Clarex is added to primary fermentation. Clarex was originally used to clear beer and prevent chill haze, but it was discovered it also breaks down gluten such that, when tested with traditional gluten tests (ELISA), the beer is well within the "gluten free" threshold (<20 ppm). These beers cannot be called "gluten free", though, rather they can only be labeled "crafted to remove gluten". Omission brews "gluten reduced" beer (which are very good IMO), but apparently Yards also uses Clarex in some of their beers (even though they don't label their beer as "crafted to reduce gluten").

Just to add to this topic, I think it's important that the correct terminology is used since a number of answers contain false information. In the beer world, "gluten free" can only be used if the ingredients used to brew the beer do not contain gluten. Sorghum appears to be the most popular ingredient for making GF beers, but there are a number of other options including buckwheat, millet, honey, even chestnuts. Redbridge is an example of a GF beer. I have yet to taste a GF beer that I enjoyed as sorghum specifically gives off a cider-y flavor and all the beers end up thin. There are also beers that are brewed with traditional ingredients that contain gluten, but an enzyme called Brewer's Clarex is added to primary fermentation. Clarex was originally used to clear beer and prevent chill haze, but it was discovered it also breaks down gluten such that, when tested with traditional gluten tests (ELISA), the beer is well within the "gluten free" threshold (<20 ppm). These beers cannot be called "gluten free", though, rather they can only be labeled "crafted to remove gluten". Omission brews "gluten reduced" beer (which are very good IMO), but apparently Yards also uses Clarex in some of their beers (even though they don't label their beer as "crafted to reduce gluten").

In Colorado only 1 store in a chain is allowed to sell liquor, wine or full strength beer. These are known as 'State Stores'... So a chain like Target or King Soopers picks one location in the state that they want to have that license and that's the one that can sell it... All others are only allowed to sell 3.2 beer.

When you get to Escondido you'll be knee deep in breweries. Some notable ones: Right next door in Poway is port brewing/ lost abbey and next door to that, in Vista, are some great ones. Belching Beaver is a favorite of mine but near it are Aztec and iron fist.

Anxiolytics is too broad of a term to address. Alcohol is actually frequently considered an anxiolytic . Antidepressants, on the other hand, certainly can have adverse effects when mixed with alcohol. As far as drug interactions go, it will largely vary on the drug--without more information it is really impossible to say for sure what the answer is in your case. However, on a more broad note, the use of alcohol is generally perceived as counterproductive while on antidepressants. Alcohol can contribute to depression , so it is generally advised to be avoided while taking antidepressants. For more information, see this article: Can I drink alcohol if I'm taking antidepressants? Hope this helps!

When you're in Escondido, you don't just have to do Stone. Very close by in Vista you could go to Port/Lost Abbey. The 78 freeway is known as the Hops Highway and there are a ton of breweries. You could cherry pick around here .

Beer recommendations for India, please Which is the good brew for India? I generally prefer Budweiser and I am pretty much good with it.

How to measure the caffeine content of a coffee beer at home? I recently got a winter sampler pack by Sierra Nevada, which had 3 Coffee Stout beers. I've also brewed my own coffee stout for early next year. I was wondering, having tried both, they both have a decent coffee taste, but is there any home science way to find the caffeine content of a coffee beer. FWIW my homebrew was "dry hopped" with 6 ounces of coffee grounds for two weeks, in a 5gal batch. Not sure if that can help with any calculations. Let me know if this is off topic, and I can move it to the homebrew SE, or even maybe the chemistry or cooking stack.

My girlfriend is coeliac and we live in Belgium - Brunehaut is very good. They have four different "bio" beers that are all gluten free. They cost like 1.5 EUR in the supermarket and they taste just like "normal" beer since they have a unique process to "deglutenize" beer. Brunehaut Brewery They list 2 distributors in the US: C2 Imports and Waterloo Beverages . We were in NYC on vacation and got some gluten free "beer" which was made form rice or something else and it was god awful. There's something on Wikipedia about Corona having such low levels of gluten that it's on par with actual gluten free beer.

Different people have different tastes. For me, I like much hard beer, Budweiser is pretty much mild for me. In hot days, I look for chilled Cobra, if it's not available, I settle for Touborg strong

What type of beer did the pilgrims have? What type of beer would the pilgrims have had access to in the early 1600's, and if they did have beer, would it be a good pairing with turkey?

As in every country exist brands most famous inside India too. The five brands are: Kingfisher (4.8% grade - strong 8%) Haywards (7%) Royal Challenge (5%) Kalyani Black Label (7.8%) Kings (4.8%) Personally I've tried Kalyani Black Label and I think is very good (is important the personal taste when you drink a beer bottle). Unfortunately I haven't tried other four beer in upper list.

In India, We have many foreign brews available. Some of my favorites are in rank-wise order: 1. Hoegaarden(Belgian Brewed) 2. Stella Artois(Again Belgian Brewed) 3. Erdinger(German Brewed) Also I recommend you to try Ballantine Ale, American Brewed Beer.. These Royal Lagers are worth giving a try!! Cheers!

On my 2nd trip to Tokyo, I found Popeye pub in a quaint part of the city @ Ryogoku: Popeye Beer Club . They have 70 taps and mostly from Japanese breweries.

When in Antioch CA drive at least to Concord and go the Hop Grenade; it's a beer bar that will have a great selection. Further east you'll have many great choices around Berkeley & SF, too many to list.

Both alcohol and prescription drugs (anxiolytics and antidepressants) can have a variable effect on one's alertness and reactions. Some people can drink 5 litres of beer and feel nothing. Many will feel dizzy and some will get near a coma. Men tolerate alcohol better than women and some guys are very quick metabolizers, so they get alcohol out of their blood very quickly. The same reasoning aplies to drugs that act on the central nervous system. They have a sedating effect similar to alcohol and one may not feel one hundred percent alert while others may feel extremely sedated and unable to perform tasks that require attention and precision. For all this, there is always a warning about mixing alcohol with those drugs. However, effects vary a lot and you may get away with drinking and taking an SSRI such as Fluoxetine, Paroxetine or Sertraline. With a Benzodiazepine (Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Diazepam) you have to be more careful. These drugs are more sedating than antidepressants and you may feel nothing, you may feel dizzy, or you may fall sound asleep. One never knows for sure, so you gotta be careful. And do not drink and drive, even if you haven't taken any of these drugs.

Heineken is the closest. I only actually enjoy two brands of beer: Heineken used to be my favorite until I got bored with it and the store clerk recommended Beck's. They go hand in hand! Like peas in a pod!

My favoured beer is Erdinger but it is priced high due to import duties. Of the local fare, UB's London Pilsner & Kingfisher Blue are my favourites

If it is an Oyster stout then it probably should have contact with ACTUAL oysters. Using the shells is a cop out that is like stone soup . Checkout new brewery Hammertown in London who do it properly: "In 1938 the original Hammerton Brewery was famous for being the first in the world to use Oysters as part of the brewing process. In this new recipe we’ve used a variety of flavoursome malts, including a good dose of oats. Fresh wild Maldon oysters are then added to the boil to add a subtle extra complexity to the taste of this stout."

If you're not too sensitive, there is Wicked Weed Gluten FREEk, its brewed with the brewers clarex, my wife has celiacs and she does not get a reaction from drinking it. It is the best "Gluten Reduced" beer out there! Alpine brewing company is also brewing some beers with the clarex but have not gotten a chance to try them. if anyone from CA wants to set up a trade i would be more than happy to!

The bulk of what they drank would have been small beer: very low alcohol content beer. It was often unfiltered. This was more or less consumed daily instead of water, since there was no sanitation at the time.

MD-Tech provided a rather good answer. I suppose in theory you could also add to it the risk of infection if you are drinking an unpasteurized beer. Normally you would have gut bacteria which would prevent the yeasts from colonizing your gut, but if you have lost those bacteria due to antibiotics then in theory you could get an infection. Of course, if you're still on antibiotics, odds are they will kill the yeast.

Beck's is a German pilsner (a type of pale lager), sharp, crisp, flavorfull, and is not filling. Beck's uses roasted hops and has a more bitter earthy flavor with much less foam. The flavor of other "light lagers" (european pilsners) may be similar, however, a pilsner is much easier to drink because, unlike most other light lager beers, a true pilsner is much less filling and has much less foam. Pilsner beers are noted for "drinkability". Beck's can be consumed with a large meal and then consumed afterwards as well. I believe this is why many non beer drinkers prefer and enjoy Beck's and almost no other beer. Click here for a list of "German style pilsners" as well as a list of the other types of similar beers and what makes them different Light lagers such as Heinekin, Stella, Amstel, etc ... are "European pilsner" beers typically labeled as lager whereas a German pilsner beer is typically labeled "pilsner" or "pils". Heineken does produce a true pilsner variety but it is not officially distributed or available within the United States. Heineken lager is distributed and sold throughout North America and has much more body and is more filling as one would expect from a light lager or "european pilsner". Sam Adams Gold pilsner is described as having "great body". This is not a characteristic of most German pilsners that are sharp and light bodied. This beeradvocate post goes on to say that "This is one of those beers to give to a Bud drinker" . . . definitely not something most people would say of Beck's. Similar beers include: Baltika #7 Export has a clean crisp light hoppy flavor and is less filling than Heinekin. St Pauli Girl pilsner (not to be confused with St Pauli Girl lager) is brewed for export only at the Beck's brewery in Bremen Germany. Tsingtao , a Chinese brewed German pilsner. Tsingtao is a product of the German occupation of Qingdao from the late 1800s until 1914. Not quite a flavorful as Beck's because the original recipe has changed but still a German pilsner in many aspects. Tsingtao is widely available at many Asian restaurants throughout North America and is a much better alternative or substitute for Beck's than Heinekin or Stella. Löwenbräu produces Beck's under licence for southern Germany and other parts of europe and is known for similar flavor (but then again, so is Heineken). Also, here is another list of German Pilsners. Update: If you're going to go the way of sam adams, at least get the right kind of beer and not some awful american lager. Sam Adams makes a Noble Pils. Noble hops are the type of hops German pilsners are distinct for, strong hops flavor. Even better is Sixpoint crisp . Strong hops flavor, easy to drink, and almost no hint of barley. More fruty than Beck's. Finally, Pilsner Urquell has a bit more foam than I would like from a German beer (probably because it's not German) but still did not weigh heavy on my stomach and easy to drink as well. Not quite as much flavor but I did not try the bottle. This one is a traditional pils. EDIT: I tried another German beer at the bar recently " Weihenstephaner original", brewed at the world's oldest brewery in Germany and brewed according to the German purity law of 1516. Sure enough, I didn't have to burp once. Drank a full pint glass and wasn't bloated one bit. Finally, the taste was the same familiar strong, pungent, and bitter hoppy taste I've grown so fond of from drinking German Beck's over the years and yes it comes in a very dark brown bottle. The bitterness is ranked at 21. They also make a pils with a bitterness of 32. I feel it should be added that beer brewed in Germany often conforms to the Reinheitsgebot or the German purity law of 1516. This gives German beer the crisp fresh taste and this is also why the foam doesn't linger and make you feel bloated. In all other countries, including the united states, beer manufacturers are known to include many other ingredients . Notably, chemicals are added for "head retention" that are not included in German beer.

There was a similar question on the Cooking SE site. Perhaps you can try the approach suggested by Adam Shiemke in the accepted answer. He recommended using ethyl acetate and performing a little home science experiment as detailed here .

3 ingredients help beer stay good, alcohol, hop and Yeast. so beers above 5% or really bitter beers. Or beers with yeast in the bottle. for example geuzes are at their best after 7 to 15 years, and stay drinkable for more than 30 years. The taste changes over the period.

You can check out the top rated beers at the user ratings site Untappd . You can filter by style and country, and the app is very easy to use. I'll bring it up on my phone when I'm at a restaurant or grocery store and I want more info about a beer I haven't seen before or to check out the ratings.

you can find a rank-list country by country. Italy you can find a list with score of italian beers. England you can find a list with score of english beers. Germany you can find a list with score of german beers.

Here's a video of someone attempting to drink a beer from 1988 - it didn't go over very well for him. How to FAIL at Chugging A 25 Year Old Beer (YouTube)

Also bear in mind that beers back then were made out of lots of ingredients that we'd think of as odd. Cock ale was obviously a thing, which was beer that was fermented (or boiled) with a rooster in it. Lots of beers would also have been strained through spruce post-boil which would've given them some wood or pine quality. Lots of other flowers were often involved. Check out George Washington's small beer recipe here . Though this is a poor transcription and a lot of folks agree that it should read "Bran, Hops to taste", it's still clear that the grain is sort of a "for taste, whatever you can spare" thing while the molasses is the star of the show. A lot of early drinks were like that, involving some sort of concentrated or burnt sugar in addition to grains, which generally weren't barley at the time. However, in the most ideal case where you had access to the best beer you could find...it would be some form of brown ale or lighter porter. Maybe an amber ale if you could find one that wasn't very hoppy. The stable kilning process that enabled people to make pale malt wasn't really invented until the mid-1600's and wasn't very popular until the 1700s, so brewers in the 1600s would've used a sort of generic-y brown malt that might taste slightly burnt and premium beers may have been able to include some lighter malt that was much harder to make and find. And it'd probably still have some molasses in it.

Beer was commonly drunk in the Elizabethan period in Europe, but what they drank is different from the beer we're used to today. Beer and ale, being grain-based, were important dietary staples -- it's said that beer is liquid bread, and that's not far off. For the common man (not nobility), in particular, grain made up a substantial part of the diet, with meat being fairly rare. Common beer was not aged for months or years like some beers today; rather, a batch might be produced in as little as half a week. These are "small beers" (or "small ales", for the unhopped variety), which are mildly alcoholic but drinkable in volume without unfortunate effects. These small beers/ales were produced in the home/manor; it was just one more task for the cooks. See, for example, Markham's The English Housewife , 1615. (I don't know of an online copy, sorry.) Note that this means that the pilgrims wouldn't have brought beer from Europe; it'd be consumed, or probably go bad, before they reached the new world. So they probably didn't have beer in their first year because they'd need to wait for a grain harvest. After that, if they brought hops with them then they could have made small beers like from the old country; if they didn't bring hops, they probably made ales instead. Turkey would have been new to their palates (it's a new-world bird), but beer was commonly drunk with meals where they came from, and those meals sometimes included other fowl. So, probably it pairs fine. However, they probably didn't care as much about the proper pairing as we might today, the same as we might not care about pairing the proper cola with the turkey sandwich we have for lunch. You may find the following helpful: discussion of Elizabethan homebrewing Wikipedia article on ale and Wikipedia article on small beers

That very much depends on the brewery. Some use cocoa nibs to add the chocolate flavor, but often they use what are called "chocolate malt", grain that is roasted until it's the color of chocolate. These happen to add a fair amount of chocolate and coffee characteristics to the final product.

Beer Kit - How long is it good for I bought a kit over the summer from Northern Brewer. This kit comes with the malt extract and the grains (for color mainly). I assume the grains would be stale, so I could probably buy some new grain, but I guess the extract would stay good for a long time, right. Should I just throw it out, or is it still good?

If everything has been sealed tightly, it should all be good still. The grain is probably fine, check that it's dry and still hard before using it, and inspect carefully for weevils or other small bugs. Dry extract is good for at least 6 months if sealed and dry. Sift it and see how clumpy it's gotten- if it's been good and dry, it won't have many clumps, and you can still use it. Liquid extract is fine for at least a year if it's sealed. Check the top of it for mold. There are many schools of thought on hops going bad- personally, I'd buy new ones. Also buy new yeast, or at least get it started a couple days ahead of time and make sure it's nice and alive.

If everything is reasonably cool and dry, no problem, but it would be a better if the hops and yeast had been kept in a refrigerator. You might have lost a little hop flavor, or the ferment might take a bit longer Remember that barley and hops are only harvested in one season - does AB stop brewing every spring while waiting for the next harvest? A few bugs on the grain isn't so bad (been there, brewed that) but mold is bad news, will actually screw up your beer (apparently some of the mold's enzymes will survive the boil and keep digesting your beer). Dry yeast is supposed to be OK for 1 year at room temp, but it will stay viable for quite long time if sealed. That stuff is hard to kill completely. As far as the extracts go, I've never heard of them going bad, as long as dry is dry and liquid is not diluted. Best of luck!

Guinness isn't the only dark beer to layer with. Porters can be used to as a bottom layer to give you a dark-on-bottom drink. Check it all out at The Perfect Black and Tan.

Why is beer in Czech Republic so cheap? I recently traveled to Prague where beer was extremely cheap, usually around $1-$2 USD in supermarkets for 16 oz. cans. Even brands like Heineken and Stella were this cheap. What are the main factors for this?

It is in my opinion mainly thanks to low excise duty on beer in the Czech republic. Another factor is the fact that there are lower prices of almost everything in the Czech republic (I am talking mainly about local food and beverages). And last but not least, Czech republic is I guess second or third in the whole world in beer consumption, which means there is high level of demand for traditional czech beer, which allows producers to produce beer in large quantities.

In my experience, blanche and saisons are always beers that are enjoyed, even from people who are not beer lovers. The scent of spices and fruit make them interesting, and the flavor is much more "traditional" than trappist beers (which are awesome, but also different). For a second try, I would go with IPA and APA (but they are much more bitter), and the aroma is more similar to tropical fruits. As a third, I would go with Belgian beers ("abbey" style), like a Golden Ale. You could try Chouffe, for example (or Affligem blonde). Sweet, round beer that has a wonderful malt taste. PS: I'm not suggesting particular brands as I understand you are in US, I don't know common brands there.

Previous answers are good, I'd just add to pay attention to ABV, which is gonna be mid-high (around 6-7). As suggested here , you'd want the alcohol and the (not too much) hop to cleanse your palate, and it is maybe "easier" than the acid of sour ales or Oud Bruins. Such opulence (...) goes well with a well structured craft beer, but with sharp "weapons" to de-grease the palate. I would suggest an amber ale, or a darker amber: caramel malts, lightly toasted - excessive roasting may in fact have to battle with ingredients such as tomatoes.(...) Our beer, we said, must also have the ability to " clean up" the palate, perhaps with a touch of citrus fruit or herbal, with a pleasant feeling of hops. But absolutely shouldn't be too sweet. So we'd prefer a product that is dry, bitter and strong with good carbonation, since bubbles help the drinkability. As for the alcohol, it would be preferable not to exceed 6 and 7 percent

Beer-A-Day (Free Online) Calendars I'm looking for free online beer-a-day calendars highlighting a different beer every day. Anything available for the United States, Germany, Bavaria, for example? Ideally the calendars also include a web feed for subscription. Any insight welcome. Cheers. Prost. Disclaimer: As examples I've put together a free online beer-a-day calendar for Austria - (Feed) and for Belgium - (Feed) . All example code and data public domain (that is, free, open source).

I don't know of anything, but if you already have code to do one and just need data you may be able to leverage BreweryDB's API and scrape beers that way. It's a pretty extensive database.

I think a lot depends on where you live and what is currently distributed in your local supermarkets. This reflects the local "beer culture". it is, as always, a matter of supply and demand. Industrial beer is very often just bad beer (because it is pasteurized, thus it kills all the bacteria and such that make craft beer so good and different). It is very difficult for a heavily distributed (thus cheap) beer to be good enough to compete with really good, local craft beers. Very good beer is expensive to make, and often made in small or mid-size breweries. In Italy in the last years we have seen a huge leap in beer culture (a "Beernaissance", if you will). We have hundreds of microbreweries, a lot of good breweries, a handful of excellent and internationally praised ones. People is drinking much more good beer (meaning, craft), so now you can find a lot of craft beer in bars, restaurants and finally supermarket. Until few years ago, supermarkets had just industrial beer, and the occasional Leffe Blonde bottle. Now you can find a lot more. At the end of the day, I think it is much better that you reverse your approach: find some non trivial beers in your local supermarkets, and query them on apps or http://ratebeer.com .

In my experience, different women have quite different tastes, but there are a few beers that seem to appeal to women much more than they do to men, so I'll try recommending those. Innis & Gunn (original) is an obvious candidate. It's a very bland beer that's stored on American bourbon casks for a while. This gives it a strong, perfumy vanilla aroma. Some people think it feels artificial, but it's really not. It's the aroma of the American oak. Given that your friend loves vanilla it seems the obvious place to start. Duchesse du Bourgogne is technically a Flemish red. It's a sweetish beer that's been stored in wooden barrels so that it turns a little acidic, too. Kind of fruity, kind of vinous, little bitterness. It's really a classic beer, and while many men love it (me among them), even more women seem to like it. Really worth trying. German weissbier is sweetish, not sour, not at all bitter, and has a gentle banana flavour that comes from the yeast. Again it's something that many men like, and more women. Good examples are Weihenstephaner, Paulaner, and Erdinger (in that order). US wheat ale might work, too, but they generally use normal ale yeast and thus turn deathly boring. Belgian witbier is similar to the weissbier, even though it uses a more neutral yeast, but then makes up for it with orange peel and coriander. Hoegaarden is the original, but there are many more examples you could try. Belgian beer in general is sweet and low on bitterness. Some good ones to try: Westmalle Trippel, Barbar, Chimay White, La Trappe (legally Dutch), Rochefort, St Bernardus. All of these are fantastic beers that sound like they should appeal to your friend.

Is there a site (or app) like Beer Advocate that lets me give just an overall rating? Beer Advocate used to allow you to give an overall rating for a beer, rather than giving score breakdowns (appearance, smell, mouth feel, etc). They have recently changed this and you can only supply a rating if you rate all the factors. That makes sense if you're a site owner trying to gather better data, but it's not so great for the casual beer-drinker who just wants to keep track of what she's had and how she liked it. The value of a site like Beer Advocate, rather than just keeping a file on disk, is having access to the descriptions (including categories like "winter warmer" and "amber ale" and suchlike), other items from those breweries (useful when looking at a menu, or shopping), and, out of curiosity, the variance between my rating and the average for people who rated that beer. Also, I want to be able to see and add ratings from multiple locations, so if I just used a file it would have to live in the cloud somewhere. Alternatively, I'd be happy to use an app on my Android phone. What's the easiest way for me to track what I've had, with information about the beers (and breweries) and my own ratings? I don't care if my ratings are shared with the world; I'm happy to contribute them if that's helpful, but I'm looking for a way that I can track information about my own tastes.

RateBeer is the other big rating site. It also has a 5 point rating system but you can also just "tick" beers 1-5 stars, which may be helpful for you. There's also Untappd which is pretty popular. It operates more on a 4square-style check-in system and has a lot of social features as well as badges for various types of beer, origins, location, timing, etc. But their rating system is a simple 1-5 stars with an optional notes field and location tagging. They also include a recommendation system but it doesn't take locality into account making it largely useless since the majority of the beers they'll recommend are impossible to find in your area. There are a few smaller ones kicking around as well. A buddy of mine did littlebeerbook.com , which is fairly up your alley based on the description. However it's pretty rough on mobile, and even outside of that the User Experience isn't the best. Work is being done, but it's slow going with day jobs and families and all that. So if you don't mind the interface, it'll track what you want pretty well.

Beer is fermented typically (but not exclusively) via yeast. When live beer yeast, actually a fungus, is present, it creates a hostile environment for (potentially harmful) bacteria reducing their prevalence. Therefore, fresh beer could be considered a safer alternative to say, river water.

San Francisco Locations: Anchor Brewing Company , the oldest brewing company in San Francisco has tours and tastings at their facilities. Tip: you have to book about 2-3 months in advance to get a spot, since this experience is pretty popular among locals. The experience used to be completely free, though they just started charging $15 per person earlier this year. 21st Amendment Brewery has great seasonal beers and their pub has a great atmosphere a few blocks from AT&T Park. One of my favorites is the Hell or High Watermelon Beer (usually distributed during the summer or early fall) Specific beers: Highest rated local San Francisco beers

The biggest difference between Singels, Dubbels, Trippels, and Quads is ABV. The (purported) origin of these come from the Trappist Monasteries of Belgium where illiteracy was high. Because a lot of people couldn't read the kind of beer that was being brought to them, the barrels were marked with Xs. One X meant, low ABV (think <=3% ABV like Miller or Bud) four Xs meant super strong (along the lines of >10% ABV). These are the BJCP Guidelines. They go into Belgian Doubles and Tripels on page 27 (actual pg 27 not e-page 27). Discerning between the styles is largely based on these kinds of guidelines, not on how they are fermented/conditioned/etcetera.

if you use the Google translator - here's a description of one of these diets пивная диета

Yes, it's true. There's been big debates over to what degree they were aware that water caused diseases while beer did not, but a big factor was that beer was seen as nourishing (which it is) while water was not. In an age where getting enough to eat was a recurring challenge, this contributed to making people prefer beer/wine. In practice it seems people preferred alcoholic drinks for both reasons. Generally, people would drink small beer as an everyday drink against thirst (and that's what children got, too), and beer proper for celebrations. That's actually a Finnish saying: "small beer for work, beer for celebration" ("Kaljalla työt tehdään, oluella pidot pidetään"). Small beer was generally made together with beer. That is, they'd do a mash, and the first wort that's run off has the most sugar. As you keep pouring water through, obviously more and more sugar is washed out of the malts, and the wort keeps getting waterier. Eventually they'd stop, and make beer from the wort. Then they'd continue, and run off a much weaker wort from the remaining sugar in the malts. This was the small beer. Many places they would even do a third beer, which was so weak it would barely ferment. There were also other grain-based drinks, made from flour or bread, and typically sour and just barely alcoholic. Kvass is the best-known example, but there were many others. Weak beer as an every-day drink continued for much longer than you might think. It was the introduction of tea/coffee that first started displacing it. Then, later, higher availability of milk, then juices and soft drinks continued the process. On Gotland, off the coast of Sweden, children were drinking weak beer as late as the 1960s. I lack data for exactly when this ended elsewhere, but it was long, long after the Middle Ages.

Full Sail Brewery in Hood River, Oregon is excellent! There are actually several pubs I'm that area with awesome selections.

Light beer is the closest thing to diet, but here's the catch: The majority of caloric content in beer is from alcohol. If you want really low calories you're going to be looking at really low alcohol beer. Not really a win. Best thing to do is try to cut calories elsewhere, because at that point you're drinking tasteless light beer and not even getting the proper buzz.

Bottle fermentation is somewhat of a misnomer, as the term should really pertain to any fermentation done in the final packaging, in tap beer's case that's the keg. Pretty much any unfiltered beer (not just tripels) will have sugar added to continue to ferment in the bottle/keg. If you think the bottled beer tastes better there's a simple explanation that isn't exactly pretty. There's a good chance your bar is not cleaning its tap lines regularly enough. This messes with the taste and can add some funk. Edit: It could also simply be due to the beers age. If a bar regularly rotates out kegs it could be much fresher, versus a store where a bottle might sit in storage for a few extra months. In the case of a bottle-conditioned beer the older bottle will taste better than a newer keg.

There actually are a lot of really high-quality beers that are extremely well-distributed. The Trappists aside from Westvleteren and the new ones from the past couple years are available all over the place as well as a lot of classics like Weihenstephaner or Schneider. You would be surprised at just how well you can do simply trying out anything you haven't seen a commercial for. You also need to keep in mind personal taste. The BeerAdvocate list is NOTORIOUSLY skewed towards IPAs, Stouts, Sours, Seasonals, Limited Releases and overall big beer. If you find yourself mostly enjoying things outside those categories then their list is certainly not for you. Furthermore there is certainly some inflation to a lot of the ratings, if there is a beer fewer people can get then there are fewer ratings and the law of averages loses some influence. Plus there's the beer hipster effect where people feel safer about having strong opinions on beers nobody else has had. My advice would be to simply get a couple of friends, buy a bunch of 6-packs and share the beer and try different styles from whatever is available locally. Figure out what style your favorite beers are and then go into some research about the best beers of that style and see what you can do from there. Even if you do find a top 100 beers available in the exact town you live in it won't be catered to your tastes.

Something like Miller 64 is probably what you are looking for. But alcohol content is quite proportional to caloric content.

Sell by dates tend to be very conservative to cover peoples asses, but in reality many beers will actually get better past their sell-by date, particularly unfiltered (cloudy) beers. Beers like any of the light lagers should be fine for a year or two and not taste significantly worse provided they are stored properly. Improper storage would be somewhere with warm or fluctuating temperature or where the beer is exposed to light. Light is what "skunks" beer, and can literally synthesize the same chemicals that makes skunks smell. The color of the bottle has a big effect on how rapidly this can occur. Clear glass provides no protection, I would not drink Corona that was left in the sun for even just one day (not that I wouldn't avoid it anyway). Green provides some, but is not much better (blocks somewhere around 40% of light). Brown is the best blocking around 90% of light, but completely opaque materials are the only things that are truly effective. Some breweries like Sam Adams even go the extra mile and have extra tall sides on their six packs to block light completely. In short, old beer is not dangerous. Some styles age well (belgian styles, german wheat, unfiltered styles). Others do not (light lagers, pale ales, filtered beers). Light is the real enemy.

Wandering Aengus Ciderworks of Salem, OR has a chili cider, though it might be only available on tap. Their website does say that their bottles are now being distributed in So Cal. http://anthemcider.com/?p=50 https://untappd.com/b/wandering-aengus-ciderworks-anthem-chili/405571

Why does Belgium have such a rich and profound brewing culture? I discovered craft beers some years ago, but I've been always been amazed by Belgian brewing culture, which is so different from German and Great Britain traditions. Why is it that beer has such important and diverse roots in Belgium? What are the historical reasons?

Trappist Monks sold beer to support the monasteries. There is no order for the monks to abstain from alcoholso they use the money raised to support the monks and the abbey in which they live. People really liked the unique flavors of the Belgium Trappist Monk's beer and it became its own style. Most of the time you will see home-brewers air-lock their fermentors so wild yeast cannot spoil the beer. The strains of yeast that have been cultivated for centuries inside the abbey walls have given the Belgian beers their unique flavors.

Brewing in monasteries did a lot to keep brewing more of a passion thing than big business. The monks of the Trappist monasteries were largely concerned with just keeping afloat and contributing to charitable works than expanding and making huge piles of cash so their brews don't need to worry about using using malts that are too expensive or things like that. It stopped adjunct malts from showing up in the brews and watering them down. By the time worldwide distribution became a thing their own styles had been engrained for so long that high quality beer had become a tradition that nobody was willing to leave behind. Sure there are some crappy beers like Stella Artois, but the vast majority of Belgian beer is awesome stuff like Chimay, Corsendonk or Rochefort now. There's also a pretty big culture there of pairing beer with food and even cooking with beer. Its just deeply engrained in every day life for them, not just as a way to get drunk and be merry but of simply enjoying your breakfast.

I've drinked beers that were 2 years past the sell by date. They tasted normal (although i´m not a beer sommellier) and nothing bad happened to me, as other answers have pointed out. If i were you I would see this as a unique oportunity to test how 7 years of bottle aging change a Lite American Lager. Buy a brand new Bud Light, refrigerate it to the same temperature, open both bottles, pour into equal glasses and see. If they look similar (same color and foam) and the old one doesn´t smell bad, give it a small sip. If it tastes normal, there's no reason for you not to try it! In case you really compare them, can you share with us the differences in color, smell and taste between the new and the 7-years old Bud Light?

A couple other things contribute to the Belgian beer culture: They didn't have to follow the (pointlessly restrictive) Reinheitsgebot, thus allowing the use of fruit, spices, Belgian 'candi' sugar (and probably other things). It is said that the wild yeasts in certain parts of Belgium make great beer. Entschuldigung an Deutschland.

Does re-refrigerating affect the taste of beer? Some of my college friends like to tell me that refrigerating beer, then taking it out (allowing it to warm up), and re-refrigerating it causes the beer to lose its taste. I've even known some to throw out beer that has gone through this scenario. I've looked around on the internet a bit, and there doesn't seem to be any real evidence to the claim. I found an article on Beer Advocate , where people seem to agree that: UV light exposure causes negative effects (only a real problem for bottled beer). Extreme fluctuations in temperature are generally not good for the beer. Bottled beers can sometimes re-ferment at higher temperatures, causing over-carbonation. Nothing conclusive. My question is: does refrigerating, unrefrigerating, and re-refrigerating beer negatively affect the taste of beer?

Beer is meant to be stored in a cool, dark place. Light is indeed bad for it and causes "skunking" which produces literally the same chemical skunks produce. Lots of times re-refrigerating beer implies the beer was left out. Was it left out in a place exposed to light? Particularly sunlight? It may not be the fact that it was exposed to higher temperatures that was the culprit, but the light. Warmer temperatures certainly seem like the most obvious offenders for a sub-par beer, but light is far more dangerous. Temperature for the most part should not be an issue. Anything from like 32-75 F should not be an issue, although somewhere between 45-55 F is the ideal cellaring temperature. To break the upper limit of safe temperatures pretty much requires you to leave the beer outdoors during a hot summer where it will likely be joined by the bigger threat of light. Long story short: cellaring temperatures are for long-term (12 months+) storage and anything between freezing and high-end room temperature shouldn't have any adverse effects if stored someplace dark. The idea that beer needs to remain ice-cold from the moment the yeast is added is a bunch of BMC marketing BS.

was working great, now all foam I'm a beer keg newbie. I'm on my third keg and i am still having problems. I tapped the keg on Christmas Day after leaving it for 24 hours. Temp is 39, pressure is 12 running a 5ft line. It poured great for the first day, with the occasional foamy pull. The next day we noticed the keg was leaking from the coupler. I cleaned it up reconnected the coupler and had little pressure. I added an o ring and let it sit. The pressure came back and it doesn't leak, but every pull is 90% foam. I let it sit for another day, dropping the pressure to 10 and releasing the pressure value on the coupler. Still foam...what gives...it was working well. Can anyone give me some suggestions.

What exactly is a golden stout? I just saw a golden stout, I thought that stouts had to be dark and use roasted malts. What does a golden stout taste like? The same as a stout minus the color?

UV light exposure causes negative effects (only a real problem for bottled beer). UV light has a photochemical impact on hops. This causes it to have a flavor and aroma of a skunk. Brown bottles help lower the amount of UV light that can get to the beer, and with cans this is a non-issue. Extreme fluctuations in temperature are generally not good for the beer. Extreme temperature fluctuations could impact the flavor of any drink, but most likely will be too subtle to notice. Bottled beers can sometimes re-ferment at higher temperatures, causing over-carbonation. Yeast needs sugars to ferment, by the time the bottle is on the shelves, the fermentable sugars are completely fermented and the yeast is in a dormant stage. However, this doesn't mean yeast cannot still affect the flavor of the beer. If the beer is bottle conditioned , then it still has live yeast cultures and extra care should be taken to keep it below high temperatures (80+ F.) for long periods of time. You should not be concerned of it exploding (over carbonating), that only happens in homebrews where they added too much sugars or didn't sanitize everything properly. The majority of commercial beers are filtered to such a high degree that there is little to no live yeast to be concerned about. Some beers are even pasteurized to kill any remaining yeast, removing the possibility of it affecting flavor and extending its shelf life. Bottom line is, avoid temperature fluctuations as much as you can, but its not something you should throw away perfectly good beer for. If you are a supertaster that can detect the subtle flavor changes, give it away to one of the 75% of us who are not. For a full scientific study with facts and figures way over my head you can see: Stability profile of flavour-active ester compounds in ale and lager beer during storage

I was in a similar situation as you. I fixed it by venting the keg completely, then sealing everything up and attaching the gas line. I left the pressure off at first though. I slowly rolled it up to about two pounds and poured. I continued to increase the pressure very slowly and now keep it around 8 pounds. It sounds like you are over pressurized when serving.

How long does it take to cool a keg of beer? I have a corny (5 gal) keg of homebrew, already carbonated, that's been aging at room temperature. I'd like to bottle it off soon, but in my experience that works best when the beer is in the 45-50 degree Fahrenheit range. Tonight the weather forecast for my area says it will get down to 29, and tomorrow it will be right around 45. I'm inclined to just stick the keg on the fire escape tonight and leave it until the afternoon. I'm not really worried about freezing, given the alcohol content I understand it should be able to go down to 28 or 29 without trouble (correct me if I'm wrong here). I can't seem to find any reliable resources about air cooling, just recommendations for folks trying to cool beer as fast as possible. Will the keg be cool enough tomorrow to bottle? EDIT: The forecast now says it could get as low as 24, so the freezing question may also be an issue. The keg is outside, so we'll see what happens.

Beer Citizen allows you to rate Appearance, scent, taste and mouthfeel. You can look at individual reviews or get an average rating from everyone who has reviewed the beer. Each beer has brew facts and show you similar beers to the one you are reviewing. Great app

Does Sam Adams sell its 'White Christmas' beer in six-packs? Does Sam Adams sell its 'White Christmas' beer in six-packs? I've only seen it included as part of its holiday sampler 12-pack. Never as its own standalone six-pack. If not, why not?

Yup, they do! You can find it online at Binny's , for example ($9.99).

Sort of. These stouts my also be known as "Blonde" or "White" in additional "Golden". Supposedly the idea first came about in 2007, when it was joked that Stone should brew a Golden Stout, it being a sort of oxymoron. However, it appears that now it exists. Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele decided to create it , a light colored beer which had the flavors of a stout, “To achieve the qualities of a stout, we relied on our prior experience brewing with coffee to pull flavors from the beans without affecting the hue of the beer,” explains Steele. “As the beer warms and opens up, the chocolate adds another level of complexity and helps build the traditional flavors typically associated with dark beers. It’s been really fun to see a prank with questionable viability become a reality.” While this isn't the only example, it's one of the more notorious ones that serves well to explain the idea as well as how the flavoring is achieved.

Stone Smoked Vanilla Porter would be fun to try. The recipe was from one of their female brewers, which might pique her interest, too. http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/38446/ A friend of mine who doesn't really like beer (even chocolate stouts) tried the Framboise de Amorosa and really liked it. http://lostabbey.com/beer/framboise-de-amorosa

Is it possible to change the outcome of a beer in the fermentation stages? I am brewing a batch of Amber Ale right now and I was wondering if it would be possible to put something in with the wort while it is fermenting in order to change it's flavor. Could I add in like orange extract or something along those lines in order to get a citrus flavor in the beer? Is there anything I can do or should that have happened when I was boiling the wort in the first place? On a different note, would it be possible to raise the alcohol percentage of the beer/ make it stronger in this stage?

yes, not really and yes. It's quite popular to add flavors, especially spices, after fermentation. The ideal method is to make extract of the spice, try it in a sample of the finished beer, and add the right amount to get the flavor level you want. Adding it during fermentation makes the end result harder to predict (especially if the CO2 scrubs out volatile flavor compounds) but it is not uncommon to dry hop while the beer is near the end of fermentation. The only special thing to do on brew day is make sure the beer style is suitable for the spice that you want. For barleywine some people will continue to add fermentables over a long time, apparently it keeps the yeast happier.

In addition to @john-m's answer about the modern white stouts which are paleish with coffee/chocolate flavors, there historically were pale stouts which predated our modern concept of stout as a dark beer with chocolate/coffee flavors. Check Zytophile for some historical context. He goes on for a bit but the main takeaway is that from the early 1700s to at least the 1850's there are ads, brewing records, mentions in manuals, etc of "Pale Stout". Basically because: For 150 years or so after the word stout first began being applied to beer it was used simply as an adjective to mean “strong”. Also a little bit worth reading at Shut up about Barclay Perkins , though in this case the comments section is a bit more interesting than the body of the post, specifically this comment by Ron Pattinson: What makes it a Stout? The brewery called it one. What we think of today as Stout was originally called Brown Stout. A strong beer brewed from brown malt. Pale Stout is the same thing, just brewed from pale malt. It's a very 18th-century way of defining beers.

I know I'm a few days late but the worry I'd have leaving a keg outside in cold weather is the pressure changes. CO2 absorbs more in colder conditions, but if anything freezes, even partially, CO2 gets driven out of solution. Normally when you refrigerate kegs indoors they're hooked up to gas, so as pressure in the headspace drops it's less likely the keg will unseal itself. Also, if the keg did freeze a bit the CO2 being forced into the headspace could conceivably go over the pressure limits of the keg, depending on how carbonated it was to begin with among other things. Think of leaving a bottle or can in the freezer to chill it quickly then forgetting about it. Odds are instead of a beersicle you got beer and glass sprayed all over the inside of your icebox. It's anecdotal, I'll admit, but I've seen it happen so I wouldn't risk a keg and either leave it outside uncarbonated or chill it in a temperature controlled fridge. Anyway, this is long since past so my fear mongering is moot. Let us know how it went for you. You should be able to leave and accept an answer to your own question and it would be good for the site.

If you really want to get someone into beer you should avoid gimmicky fruit beers. At that point you aren't really appreciating the beer for the beer in my opinion, and there are plenty of options out there where fruity tastes play a role, but aren't artificial or dominating. But really what you want to do is get her exposed to some top-notch examples of the main styles and get an idea of what she likes and go from there. If we're skipping sours, pale ales and chocolate beer then here are some I always try to hit on with newbies: Witbier - Light, Belgian wheat beer with orange peel and coriander. Awesome summer beer and one of the most accessible styles. Fruity flavor is just an accent more than the point of the beer. Great examples: Hacker Pschorr, Hoegaarden, St. Bernardus Dubbel - Dark, Belgian ales brewed with complex blends of malts resulting in deep, rich flavors and notes of dark fruits and spices despite lacking any of these ingredients. Great Examples: Cordendonk Abbey Brown Ale, Chimay Red, Rochefort 8 German Wheat - Lots of styles within this, but these tend to be a bit heavier than witbier with more of a spicy character and less citrus. These range from the extremely light weissbier to dunkleweizens to the heaviest weizenbocks. Great Examples: Weihenstephaner Weiss/Dunkel/Vitus, Schneider Weiss Bock - Traditionally the heaviest of lagers, dark and complex but more mild than stouts. Little hop character with complex malts. Great Examples - Weihenstephaner Korbinian, Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock Others I might try are a good Coffee Stout Narragansett, a caramel porter like the Sam Adams Holiday Porter, and if you're really striking out with all these Abita's Purple Haze is probably the best fruit-added beer out there aside from sours.

Do growlers of different materials have a tangible impact on flavor? Most commonly I see glass growlers, but on various sites and at specialty shops I occasionally see variations: ones made of stainless steel or plastic for example. One would hope that there aren't too many negatives associated with these, but are there proven differences? Is it the same as a bottle vs. can, or does the (usually) limited time in the container make the material...immaterial?

The biggest impact tends to be the color of the container. Green and clear bottles let in more of the harmful light that spoils the beer. The darker the container, the better. Plastic also lends itself to being scratched if re-used (which most growlers are). Even powdered cleaners with soft cloths can scratch the plastic (if the cleaner isn't disolved well enough) and make grooves where bacteria can sit and ruin future beers. While it isn't the only choice: Dark Colored, glass growlers that have an air-tight seal would be the best for longevity sake.

Ideally you'd want to add flavors in the secondary fermentation stage (aka placing your fermented beer in a brightening tank). After your primary fermentation happens, you'd rack the beer into another clean container and let it set for longer. This would allow any of the remaining sediment to fall out of solution and make your beer less cloudy. This is a very common time to do things like "Dry hopping." Where, in addition to adding hops in the wort-making-stage... You take (as sterile as you can get them): hops; spices; fruit; or whatever you feel like adding - place them in a sterile cheese-cloth if they would get messy/float - and then let the new mixture set until you're ready to bottle/keg. @Pepi is correct. Since you cannot "clean" a cinnamon stick, it is common practice is to make a spice extract and place it into the beer, a little at a time, until you achieve the appropriate flavor. You probably can add something during the primary fermentation; but, the chances that it would cause issues with the fermentation become much greater.

If you get to Bend, Oregon, they have an Ale Trail connecting 14 breweries. Probably takes more than a day, but almost all breweries can be reached on foot (for insensitive european feet anyway) and it's well worth it.

I've had the best luck using brown or dark glass growlers. Glass is one of the most inert food-storage materials. The effect on taste of beer from different material containers is similar to the effect that drinking water from different material containers has. Using metal can sometimes impart a flavor to the beer, though medical-grade (316) stainless steel should be as inert as glass, which is why it's used in a lot of brewing equipment. Not all stainless steel is up to this task, though - make sure to check which alloy the containers are made from. Some will rust over time, despite the "stainless" designation! Passivation of the material's inside surface is also helpful - this creates a very thin layer of metal oxide material on metals that will not react with the liquid stored inside. (The growler you linked to is passivated, for example.) Plastics definitely can impart a flavor into beer or other drinks, and are difficult to keep sanitized / free of scratches and bacteria. I'd avoid this where possible, though you may find it is fine for taste if you drink the beer quickly enough.

If you're looking on the fly, check out NextGlass . It's a craft beer (and wine) discovery app that works by scanning labels.

Could I add in like orange extract or something along those lines in order to get a citrus flavor in the beer? Yes; search Google for "secondary fermentation additions". Is there anything I can do or should that have happened when I was boiling the wort in the first place? There are flavor additions you can throw in the kettle but you'll get the most bang for your buck with (SANITIZED!) additions during fermentation. Don't think twice about an amber ale, though; wait until you have some more experience before improvising with recipes. would it be possible to raise the alcohol percentage of the beer/ make it stronger in this stage Again, yes and no. In theory you can add more cane sugar, but in practice it only works with yeast that are highly alcohol tolerant. (Usually Belgian; highly alcohol tolerant yeast strains usually make no secret about their properties.) The yeast used for an amber ale is most likely not tolerant enough to go very far outside the recipe, and beer that is too alcoholic for the recipe generally tastes pretty bad.

How exactly is IBU measured? Are IBU-testing kits generally available or do you require labs and lots of equipment? Is anything available for testing my homebrew? (I am thinking of something like litmus paper)

Unfortunately there's no easy way to test for this at home unless you're a chemist and happen to own a gas spectrometer. However, white labs sells a testing kit for < $40 that will run a full series of labs on a sample of your beer and give you exact alcohol, IBU, diacetyl, gluten content, etc. But it requires packing up a sample of your brew and shipping it to white labs in the provided box. I don't know how long it takes since I've never done it. As to the process I was able to find this description at homebrewtalk.com: A 10 mL pipet is dipped into octanol and shaken so that most of the octanol is thrown off. 10 mL of chilled beer are drawn into the pipet and transferred to a 50 mL centrifuge tube. 1 mL of 3 N HCl is added followed by 20 mL of spectrographic grade iso-octane. The tube is shaken vigorously using a wrist action shaker (though I know one guy who does this determination professionally who shakes by hand) for 15 minutes. If there is a slush in the tube, centrifuge until the iso-octane phase is separate. Pipet a couple mL into a quartz 1 cm cuvet and read against another quartz cuvet filled with iso-octane and a "minute" amount of octanol. The IBUs are 50 times the absorbtion at 275 nm. Best bet for your home brewing is to pick one of the estimation formulas and note it on all your beers, then you can rank them relatively based on your perception of the IBUs calculated and can better target the amount of bitterness you want in the future. Since a lot of it depends on your equipment and the alpha acid content of the particular crop of hops. You might also want to pop over to homebrew.SE and ask if they know of any other test kits or have advice.

Check out BeerTrade . It's not specifically limited to swapping between countries, but there is no reason you couldn't organize something there. There are about 10,000 people watching that subreddit currently.

From Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers : To really know the level of bitterness present in a beer, you must have a laboratory analysis performed. For home brewing purposes, the best you can usually do is to plug the alpha acid values of the hops you're going to use into an IBU calculator such as the one from Brewer's Friend or using Beersmith to calculate the bitterness. (The alpha acid values can be found on the hops' packaging.) It's worthwhile to not get too wrapped up in IBU. From Daniels: Using all these techniques … the big guys only control their bitterness to within plus or minus 2 IBU! Given that the average level of bitterness might be something like 15 IBUs, that represents an allowable variation of 13 percent in the bitterness of the product. The reason [major producers] don't sweat over the IBU inside that range is because the human palate can't detect the difference. Studies have shown that the detection threshold for bitterness is about 5 IBU. And that is for beers in the 10 to 15 IBU range. Among home and craft brewers, the sensitivity is usually less because we are used to more bitter beers.

When one speaks of "Belgian brewing", one must distinguish between two major styles of beer: the famous abbey ales produced by Trappist orders in Belgium (and now one in America), and the the saisons and bières de garde produced as inexpensive nutritional supplements and dietary staples for farm life. An interest in the history and production of these beers is best served by Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales and Stan Hieronymus' Brew Like a Monk . To touch on a few of your questions: As previously alluded, beer served a utilitarian purpose as a dietary staple and nutritional supplement for an agrarian society. Beer was frequently brewed in large batches at regular intervals in support of farm life, and the result were table beers and saisons for work during the harvest and bières de garde (loosely translated: "beers for keeping") to survive the winters. Abbey ales are not as varied as they initially appear. Much of the variation in beers brewed in Trappist style come from fermenting different "runnings" of the same batches of wort (unfermented beer); to summarize very briefly, the strength is dependent upon the sugar content which is dependent on how many times the mashed malt has been "rinsed". See Wikipedia's page on lautering for more details. Belgian and English brewing are actually not very dissimilar from a historical perspective, and there was quite a bit of overlap in technique between English, Belgian, and Flandrian brewers. The differences in style we perceive now (e.g. IPAs vs Flemish sours) evolved by regional taste preferences from common roots: malt-forward beers (which were originally quite sour) using the low alpha acid noble hops which thrived on the continent. Consider the similarities in taste and composition between an ESB and a dubbel. In addition to the above referenced works, a quick read through the history section of Jeff Sparrow's Wild Brews should answer any remaining questions you might have about the history of Franco-Belgian beer.

The differences in taste of bottled versus kegged tripels are more likely psychological rather than practical, as Belgian bottles tend to be expensive, rare, and exotic. Because the primary purpose of conditioning is to carbonate the beer, the method (bottle vs keg) used to do so is a matter of personal preference or production constraints. At this point in the production cycle, the yeast have done all they're going to do with the wort (technically referred to as a yeast's "attenuation") and you're left with two options that yield virtually identical results: bottle the beer with some added sugar to motivate the remaining yeast to create more CO2, or force-carbonate the beer in a keg.

If you happen to pass through Ventura at all, check out Surf Brewery . They're a small brewery, not a huge selection, but they do really good IPAs. Their Black IPA and Session IPA (sometimes they call it an XPA) in particular are terrific. Pretty good prices on growlers as well.

What style of lager is Corona? And what other beers are similar? Corona Extra is a Mexican beer that is very popular (in Australia anyway). Most people seem to like it for it's drinkability, and suitability for enjoyment in hot weather. Is there a name for this style of lager? Eg; I don't think it's a pilsener or dark lager. And what other beers are in the same style?

The BJCP classifies Corona Extra as a Premium American Lager , being, clear, yellow, not hoppy but with a little more body than a light. Assuming 'dry' isn't some radically different beer, the category would probably still be correct. BJCP draft guidelines (not official) consider putting Asahi Super Dry and Corona Extra in 2A 'International Pale Lagers' which is ' Loosely derived from original Pilsner-type lagers.... ' 1MB PDF if you want to read the draft.

How much is open fermentation affected by the environment? If you had two identical brewing processes set up and left them both out for open fermentation, what would be the distance needed to create a tangible difference between the two? 10 miles? 100 miles? Anywhere with different flora/fauna or wildlife nearby? I'm sure that a lot of the factors are "it depends", but can the amount of variety between the two environments required be summarized all? It'd be interesting to see a beer that was uniformly made, then divvied up and transported to a variety of areas for localized fermentation.

Oficina da Cerveja, shop Sant’Ana LX Brewery, cerveja artisanal Lisboa, rua Bernardim Ribeiro 53 oficina aberto ao público apenas Terças e Quintas das 14:30 às 19 h (sem necessitar de combinar antes) http://oficinadacerveja.pt/ The shop provides some products to home brewers. The microbrewery (quite micro indeed) makes some really good brews in today’s IPA trend. During a stay with friends in september (Belgians), we bought some American Pale Ale (4,9 %) and some Rye IPA (6,8 %). Very nice.

Microbrewery in Porto, Portugal? Port, Porter, Porto, Portugal? Are there any microbreweries in Porto? Are there any Port-related beer breweries in Porto? (Such as Rodenbach beers in Belgium, that have a wine-like feel.) What local beers (micro-brewery or not) should one look out for in Porto? Is Port / Porto related to Porter?

Local breweries and specialty brew in Montreal? Are there local breweries / microbreweries in Montreal, Canada? What are the specialty brews in Montreal? Is there a must-drink beer in Montreal?

Why are Enkel trappist beers not sold publicly? The four grades of Trappist beer are Enkel, Dubbel, Triple and Quadrupel. Dubbel and triple are most common and occasionally, we see quadrupel. Is there a history account of how the grades were called as they are? But why are Enkel not seen publicly? Is there a reason for the secrecy or is it that dubbel is too light be to call a trappist?

The name 'Enkel' simply isn't used anymore. Enkel means 'single', meaning it is the strength of beer made by the abbey without doing anything extra to it. Several (most? all?) of the Trappist abbeys sell a beer the ~6% range, dubbel and tripel, are stronger, but not double or triple alcohol content. I can only speculate as to whether anything is doubled or tripled to get those styles. Double or triple amounts of grain should give quite a bit higher alcohol than they actually have. Any Trappists on this site to explain?

Last question: no. Porter is very malty beer originated in Britain, intended to give energy through it's high calorie content. Popular at the time of it's invention among people that carry stuff, also known as 'porters'. Port is a red wine that is stopped in it's fermentation by addition of brandy, resulting in a drink both sweeter and stronger than wine. Long aging in barrels is required to develop nice, smooth flavors, during which time the port will be oxidized (much like sherry). A tradition associated with port, and it's aging, is to make it when a daughter is born, then serve it at her wedding.

The Dubbel/Triple/Quad designations are totally separate from the Trappist label. The Trappists are an official Catholic religious order that follow the rules of St. Benedict, one of which states " for then are they monks in truth, if they live by the work of their hands" . The monasteries all make goods, most commonly beer and cheese, that they sell in order to fund themselves. Several of the monasteries form the International Trappist Association in order to prevent anyone who's not actually a part of the order from using the name Trappist on their products. But Trappist ale isn't really a style, it's a commercial seal like "Organic". Both Dubbel and Tripel originated as names of specific beers brewed by Trappists at the Westmalle abbey. Dubbel coming to use in the 1850s and Tripel (1950s) being a renamed and slightly hoppier version of what the monks used to call Superbier (1930s). Quadrupel is a brand of La Trappe made at the Koningshoeven abbey, which was probably introduced some time in the 1990's. Koningshoeven Also used to market a beer named Enkel, but stopped production in 2000. In all cases the popularity of the beers led to imitation by other brewers which sort of turned their brand names into loose stylistic designations. It'd be like if people started imitating Stone's Arrogant Bastard and started producing their own Arrogant ale.

Beer like Grimbergen Blanche Can someone suggest me a beer with similar taste like Grimbergen Blanche ? Grimbergen is the brand name of a variety of Belgian abbey beers. Originally made by Norbertine monks in the Belgian town of Grimbergen, it is now brewed by two different breweries in Belgium and France. Thanks

While, as object88 says, it is uncommon for draught beers to use nitrogen, it is becoming more prevalent, though certainly not dwarfing CO2 draught beers anytime soon! So, it is certainly possible to remain consistent from bottle to draught, though it is less common and more costly to do so. Both bottled and draught beers use nitrogen to add bubbles instead of CO2 on occasion. This is more common with malty beers, say stouts and porters, than it is for hoppy beers. The nitrogen makes smaller bubbles than CO2, and creates a thick head due to the lower solubility of nitrogen in water than CO2 at the same temperatures. This creates the thicker mouthfeel that Guinness (as well as other nitrogenated stouts) are known for. CO2 will likely continue to be used for most hop-forward beers, since it pushes more aroma out of the beer (including the delicious hop scent!) while nitro is more about the mouthfeel and well-rounded flavor. A few reasons why other beers don't use the small nitrogen ball devices ("nitrogen widgets"): Alcohol laws (or FDA or something?) doesn’t allow craft brewers to add widgets/foreign objects to alcohol (cans). Imports exempt? Not cost effective for small brewers, who are only just able to start affording canning systems. [ Source ]

The dubbel/tripel classifications come from the process of parti-gyle brewing : tripels come from the extremely high gravity (~1.080 gravity) first runnings of the wort from the lauter tun to boil pot; dubbels come from the slightly lower (~1.060 gravity) second runnings. The term "enkel" does not figure into Stan Hieronymus's Brew Like a Monk , but according to the Wikipedia article on "Trappist beer" : Enkel, meaning "single", is a term formerly used by the Trappist breweries to describe the basic recipe of their beers. This makes sense, considering the classifications "dubbel" and "tripel" simply refer to different stages of brewing one recipe. Also worth noting is that the "quadrupel" is not a traditional Trappist beer designation.

Local breweries and brewery supplies in Istanbul? Are there any local breweries and supply shops in Istanbul? How can I find supplies for home brewing in Turkey as I want to start home brewing but I dont know where to find supplies?

Most of my favorites have been mentioned already, but I'd just like to reinforce how fantastic Deschutes, Stone, and Sierra Nevada are. Another great Oregon one I haven't seen mention of yet is Rogue. Some of their beers are pretty different, but excellent all the same.

Like John M said, it's sort of an oxymoron. It is to stouts what a black IPA is to IPAs. It has similar flavor and mouthfeel to a stout, but it's the wrong color. Just like a pale ale can't really be black, a Black IPA still has the same hoppiness and lighter body of an IPA. And like Sloloem mentioned, "stout" was originally a reference to the flavor, meaning a strong beer, but today is generally understood to mean a beer brewed with dark malts. If you are talking about the Stone Stochasticity Master of Disguise, I recommend you get it and try it for yourself. It's excellent. I've had a lot of coffee stouts, and a lot of chocolate stouts, and in my opinion that one is executed better than any of the ones I've had.

Becks USA AB InBev Can anyone tell me if the USA market Becks adheres to the current definition of the Reinheitsgebot (aka German Purity Law) and what grains are used? I ask because I swear it tastes "ricey" like all the other American InBev beers, like Miller etc but friends swear "Oh no, it's made to German spec" and I note it's made in St. Louis where the devil makes gross Anheuser Busch products. Thanks in advance! Sincerely, Someone Get Me a Growler of Dirt Wolf

AB claims it is. In reference to it being brewed in the US, Chris Cools, the head of the German branch of the company, says he's confident that Becks will lose none of its German character. He believes the beer's taste will be enough to ensure success. Becks is brewed according to Germany's Beer Purity Law, the Reinheitsgebot, that dates back hundreds of years and is made in exactly the same way in 15 countries. The classic, strict interpretation of the law would require only barley to be used as a grain. There are more lax standards currently, revised as the Provisional German Beer Law (in German), but by using the name of Reinheitsgebot, it's safe to assume they are intending to convey the original restrictions. Sources: Beverage Daily GACCSouth Beer Truth

What do people mean when they ask for "A strong one"? I've never been onto a bar, but on TV and in films, there is often a scene when the main character is a little sullen, or stressed, and he goes into a bar, and asks for "a strong one". I think this means something with a high alcohol content, but what type of alcohol are they referring to? Whiskey? Gin, Beer? Vodka?

Generally this means the customer wants more liquor and less soda/mixer/ice/whatever than is called for in the recipe.

Can a beer like Tuborg or Budweiser be made at home? Was just curious about how the manufacturing of beer is done. Can it be made at home also?

You can certainly brew beer at home that is similar to a commercial recipe, but unlikely one that will pass for exactly the same thing. First, the exact recipes are trade-secrets, and while you can guess at the quantities of ingredients, boil times, etc, you likely won't get them exactly the same. Additionally, the ingredients you use aren't going to be exactly the same, and by far the biggest difference is likely to be in the water. The mineral content in your water will be different from theirs, for instance, and this will have an effect on the flavor. That said, brewing beer shouldn't be able slavishly replicating something you find on the store shelves...It should be about experimenting until you find the recipe that is perfect for your particular tastes.

Which is the most expensive beer as of now? As of the time this question being asked, which is the most expensive beer in the world? Is it available now? Is/was it available for purchase for general public? What is/was its price?

Vielle Bon Secours ale I think. It's a Belgian beer brewed by Caulier. I saw the bottle in London 6 years ago, and it'll cost you around US$1,165.

It means increasing ABV percentage. ABV stands for Alcohol By Volume. The product was claimed to be the strongest beer made Schorschbräu's 2011 Schorschbock 57 . Also a 60% ABV (beer+whiskey) by a Dutch brewery Jan Nijboer .

Reduced alcoholic beer has been developed by using an advanced development of the process known as vacuum distillation at low temperature (which is the most traditional and is less aggressive of any alcohol extraction methods), by using this sophisticated process the beer doesn't suffer any temperature or pressure aggression.

What is your favorite beer & food pairing? Certain beers tend to go better with certain foods. What beer & food do you like to enjoy together?

Well in the Czech Republic, where I live, the favorite with-beer-food would be something that we call 'vepřo knedlo zelo'. That means like(our special type of) dumplings, pork and cabbage. It tastes wonderful... give it a look at google images . Well, the quality of the Czech main-stream beer went low, so the best might be 'Podkováň', which is very difficult to buy even here in CR.

My two favorite pairings are nice IPA and some Indian food and pale ale + bbq pork (ribs or shoulder).

You are creating an atmosphere where the liquid inside the glass is warmer than the glass itself = condensation = watered down, affecting the beer no matter what style you drink (Certified Sommelier)

A black malt goes well with the char of a good steak, and would also go well with a rich, chocolaty dessert. A malty red ale would pair nicely with any smokey BBQ or roasted meat. Wheat beers pair very well with more delicate dishes such as seafood, sushi, or shellfish. Lastly, I find IPA's that aren't incredibly hoppy emphasize the spiciness of Mexican dishes, jerk chicken, or sausage. An IPA that is punch-in-the-mouth-hoppy will overpower just about any dish though. While technically not a pairing, if you've never experienced a beer milkshake , I highly recommend them.

Indeed to confirm what others have said above, it is my understanding that the enkel or single bier was consumed by the monks, to prevent them from getting drunk all the time because it was weak bier, but they sold the stronger biers (dubbel, tripel etc...) to make money. Which is also why you don't see enkel biers in stores today.

Brewdog The End of Hisory were only produced in a 12 bottle limited edition with a stuffed squirrel around the bottle costing £500 per bottle. Unfortunately, they're all sold out.

It's possible to make almost any beer at home; this hobby is known as Home Brewing and even has a Stack Exchange Community around the topic. Most beer falls into two major categories: ales and lagers. Ales are easier to make at home because the beer can ferment at temperatures that do not require special equipment. Budweiser is a lager; lager beers require additional equipment to keep the beers fermenting at very specific low temperatures. So while it is certainly possible to make beers like Budweiser at home, few choose to do so because of the added expense and level of difficulty of doing so.

Grimbergen Cuvee Blanche is in the style of a Belgian Witbeer aka "White Beer". There are are countless similar beers that are widely available. The archetype for the style is named Hoegaarden. The creator of Hoegaarden, Peter Celis, created another beer in the same style named Celis White. In the U.S., the most widely available example of this style is Blue Moon Belgian Wheat. Belgian Wit / Belgian Wheat style of beer has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and is an exceptionally easy style to find at any well-stocked bottle shop or craft beer bar in the US. Simply ask for that style and something similar to Grimbergen Blanche should be available.

Dieu du Ceil is a brewery and pub in Montreal with several unique beers available that do not get packaged and distributed. Several beers made by Dieu du Ciel are distributed widely across the US, but are usually only available in specialty stores.

Hoegaarden is indeed the typical white beer. They now have a "Speciale" and limited "Grand Cru" which is very nice. May be hard to find depending on your location.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Glutenberg, which I have heard very good things about, although I can't find it in my area. According to their website, they have won several awards at the "World Beer Cup". Glutenberg

you have to try " daas beer " it's an organic&award-winning beer (best beer at freefrom food awards 2012) good for vegan

What beer is really bitter, but has a fantastic aftertaste? A beer where you take a sip, and you think, "Oh my, that is weird! But I'll have another sip because it tastes good now", kind of beer?

There are examples of sour beers where the brewery will suggest taking several sips to get over the initial shock of sourness, so your palette can adjust, allowing you to taste the other flavors. Such beers may or not be bitter (from hops). In the case of bitterness from hops, I think it takes more than a few sips to desensitize yourself, but maybe that's just me.

For really bitter, a double/imperial IPA is the way to go. For the big bitter hop flavors, check out some of these: Stone Ruination IPA, Port Mongo IPA, Russian River Pliny the Elder, Lagunitas (pretty much any of their hoppy beers), Southern Tier 2XIPA, Cigar City Jai Alai. Many more to choose from depending on your location. Maine Beer Company and Kane Brewing are two of my favorite small breweries on the east coast. As Pepi mentioned, sour beers are certainly very interesting. A great start into the world of sours would be the Oud Bruins -> Monks Flemish Sour Ale, Rodenbach Grand Cru, or Liefman's Goudenband. These will run your a little more $$ but are super refreshing and really great to sip on. They open up and change flavor that longer you leave them out. Cheers.

Rising a cold beer to room temperature I have been told that once chilled, you should never let a beer come back to room temperature; what is the truth behind this? If again chilled, will the flavor be the same? Or how might it change?

Temperature changes aren't great for beers, especially hoppy beers, because temperature swings of greater than 20 degrees will degrade flavor. But it takes a LOT of that to produce a noticeable effect. Most beer probably went through a few cycles of heating and cooling before it gets to your fridge, especially in the summer. You know, maybe cold in the brewery but warmed in the truck before cooled in the warehouse then warm in the truck again before hitting a store's cooler. It'd be hard to notice anything. Hoppy beers might have their big aromas fade a bit or get a less smooth bitterness. Anecdotally, some of the smoother DIPA style beers with big floral or citrus hop smells/tastes might degrade into more biting bitter territory. Big beers made for aging will generally be forgiving but heating and cooling them a lot might make them taste flatter or cardboardy. But again, we're talking several upon several times before anything noticeable happens. Long story short...it's probably not going to do anything you're going to notice chilling unopened beers back down from room temperature.

I think there is probably some truth to the general responses here. I too am a big IPA fan and when I first started drinking them, I had no major issues with hang overs, outside of the fact that they have a much higher gravity. My own experience over the last year is that I've witnessed a peculiar tendency to get very clogged sinuses the morning after just a handful of IPAs (really any brand). This it to say that the reaction is due to something in the beer other than the alcohol, because less hoppy beers do not offend my sinuses as much.

Try Lagunitas Hop Stupid. Great bitter beer.

I really like the Grimbergen Blanche and find it quite similar to the "Blanche de Namur", one of my favourite white beer. So I suggest you to try this one ! ;-)

I know i'm late to the party here but a good beer that is a sweeter beer but not fruity, is dark but not heavy, and has Chocolate and Vanilla flavors is Koko Brown from Kona Brewing. It's a toasted coconut ale. Very very good. Not overly flavored but you definitely notice the flavoring. One of my favorites.

as mentioned above but with more details: the most expensive beer is a 12 liter bottle of Vieille Bon Secours which was stocked in a London restaurant for over 10 years. So it's the age and uniqueness of this one bottle that make it worth around 700£ / 832€.

The province of Québec is very fertile in microbreweries. Montréal being the major city, has lots to offer. A lot of the beers are available throughout the province, however some are only available at the microbrewery itself, especially seasonal beers - a good reason to visit them! here's a list of the best microbreweries and some of their speciality beers: Dieu du Ciel! (29 Laurier ouest St.) Must try beer: La Fumisterie - edging on an English/German Ale, with a light caramelized taste. Brewed with biological hemp seeds. Brasseurs de Montréal (1483 Ottawa St.) Must try beer: La Chi orientale - a white beer with light ginger and citronella aroma. L’amère à boire (2049 Saint-Denis St.) Must try beer: La Odense - a Porter with a light smoked caramel perfume. Benelux (245 Sherbrooke Ouest St.) Must try beer: La Moka - A Porter with a bitter chocolate taste with a touch of espresso. Brutopia (1219 Crescent St.) Must try beer: La Raspberry Blonde - A blond beer with a touch of raspberry. HELM Brasseur-gourmand (273 Bernard Ouest St.) Le Réservoir (9 Duluth Est St.) Le Cheval Blanc (809 Ontario est St.) Must try beer: the classic Cheval Blanc white beer with a slice of orange. Les 3 brasseurs (4 breweries on Sainte-Catherine St., Crescent St., Saint-Denis St. and Saint-Paul St.) Must try beer: La Belle Province - with a touch of maple syrup. Other breweries in Montréal: Brasserie Bierbrier Bistro-Brasserie Les Soeurs Grises Brasserie McAuslan Brasseurs sans gluten Broue pub brouhaha L'amère à boire La Succursale Le Réservoir Le Saint-Bock brasserie artisanale Les brasseurs RJ PolyBroue Cheers!

My research suggests that Capilano Pale Ale is no longer brewed . This Vancouver Archives article on beer in Vancouver suggests that the Capilano brewery was taken over by Molson in 1958. Searching the address given ( 1550 Burrard Street ), I found that Molson still occupies the space. Very little else comes up when I search for Capilano Brewery or Capilano Pale Ale.

It certainly doesn't keep the cold away or reduce the duration, but I'll be damned if it doesn't make you feel better drinking it. Mulled beer is just nice when you're cold, and when you've got the cold, the last thing you want to feel is cold. Stews, casseroles, and chilis don't ward off the cold either. That doesn't stop people from eating ample amounts of them come autumn and winter. Neither do chicken soup nor porridge reduce the duration of a cold. That doesn't stop nearly every culture around the world from serving some variation thereof (or a mix of both, in the case of congee) to sick people. So, why stop there? Beer is nice too. All those things also help keep you hydrated, which can never be a bad thing if you're sick. Basically, if it makes you feel better, it may as well ward off disease. I mean, it's right there in the word. Dis - ease. A lack of ease. If it puts you at ease, it's a remedy in my book.

If I want to cool something really quick and not using a fire extinguisher, I use the method I saw on Myth Busters: Find a container that will hold the item you want to chill, add ice, water, and salt. Even on a hot day you can chill things real fast using this method.

Is there a widely-accepted procedure for saying one beer is definitively "better" than another? I am just mesmerized to see the microbrewery revolution take off and I have visited a couple of breweries here in San Diego. I really find that there is a distinct taste to the beers as opposed to walking into a store and buying. I know that brewery beers are distinctively better, but how do you theoretically prove that Beer A is better than Beer B. Is there any checklist to compare beers with each other? It may sound like a very basic question but there has to be a way to tell a good beer from a bad one, right?

While there is no current objective assessment of beer other than IBU/abv you can take classes to become a subjective judge of the major traits: nose/head/appearance/taste/finish. Classes are available via a simple google search that will return results like this: http://www.bjcp.org/index.php

Red Lager Recomendations and what flavours make a beer a "Red Lager" I'm looking for new beers to try and have a great liking for a variety of Red Ales. Some of my favourite "big" brews are Yuengling and Dos Equis. I also really like a local brew Walkerville Honest Lager . Rickards Red is also decent, but not quite "perfect". Interested in any suggestions for other beers I could try with a similar taste! In addition, what is the characteristic taste, or, what are some words that describe the taste, that makes a lager a red lager?

From the Beer Judge Criteria for an Irish Red Ale which is what I would consider being the closest thing to a Red Lager (A couple of the examples are actually lagers). This fits the bill for Rickard's Red. Aroma: Low to moderate malt aroma, generally caramel-like but occasionally toasty or toffee-like in nature. May have a light buttery character (although this is not required). Hop aroma is low to none (usually not present). Quite clean. Appearance: Amber to deep reddish copper color (most examples have a deep reddish hue). Clear. Low off-white to tan colored head. Flavor: Moderate caramel malt flavor and sweetness, occasionally with a buttered toast or toffee-like quality. Finishes with a light taste of roasted grain, which lends a characteristic dryness to the finish. Generally no flavor hops, although some examples may have a light English hop flavor. Medium-low hop bitterness, although light use of roasted grains may increase the perception of bitterness to the medium range. Medium-dry to dry finish. Clean and smooth (lager versions can be very smooth). No esters. Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, although examples containing low levels of diacetyl may have a slightly slick mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation. Smooth. Moderately attenuated (more so than Scottish ales). May have a slight alcohol warmth in stronger versions. Overall Impression: An easy-drinking pint. Malt-focused with an initial sweetness and a roasted dryness in the finish. Comments: Sometimes brewed as a lager (if so, generally will not exhibit a diacetyl character). When served too cold, the roasted character and bitterness may seem more elevated. The criteria also has some examples of beers that you would like if you like this: Three Floyds Brian Boru Old Irish Ale, Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale (a bit strong at 6.5%), Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Caffrey’s Irish Ale, Goose Island Kilgubbin Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), Boulevard Irish Ale, Harpoon Hibernian Ale

Where to buy "Grimbergen" in Canada I've spent much time in Ottawa and Halifax, and have yet to find a consistent source of this nectar of the gods. Locations Found: Liquor Store in Whistler, BC LCBO in Trainyards, Ottawa Greek Restaurant in Downtown Ottawa Brussels. Anyone know where to find it?

The red color usually comes from certain kinds of caramel malt, which comes in a range of colors but is usually used to make a sweeter, fuller-bodied beer than everyday pale ales and lagers. In this way, they're very similar to amber ale/lagers, and the difference can be very subtle and is very subjective. If you like one, you'll 99% of the time enjoy the other. Most of what you mentioned- like Dos Equis and Yuengling- are marketed as ambers. That said, I looked up Honest Lager, and Walkerville markets it as Märzen (sometimes but not always the same as Oktoberfest) It's less hoppy and more full-bodied than a Pils or other pale lager, and tends to be reddish or amber in color. If you look a the German/import section of your local beer store or supermarket, you should be able to find an example of something similar, just look for the words "Märzen," "Oktoberfest," "Festbier," etc. A Munich-style Dunkel would also probably be right up your alley. Key words I would use: sweetish, medium-bodied, balanced, caramelly, toasty. But just think about different foods and aromas while you're drinking, and see what your impression is. Everybody's different. If you do want to use the BJCP guide, just remember that they're designed for judging homebrew competitions, and professional brewers don't have much reason to pay attention to them. So if you pick up a beer and it doesn't match up with its BJCP style, it's not a catastrophe, and the beer is still perfectly good!

As soon as I read "Red Lager" I thought to myself, this guy is probably looking for Vienna Lagers (aka Amber Lagers. For whatever reason beer marketers greatly prefer the term "amber" over "red" when referring to lagers, while using "red" over "amber" when referring to ales eg Red IPA). These are lagers with a slightly sweeter profile than the "standard International pilsner" style churned out by every macrobrewery, due to the addition of Vienna, crystal, and/or caramel malts. Indeed, when looking at the examples you gave on Rate Beer and Beer Advocate, RB considers both to be of the "Amber Lager/Vienna" style, while BA considers Dos Equis to be a Vienna Lager and Yuengling to be an "American Amber/Red Lager". What's the difference? Generally, the "American" prefix at the start of any beer style means that it's hoppier, due to our lovefest with hops (at least compared to the Old World). Also, RB doesn't break amber lagers into American and not varieties. You can use the category page on Ratebeer or Beer Advocate to browse through more examples of the style. Ratebeer's list is default sorted by rating, which isn't always helpful if you don't live somewhere with a great selection, but you can click on "Count" and it will sort by number of ratings; Beer Advocate's is default sorted by number of reviews. The two beers you mention are very widely available: On RB, Yuengling is #2 most reviewed and Dos Equis is #7; for rating though neither cracks the top 50. On BA, Dos Equis is the #3 Vienna Lager by reviews and #38 by rating, while Yuengling is the #1 American Amber/Red Lager by reviews and #21 by rating. For some great examples of Vienna/Amber Lagers you might be able to find, Sam Adams Boston Lager is rated #44 on RB and #3 on Beer Advocate (why the big discrepancy? RB users tend to be more heavily biased by the idea that certain breweries aren't "cool", while BA users tend to be more objective). There is always the BJCP guide, which makes the rules that guide most homebrewing and professional contests such as the GABF. The GABF can have real reputation and financial influence for a brewery, so it requires very precise definitions, but outside of competitions most of the brewing world takes the BJCP with a grain of salt (or is it a grain of barley?). Personally, I prefer the Ratebeer and Beer Advocate's style categorizations. Not that they are perfect either - part of the beauty of craft beer is that it is ever-evolving, and brewer creativity knows no category bounds - but it is more democratic and reflective of actual market tastes. If you are willing to go a little further afield, you might try a Scottish Ales, like Founders Dirty Bastard (www.ratebeer.com/beer/founders-dirty-bastard-scotch-ale/11498/); a Red IPA (not an official style) such as Troegs Nugget Nectar (www.ratebeer.com/beer/troegs-nugget-nectar-ale/30812/); or even a Bière de Garde, France's only indigenous beer style (these are harder to find, but I bet they have them in Montreal. try www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/biere-de-garde/58/ or www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/127/.

What are the alcohol free beers? I drink beer occasionally. So far I have only drank alcoholic ones. Now I need to know whether alcohol-free beers exist or not. If so, what are their brand names?

Common brands off the top of my head are: St Pauli N.A. O'Doul's Kalibur Clausthaler There are actually plenty of others, a few of the major brewers like Miller and Coors also produce a non-alcoholic version and a few other German brands you might be able to find come in non-alcoholic. Be forewarned that none of them are generally regarded as "good" when compared to full-strength beer. If your interest is just to not get completely obliterated after drinking several beers, I'd investigate a category called "Session" beers, which are regular beers brewed without artificially removing any alcohol but are designed to be flavorful at 3-4% ABV rather than the common 5-6%+ that many craft beers tend to be. Full Sail session lager, Stone's Go To IPA, and Founder's All Day IPA should be pretty easy to find, but investigate more local and regional breweries to see if they make any.

What it really sounds like you're getting at is that the beer you drink at a brewery is better than the beer you buy off the shelf at a store. I'd believe that. Beer from a brewery's tap is likely incredibly fresh, which most people would agree for most styles is better. Especially with how popular hoppy beers are in the San Diego scene, hops fade quickly...fresher will be way more aromatic. The beer you buy in the store may have been filtered or pasteurized, has been bottled and then sat in a warehouse for a while before being trucked around the county and then sitting on a shelf for a while before you hauled it back home. However, is there an objective way to express "Fresher is better"? Dunno, probably not. You could run lab analysis and try to point at alpha and beta acid numbers, volatile organic oils or something...but it almost seems like trying to cobble together a theory after having made the conclusions already. The BJCP was mentioned in another answer. What BJCP is, is an attempt to apply objective qualitative judgment to taste, which is inherently subjective, by asking folks to compare what they're sensing to an ideal example. Basically "How closely does this beer I'm tasting now adhere to description of the style of beer it's supposed to be?" They'll generally look at Head: color, density, how long it lasts. Aroma: malty? hoppy? spicy? grassy? sulphury? Visual: color, clarity Feel: thickness on the tongue, fizziness, acidity... Taste: malty, hoppy, spicy... balanced? What you COULD theoretically do is drink the beer at the brewery, and then describe as if it was a BJCP description, then drink the beer from the store and grade it according to how close it resembles the brewery beer in those categories. Outside of that, everything is subjective. What you feel like drinking, right now. The beer best suited to the weather will change with each season, beers best suited to the evening will change with what you're having for dinner. Hell, if you happen to be playing Skyrim maybe the beer with the dragon on the label will be better than anything else regardless what it tastes like.

It should still be safe, taste good is a personal opinion. Some beers age well, high alcohol, sours, and smoke beers. Others don't age as well (hoppy beers). Plus it all depends on how the beer was stored. Out in a hot garage? Sitting in your window sill?

Try Lagunitas Sucks! It's my favorite hoppy beer!

In SriLanka lions lager is the most bitter beer

What's responsible for the "metallic" taste in Belgian beers? Whenever I've had Belgians, I've tasted something metallic, especially in the aftertaste. It was especially strong in Lost Abbey's Judgment Day, a quadrupel. I thought it was something unique to me because no one knew what I was talking about, but today a friend said the same thing ("metallic", without me suggesting anything). What in the brewing process causes this taste? In case it helps, I also taste it in Killian's Irish Red.

Common causes for a metallic taste are dissolved metals such as iron or copper, either from the water supply or brewing equipment, or due to the oxidation of fat molecules which can bind with metals. Personally though, I find that I can regularly taste metal in the finish of any of a variety of beers that are over-chilled. I don't recall Belgians being particularly an issue (but I love Belgians and am probably more likely to ensure they're properly temp'ed before drinking) but when served too cold, I can almost guarantee that I'm going to get a strong taste of cold steel right at the end of many brown ales, red ales, and stouts among others, and that it will generally disappear as the beer warms.

How can I add post-flavoring to beer? I'm having a party and I want to add flavors to my already-brewed beer. How can I do that and have it mix?

Any time you mix things into beer you'll lose some carbonation. Any powder would nucleate bubbles very quickly, so the flavoring should be in liquid form. The liquid should be as similar to beer possible: cold, equally carbonated, and not too much alcohol if it can be avoided. Stir gently in a cold glass and serve right away. Or, if you are brewing the beer yourself just add it at kegging or bottling time.

What if beer (opened) was left in fridge for like... months I left 2 beers in the fridge, Just found them and I'm sure they've been in there for like ... maybe 4 months Are they okay to consume?

Your question says they were opened? I'm going to venture probably not. You tagged this 3.2-beer, does that mean these are low alcohol session beers somewhere around 3.2% ABV? If the beers aren't moldy, best case scenario is you now have two bottles of home made malt vinegar. Make a balsamic, have some steaks with side salads. If they were closed or sealed in any way, they're probably fine, though depending on the style they probably won't taste great. Low alcohol and hoppy beers don't age gracefully. Higher alcohol or darker beers often do better with some time on them. But either way you have to keep them away from air, namely other microbes and oxygen or else things go downhill real fast.

Sorry for the late response, but as I look on the internet for discussions concerning this topic I ran across this question. In the mid 1800's in England, IPA's were created and produced for multiple reasons. Long story short, as Europe was going through a technology renaissance period, ingredients used for brewing changed and grains that were converted into malt became lighter. Therefore, dramatically changing the "beer", that was much darker at that time, now into and ale. As this changed the palettes of many at that time they also introduced a great amount of fresh hops to these new ales to make a strongly hopped ale. The term IPA was introduced as a well known brewer(s) started shipping this new type of beer to India, giving it the distinct name IPA-India Pale Ale. I am providing this back ground to make a point. As this product was fermented, it was very typical to age and IPA Beer for a minimum of 1 year. This was done to assure that the beer was completely fermented and safe to transport on ships to India. This trip would take even more time and put the produced under various environmental stresses. This beer or "ale", was hopped very strongly and even topping the very hoppiest beer on the market in the U.S. today. Using the freshest malt as well as the freshest hops. My final point or argument is, that as I recreate the IPA and use fresh ingredients typical to a real IPA, I find that my IPA's last over a year in the bottle. As I drink them 3 to 6 and even 9 and 12 months the hoppy flavors still remain and even develop. There are many variables that allow me to get to this end result. This including yeast and malt selection, and also multiple methods that help produce beneficial fermentation, allowing the taste of the final product to be clear of flaws that would be created by the yeast during primary as well as the bottling (carbonation) period. After 30 years of beer making many of these truths become evident as I continually taste the final product, take very good notes and adjust my recipe. Finally, I can say that with the correct procedure of beer making, an IPA can be enjoyed at various stages from 1 week and even up to one year and can still be enjoyed for its distinct hop flavor and aroma.

The philosophy of beer . Heh. I'll give you two answers: 1) There is no way to determine that a beer is objectively better than another beer. Why? Because taste in beer is subjective. What may be an awful beer for an aficionado, may be a great beer for someone else. So, is it really true that [x] is a better beer than [y] if person [c] can like [y] better than [x]? 2) There is a way to determine beers that are subjectively better than another. Check out beeradvocate.com which has a mass of users rating beers in all walks of styles on different criteria. The result is an eerily accurate rating system which gives an incredibly good idea of how much you'll enjoy a beer in reference to another. In other words, they've done exactly what you're suggesting.

There are products called Randalizers that can allow you to infuse flavors into beer as it's served. Provided that the beer is 1) on draft, and 2) the flavoring is a solid (hops, peppercorns, citrus peel, etc). An expensive option is the Blichman Hoprocket . Another option I've seen, but I'm not sure how to construct it, was an inline water filter that had been modified. That modified filter also required significantly more CO2 to maintain pressure, I don't think that was true of the purpose built devices. These work well for fresh flavors, but would serve poorly if you were looking for anything else. I've had beers run through a couple different combinations of herbs, fruit, veggies, and hops, and it was always interesting and exciting. Even if it wasn't always that good.

How do I limit the amount of sediment in bottles? I recently made my second batch of beer. It's a pumpkin ale. I am finding that the bottles contain a large amount of sediment, almost like slush at the bottom the bottle. The beer is delicious, but I'm wondering how I can prevent this in the future. My first batch of beer was the White House Honey Ale and those were pretty much sediment free. What influences the amount of sediment? Should I be "filtering" at some point in the process?

I would suggest reading "Vintage Beer: A Taster's Guide to Brews That Improve over Time" by Patrick Dawson. To summarize his findings on what types of beers improve with age they must contain at least one of these three characteristics: High ABV (8% or more) Sour Smoke It goes without saying that if a beer has two or more of these characteristics the odds of it improving with cellaring go up. But even if it has all three characteristics it may not improve with age, or only aging to a certain point. Plus you must remember that proper aging is also required. Proper storage, temperature control, how the bottle is positioned while being stored, etc.

Beer (malt, wheat and ginger etc.) is brewed and fermented, cider (apples) is pressed and fermented.

Personally I was quite taken with 60, 90, and 120 minute IPAs (thank you DFH) when shelved in cool and dark places for as much as a year. My guess is it would have been good for longer, but tasty beer and curiosity got the best of my experiment. I think Wayne in Yak deserves an up vote I can't yet do thanks to my noob status. Well researched and void of conjectural inaccuracy. If hops were the only flavor in IPA then yes it could be decreasingly "hoppy" but that's assuming we're referring to the aroma hops. Your bittering hops would surely deepen with time. But with any beer there are more layers than one. High ABV beers will just broaden the chord change more as every flavor will carry different in the changing alcohol/water/sugar levels that time provides. Fruit in the beer no matter its place on the sweet/sour spectrum (notably normally high point as well) have similar success on the "cool dark" shelf. This is due to natural fermentation of organic matter stored over time. Ever noticed how fresh salsa gets effervescent in your fridge? Granted there are no chunks of fruit (or tomatoes luckily) in your beer so the effects are severely lessened. They weigh in on the scale equal to the alcohol changes mentioned above. A personal favorite of mine is a Scotch Ale stored for as long as you can wait. Hope this helps.

Given how much modern Polish beer has in common with mass-market German and Czech beer- combined with a small handful that I've tried here in Germany- they're what one would call "European pale lagers" or "International pilsners," depending on what book or site's style names you're going off of. In response to a previous answer, color has nothing to do with ale v. lager, nor alcohol concentration (Guinness is an ale and 4.2% where Aventinus Eisbock is a lager and 12%), it only tells you how it was fermented. There are tons of dark lagers around: Schwarzbier, Munich dunkel, Rauchbier, Doppelbock, the aforementioned Baltic porter, and the Czech 14* and 18* dark lagers. I or someone will need to look more into this, but those terms might be bureaucratic in nature- up until the 90s, Germany had multiple beer categories based on the beer's original gravity that determined how it would be taxed and sold, sort of like how Texas used to label everything above a certain ABV% "ale". TABC Changes What it Means to Be a Beer.

Could this perhaps have do do with the way people tend to drink these particular styles? In the circles I run in, Belgian- and Trappist-style beers tend to get revered, pondered, and savored, and thus drunk more slowly and possibly in lower quantities than IPAs, which are more plentiful, generally cheaper, and tend to get pounded by the six-pack next to some hot wings or a cheeseburger.

As stated many times above, it's very personal on what affects you and how much or how little. Dry-hopped beers seem to give me worse hangovers. Also, 13 of the big bottles of Franziskaner in a night makes me want to die the next day.

(not enough rep to comment yet) I've been prescribed Ranitidine and it says "AVOID ALCOHOL" in all caps, so you know it's important.

According to Alcohol by volume (Wikipedia) : ABV * 0.78924 = ABW * SpecificGravity(at 20°C in g/ml) Thus ABV = ABW * SpecificGravity / 0.78924 This formula is only correct for a mixture of ethanol and pure water. You can't plug in the s.g. of your beer and have it work. I have found tables that relate ABW to specific gravity for ethanol/water solutions, one can be found here I dumped the table into a spreadsheet, and used the formula to create a conversion table for ABV and ABW. Please note that the formula is not completely accurate against the table, 100% ABW calculates to 100.01% ABV. 0.01% difference is not really significant for our purposes. Not sure if the table or formula is incorrect.

Using Caster Sugar as Primer in Barrell I'll admin i got a bit excited. My first best of home brew fermented for 6 days, then transferred to barrel for the net 3 weeks - i used woodforde's real ale mix. BUT at the last seconds i forgot primer so i improvised wit 80g of caster sugar for 23 litres of beer. Does anyone have experience of using caster sugar as a primer in a barrell? And more importantly - have i just borked my first barrell?!

Doing the math out, assuming my liters to US Gallons conversion by Google is accurate, that would come out to around 1.6-1.7 volumes of CO2 in the beer which is on the lower end of carbonation but probably appropriate for many European ale styles. Think of something like a Bitter or ESB, that's probably where you'll end up. Caster sugar is just very fine white sugar, so it's probably some form of sucrose...pretty much all of which are interchangeable. If this is under carbonated for the style you're going for, check out an online carbonation or priming sugar calculator next time and just pitch sugar according to that. I always liked Northern Brewer's . It takes beer in gallons since it's a US site but I like that they have a style drop down and list how much of many different types of sugar to use.

Is there a history of Beer? I was wondering if there is any definitive history of beer. I know that the ancient Egyptians brewed beer and it has been consumed throughout the centuries but I'd like to know the times and cultures that made it. Also how it was made.

This is a very good starting point: History of beer . I know it's just Wikipedia, but I think it's really well done with many links and external references.

Why were lagers invented? What made brewers in the 19th century decide to start using bottom-fermenting yeast and cooler fermenting temperatures? Were they trying to solve some specific problem, like making the best of available ingredients or dealing with cooler-than-ideal environments? Or were they just experimenting and trying to create something new?

I think it would be right to say that lagers were discovered rather than invented. Lager yeast is apparently the result of an unlikely mating of ale yeast and a wild yeast from South America. It's ability to ferment at lower temperatures probably led to its establishment in some brewery in some cold part of Bohemia centuries ago. According to Wikipedia, lagering became more commercially viable with the appearance of refrigeration systems. But White & Zainasheff describe why this was desired. After Pasteur showed that yeast are responsible for fermentation, the Carlsberg brewery isolated S. carlsbergensis , now known as S. pastorianus , for commercial use. This is a lager yeast, and since many ales were brewed with mixed ( S cerevisiae plus wild yeasts, bacteria) cultures, it created the perception was that lager, as a style, was cleaner than ale, and the improved shelf life made it a more attractive product to produce. And so, lagers took over the beer world after that, despite so many small breweries that make high quality ales.

Why do lagers get made in tropical climates? Lagers traditionally were made in the colder months and stored (lagered) in caves. As lager yeast prefers a colder fermentation and conditioning temperature than ales, why is lager regularly made in hot, tropical climates around the world instead of more temperature tolerant ales, or just imported? On a tour around the Tiger Brewery in Singapore where the average temperature is 30 deg C, the guide mentioned the brewery started in 1932 and used a "tropical lagering process". The guide wasn't sure of details, and I haven't found details elsewhere on this process. Is it a simple matter of economics, that it's cheaper to brew lager locally even with climate control than to import, or is there a way to successfully brew lagers at high temperatures?

It's just marketing. Lager fermentations are very clean so it tends to be a beer you want to drink in a warm and humid climate. The breweries want to make beer that will sell very well locally, and that just happens to be lagers. At a commercial scale brewers are investing in temperature control regardless of ale or lager, so it's not a significant expense or savings one way or another. So since they're spending the money anyway, might as well brew what people will buy more of. From the consumer perspective, it's cheaper to buy from a local company than it is to buy an imported beer in most cases. So the local beer sells better than the import.

Lagers tend to be more popular as they taste better colder, and are 'easier drinking' than heavier, more flavourful beers, and taste good very cold or with ice, so better for quenching thirst in the heat. That said, stouts and darker heavier beers are often popular in rural areas in tropical Asia where ice is unavailable - think ABC Extra Stout , Beer Laos Dark, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, or Black Panther

There is an article about beer in the ancient world on beeradvocate.com. I think it's worth reading. Here's a link: http://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/721/

How do I know if home brews are safe to drink? I received a true beginner's homebrew kit from a relative as a Christmas gift, decided to attempt a brew and followed the directions as close to perfect as I could. After the entire process was completed I wound up with something that did not really pour, smell or look like beer. Obviously I have done something wrong and need to try again, but my question is: Assuming an enthusiast observes a respectable level of sanitation in the process of the brew, but perhaps severely deviates from the instructions at some point in the process, how can they tell if their brew is actually fit (or unfit) to drink? Are there tell-tale smells/colours/heads that indicate a "spoiled" beverage?

Popularity: Ale vs Lager This is something that has been on my mind and I am wondering if I just have a statistical bias here, but it seems to me that when I peruse the shelves of my local bottle shops that I usually see a larger selection of ales versus lagers, especially among craft circles. So I guess, in a roundabout way, my question is: are ales more popular/attractive to brew than lagers and why? Bonus points: numbers that demonstrate one way or another. The reason I ask is because I read something a couple months ago that said lagers are better sellers than ales and it doesn't see to align with what I observe. Also, please assume that I know the differences between the styles of beer. I just meant this to be overarching.

I have personally drunk beer that was unintentionally sour, and smelled like a sewer, without a problem.* If it has alcohol, and a low-ish pH (was made from reasonable water, barley and hops) then it is, according to history, safe. Many contaminating bacteria will produce acetic or lactic acids under these conditions, but they are also safe to drink. If you really screw things up, (forget to add yeast, drop dead mouse in there) maybe its possible to grow some listeria or something, but you'd probably find the smell to be intolerable. Typical beer infections will produce various levels bad flavors along with some scum on top of the bottled beer (since yeast produce bubbles and foam when working, this scum might not be visible until the yeast are completely finished, usually after the beer has been bottled). Some kinds of bacteria will also give a ropey (snotty) texture to the beer, but even this is safe to drink. This page lists common beer off-flavors, note that danger isn't discussed, because there really isn't any. And if you contaminant is a wild yeast, the beer might turn out OK (or even great) after a long aging, despite initially smelling horrible. *Not a beer that I made

You have to think of the volume of beer that's actually made. The big 'non-craft' brewers produce huge amounts of lager because the tradition for last hundred years or so has been to make lighter, more 'drinkable' beers. That also happens to fit with the big business ideal of being cheap to produce (light & drinkable means corn & rice are OK!). Craft brewer tend to make ales for a few reasons. Prior to the explosion of lagers, most beer in the world was ale, and there are many more styles & different kind of yeast to choose from if you make ale. Most ales can be produced faster than lagers, which is helpful when your brewery is small. Ales are easier to make at home, so home brewers are quite familiar with these styles (and sometimes become pros as well). Numbers : as of last year, the thousands of craft breweries in the US still only had 11% of market share. Big breweries still crank out ~3/4 of US consumption, nearly all lager.

God & Beer partnership gives abbey much needed cash,, they've brought their suds to Toronto Lads..

Try Bosphorus Brewing Company (Esentepe Mah) in Gayrettepe, or Taps Brewery (Cevdet Pasa Caddesi) in Bebek.

The basic rule is that beers should be served at the temp they were fermented. Lagers should be served at about 40°F and ales around 50°F - 55°F. Having said this I usually like my beers a little colder on a warm summer day. Try this experiment: chill your beer to 35°F - 40°F and pour about 2/3 of it into the proper glass for that beer. Drink at least 4 or 5 sips, gulps, or however you typically consume it. Then put what is left in the microwave for about 20 seconds (time will vary with the output of the microwave). This will reduce the carbonation some so pour the other third right in the middle of the glass without tipping the glass to get some head, on the beer that is. It makes a big difference on some beers. less on others. Also try different types of glasses and see what you like. Remember, everybody's palates are different and yours will vary depending on several factors such as, what you've been eating or drinking, how much beer you've already consumed, and how tired you are. It's a good idea to eat a bite or two of good bread like a baguette to cleanse your palate between samples. The above does not apply to mass produced lagers.

There are a few. You can definitely start with the wikipedia and BeerAdvocate articles suggested by other posters, but for books, I'd recommend the following. Beer: A Global History by Gavin Smith gives a good overview and world perspective. -A Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer by William Bostwick focuses more on the effect beer has had on civilization, rather than the other way around -The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution by Tom Acitelli is a great prohibition-to-now perspective on American beer.

Other stouts to use in a 'Guinness cake' I've previously had success making a guinness cake ( http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-guinness-cake-3086 ), and, whilst it was tasty, I figure there has to be a better stout to flavour it with. Any suggestions?

Guinness is in a style called "Dry Irish Stout" , so anything on this list would probably substitute well. It sort of depends on what you felt was missing from the cake. We could work on narrowing it down to stouts that were stronger in those flavors. Oatmeal or milk stouts as styles would be sweeter than Guinness, some stouts might play up chocolate or coffee or roast/burnt. Porter is a really similar style that takes well to interesting spice combinations like vanilla and anise. Bourbon Barrel aged stouts will have a wood/vanilla/whiskey thing going on. You could make some interesting cakes.

There are some stouts with cocoa in their recipes. Two that I like are Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Sadler's Mud City Stout , both available in bottles in the UK.

What is the difference between carbonation drops and priming sugar? When I attempted brewing beer in my home the set and instructions called for the carbonation being done by adding carbonation drops instead of priming sugar. How does the fundamental chemical makeup differ between the two and how does the actual chemical process differ in beers brewed with carbonation drops versus priming sugar (if at all)? Is taste affected?

Carbonation drops are just premeasured doses of priming sugar. Sometimes they'll be a mix of glucose and sucrose, or just a single sugar depending on the brand. But otherwise they're exactly the same as priming sugar, so no chemical or taste difference. They're probably being recommended by the instructions since they're pretty much impossible to mess up, which is great for new brewers since it's one less thing to worry about. I had heard a rumor once that the drops that came with hopped extract kits like Coopers or Mr. Beer also had Maltodextrin, which increases body and head retention since extract kits often have deficiencies in those departments. However, I've never found any actual sources to back this up so it's probably just be overhearing the guy at a home-brew shop talking out of his butt.

How to determine where your beer was really bottled? I have long entertained gossip from self-proclaimed "beer connoisseurs" that the Guiness I am drinking is not really brewed in Ireland, nor the Beck's from Germany. I would imagine that where you are in the world really does determine where your particular bottle of macro brand X was bottled, so my question is how can you determine the true origin of the bottle -- can you trust the location on the bottle next to "brewed and bottled by..."?

When and how to drink cellared beer? I had acquired a couple of Samuel Adams "one-off" beers, specifically "The Vixen (stout)", "Merry Mischief (gingerbread stout)", "Griffin's Bow (barley wine)" and "Norse Legend (Sahti)". These bottles are either first, second or third batch, according to the label mind you. I had these beers for 2 years in a cellar, almost no light touches them and at room temperature. I know that most of this types of beer gets better with time, except for the Sahti, hadn't explored much of that type, but I would like to know if it's safe for the beers to be kept and for how long, and at a given time, what's the best way to drink them (chill them, room temperature, etc.). Thanks.

Modern, commercial beers that closely mimic historic styles I'm curious to try some beer that closely mimics more historic styles, although: I'm not too familiar with all of the styles and brewing methods of centuries past I don't always trust modern brewers to offer an authentic representation of old styles So I wonder: what were the ancients up to the early modern people drinking, and who can I get similar beers from?

The first one that comes to mind is Saison Dupont. It's an exemplar of the Belgian saison style. Allagash uses some historical methods, but their primary goal is definitely making excellent beer and not historical accuracy. Take a look at the BJCP style guidelines if you find the style you're interested in they'll list a couple beers that are true to style. Those may or may not be historically accurate, but they will be definitive examples of a style.

I had a beer with caviar in a slow food restaurant in Poznan Poland. It was a strong Poznan craft ale, and I have to report it was absolutely sublime. I was not over hopped, it was a strong one 6% or more.... anything yeasty to generate synergistic umami

Depending on where you live you might be able to find a local brewery that's doing some sort of a recreation of an older style. In the Massachusetts area Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project does a series of 1800s English ales called Once Upon a Time. Beer historian Ron Pattinson helps them design all those recipes based on his research, so they should be fairly accurate. Dogfish Head has a similar series called Ancient Ales which are best-guess recreations of VERY ancient middle eastern and asian beers based on archeological evidence...studying the chemical residue left on beer containers. You might be able to find some recreations by Brouwerij de Molen who also tapped Ron Pattinson to consult. Traditional Belgian styles are unlikely to have changed significantly, so those are an option. The smaller niche styles don't evolve as quickly, though the methods will be updated so they won't be as accurate as deliberate recreations. Saison Dupont was mentioned. Fantome springs to mind as well. Certain sour beers like Faro or Gueuze Lambics should be close, but avoid the fruity ones. Gose and Berlinerweisse might fit as well. A lot of those European sour brewers have been doing things basically the same way for like 500 years. If you can find anyone brewing a Sahti that would be an interesting adventure. I've also heard rumor of a few recreations of styles like Gratzer/Grodziskie, I think New Belgium might make one... On the smaller scale, if you're really interested see if you can find Frank Clark or Bob Grossman at a conference you might be able to get them to let you try a historic recreation beer, they generally work in the 1600s-1700s. Frank Clark works as a food historian at Colonial Williamsburg so he should be easy to track down. But I warn you, you probably don't want to actually drink the majority of that stuff. Brewing was very different back in the day and a lot of their beers are pretty foul to modern tastes. Differently prepared sugars and odd herbs and spices. Stuff like boiling molasses until it literally lights on fire then fermenting it...kilning grains until some of the kernels straight explode and burn. And let's not even get into stuff like cock ale, which had a parboiled rooster added during secondary fermentation. Sorry, that got ramble-y, but the gist was: Pretty Things Once Upon a Time if you can get it. Anything involving Ron Pattinson. Dogfish Head Ancient Ales. Traditional Belgian Saisons. Sour Beers: Lambic, Gueuze, Berlinerweisse, Gose, Gratzer, Flemish Red. Frank Clark might let you drink really gross-tasting things that were technically considered beer in Colonial-era America.

How about a beer with German Tradition in it. IT is called "Tannenzäpfe" which translates to a small pinecone from a fir

There is no significant difference in preparation between barley wine and any other strong ale, some barley wines are made with OG's as low as 1.062 (Smithwick's) and the main characteristic is they have very strong kilned malt flavors. In my opinion Barley Wine is to Malt, what an IPA is to Hops.

The can/bottle is required to have country of origin listed on it. Most US Guinness Extra Stout is brewed in either Toronto or New Brunswick, depending on the contract brewer. All of the Guinness Draught is brewed in their historic brewery in Dublin. However, debate abounds about whether the US recipe is different.

Beers that are high in ABV, have been bottle-conditioned or have been barrel-aged are prime for aging and cellaring. Usually the brewer will say on the bottle or their website what the max amount of suggested aging time is. For instance, Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout state "develops over 5 years in the bottle." I bought a case of 2012 and have one about every 6 months...and they get better and better. They should have been kept at about 50-55 degrees over the time of aging. What did you have them at?

A key distinction between barley wine and other strong ales is the presence of residual sugars. When made right, the yeast will be unable to finish fermentation due the high alcohol content. The remaining sugars should then provide the complex fruity/malty/toasty flavors mentioned in the bjcp guide.

Growler fillups in San Jose/South Bay Area So I just recently got a growler and so far so great. The only problem I am having is finding places where I can fill up. Does anyone have any recommendations as to location in the San Francisco Bay area (South Bay would be great). There seems to be surprisingly little, easy to find information on the internet about this.

Brewed Beer in Pune Does anybody know the best place for brewed beer in Pune, Maharashtra, India? I have visited a few breweries in Mumbai recently, and I became a fan of the brewed beer, the flavours they offered there, mostly of the Belgian Ale. I would like to know if there is any similarly good brewery in Pune? I would like to visit.

Does the process of shipping Trappists to Ontario, Canada damage the beer? In the past few years I've become more interested in Trappist beers (who wouldn't be?). Buying a Chimay or a Rochefort at the LCBO in Ontario is something I now do on the regular. However, I've heard recently that the shipping process from Europe to the shelves in an LCBO in Ontario takes a long time, and is not always friendly to the beer. So I wonder: what exactly is the process to get a Trappist from Europe to Ontario? does this process often take it's toll on the beer?

Is there an example of the Trappist style that's considered the best of the style? I read in a blog post a few months ago that Westvleteren 12 is considered one of the, if not the, best example of a Trappist. I had one shortly after and it was a very, very good beer, although I don't know if it was so different from other similar versions (i.e. Rochefort 10) that I'd feel comfortable calling it 'the best'. That said, I wonder if there's any particular Trappist that's normally considered the best of the style?

"Trappist" isn't so much a style as it is a commercial label. Something like "Organic" or "Kosher" that comes with a set of regulated conditions that product was produced under. Per wikipedia , to be able to be labelled a Trappist beer: The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision. The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need. Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers. A lot of those monasteries also make lighter or hoppy beers. Engelszell even uses honey in their beers, so there's a pretty significant variety when it comes to what you can call "Trappist". But if we're talking the classic dark Belgian-y abbey ale. According to the Beer Advocate ratings, the top Trappist-produced beers are: Westvleteren 12 Rochefort 10 Chimay Cinq Cents Achel Extra Blond Rochefort 8 Through user rankings. The Brothers that run the site give Rochefort 8 a higher rank than 10, which I agree with, and give both Rochefort's a higher rating than Westy 12. So I guess the answer is that somewhere between Westvleteren 12, the Rochefort 8 and 10, and Chimay is the best Trappist beer. But even in the top 5 here there's some variation since Chimay and Achel are blondes, and Rochefort 8 is a fair lower ABV than the other 3. With the styles being so wide, the real answer is probably whichever one you like drinking the most. Though really, Rochefort 8 forever.

Why cork a beer? I have seen a lot of beers that have been corked and I can't really understand what the significance is. When I tried to look it up, most of what I found is just related to how to properly store corked beer and similar means, but nothing really answering my question. I am trying to figure out what corking a beer actually does to it and if there are any real benefits. Is it simply a style choice or is it there for a reason like it is for wine bottles? Does it actually have an effect on the beer's taste, quality, etc?

The likely answer is somewhere between carbonation pressure and marketing. It's hard to find numbers for how much caps can handle vs corks but you should notice that most corked beers also come in bottles with very thick glass, this is because the beer inside is at a higher pressure than most other styles. Most beer styles will fall pretty close to 2.0 or 2.5 volumes of CO2 (just the term, think of the number as a relative baseline), but a lot of Belgian strong beers like Bierre de Garde or Tripel will be carbonated with 3.3+ volumes. Lambics and other sour beers can go up to 4.5 volumes. This is a linear scale so that becomes possibly twice as much pressure as a normal bottle...so yeah, thicker glass. At such high pressure you might find corks will stay put more reliably than a cap since it has more surface area in contact with the bottle. It also might provide a more airtight seal than a cap for long-term aging. Those would be technical considerations. Corking also predated capping so there's also a very traditional feel about a bottle with a cork and a cage, which can fit into the traditional image a lot of breweries market themselves using. I say I'm not sure and it could just be marketing because a lot of Wheat styles like German Wheats, Belgian Wits, etc are fairly highly carbonated (near the 3.3 volumes range) but most of them have no problems being capped. As to the affect on taste? Nada, apart from hypothetical aging concerns...unless mistreated you should not taste the cork.

Who made commercialization of beer possible Who was the person or company that made beer selling commercial .

The answer is probably the dawn of human civilization. Beer was probably one of the first consumables ever commercialized. We can find commercial receipts for the sale of beer dating back over 4,000 years (Alulu beer receipt, 2050 BC) and advertisements for beer from even further back ( Ebla Tablets, 2500-2250 BC ) Hammurabi's Code from ~1750 BC has several sections detailing punishments for bartenders who try to short-change their customers. Realistically, beer has probably been a commercial product for longer than it hasn't.

How to chill a 30cl bottle to "cellar" temperature? I got my hand on a few bottles of Trappist Westvleteren (yay!) and of course I want to drink it at the right temperature. The "right" temperature is "cellar", but alas, I do not have a cellar. What is the best way to chill a 30cl bottle to "celler" temperature, using a fridge? Drinking it too cool or warm would be quite a pity for a 8 euro bottle.

You have to read the small print. In the UK there is a Japanese beer called Asahi and on the front it has Japanese kanji writing and "IMPORTED" in big letters. But reading the small print on the side it says it is brewed in the Czech republic.

Cellar temperature is generally anywhere between 7-18 degrees Celsius (45-65F) though people don't often go above 13C (55F), so there's a decent range to be in. You can use your fridge. For comparison you can fill a glass with the same volume of liquid and set it next to the bottle, leaving a thermometer in it. As long as they start off near the same temperature, that'll give you a pretty close approximation of the current temperature of the beer. It might be easier to chill to the fridge temperature then let them warm back up. It's not going to damage the beer and most fridges are close to the bottom end of "cellar" anyway so it won't take too long to warm up to where you want it. Evaporation and glass thickness are going to create a difference, but given the range of temperatures, it should be close enough. If you wanted to get really fancy, water is a much better conductor of thermal energy than air. You could get a large jug and fill it with 13C water, then put one of the Westy bottles in it for maybe 10-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Though all that said, when trying expensive and multifaceted beers like this, I really enjoy chilling them to my fridge temperature then nursing the beer for a good while to compare the flavors as it warms up.

Well there is some small convenient store in Montreal that you can buy some Here is the address of the one I go: Dépanneur Paul 50 Avenue des Pins Montréal, QC H2W 1N5

You could use flickr Beer Nation group. https://www.flickr.com/groups/beer_nation/ Then subscribe to a feed. https://www.flickr.com/get_the_most.gne#rss This way you will get pictures of beer every day. If you want to use their photos for your own calendar you are allowed to do this according to flickr's rules. A quick Google of github.com, lists some open source repositories you can use.

Does beer cause more fatigue than liquor? These days I drink almost as much liquor as I do beer, and it seems like beer more commonly causes sleepiness and fatigue, where liquor gives a straight up 'drunken' effect. I wonder, though, is this actually the case or is my perception of the two drinks a self fulfilling prophecy?

Is there a wide variation amongst specific styles? A few years ago I moved to a bigger city where the craft beer selection got quite a bit broader from where I was living previously. For a while it was like being a kid in a candy store with so many different beers to choose from. Then as I got more experienced with beer I started getting more of an idea of the different styles that are out there, and what each of these styles tends to be like. What I noticed after a while was that if I tried 2-3 different examples of the same style, while I could quantitatively say that one was better than another, for the most part they would all taste similar. So this brought into question the 'craft beer obsession' that I had been riding for a while. I began to think that, maybe, at some point a chocolate stout is pretty much just a chocolate stout, an ipa is pretty much just an ipa, and whether you're drinking an ipa from here or there, you're basically getting the same experience. So with that said I wonder: is there any type of objective measure of the variation amongst specific styles? outside of esoteric beers that aren't commonly available, is 'trying as many as you can' really worth it?

While this is merely anecdotal, I agree with you that beer makes me more sleepy than liquor. My theory is that perhaps it has to do with the carbohydrates (think thanksgiving dinner).

It could definitely be a perception thing or any difference with the situation in which you consume beer vs liquor. (IE, if you're drinking a lot of Jack and Coke maybe that caffeine is helping keep you alert?) I think the most compelling answer is that there's actually a decent amount of research that shows hop compounds actually have a slightly sedative effect, especially in conjunction with alcohol. So...you know, beer. Some sources: National Institute of Health : The concentration of 2 mg of hop extract effectively decreased nocturnal activity in the circadian activity rhythm. WebMD (Look under "Interactions"): Alcohol can cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Hops might also cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Taking large amounts of hops along with alcohol might cause too much sleepiness.

When you're designing a recipe in software like Beersmith or Brewtoad they give you ranges for each style, so when you select a style you can tailor your recipe to be in the "acceptable range" for that style. Obviously just hitting the numbers isn't going to make the correct beer, but these are quantitative numeric measures of variation over a style. These dimensions are: Original/Final Gravity (Sugar in the beer before and after fermentation) SRM (Measure of Color) ABV IBU (International Bitterness Units) These don't describe a ton about the actual flavor of the beer, just things like color, strength, body/sweetness, bitterness. Note that while the ABV is tied to the difference between gravities, final gravity is and independent measure of the "dryness" of the beer. Color and Bitterness are also totally independent of the others so you can have beers at the light color and bitter end but sweet, or dry and dark. You can also check the BJCP guides which are for competitions to see what the "ideal" qualities of a given style are and then numerically grade a beer based on how well it meets those descriptions. But they do describe what's allowed as variance for being considered "on style". Of course plenty of brewers just don't care about that sort of thing and make beers how they like. It's obviously opinion at this point but I think there's value in trying many different beers even though they may be in a style you've had a ton of before. Each beer is different and those subtle differences may be the differences that really make you like one beer over another. Maybe not a ton of the same thing in the same session... According to untapp'd I've tried 85 IPAs, though the actual number is much higher than that. Some have tasted like feet and onions, some have tasted amazing. But as many as I've had if I see some IPAs on a menu and kind of want to drink an IPA, I've got nothing to lose by trying the one I've never had before...it might be really good.

A cap is not going to fly off a bottle unless it is not properly seated, no matter the carbonation. It is crimped onto the bottle. The bottle will first explode. It is also incorrect that a cork is necessary for higher carbonated beers. Many of the styles identified at higher carbonation volumes also come in capped bottles (particularly 375ml bottles). Corks do provide a better seal that slows the flow of air into the beer so those bottles will age more slowly than bottles with caps. That is the primary technical difference between the two. The primary reasons for corking beer today is marketing. In some areas where corked bottles were traditionally used for bottling it was easier to get champagne bottles or similar bottles that could support carbonation and corking became a matter of convenience as it was cheaper to source bottles locally. However, now it is just a matter of marketing the product. All other corked bottles went into large format, corked bottles to make them look like a classier product than a six pack and legitimize higher prices in the customers' eyes. That is true for the beers you find on the market today in almost all cases. Very few beers go into corked bottles because the brewer truly believes it is necessary for the long term quality of the beer in a way that a cap or a cap plus wax would not provide.

It's always going to be a matter of preference. I prefer most beers around 55-60 but do not hesitate to drink beer at room temperature. Some styles are more enjoyable approaching room temperature. Historically, most beer was served at cellar temperature to room temperature, depending upon what was available. That isn't just an English tradition. Any beer can be consumed warm and drinking it ice cold as mass produced lagers are usually served tends to hide most of the flavor that you are paying for in a good beer. Give it a try and see what you like. Maybe you don't like your beer a little warmer. Enjoy what you like.

Most places (generally everywhere and certainly in Bay Area) allow only their own growlers to be filled with their beer. Thus if you buy a Growler from ISO Beers, they will not fill it at Original Gravity 2 blocks away (both very decent places). It is just not good business - they want you to come in and pay premium on their single draft beers. So if you want to take some to go they want to at least win your loyalty by giving you discount on Growler fill, but make sure you come back to their brewery.

Just wanted to add to some of the already great answers… Although it has been mentioned what the characteristics of Nitro are, and why that might be good for the beer drinking experience, it hasn't really been said why to use it or rather why its used in lieu of CO2. History It was mentioned that the historical carbonation process was very different, but nobody has connected the two, so I figure I'll add a little input to hopefully color in a bit more. A lot of the reason for carbonation is to preserve the beer. By replacing the oxygen in the keg the beer will last longer. Now we associate the carbonation with beer but that was not always there traditionally. While it is true that older beer bottled from barrel storage was carbonated during bottling it wasn't mentioned that historically beer was poured from the cask and therefore not carbonated beyond natural carbonation. Cask In this string cask beer wasn't mentioned but it is literally from the barrel. It is the smoothest and creamiest way to "tap" beer. It's also considered the best by many purists. It however has a huge limitation in modern applications. The barrels don't last as long and thereby need to be smaller, swapped out more often, and potentially wasted if not used quick enough. For this reason most businesses opt for the larger, easier, cheaper carbonated kegs. Purists As stated before by Jeffrey Lin the Nitro is a newer solution but I have to take exception to his explanation of the unnatural side of Nitro. Really the purists are fine with nitro. They may not be particularly fond of the "in-can" nitro widget, but really the process just replaces a larger CO2 bubble with the smaller finer bubbles of dissolved nitrogen and thereby some dissolved C02 as well. Purists truly would be more likely to enjoy a cask pour but as Nitro, in a lot of ways, is closer to cask both in consistency and the "creaminess" described it goes without saying this would be enjoyed by the purists as well. Types of Beer for Nitro There are many types of beer where smooth finer bubbles are appropriate. Guinness being only one that comes to mind but really most British milds. Also English ales, pales and creams just to mention a few. The older styles from England were flat compared to American lagers and most modern beers. Another good example is a Boddingtons. Finer bubbles fit the mold with anything that traditionally would be served from the cask. Technology As with most new technology it serves a purpose and in this case the purpose is two-fold. Store without oxygen to prevent going bad, and keep with the original intended style of those types of beers. The discussion of flavor change is slightly off because flavor change would only be present if oxygen were allowed to be present in the beer when kegged. Texture change is more accurate and the nitro is an effort to more closely approximate that. Conclusion Hope that is helpful to fill in some details and thanks to Sloloem for helping, hopefully it is more easily digestable/readable? It may not be science but historically speaking it might be philosophy…

Absolutely there is. It's an extraordinarily difficult task to even get a single recipe to taste the same when produced in different locations, such as when Sierra Nevada expanded and added an east coast brewery in North Carolina last year. Different recipes, different ingredients, different water all effect the end result in ways that you can taste. While some beers in a given style will absolutely end up tasting quite similarly, there will always be plenty of variation for you to pick up on and enjoy, particularly when tasting beers of a given style from different regions.

A saison would be the closest if you want "authenticity". This soup was usually a breakfast dish made with very weak farmhouse style ale often served to farm workers. The beers were locally brewed often by the farmers themselves. It only had about 3-4% abv so even today's commercial saisons have a bit more (5-8% abv). Sometimes kvas was used. Kvas is a light brew made from fermenting stale/dried bread (1-3% abv).

There was another source that I read (probably that 1000 page beer encyclopedia that I forgot the title of) where they said that a saison was made with whatever ingredients that were available at hand at that season.

What is the significance of a beer's head? In many beer tasting guides it tells to describe the head, or to 'admire' the head of the beer. From Wikipedia, I understand that: Beer head (also head) is the frothy foam on top of beer which is produced by bubbles of gas, typically carbon dioxide, rising to the surface. The elements that produce the head are wort protein, yeast and hop residue. The carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles in the head is produced during fermentation. But what is the actual significance of focusing on the head of the beer so much? Why does one concern themselves with how much head exists, how long it lasts, etc?

There are some good answers here , but to distill and maybe enhance: Beer heads are a great indication of proper serving because if any number of factors that could affect the taste are off, they'll also affect the head. Some of these are: Warm beer foams too much. If your server is dumping tons of head down the drain to fill your glass with enough beer, it might be too warm. Too much pressure in the keg makes beer foam too much. The brewer carbonated it to the level they wanted, the bar might be over-carbonating it. Cold beer does not foam very much. If the kegs are chilled too cold or the bar is serving beer in a frozen glass, your beer is probably too cold. Cold temperatures will dull flavors and kill aromas. Obviously if you're into beer for flavor, this is bad. Dirty glasses tend to dissipate the foam very quickly, so you could be drinking whatever was in the glass before, or soap scum... neither of which sounds very tasty. Under-carbonated beer doesn't foam very much. Under-carbonation can also dull flavors since so much of taste is based on smell and you can't smell volatile aromatics if there's no fizz to carry them out of the liquid. There are various schools of thought on the head as an indicator of beer's quality or freshness but realistically this will vary by style. Think of the thick creamy head of Guinness stout; remove the head and you completely change the experience. The large luxurious heads of Belgian beers, or the thinner off-color head of porters. Also, without a good head with lots of tiny popping bubbles of CO2 to spray the air above the glass with volatile aromatic oils, you wouldn't have nearly as much hoppiness to smell and taste in an IPA or spices from a Belgian style.

Where can you buy US craft beer in Europe that will ship to other EU countries? anyone know where you can buy US/American craft beers in Europe. Which shops/websites sell US craft beer and will ship it to other EU countries? Or any wholesalers/distributors to contact.

Why does draught (draft) beer cause hangovers? Why is draught (draft) beer known to cause more hangovers than bottled beer?

Draft beer does not give you a hangover, headache, or any kind of sickness just because it is a draft beer. If you’ve ever felt sick after drinking draft beer, you either: Had too much Drank from a dirty tap.

You taste and judge beer more or less like wine. Among the first things (after looking at the color) is the fragrance. Pouring a beer with a good head brings more of that out. You can test it yourself. Open a bottle of good beer (not an ordinary lager) and pour two glasses: one with a good head (2-3 centimeters) and one without any. Then see which one has the most fragrance. This was an answer on a similar Quora question here .

What is a good beer for starters, or people who don't typically enjoy the taste of beer? Asking as a beer lover, my roommate does not enjoy most beers, nor does my fiancé. I have nobody to share my enjoyment and taste testing with. What is a good beer that I can get them started out on to maybe get them to eventually appreciate the taste of beer ? They enjoy sweeter flavors, whereas I enjoy more bitter flavors. My roommate recently started drinking Angry Orchards and will occasionally drink a Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale, so he is starting to appreciate the taste more, but my fiancé just has not found her favorite yet. She says that she didn't mind Dos Equis as much as others, but still didn't really like it. Is there a beer that is good for starters that is not overwhelmingly "beery"?

What other beer brands began as fictional but eventually became real? Duff is the only one of which I am aware. I know there are Game of Thrones inspired brews, but are there any others that originated from works of fiction?

This largely depends on the person's tastes, but in general one that tastes good . In my experience, most men I know are already beer drinkers, and most women I know have only been exposed to beer in the form of generics like Canadian, Bud, Coors Light.. etc (no introduction to beer at all, and likely a big reason why they don't like it). The predominant character of these beers is that they're bitter and flavorless, so if that's what people don't like: move in the opposite direction. When I got my girlfriend into beer I introduced her to particulars like 'St. Ambroise Apricot Ale' and a 'Fruli'. She had no idea that fruity, sweet beers like this existed, and after trying enough of them she became more of a beer person. So in general spiced or sweet beers are usually a good direction to go, but it also depends on the person's tastes. You might find they can jump to a complex and heavy beer quickly, but for most people they have to move gradually into this realm.

Because you end up drinking more of it ;-)

The taste of hops, malt When I drink beer I can taste a bitter, then slightly sweetness, then kind of a lingering flavor of something. I'm curious - is the lingering flavor the malt, or the hops? What contributes to the bitterness - the malt or the hops? I would like to know the taste differences between the two.

What is the purpose of an etched glass? What does etching on the bottom of a beer glass do? What purpose does an etched glass serve?

www.beersofeurope.co.uk are very good, used them 4 times. www.beersofeurope.co.uk/usa lists a number of beers, just a case of scrolling through and selecting into the cart/basket. Delivery is £7.50 but I find it's worth paying a bit extra to get what you want / try new beers.

Would a beer still be good after being cold then hot then cold again? My main question is really, I guess - how resilient is beer? I have some beer in my refrigerator that was cold when I bought it. I couldn't bring it home quickly due to having to visit my fiancee's grandmother in the hospital (short notice). It got pretty warm sitting out in the car and I have it refrigerated again. My roommate took one out to drink it, but fell asleep before he opened it - therefore, it got warm (room temperature) again. If I were to put it back in the refrigerator a third time, would the beer still be safe to drink? Would there be any quality loss?

The etching provides a nucleation point. To quote a couple places: A nucleation point on a beer glass refers to an etched mark or pattern on the bottom of the inside of a beer glass. The etching is called a nucleation point (or a widget in the UK) and helps the release of carbonation and can create a steady stream of bubble emanating from the etched portion of the glass. This works by CO2 releasing (dissolving into gas) when it comes in contact with the rough surface of the nucleation points. This is not a mere marketing ploy and a nucleation point does increase the amount of bubbles released when compared side by side with a non- nucleated beer glass. And A laser etched nucleation site within the glass maintains flavor release during the drinking experience. Samuel Adams Unveils the Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass .

I can recommend www.alesbymail.co.uk I used them at Christmas 2014 to send a mixed case (chosen by myself) to my family in France. Can't remember exact European delivery costs but it was very reasonable compared to the cost of the beers or I wouldn't have used it. Check their Twitter @alesbymail for regular discount codes. (I have no affiliation with them other than being a satisfied customer).

The malt is providing the sweetness and the hops are providing the bitterness plus the lingering flavour. Depending on what type malted grains the beer is brewed will effect its sweetness. This is due to how much fermentatble sugar can be extracted from the grains, any non-fermentable sugars will stay in the beer and provide effect how the beer sweetness. Hops are used in different stages of the brewing process to provide different functions. Hops are added at the intial point of the boiling process (which is usually about 60mins) - The hops oils released from the hops at this stage provide the beer with head retention, bitterness and also natural perservative. Hops are then again added during the final stage of the boiling process (last 10-15mins) - At this point the hops are providing the lingering taste that you are noting, plus any aroma notes.

There should be no reason why beer would lose any quality from being left out at room temperature then being re-cooled. During the brewing and distribution process beer is exposed to a wide range of temperatures numerous times. Some specialist beers may include "adjuncts" or additional ingredients (fruit, honey etc...) that may be affect quality with a temperature range (none spring to mind). However normal beer made with malt, hops & water should be fine. Exposure to sunlight is more likely to affect beer than temperature.

Oysters used to be served as an accompaniment to beer in pubs in Victorian England, so the first beers called Oyster Stouts were probably beers intended to compliment oysters rather than containing them. Later someone discovered that you could use crushed Oyster shells as a fining agent in beer and later still someone actually added the oyster meat, probably as a marketing gimmick since oysters aren't going to add much to the flavour. So it's fine for oyster stout to not contain oysters.

In Germany, Out of pale ale As a person of good beer taste, I have moved to Germany and to my horror I discovered, nobody here considers Indian Pale Ale to be beer. Having looked intensively for Indian Pale Ale for several years now, I only found it in one bar that has it occationally and one "Späti" (Liquor/Tobaco store). Am I missing something? Do Germans have some alternative to Indian Pale Ale or are they a lost nation missing out on imho. one of the best beer types in the world? They have things here like Bock, Doppelbock and other strange things I never heard of. Are any of these similar in taste to Indian Pale Ale?

Which Belgian beer is served in wooden bowl? I'm sure I had it in the Delirium Café in Brussels but I can't remember the name of it. I have no idea if tastes good as that day was a bit of blur ;)

While I'm not a fan Butterbeer from Harry Potter is apparently a thing. However I don't believe it's widely available and is pretty niche by the looks of it.

The only brand of beer I can think of is Mongozo , which is brewed in Belgium by a Dutch company (Dutch wikipedia) . They brew various kinds of fruit beers, in addition to a pilsener and a wheat beer.

Generally speaking, Indian Pale Ale is not a type of beer you would typically find in Germany, and, as you hinted at, many Germans do not even know IPA. Furthermore, at least to my knowledge, none of the different styles prevalent in Germany (basically, bock and doppelbock are just beers with higher alcohol content and gravity) is a real alternative to IPA. BUT! over the last few years, there definitely was progress, and some small breweries startet producing IPA (see, for example, Schoppebraeu (Berlin)). In addition, there are some small marketers that have IPA's in their range of products (see, for example, Braufaktum with many points of sale in Germany and, especially, in Berlin).

Craft beer - Ambient temperature for fermentation I am thinking about make my first beer in this summer. However, in my country the summer has an ambient temperature about 25-30º. So my question, is what type of beers are adequate to this conditions? My first idea is a blond ale (Brewferm Ale), with fermentation at the ambient temperature in Barrel Aging. What do you think about?

It doesn't help you today, but Stone Brewing Company is opening a brewery in Berlin later this year or early next year. They make plenty of IPAs. http://www.stonebrewing.com/news/140719/

Olde Frothingslosh started as a joke. Not quite from a book, but possibly of interest. Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale

That is really too warm as you will get fusel oils as a bi-product. If you absolutely must do it in that high of a temperature, I would go with an ESB or something. If you really are going to get into this, you may want to invest in an old refrigerator and maintain around 17 - 20 degrees for an ale. Well worth the investment if you have the space and money! Good luck.

There are many craft beer pubs in Tokyo. But there is no craft beer brand made in Tokyo. I recommend Coedo Beer from Kawagoe-city, Saitama-Pref. Kawagoe is a traditional town near Tokyo. It takes 40 minutes by train from Shinjuku/Ikebykuro. Coedo has 4 flavors, "Kyara" (Golden Brown), "Ruri" (Blue), "Shiro" (White), "Shikkoku" (Black) and "Beniaka" (Red). Especially, "Beniaka" is made from sweet potatoes in Kawagoe. Kawagoe is famous for sweet potatoes. And "Coedo" means "Little Edo". "Edo" is the old name of Tokyo. Kawagoe has still old Tokyo street. Please come and drink up!

Any advice on good breweries near São Paulo - Brazil? I am moving back home in the next few days and the idea of importing all my beer does not seem reasonable. I'm willing to try any kind of beer, but my preference is for IPA's and Belgian Strong pale ales.

I had the same impression in my first time in Germany, its a nation of good beers, but (maybe thanks to their old purity law), they are very closed on their own styles. I could say the same from Czech Republic. Both nations make the best beers in the world in their main schools, but limited on other genres. And both mostly produce lagers. I never tasted a German beer simmilar to an IPA, but at least thanks to EU you can always buy something from England or Belgium

Any alcoholic drink will cause a hangouver if you drink too much. Bottled beer and draft beer are basically the same product, they should produce the same hangover. But it's easier to drink too much of draft beer as they are typically served in larger volumes. The exception are darker beverages (like wine and cognac), they produce worse hangovers because part of their alcohol is in worser forms to your body then ethanol. I am not aware of any beer containing it.

I would choose a wheat beer for start, mainly because thats what got me started in the "real" beer world (with Erdinger and then Paulaner to be more precise). Mostly because they are not too bitter or complex, I find then accessible even to non-beer people, and they are still clearly beers, while many fruit beers (kriek for example) are so centered around the fruit that the beer part can almost be ignored.

It would be safe to drink, in the sense of it would not cause any harm to you. Beer is very resistant to heat, it will preffer to be stored in a cold location, but will probably not go bad at room temperature for extended periods of time. What really spoil it is is UV light. But everything changes when the beer is opened, it should then be drinked on the spot, because it will soon loose all its CO2 and start oxidizing, making it terrible and probably hazardous.

What are requirements for a micropub? So my question is what are the requirements for micropubs? Are there any specifications on room size, interior, beers, staff? Has anyone got experience in setting up and running a micropub and can give more insights about what are key factors?

Broadening my horizons (Ale recommendations in South West UK) I would like the other beer enthusiasts to suggest some new ales for me to try. I enjoy all Bath Ales and Box Steam Brewery; I'm more a fan of a bitter and less so of pale ales. Can you advise of any brands of a similar or superior quality I might try? (In the South West of the UK). The cheaper end of the scale (Spitfire, speckled hen) doesn't interest me. Many thanks in advance.

Not a great answer since I have no specifics for you. Going out to local bars and stores selling beer and shopping around can find you stuff, but it's expensive. Though if you're lucky someone might be at one of these places to help you. Another avenue might be to use something like beeradvocate.com, ratebeer.com or untappd.com to get recommendations based on how you rate beers you've had but these are only as good as other user's ratings... They may miss a lot of small or new brands and might not necessarily recommend beers you can actually find near you.

I would recommend starting with a draft Hefeweizen or Belgian Wheat, or a fruit flavored mead such as a blackberry or passion-fruit mead. I would also recommend pairing the beer with a good meal so the experience is not centered around the beer, the beer is instead an accent to the experience.

If you're in the South West, then it's definitely worth checking out Otter Brewery (a really good range with a cracking bitter). Also Abbey Ales are the only ales actually brewed in Bath, not to say that Bath Ales aren't great, but this is real Bath ale! Depending how far SW you go, Exeter Brewery's Avocet Ale is a nice drop that you can have a really good session with. Hope this helps!

Whats the nickname for gin and mild? Apparently gin and mild is an old man's drink - but I need to get it for a relatives birthday, anyone know a nick name for this drink ?

Are stout and mild the same thing? Are "stout" and "mild" the same thing - "mild" being popular in the UK in the post-war decades.

Have you tried Wickwar Brewery ? If you like darker beers, the Station Porter is one of the best I have ever tasted. It's got a great brewery shop and well worth a visit.

The short answer is no. While they're both styles of dark beer nowadays Mild is very low ABV with a lot of malty/nutty flavors and fruity sweetness. Stouts are stronger than milds with no fruitiness and a lot of roasted and burnt flavors instead of malts. Most will probably be more bitter and have less residual sweetness than milds. The long answer is: Historically stout and mild were completely unrelated terms that referred to completely different things than they wound up being known for. Both started being used in the 18th century. Stout originally just meant strong and Mild was used as the opposite of Keeping (or Stale), which basically just meant the beer was fresh rather than being aged in a barrel for any length of time. Mild turned into a strength descriptor in the early 19th century when brewers started using the X, XX, XXX system to classify their ales, which referred to both the ABV and pounds of hops per barrel. But Mild was still a pale beer. As the 20th century progressed Milds started becoming more amber colored and playing more as malty and sweet. All beers until this point were actually much stronger than we're used to today. Barclay Perkins X Ale in 1839 was actually close to 8% ABV. Grain shortages and government restrictions towards the end of WWI dropped Mild to close to 2%, and brewers also added dark sugars and mixed in amber and brown malt to keep some measure of flavor. After the war ended ABVs bounced back up but new taxes in the 30s pushed them back down, close to the modern range for Mild. Dark mild being the standard and Pale mild being a variant didn't really happen until the 1950s. The history of stout is quite a bit muddier, though the general consensus seems to be that it evolved out of Stout Brown Porter and has been largely interchangeable with Porter for most of its history. The differentiation probably started with in the invention of Black Patent Malt in 1817. In the late 1700s new technology had been invented that allowed brewers to track their efficiency and they realized the roasty brown malt they used for porters was really expensive compared to how much fermentable sugar it produced. So they started making porters out of mostly pale malt with brown malt and burnt sugars among other ingredients for color and flavor. Britain had banned the use of anything besides malted barley in brewing in 1816 which really kindof screwed porter brewers over. With Black Patent they had something which was absurdly dark enough that they could finally make up the color difference using pale malt. Though most brewers in England continued to use some portion of brown malt, brewers in Ireland switched completely to pale and black malts only. Irish beer was also less hoppy than English beer in general since hops didn't grow as well in Ireland. Guinness renamed its XX Porter to Extra Stout Porter in ~1820 and the popularity and marketing gradually dropped "Porter" from the name, which is probably where Stout began to evolve as a style separate from Porter. But it's in a bit of grey area, people in 2015 are still debating Porter vs Stout. Short version of the long story Mild originally just meant Fresh and as a style evolved from the weakest pale beer a brewery made, and only really became what we think of it as today in the last 60 years. Stout originally just meant Strong and was a synonym for Porter for a very long time until marketing tried to differentiate it maybe 150 years ago. Sorry about the wall, but I fell down a rabbit hole of interesting beer history.

New Regulator = Air in my Beer LInes? Had to replace a faulty regulator for my two tap system. Hooked everything up, changed nothing else, not the temp in the fridge, not the kegs, etc. Literally just the regulator. Now I have air bubbles forming in the beer line after an hour or so of no use. Is it possible that the problem is from the CO2 regulator? Some additional background: current pressure is at 8 or so. When I had my "faulty" regulator prior to this -- the gauge would read 0 no matter what the line pressure was. To that end, it is entirely possible I overcarbonated the keg itself by thinking the tank was empty and cranking it up. It is also worth noting the beer tastes metallic -- did I overcarbonate and this will resolve over time? I am going to drop it down to 4 or 6 for now and bleed the kegs aggressively. I am running a commercial tap system (Sankey). This is not relative to homebrew. Thanks.

De Ranke XXX Beer From beer advocate, it says that the XXX beer from De Ranke brewery is no longer brewed . ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/739/97035/ ). It's no longer on their brewery page too: http://www.deranke.be/en/bieren_en.htm It's not exactly the kind of belgium kind of belgium pale ale, famous for their bitterness, it's normally criticized for being too bitter in normal crowd-source reviews. Sometime ago I saw this tweet that says XXX scored an IBU 70 ( https://twitter.com/beergusto/status/435908275863687168 ). Does anyone has any more information on the XXX? And also how can I get hold of one now? Is there like a beer amazon or something?

Beer Rating Acronyms and their Origins We often see the following acronym on beeradvocate or ratebeer ATMOS : Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel, Overall LSTFO : Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, Overall Where do these acronyms come from? What is the original source of these acronyms?

Is there a full list of hops all around the world? Is there a full list of hops all around the world? Currently, I've been just collecting them as I drink and asking the brewers or the pub owners which hop the beer uses. Wikipedia has a list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties but is there any other missing? Admiral Ahtanum Amarillo Apollo Bramling Cross Brewer's Gold Bullion Cascade Centennial Challenger Chinook Citra Cluster Columbus Crystal Eroica First Gold Feux-Coeur Francais Fuggle Galaxy Galena Glacier Goldings Green Bullet Greenburg Hallertau / Hallertauer Mittelfrüh Herald Herkules Hersbrucker Horizon Liberty Lublin Magnum Merkur Millennium Motueka Mosaic Mount Hood Mount Rainier Nelson Sauvin Newport Northdown Northern Brewer Nugget Opal Pacifica Pacific Gem Pacific Jade Palisade Perle Phoenix Pilgrim Pilot Pioneer Polnischer Lublin Pride of Ringwood Progress Riwaka Saaz Saaz Late Bor Premiant Rubin Agnus Vital Sladek Kazbek Bohemie Harmonie San Juan Ruby Red Santiam Saphir Satus Select Simcoe Smaragd Sorachi Ace Southern Cross Spalt Sterling Strisselspalt Styrian Aurora Styrian Bobek Styrian Goldings Styrian Celeia Summit Tardif de Bourgogne Target Taurus Tettnang Tomahawk Tomyski Tradition Ultra Vanguard Waimea Warrior Whitbread Golding Variety (WGV) Willamette Zeus

Is it true that Rodenbach beer should be drank with a shot of cherry liquor? I was in Libramont back when I was roaming around Belgium. And hitting a pub next to station where people were having lunch, I ordered a Rodenbach beer ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/216/1882/ ) and the bartender says that I should drink it with a cherry shot. Is that normal to drink Rodenbach beer with a cherry shot? Has it got to do with the Rodenbach red before Palm brewery bought over Rodenbach? Has cherry or cherry liquor has anything to do with Rodenbach brewery or beer history?

Beer Sizes in Spain and Portugal Beer sizes in spain are aptly explained in http://matadornetwork.com/nights/order-beer-spain/ (copa, cana, tanque, jarra, etc.) In portugal, similar sizes appear but I've only heard of imperial and caneca . Are there other sizes of beer in Portugal/Spain?

It's sort of tough to chase down the origins of this stuff. It likely grew out of wine competition judging, which itself may have been based on the internal QA process of breweries and wineries. But that's conjecture, I can't find anything concrete. The best information I've got is that the websites like BA and RateBeer use the criteria set down by the American Homebrewers' Association and the Beer Judge Certification Program (AHA/BJCP). The BJCP was formed in 1985, but their style descriptions were likely based on Michael Jackson's famous book: The World Guide To Beer, published in 1977. But realistically it just sort of makes sense...describe how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes, how fizzy/thick/thin it feels, and then any ephemeral qualities it has to give an impression of the beer. Pretty much covers all the bases.

I've been to Cervejeria Nacional, which makes some good brews: http://www.cervejarianacional.com.br/ I found this list of breweries in SP state, including SP city: http://beerme.com/region.php?411 While there might not be a ton of breweries in SP, craft beer bars can be found popping up all over.

Getting a full list would always be tough as new varieties are being developed all the time. Looking at the above list I see a couple of varieties that have been out a couple of years that are missing (Mosaic for example). Yakima Chief Hop Union has a pretty up to date list and since they deal in selling hops it probably would be a good source of the latest ones out there. https://ychhops.com/varieties

I visited the brewery of West-Malle, Belgium recently. The bottles of 75 cl have a cork instead of a cap, and it's just because of marketing.

This might sound heretical to the true aficionados, but why not try a „Bananenweizen“, which is a Hefeweizen (.5l), to which you add about .1l of banana juice. It’s refreshing, not too sweet, and might be a good starting point. Albeit being a purist, and preferring more bitter flavours (eg. Jever), I still enjoy this drink from time to time.

São Paulo has seen a big rise in the craft beer scene through the last years (as does the whole country), so you'll probably find what you're looking for. The city doesn't have an actual (physical) brewery of its own (besides brewpubs, which are only a few, the most relevant being Cervejaria Nacional), once most of them are in the countryside of São Paulo state. Anyway, you won't be disappointed with beers available and bar options - Pinheiros region being the place where you'll find the best ones. Keep an eye open for Jupiter, Urbana, STP, which are gypsy breweries born in the city, and have a lot of modern styles (Black IPAs, American Wheat, Brown IPAs, APAs, etc). Urbana has a very good Belgian Strong Golden Ale called Gordelícia, by the way. Bamberg is a brewery dedicated to german styles, with some state-of-art german style reproductions with tons of international awards. Colorado is one of the oldest breweries in the country and, although it doesn't have a wide portfolio, its beers are easy to find at supermarkets, affordable and still very good. They have a very good english-american-hybrid IPA with 'rapadura' (a candy made of molasses). Invicta is one of my favorites from here, having from humble Weizenbiers to Imperial American IPAs, all very good. Don't miss Empório Alto dos Pinheiros (EAP), the best craft-beer bar in the city, with 30+ taps and excellent food at a fair price. Ah, well, prices overall here aren't very good. Actually, even though the whole craft beer scene is growing faster and faster, taxes and other aspects of the market aren't doing it more affordable to people, but the opposite, unfortunately. Besides all that, you are certainly going to find beers from all over the country here, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed with many of them. If you like belgian styles, your best bet is Wals (not from São Paulo, but widely available over here), nowadays probably the best brewery brewing belgian traditional styles in the country. PS: Off course we are not USA. You won't find six-packs here, nor even a 12oz Imperial IPA bottle for 3 bucks. But, willing to spend some money and knowing what to go for and what not, it's possible to drink good beer.

Looking for a very hoppy beer (in Germany) Which beer, that is available in Germany, can you recommend that is more bitter than Jever? Or, to re-phrase the question: What is the beer with the most hop that you know of, in Germany?

If you're really willing to push your own limits, try The Wild 's sour/wild beers. I became aware of them last year completely by accident, in a trip to UK, and loved their Modus Operandi beer. I also had another very light pale sour wich wasn't remarkable compared to the first one, but fairly ok. (I guess it probably should have had more time in the bottle to develop and reach its full potential). Sours beers are not for everyone, and the common first reaction to them is negative. But, if one get over that first shocking experience, go on and try it again, people usually fall in love with it. They are called Wild because they use in their fermentation process, in addition to possible other yeasts, brettanomyces yeast, also known as wild yeast, a different species, found in some kinds of wine and belgians beers (lambics, flanders red), which gives very rustic but complex and delightful aromas to the beer. It doesn't actually makes a beer sour (it actually produces a very small amount of acid only), but "wild" beers usually have other types of what is called bugs (bacteria and other fungi) in it, which does leave a lot of acid to the final beer, making it sour. They also have regular beers (IPA, Saison, Pale Ale), and they're almost always creative and daring on their recipes. I guess, whether you like it or not, all their beers are worth a try, because those guys seem to take brewing very seriously and you can expect nothing less than quality stuff. I wish I was still there to taste all their beers. And a bonus: they're from Evercreech, soutwest. ;) Look it up at their site and see what they've got.

As said, Trappist isn't a style but something like a certificate of origin and, let's say, quality standards. That put aside, it can be anything. Belgians themselves don't give a damn about style definitions actually. They only follow their traditions (from the region where they live, their monastery, their community, whatever). So, you are going to find beers varying from very shinning blonde to dark/ruby and thick ones that almost resembles a wine, which is the case of Westvleteren 12 , that one being the myth it is because it is not sold (at least officially) outside the monastery, and one is supposed to schedule and go pick it up personally with an amount limit, and everything. Off course, although I'm sure it is a really good beer (I've never had it), all that difficulty to get it undeniably contributes to its fame. I find Rochefort 10 (a belgian dark strong ale as Westvleteren 12 ) one of (if not the) best, certainly my very favorite on the list, but on the other end of the flavor range, Achel 10 (a strong golden ale) is my favorite blonde/pale trappist as well. La Trappe , which is the biggest trappist brewery, has at least twice the labels other breweries have, and is widely available on market, still has very good beers. So, the short answer is: trappist is not a style, and there's no such thing as the best one. It all depends on what you like, so, taste all them. Even nowadays, with some new-age trappist beers popping up, there aren't still so many out there, so tasting all trappist beers is pretty feasible in short time (except for Westvleteren, off course).

(I'm assuming here you mean spontaneous fermentation, used originally in belgian lambics. Open fermentation is the practice of fermenting in an open vessel but in a controlled environment, not allowing other microorganisms to get in, like Anchor and Sierra Nevada still do these days, and sometime ago very common in the industry.) You will probably never get a definitive answer to it but based only in my theoretical knowledge I would say terroir is not so determinant as people use to think, even for spontaneously fermented beer. My first guess is that, aside from very extreme/sterile climates and landscapes, microflora in the air is pretty much the same, at least in terms of variety and the species that play a main role in spontaneously fermented beer, which aren't much more than a few (acetobacteria, sacharomyces, lactic bacteria and brettanomyces). I know, you can find hundreds of different bugs in a single lambic, but from all that, only a few really play an important role. You can see this study here from UC Davis , based on Allagash's Coolship. One thing that supports this argument is that american breweries are successfully making lambic-style beers following almost the exact same traditional process as the belgian. But, then, one thing they've already learned is that one of the main factors in the early process of inoculation and fermentation is temperature, what implies year's season as well. Usually they leave the wort to be inoculated over night at fall. You can listen to what people from Allagash say about their Coolship Ale , for example. The rest of the process, well, now it depends on infinite factors (barrels, wood, storage, temperature, etc). But, your question was about distance between places, what suggests the terroir aspect of the production. So, I would say (and that's a completely wild guess), since you're in a place surrounded by any vegetation, with a minimum of biodiversity, and have wind, it doesn't make a big deal of a difference. Oh, and don't forget one thing. You get (if so) a consistent and regular flavor from those kind of beers only because people blend it before releasing, once different barrels even of the same batch turn out to be completely different one from the other. So, again, that's why I think there isn't much sense to talk about terroir . It's not like grapes are to wines. PS1 : Off course, as climate does play a crucial role in the process, it doesn't surprise me people are doing this only in the northern hemisphere at temperate climates. I guess it wouldn't work out very well in a tropical country, which doesn't have well definite seasons, although spontaneous fermentation can be done anywhere, you just can't guarantee what is going to come out of it. PS2 : If you are heavily interested in the topic, as I am, I recommend that you listen to Savor's Salons about barrel aging and blending, and sour/wild beers, available at Craft Beer Radio . There has been a lot of talkings about the matter in the last years. Really interesting.

Chemical reactions during a beer's aging are very complex, depending on a series of factors according to the beer's constitution and interaction between its components, as well as human perception of flavors. Certainly something way too complex to be briefly answered here. I recommend you to read Patrick Dawson's Vintage Beer book. While it's not a extensive and deeply scientific study on the matter, I guess it's as best as you can get in a single literature nowadays. Although some people have been aging beer for a long time, there isn't much formal knowledge about it yet, and most of what is known is from empiric experience and based on a lot of personal beliefs rather than strictly technical. But the book covers the basic.

Beer barrel-aging is a complex topic, and there's more than one reason for doing it. It has become a common practice in the american industry to age strong beers in barrels (mostly ex-bourbon oak barrels, but no only), to mellow it and add another layer of flavors (almost the same thing that happens with whisky). It's very common with Imperial Stouts, for example, which is one of the styles that goes best with this kind of practice. Generally, boozy and dark beers are more suitable for this, but not only (people age belgian tripels, for example, which, while being sometimes boozy, aren't roasty at all). So, talking about oak, you get that vanilla, coconut, sherry flavors, sometimes some smoke from the barrel's inside toast, and things like that. Boozines is softened as well (mellowed). Off course, inside the barrel, a lot of complex reactions occurs, and I don't know how it can be compared with wine chemically, but, along with other compounds, tannins are incorporated to the beer, altough it doesn't always appear so much in the final product like in wines. It all depends on a series of factors, including the amount of time the liquid spends in the barrel. Besides it, some aeration and in consequence oxidation does occur, but that's not the main purpose in that "type" of aging. Flavors of the original barrel's content may be picked as well, in higher or lower levels. Another main use of barrels in the beer industry is for production of wild/sour beers, in that case, the micro-aeration being a main desired factor. When people want to sour their beers and/or develop wild characteristics in it, they use different organisms after the primary fermentation. In order to sour it they use bacteria and for the rustic (wild) flavors they use another kind of yeast called brettanomyces in a further step of fermentation/maturation, in which oxygen presence is fundamental, but a slow pace is mandatory as well to avoid an overgrowth of the organisms and a possible "spoilage" of the beer. So, the barrel is a perfect place for this process to take place, because wood allows the oxygen to get in very slowly. Besides it, the barrel itself becomes a colony house for all those bugs (as brewers call those wild microorganisms), so you may not even need to pitch any yeast/bacteria after some time anymore. Off course, the wood alone impairs some flavors to the beer as well. You end up with a very, very complex product. These days, people are doing all kinds of crazy experiments you can think of, and there's no mandatory rule when using barrels. It all depends on what result you want to achieve and real-world experience as well. There's a lot of methods, and every one is still figuring it out.

Well, when it comes to very hoppy beers nowadays, I can't help thinking about American IPAs. It's not even close to any german style, off course, but if you are looking for hops, that's the one style to go for. Fortunately, there are some german microbreweries making IPAs there, like Hans Müller Sommelierbier's Backbone Splitter IPA, Ale-Mania's Imperial IPA and Crew IPA. I just don't know how available they are over there. In general, german styles aren't so hop-forward, favoring balance over excess. Styles like Munich Helles and German Pilsners have a definite hop profile, which I find just the exact right amount to balance malt and compose the aroma profile, but nothing overwhelming like an IPA. The rare doppelstick style (double altbier) has a high IBU count, but just to balance the malt sweetness, which is massive in this style, and not to stand alone. Californian brewery Stone is going to open a production plant in Berlin soon, so their beers will be available when it kicks off. And, just in case you aren't aware, Californian beers = loads of hops. So, keep an eye open.

You may find a few microbreweries making IPAs there, but I have no idea how restrict are their distribution. Hans Müller Sommelierbier's Ale-Mania's Crew Republic Off course, if you're a hophead, your best bet is to wait for Stone to kick-off their production and distribution there. As an advice: give german styles a chance too. In general, they're much less extreme than american ones, and definitely not hop-forward, but they have their own beauty. They're delicate, balanced and diverse. If you really like beer, explore as much as you can. You're probably going to find something that pleases you. ;)

There is Untappd , which is a social network for beer drinkers (web and app). Quite straightforward, actually. You check you beer in, rate it and leave a short comment (like Twitter). And you see a timeline with your check-ins and your friend's ones. The rate is what you're looking for, an overall score from 0 to 5 (multiples of 0.25). It's nice for keeping a log of what you have had and see what you friends are having, too. But, it's very simple when it comes to features, don't expect much of it.

Well, people at the craft beer industry just doesn't have limits, so, guess what? They are doing primary fermentation with Brettanomyces for many styles, including popular ones, like IPAs (look for brett ipa on Google). I don't know very specific details about the strains used for it, but I do know there are a few ones in the market right know. Probably some of them are more suitable for it than other ones. As far as I know, Brett doesn't take longer than any ale yeast to ferment (primarily), and gives a slightly different aroma and taste profile, but nothing funky like it does in secondary fermentation/maturation, which is that slow process you probably have heard of, when it eats complex sugars and other compounds, ending up with that barnyard aroma. And contrary to what many people think, it doesn't acidify the beer (brett produces only a small amount of acid, not enough to sour it). When people want to brew sours, they use bacteria. Actually, at a glance, 100% brett beers aren't so different from beers fermented with Saccharomyces. Off course, this is completely different from adding brett to the bootle and letting it to develop over time. Why brewers are doing it? A guess they ask the exact opposite: you should we not do this? =)

Well, that style thing is complicated because in real world people just make beer, and don't make beer to satisfy styles guides (at least, not until very recentely when some people started to care more about style guidelines than the beer itself). Anyway, what I think is important to be aware is: Many styles have a long and old history, often centuries, and what we have as one nowadays doesn't have much to do with what it was once ago. Styles change a lot over time as well. I'm not a specialist, but I think before the american craft beer revolution and revival in the early 80's, no one was gathering and classifying beer styles in a guide like BJCP. And that same revival brought back to life many dead styles in different fashion (well, look the case of IPAs), by the way. Generally, despite style guides, people have their own understanding of what is X or Y, and when naming their beers, they will do it based on their perception and references too, not strictly style guidelines. If you look closer, porter and stout are ancient reference styles for more specific and contemporaneous styles (sweet stout, dry stout, outmeal stout, brown porter, robust porter, russian imperial stout, etc). So, I think it makes more sense telling the difference between a milk and an outmeal stout, or brown and baltic porter than stout X porter. For what's worth, for me, there's no difference between stout and porter. What I mean is, at least not so that we, as consumers, can trust and be 100% of what you are going to get if you choose one over the other, specially when the name is generic like that. What I think is enlightening is to understand the history of those related styles and how they came to be what they are today.

While I was in Germany, you had pretty much two common choices of beer available from the local brewery: Pils and Export. They were quite different, with Pils being lighter in color and taste and Export being darker and a little heavier flavor. They were in the same colored glass bottle with different labels. They are obviously two different beers. The name had nothing to do with whether it went out of the country or not. Now, maybe back when it was first developed way back when, it was exported to another people somewhere, I don't know. My beer knowledge is not that impressive, so I have relayed what I experienced.

Recommended fermentation time for cider I know this is more preference than rule but I am a beginner and from what I have read it is: 2 weeks in the fermenting jug; bottle, add sugar and sit for another 2 weeks. Any body else have suggestions for me? Anyone think this is wrong?

Sour Beer (Gose, Wild Ales, Lambics) What exactly is involved in the brewing process that turns a beer 'sour'? Is it the addition of certain lactic acids or yeasts? I've been told before that, technically, a sour beer is a the result of the brewing process gone wrong (obviously this is controlled when that outcome is intentional). How true is this? The opinion part of my question: what are some excellent sour beers that you guys recommend? I have a few favorites, but am always looking for great suggestions. Some of my current favorites are Westbrook Gose (salty and sour), 4 Hands Prussia Berliner (passionfruit sour), New Belgian Hop Tart, Omer Vander's Cuvees Des Jacobins Rouge, and Brouwerij's Petrus Aged Ale

BJCP style guides aside, I generally love porters and don't care for stouts. The latter (in my experience) tend to have a much more pronounced roasted malt character. (I do like most milk stouts though, now that that's a thing)

Effectively, yes. A sour beer is what we'd consider to be a spoiled beer. As a quick primer, "wort" is turned into "beer" when microbes convert the sugars in the liquid into alcohol, CO2, and ...other stuff. Generally speaking, we use brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae for ale or Sacc. Pastorianus for lager) because the other stuff tastes pretty nice, or at least doesn't taste bad. Various strains of the same organism produce different byproducts, an example would be an English ale yeast which is well known for compounds that are kindof sweet or fruity vs Belgian ale yeasts which are well known for being peppery, clovy, or banana-y. Those flavors all come from the yeast used for fermentation, but it's only ever a single strain of yeast, which was isolated in a lab. Sour beers are basically defined by not using a single isolated, clean-tasting strain of Saccharomyces. The most common sour yeast used is in a genus called Brettanomyces, which depending on the specific species can produce flavors like...horse saddle, bandaid, cheese, cloves, and vinegar. But most sour beers are not strictly brewed with yeasts like Sacc. or Brett. but also have bacteria in them. Most commonly lactobacillus and pediococcus which are known for producing large amounts of lactic acid, which is where the sour really comes from. That's not to say sour beer brewers are being sloppy, because their "infections" aren't accidents. They're deliberately trying to use less predictable and slow-acting organisms to create consistent beer. That's tough. As to a suggestion? I like Tart of Darkness by The Bruery. Petrus is good stuff and Duchesse de Bourgogne is nice. Occasionally it's nice to find a really tart Berlinerweisse and mix it with a fruit syrup and Gose can be incredible paired with cheese.

The recommended primary fermentation time for anything you're going to bottle is: until it's done. After 2-3 weeks, when you think it's ready, use a wine thief to pull a sample to test with a hydrometer. Record that number. Then wait maybe 3 days and do it again. Compare the new number to the first number. If they're the same, you're safe. If they're at all different, give it another week then repeat the whole process. The premeasured bottling sugar or bottling sugar calculator assumes the cider is completely done fermenting, if it's not then you've suddenly overdosed the bottles with sugar which could result in an explosion.

Sourness may have been, in a higher or lower level, a common characteristic of beers centuries ago, specially after some time of storage, once the common vessel to keep it was wooden barrels, and wood often harbor a lot of microorganisms, including bacteria and wild yeast, the former being responsible for souring the beer. After the Industrial Revolution, with more hygiene and sterile tools, that characteristic became more and more uncommon, and at some point, undesirable. So, meanwhile, yeast was "discovered", isolated, and fermentation controlled so that we had a clean taste profile, free from acids at all, which is what you know as beer nowadays. Don't be fooled: what really sours a beer are bacteria, not Brettanomyces . The later, also known as 'wild yeast', are usually found in sour beers as well, but are responsible for other aromas and flavors (barnyard and horse saddle being the most recognizable). ( Brett actually produces a tiny amount of acid, no more than that). Some Belgians have been intentionally making sour beers for centuries, through spontaneous fermentation process (in the case of lambics ) and wood-aging (in large oak vats) after "clean" fermentation (in the case of flanders reds ). Germans did it too, but their two traditional sour styles ( gose and berliner weisse ) are almost dead there, and differ from the belgians ones on the absence of brett character. Nonetheless, nowadays people comprehend a lot better how those processes occur, and are doing sours again on purpose and manipulating those organisms in many ways. Basically, souring bacteria used are pediococcus and lactobacillus (not very different from lambics , actually). Most of the time, barrels are still used in the process, because of the micro-aeration those microorganisms need. And, off course, for keeping the microflora inside it, etc, etc, not to mention the flavor complexity that comes from wood compounds itself. A contaminated beer may end up being a sour. Well, so what distinguish a spoiled beer from a sour? Nothing actually, except that when people intentionally want to produce a sour, they do that with some more control in order to get the outcome they want and not some weird aleatory taste at the end. But, at some level, producing a sour beer, specially when using barrels, is always unpredictable too. As you can see, it's a rich and complex topic, probably the most exciting one about brewing. As suggestions, I definitely encourage you to taste the classic ones, belgian lambics (any Gueuze you find) and flanders reds (have you ever heard about Rodenbach and Duchesse de Bourgogne ? they're amazing). I love Petrus Aged Pale too. And, if you are from US, then you are bloody blessed, because american craft brewers are doing sour/wild beers like there were no tomorrow. =P Look for Allagash , Russian River , Lost Abbey , The Bruery , Avery , Boulevard , Almanac , Deschutes . The list is infinite. The thing is getting so serious that in the last years, all-sour breweries are popping up, like Rare Barrel from Berkeley.

I brew in South Florida with similar ambient temps during the spring-summer-autumn. For beer styles, check out the saison, which enjoys a higher fermentation temperature. Wyeast 3724 has a temperature range of 70-95F, 21-35C and attenuates up to 80% . I've had great success with this strain, even at the higher ends of the range. Beer and Wine Journal has a nice list of yeasts that do well in higher temps. White Labs WLP550 (Belgian Ale) — 68–78°F (20–26 °C) White Labs WLP566 (Belgian Saison II yeast) — 68–78°F (20–26 °C) White Labs WLP568 (Belgian Style Saison Ale Yeast Blend) — 70–80 °F (21–27 °C) White Labs WLP065 (American Whiskey Yeast) — 75-82 °F (24–28 °C) White Labs WLP655 (Belgian Sour Mix 1) — 80-85+ °F (27–29 °C) White Labs WLP665 (Flemish Ale Blend) — 68-80°F (20 –27 °C) Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) — 68-78° F (20-24° C) Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale) — 64-80° F (18-27° C) Wyeast 3724 (Belgian Saison) — 70-95 °F (21-35 ° C) Wyast 3725 (PC Biere de Garde) — 70-84 °F (21-29 °C) Wyeast 3763 (Roeselare Ale Blend) — 65-85 °F (18-30 °C) Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity) — 64-78 °F (18-25 °C) Wyeast 3822 (PC Belgian Dark Ale) — 65-80 °F (18-27 °C) Fermentis Safbrew T-58 — 12-25°C (54-77 °F) Fermentis Safbrew WB-06 — 12-25°C (54-77 °F) If you're looking to bring the beer to a little bit below ambient (as fermentation is a bit of an exothermic process) try a small plastic tub full of cool water with the carboy in it wrapped in a towel. The towel will wick up cool water and evaporate, basically acting like a giant sweat gland! Hope this helps.

Well, technically, single malt (scotch whisky) is a distilled beer, except for not having hops in it. They even call it beer before distilling and the brewing process is pretty much the same (again, except for the hops), although it doesn't go through secondary maturation. Off course, they keep the recipe very simple, on most cases probably using a single type of base malt and nothing else. No special/flavouring malts like beer. But some people nowadays are doing crazy things like distilling real and well-known beers into whisky . Look at those guys of Seven Stills , from San Francisco, and Sons of Liberty . They're are making whisky (pretty much single malts if you stop to think) from Imperial IPAs and Chocolate Stouts. Those guys from Germany are distilling their classic Marzen style too. Rogue, a brewery in the first place, distill some of their beers as well. There are even some well-know craft beers which have already been distilled into whiskys, like Samuel Adams' Boston Lager . Some people go even further: they distill a barrel-aged beer and age the resultant spirit again in the same barrel which the beer came from. Not to mention that sometimes they age their regular spirits in "beers barrels" as well. Confused? Me too. =) Interesting time we are living nowadays.

In 1821, the four Rodenbach brothers (Pedro, Alexander, Ferdinand and Constantijn) invested in a small brewery in Roeselare, in the West Flanders province of Belgium. The brothers agreed to a partnership for 15 years. At the end of this period, Pedro and his wife, Regina Wauters, bought the brewery from the others and Regina ran the business while Pedro served in the military. Their son Edward later took over the brewery (1864) and, it was during his directorship that the brewery saw great growth. Edward's son, Eugene, took over in 1878 and, in preparation for this position, travelled to England where he learned how to ripen beer in oak barrels and then mix old and young beers. It was this that became the method of producing beer that Rodenbach became famous for. As Eugene produced no male offspring, a public limited liability corporation was created and most shares remained in the hands of descendants of the Rodenbachs until 1998 when the brewery was sold to Palm Brewery. There are 4 different types of Rodenbach beers: 1. Rodenbach Original (5,2% ABV) blended from aged and young ale (25%/75%); 2. Rodenbach Grand Cru, a rich winey beer (6% ABV) which, although blended, contains less young ale (67%/33%) (in the past this beer was unblended aged beer from a single cask selected for its qualities by a tasting panel. This type of beer has now been renamed Rodenbach Vintage beer and is available in limited quantities); 3. Vin de Céréale, an aged beer that is 10% ABV. 4. In commemoration of the brewery 150th year of activity, it produced Rodenbach Alexander (5,2% ABV). It was a variant of the Original one with a cherry taste. It is name comes from the brewery founder Alexander Rodenbach. After the take-over, Palm quickly stopped the production of Rodenbach's Alexander beer, a cherry-flavoured beer. [1] When Palm Brewery bought Rodenbach, another brewery it owned already made a cherry beer. At that time Alexander Rodenbach had to be ceased for contractual non-compete sorts of reasons. However, in recent years, Palm/Rodenbach has produced and distributed, first, Rodenbach foederbier, which is served only from cask, and is unfiltered and unblended. It comes straight from an oak riping barrel and is not processed further. I think the bartender told you to drink your Rodenbach with a shot of cherry liquor, so that you can taste the original Rodenbach Alexander (the cherry-flavoured beer, Rodenbach's erstwhile cherry beer which produced before the brewery was sold to Palm).

Difference between glass, bottle and can? I was wondering if there really is a difference in taste when you drink the same beer out of a glass, a bottle and a can. Can anybody please tell me if there is a difference or if this is just a prejudice in your mind that makes you think it's better in one way?

Glass vs bottle or can will be a pretty noticeable difference with most styles of beer simply due to the size of the opening. When you pour from the storage vessel to the glass you disturb the beer a lot which drives CO2 gas out, and that takes a lot of aromatics with it so the aroma you get from the beer in a glass is WAY stronger and more complex than what you'd sniff from the bottle or can. Also smell is a pretty huge part of tasting something and when you drink from a glass you're putting your nose right into the thick of all that, so the flavor will be more intense as well. Bottles and cans sort of keep that toned down since you don't smell the beer as much. There used to be a prejudice against cans because the liquid and the aluminum would react and oxidize, but they started coating the insides with a food safe epoxy resin decades ago and it's completely sealed now. As far as taste goes there's no difference between the two, but cans actually store a bit better because they let in no light and no air while bottles will eventually let through enough to affect the beer. Brewers like cans as well since they're more portable, don't shatter, chill faster, and are often cheaper to fill.

As far as I've ever tried, old beers, even cheap light lager like Bud Light, will taste pretty off after a lot of in-bottle or can aging. The older it is, the worse it will taste, but having drunk more than one in a sitting, I can safely say it's no more harmful than drinking a fresh one. Never gotten sick off one, but it's pretty hard to down them without gagging a bit. Some beers actually seem to intentionally go for a similar taste. Anything with a green bottle seems to be trying for a skunky flavor, while brown bottles help filter out damaging light. Compare a Beck's or Heineken to, say, a Budweiser. The former will have a distinctly skunky flavor to them, basically similar to marijuana. The latter has a bit of a rice taste, as that's what's used in the brewing process, with a slight sweetness, but overall just a bubbly light flavor. As Linus pointed out, there's going to be a "wet cardboard" taste with past-due light lagers. I'm guessing this is due to the breakdown of oils and sugars in the beer, as well as other general chemical changes. I'm not sure why it has that taste of cardboard or paper, but it's definitely present. After doing some research (aka looking it up on google), I found that the main culprit of that cardboard taste is a chemical called "nonenal". It's apparently also a chemical in human body odor of aged people, leading to the so-called "old people smell". This isn't proven, but there's some evidence that this is the main culprit for the somewhat-neutral scent of older people's perspiration. In a beer, not quite as neutral, however.

Try "Flensburger Pilsener", another typical Pilsener from Northern Germany.

Does Fuller's Golden Pride age well? Has any of you guys ever aged Fuller's Golden Pride? Does it age well? How was your experience with it? To be honest I don't remember the beer so that well, and whether it has a good level of melanoidins and residual sugar worth to age. This beer is quite different from other english barley wines, known to age well, so if someone has ever done it, I would appreciate some advice. Thanks.

A plastic bottle of gira (kvass) expanded in the plane: what are the possible consequence? A couple of friend just came back from vacation in Lithuania and brought me a bottle of gira . However, the bottle is made of plastic (it looks like a soda bottle) and it suffered from what I guess is traveling in a plane cargo at low pressure: it expanded like a balloon, even the screw cap has a dome. What could be the consequences of this expansion on taste, preservation, carbonation or anything else I might have forgotten?

One possible consequence is that the bottle will pop, sending gira all over the place and possibly hurting someone's eardrums. I don't know if opening the bottle before it bursts helps or, on the contrary, ensures that it bursts in someone's hands. An in the end, you don’t get to know what it tastes like. :’(

How to drink kvass? I’ve recently received a bottle of gira (i.e. kvass from Lithuania). With it came a beer mug, so I guess the issue of the glassware is settled. At what temperature should I drink it? If I understand correctly (which I probably don’t, given that everything is written in Lithuanian), the kvass is unfiltered. Should I pour carefully to avoid mixing too much yeast in the glass or, on the contrary, should I ensure that some yeast do go into the glass? Or is it purely a matter of taste? Finally, at which temperature should it be served?

A faro , a lambic with added sugar, is sweet but not fruity. I find them enjoyable once in a while.

You need to pour carefully as normally you have quite thick tankage and/or parts of kvass (sometimes bread pieces and crumbs if it`s homemade one) can float in it. My ancestors (and still my relatives) use limestone cellar to keep temperature-sensitive goods (including kvass) and the cellar`s floor is 3 meters below their ground level. At summer it's chilling cold down there and the Internet says the temperatures there fall into range of 5-10 degrees celsius (pretty much the temperature in a fridge). Kvass is one of the best beverages for hot summer and if brewed good it`s as tasty as beer and contains almost no alcohol so you can continue doing any type of work you've been doing prior to drinking it (beer does not really have this wonderful feature). However the best one is hand-made at home as kvass sold in supermarkets is not good and sometimes it differs drastically (imagine a difference between a home-made lemonade from a restaurant and any bottle of one from a supermarket).

Craft/micro brewery in Saarland, Luxembourg and Lorraine region? I found these Beer from Saarland but it looks more like commercial brews. Are there any craft/microbrewery in the tri-country greater region of Saarland (Germany), Luxembourg and Lorraine (France)?

Craft brew in Dublin Other than the popular Porterhouse ( http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-dublin-temple.php ), are there other pub that serves craft/microbrewery beer in Dublin, Ireland? Other than the famous Guinness brewhouse, are there other microbrewery around Dublin? Other than Guinness Stout, what other Guinness beer is a must-have? Are there any Dublin exclusive beer?

Microbrewery in Prague Czech is known for its Pilsen Pilsner but is there any special beer from the Prague capital? Are there any craft/microbrewery in Prague? Any suggestions to pub that serves good craft Czech brews?

Craft beers and Microbreweries in Singapore? Recently, CNN listed the Smith Street Tap from the Good Beer Company in Singapore as one of the world's greatest bar ( http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-07-21/the-greatest-bars-in-the-world/23 ). Also, locally known, Brewerkz http://www.brewerkz.com/ serves some good craft beer. After some internet searches, I found Jungle Beer that is a mircobrew: http://www.junglebeer.com/ Other than the 3 sources listed above, where else can one get craft/microbrewery beer in Singapore? Are there other microbreweries in Singapore?

Toronto - Town Crier Pub (John and Adelaide) Toronto - Bier Markt (various locations)

Discworld Ales have a range of drinks inspired by the Terry Pratchett novels! I've not tasted any myself but they were well received as a gift.

Duff Beer "Duff Beer is a brand of beer that originally started as a fictional beverage on the animated series The Simpsons. Since then it has become a real brand of beer in a number of countries without permission or consent from its original creator, Matt Groening, and has resulted in legal battles with varying results. An official version of the beer is sold in three variations near The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios." - Duff Beer (Wikipedia)

There is a variant of stout available in the UK known as Sweet Stout. There is a version made by Sam Smith of Tadcaster in England who export to the US as Samuel Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout. The beer actually has organic cocao mixed in the brew. It may well suit the tastes of someone moving into beer.

Well, they don't mean anything in particular really, because this is fiction. However, if we want to play analysis, the answer would certainly be whiskey, American bourbon most likely. Let's go through the choices. 1) Wine. No way. If someone is going to generically order wine, they at least specify a color, red or white. Plus wine is mostly all the same strength, only varying a couple percent either direction, unless you count fortified wines, which are another topic. 2) Beer. Ordering a generic beer would get you a basic beer, which isn't very strong. Only a few specialized beer bars would have any beers that I'd call really strong. Any beer stronger than 12% is going to be very rare, with most bars not even having above 8%. The kinds of people who order strong beers, these 8, 9, 10, etc beers, would always order by name. They are craft beer fans. These aren't really strong enough to help someone in distress. 3) Vodka. Unless you are a Russian or a huge vodka fan, you don't order vodka straight like this. Vodka is generally for mixing in America. The people who are serious about vodka drinking would order by brand name. 4) Gin is the same story as vodka really. Gin in generally served in mixed form, although a dry gin martini is close to 100% gin, it still counts as mixed. 5) Cordials, liquers, etc. Again, would be ordered by type or brand, and often not that strong compared to the main liquors. 6) Rum, can be quite strong, makes decent shots, makes decent sipping. But it conjours up images of pirate and or topical locations. If the movie is set in the Caribbean, they would mean rum. 7) Tequila. It's strong, makes good shots. Not so great for sipping, unless you are talking about the really good stuff or you are a tequila fan. If you are in Mexico or a Cantina, they would mean tequila. 8) Whiskey. This is the winning category. It's always strong. It tastes good in shots, and makes fine sipping from a glass. This is manly and good for all classes of life. Blue collars and white collars alike love whiskey. if you are doing, "forget your troubles" kinda drinking, whiskey is the best choice. If you are sad, or upset, or worried, or looking for a fight, or anything like that, whiskey is the best choice. A real American manly man is going to want whiskey, usually bourbon, something like Knob's Creek. Some will prefer Irish whiskeys, or Scottish Whiskys, (notice no e), but if they do, they will say so by name. I mean, I know if I was upset like that and going to a bar and said a stupid order like gimme a strong one, I would mean bourbon. If I wanted a beer, to get back on topic, I'd be like, "What kind of IPAs you got?" "Any sours?" :)

Paulaner Reddot Brewhouse Archepelago (found in various locations) 1925 Brewery AdstraGold Paulaner should be the same everywhere, Reddot is pretty good, I'm not sure that Adstra actually exists (but WOW, what a janky website). Brewerkz still seems to be the best AFAIK.

In the US, the "microbrewery" name is going away, and being replaced with "craft beer" as many formerly small breweries have grown so much. But they are still small compared to companies like Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc. One definition is: "Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less..." Beyond that, they take every conceivable form: big restaurant plus small brewery, small restaurant attached to big brewery, tasting room in an industrial park (without food), some guy's garage... whatever the local law allows. The only constants, for businesses that last, are good beer and staff that like beer too.

Try against the grain on wexford street got a good selection there

The process is a bit different in freely moving bottles when compared to bottles on a solid surface. Bottles that can't move only foam a little bit, where the hitting bottle foams as much as the hit bottle. Bottles that can move (even 1 mm is enough) move down faster than the beer. This creates a lower pressure inside the bottle. Beer can hold a lot less CO2 at lower pressure so any bubble that can grow, will grow and new ones will form at an increased rate. The top bottle will have an equal but opposite pressure change, but increased pressure just increases the amount of CO2 that the beer can hold so no extra foam will be produced here. Fun sidenote: If you hit hard enough the pressure in the hit bottle gets low enough to create a small and very short lived vacuum at the bottom of the bottle, the beer rushes towards the vacuum with such power that the bottom of the bottle breaks off. You can also do this with your hand instead of with another bottle. How to Break a Beer Bottle With Your Bare Hands .

Did some reading and found this site listing a number of microbreweries and beer gardens. Pubs (Microbreweries) . And this place seems cool, Pivovar Hostivar . I'd love to see if other people know about more cool beer gardens.

Dagschotel In Belgium, there's a tv-show that's been running for 20 years. One of the characters always orders a "dagschotel" (french: plat du jour, english: the dish of the day) when he orders a glass of beer. A few weeks ago, some brewery makes bottles of Dagschotel.

I was in Prague a month ago :-) You absolutely must make a stop at the brewery at Strahov Monastery, Klášterní Pivovar / Sv. Norbert , in particular if you're a fan of hops. I wasn't enjoying the beer in Prague until a local directed me here for their excellent food (yes, they also have fantastic Czech dishes!) Here's a photo of the beers I had— —from left to right, their Wheat Ale, Amber Ale, Dark Lager, Summer Red Ale (my favorite, but seasonal only), and IPA. There's also Prague Beer Museum near Old Town, a few blocks northeast of the famous astronomical clock tower. The name's a little misleading—it's just a beer garden with some bar food (not great). Most of the beers were lagers (pilsners, dark), with a few IPAs and other styles scattered about. I wasn't a huge fan of their selection, but perhaps I was being closed-minded. Relative to San Diego standards, their one porter on draft tasted more like barleywine (...unaged, blegh), their one pale ale tasted skunky to me, and their IPAs tasted like they were afraid to use too much hops :-) If you check it out and have a different experience, please let me know. And also don't hesitate to self-answer your question after your travels, especially if you've found breweries or pubs not mentioned here. Below, the first of 3 flights I ordered at Prague Beer Museum.

I am from Prague and sure, there are many microbreweries here. It sure depends what part of city you are in, but here are some of my personal tips (overall, the more to the city center, the more expensive it is) City center - Novomestsky pivovar - mostly for tourists I would say City center - Pivovarsky dum - popular among locals as well City center - U Fleku - very popular among tourists, nice atmosphere, not very cheap though North of Prague - Pivovar U Bulovky - nice small brewery, locals mainly, near tram North of Prague - Pivovar Kolčavka - very nice brewery, good food, locals mainly, close to Palmovka Metro (underground) Southern Prague - Jihomestsky pivovar - again, very good beer and food, near Metro Háje Southern Prague - Pivovar Hostivar - one of the best gardens, nice beer and food, only about two years old, quite far from Metro (Hostivar or Haje) And sure much more, but these are some of those I remember or have experienced myself. You can ask for anything in particular, if you want. Enjoy your stay in Prague :) Zax

There is also a BreakingBad based beer that you can find here Schraderbräu is a homebrew beer brewed by Hank Schrader. He is seen bottling the beer in Breakage, the fifth episode of season 2. He offers a six-pack of the beer as a prize in a fundraiser in ABQ, the thirteenth episode of season 2.

Actually you have nice words to ask in Spain for a shooter beer, but I can add somes: big quantity (1L or more) mini cachi regular size (200cl-500cl) tubo little quantities: cañita corto chato (used for beer but usually of wine) zurito (basque country and andalucia but extendind all over Spain) but we have also words to name beer bottles depending the size: 20cl bottle: botellin quinto (in north regions like Catalunya) 33cl bottle: tercio mediana (in north regions like Catalunya) 1 l bottle: litro litrona xibi * * from Xibeca , Damm big bottles

First of all... you must know in this regions there is a laarge tradition with beer, so microbreweries are not as usual as in other regions, because there is a lot of abbeys and old factories that made beer in a traditional way. That tradition gives us really good beers, what makes microbreweries less usual than in other regions like Spain or Italy or center-south part of France where comercial beers are a real shit ;). That's why I will make not only a microbreweries list, but also places where you can find craft and traditional beers of each region. Also, feel free to check this map I made where you can find some Bretagne (France), Flandes (Belgium) and some Italian (Roma), Home/micro-breweries, Abbeys, Factories, Brasseurs and Bars :) related. Saarland Here and here you can find more Saarland breweries. Walsheimer Sudhaus Microbrewery walsheimer-sudhaus.de Facebook: walsheimbrauerei info@walsheim-brauerei.de Neufang's Brauerei Dudweiler Landstraße 3-9, 66123 Saarbrücken. http://www.neufang.de/ Grosswald Brauerei - Bauer Grosswaldstrasse 132, 66265 Heusweiler. http://www.grosswald.de Hochwälder Braugasthaus Zum Stausee 190, 66679 Losheim am See. http://hochwaelder-brauhaus.de/ Homburger Brauhaus Karl-Heinz Wierz Saarpfalz-Center Talstraße 38, 66424 Homburg. http://www.homburger-brauhaus.de Luxembourg Here and here you can find more Luxembourg breweries. Brasserie Simon rue Joseph Simon 14, 9550 Wiltz. Homepage: http://www.brasseriesimon.lu/ Annual production: 23,000 hl Brasserie Bofferding Bd J.F. Kennedy 2, 4901 Bascharage. Email: direction@bofferding.lu Homepage: http://www.bofferding.lu/ Go Ten Café Type: Bar (6 taps, 8 bottles) 10, rue du Marché-aux-Herbes Luxembourg, Luxembourg L-1728 +352 26203652 www.goten.lu Liquid Café Type: Bar (6 taps 25 bottles) 15 - 17, rue Munster, Grund Luxembourg, Luxembourg +352224455 www.liquid.canalblog.com Lorraine Finde here a list of breweries and brewers (is a France one, but you can search for cities like Metz) and here a list of brasseurs (traditional beer producers in france). Bière de Metz Rue de la Fontaine à l Auge Jury, France 57245 (3) 87 63 83 41 Bière Artisanale Lorraine L’Epitaphe 40, rue de France Blénod-Lès-Pont-À-Mousson, France 54700

I would add that beer that tends to last longer in a can because of way it's sealed. No bottle cap for leaking oxygen and light can't penetrate so it's not going to be ruined as fast when it's sitting in the store fridge under the fluorescent lights

Why and when did the interest for micro breweries and craft beers arise? During the past couple of years, the variety of beers found in supermarkets in Germany has vastly increased. There is a number of beers that I remember having always been there, and a few have been added over time. But these don’t stick out much in price or flavour. Recently, I heard the term micro brewery for the first time, and I noticed that large supermarkets have stocked up on many different (mostly regional) beers. Prices start at “slightly above average”, but some are easily ten times as expensive. A bottle of beer for 7 Euros? Not the most expensive. This, and the fact that beer.stackexchange.com exists, and that many questions concern micro breweries and craft beers leads me to the questions: Why this sudden interest in micro breweries and craft beers? When did it start?

I'm not sure about the German market for craft, but American craft can almost certainly be traced back to Frederick Maytag's purchase of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing in 1965. Since then, 'craft' or 'microbrew' grew slowly through the years. A lengthy but interesting report called THE MARKET FOR CRAFT AND SPECIALTY BEER, A Market Intelligence Report, March 1997 has an impressive description of why craft in particular was able to keep growing, and why it wasn't labeled a 'fad': "There is also a floor under the craft/specialty segment. This is not a fad segment like packaged draft, dry, ice, clear, or perhaps even red. While growth in the craft segment will slow, it will not peak quickly and then lose share, as the fad beers have. The craft/specialty segment has firm underpinnings from homebrewers and other beer aficionados. Many of the homebrewers prefer to brew their own beer (done right, it’s even better than the best of the craft brews), but they often sample commercial brews to try unfamiliar or difficult-to-brew styles, and of course they’re top prospects for drinking craft brews when they are at a restaurant or brewpub." That explains a lot through the 90's, but why the quicker increase in growth patterns in the last 10 years? According to the Brewers Association (a US-based trade group): "Between 2011 and 2013, 80% of craft growth came from new craft appreciators, the majority of which were in the 21 to 29 age group, and their impact is still muted. Lester Jones of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) sees Millennials as not fully economically activated yet due to the impact of the economic recession and their struggle to transition into aging Baby Boomer jobs. This means as the economy improves we should feel the impact of the Millennials even more. The message here is the fastest growing and most influential demographic is also moving the fastest toward craft." Pair this with the increased ideals behind "Trade-ups and premiumization", and you have people willing to spend a little more to gain an perceived increase in value and quality. IBISWorld shares that craft beer has enjoyed a 19% growth in the past 5 years. I don't know about you, but that's incredible considering the economic woes of developed nations. It appears to boil down to a long, slow pattern of growth that has reached a massive generational shift in consumption which has caused a spike in sales volume, which in turn is pushing every store from New Jersey to Frankfurt to attempt to capitalize on one of the few growth industries.

Techniques to add flavour and aroma to beer with hops I'm a hop lover, recently I found one of bests IIPA I ever tasted ( I don't know if I can name beer / brand ) I've found at the bottom of the bottle, there are no yeast rests, but yes hop leafs. :) sweet! One friend tell me this technike is called bottle dry-hopping , consisting in introducing a little bud of hop in each bottle. I've heard about dry-hopping but before botteling the beer, also i know Hop Spider , is a filter you fill with hop for the freezing step. Three techniques are great and give nice results at the end, so: Anyone knows about other techniques using hops to add flavour and aroma AFTER cooking the beer?

Why do some brewing companies only export certain beers outside of their primary location? Wondering why it is that certain smaller brewing companies will export only certain beers out of their primary location? I am a huge fan of Goose Island (Chicago area based) and am having a tough time finding their Sofie and Matilda brews on the East Coast/NYC area.

According to the Beer Advocate website , Romulan Ale from Star Trek is brewed by Cervecería Centro Americana in South Africa. A search in Google Images will produce several images of the bottles. I have included a link to one image. Romulan Ale

If you are trying to get a person who does not like beer to try beer, you are going to have to be creative and go for something a little more exotic. Young's Double Chocolate Stout or Rogue's Chocolate Stout would be my first two choices. My partner dislikes American beer, but really likes these two brands. In addition to Chocolate Stout, Rogue also has Pumpkin-flavor, Hazelnut-flavor, and Voodoo "Lemon Chiffon" Donut-flavor beer (and many others). When my partner's first two choices are not available, we go fruity. Pyramid Brewery makes an absolutely delicious apricot ale. We were in a little brewery in Hannover and they had the best banana-flavored beer in the entire world. Now I know you are not going to be able to get this, but you might be able to find some banana bread beer in the USA instead. I have not tried this brand, but if it is anything like the beer in Hannover, your friends will probably like it. (source: drizly.com )

Looking for dark but not heavy I tend to go for darker beers, typically stouts and porters. Guinness is my usual go to when I'm at a bar or restaurant, but as appealing as "a meal in a glass" is, on occasion I find these to be a little too filling/heavy. More recently I had the opportunity to try Köstritzer, which I guess would be classified as a black lager. It had the very familiar taste of a stout but without the filling quality. Black lager seems to be a rather generic category though, the title seems to cover a rather large variety of dark lagers and seems to be more about color than taste. Is there a more specific category I should be looking for? Or perhaps better, does any one know any other beers that taste like a stout but with the light weight of a lager?

Two types of beers might suit you, both are similar but with slightly different flavour profiles. English mild ale has a lower alcoholic content than bitter or Guinness, generally dark coloured. Theakstons make a particularly nice mild on an irregular basis. Scottish 60 shilling (60/-) or light beer is similar to mild but is generally slightly sweeter to suit the Scottish palate. McEwan's 60/- is the one most commonly seen. It should be noted that this class of beer is generally out of favour in the UK despite efforts by the Campaign for Real Ale to revive interest.

Let's start off with beers that you're interested in, something akin to a black lager. I'm going to keep things focused on beer styles rather than particulars, since I do not know where you are nor what might be available for you. Dunkelweizen This is a dark wheat beer with characteristics of a traditional wheat with caramel type flavors joining the mix. Not exactly stout-like, but more like your black lager in lightness. Schwarzbier Schwarzbier means "black beer" in German. This is what you had with your Köstritzer. It is a medium-bodied, malt-accented dark brew, very opaque and deep-sepia in color, with a chewy texture and a firm, creamy, long-lasting head. In spite of its dark color, it comes across as a soft and elegant brew that is rich, mild, and surprisingly balanced. It never tastes harsh, toasty or acrid. Black IPA / Cascadian Dark Ale The American fascination with hops has shown that the addition of toasted malts can give a hoppy, bitter, and coffee-like experience to these beers. Black Saisons Similar to the Black IPA, I've seen a few breweries start brewing their saisons with roasted malts. The usual light flavors of the saison are accented by this extra roasted character. It's never acrid, however. Porters A lot of English porters are not heavy at all, and are generally akin to milds that have roasted malts added in. Look for lower ABV porters in the 4-5% range, and you'll probably find something you like. Surprisingly to many, Guinness is actually on par with any other beer of similar alcohol strength , as beer gets a majority of its calories from alcohol, about 7 per gram . Perhaps much of the 'full' feeling is a product of the use of nitrogen in the mix which gives it that creamy texture.

Some breweries use a hop "Torpedo", where the beer is forced through a chamber containing the desired aroma hops: http://byo.com/hops/item/1899-torpedoes-away You probably don't need one that big, though.

I think kvas tastes best when it is cold. In Moscow, say, when you are walking around in the summer, you see many stands with cooled containers where you can buy it. This type of kvas is not bad, but the best kvas is often made by some monastery like the one in Sergiev Posad - see the photo. The difference to standard types is huge.

I saw on Zythos Beer Festival in Leuven (Belgium) where they have a hop chamber (in glass) where the beer is going through when drafting into a glass. Similar like this

There's lots of possible reason Some beers don't taste the same after the pasteurization required for shipping commercially, so only local or limited run would work. The area you're in may not be their target demographic/flavor profile. They may just not have a distributor in your area or know if people want it. They may not be a well known enough brand to justify shipping all of their products to an area and instead on just a few initially. Intentionally driving up demand. That being said, I show some of those beers available at areas well outside of their Chicago area, so it probably isn't the commercial shipping one.

I'd say it comes down to three things. Distribution Rights Breweries in most states are restricted by the three-tier system which divides the brewing industry into three categories: Producers Distributors Retailers. A few states allow the producer to engage in self-distribution (usually to a limited degree) but most require that a brewery get distribution rights with a third party, which will hold full, exclusive, and unlimited rights to shipping that producer's beer. ProBrewer.com has some excellent reading on the subject. The rules and regulations pertaining to the distribution and advertising of beer products are highly regulated and are enacted and enforced at the state level. Therefore, each state has its own set of laws in which the brewer is responsible for knowing and abiding by. It is incumbent on you, the brewer, to know the specific regulations of each state in which you sell. It boils down to what the distributor wants to do and state-by-state requirements for what can be sold there. Ohio has a cap on alcohol by volume of 12%. Any beer over 4% ABV in Oklahoma must be sold only at liquor stores at room temperature . It varies so much that some brewers don't want to go into those markets. Demand There's also the simple issue of supply and demand. In 2013, Founders Brewing delayed entering the Florida market for a few months while they brought on more 600BBL fermenters because of some slight under-reporting of potential market numbers. There's nothing worse than not being able to supply your customers with beer. (Ahem, Cigar City's Great Jai-Alai Shortage of 2013 ). Expense Bottling/canning beer is expensive. There's also only a certain amount of time available to package. This is why there will usually be only a certain number and type of beer that gets packaged in these containers until a brewery grows to a certain size that allows better economies of scale. Once there, it's easier to start releasing seasonals, one-offs, and more nuanced beer styles compared to just cranking out a wheat ale or amber ale.

The Westvleteren 12 is rated best beer in the world according ratebeer

Why do some beers have expiration date, while others have "born on" date? I have some cans of Busch in my refrigerator that say "Born on: DD/MM/YYYY". That seems odd to me. When I drink craft beers, I always see "Best by: xx/xx/xxxx" or something like that. Why would some beers have a born on date and others have an expiration, or "best by" date? Bonus: How long after the "Born on" date will a beer last before the taste begins to diminish?

IPAs don't age well, or at all. The sooner they're consumed, the better they taste (or taste as intended). Are most of the craft beers you have, IPAs? If so, a "Best by:" would make sense. Meanwhile, some styles taste better aged, e.g. barleywines, imperial souts, sours. You definitely wouldn't see a "Best by:" for these types, and in fact you might even see a "Best after:" . So perhaps the "Born on:" label is a way of letting the enthusiast decide how long to age a beer, without feeling forced to wait a minimum number of months or years. Would you happen to know or remember the styles (or even better, the exact name) of the beers that said "Best by:" vs. "Born on:" ? Then perhaps we could validate or invalidate this explanation. Edit Interestingly, Anheiser-Busch is the only entity that may use "Born on:" , as they've trademarked it . But anyway, it turns out that another class of beers that typically have production dates are macros ( i.e. American Adjunct Lagers), not because they taste better aged, but for a mix of several reasons: profit-maximization (purportedly), tracking problems and policing freshness, giving consumers an (illusory) sense of regulatory safety, and giving enthusiasts control over when they'd like to consume a beer. A Lagunitas employee quoted in the aforementioned link claims that Bud only really did it to reduce brewery and distributor inventories and wring a one-time load of cash out of the company... and goes on to say that Lagunitas labels production dates to track problems [...] and to give our distributors the ability (if they will use it) to police freshness. A bit biased, but I can believe some elements of both sides. Furthermore, these threads on BeerAdvocate suggest that some consumers feel better (even might only drink a beer) when a production date is printed, whether it gives them an illusory sense of regulatory safety or they actually know enough about beer to know if and how long to age them.

This is a highly subjective question. It depends on the types of food they eat and what their preferences are taste wise. Ask them which notes within beer they find unappealing and what makes them cringe. My wife hated beer because of the carbonation and forever nobody asked why they just suggested beers that she subsequently hated. Eventually I asked her why she explained so I went out and got an Allagash four and she loved it. It is entirely subjective though and you will need to find the flavors she likes then tailor your approach around that. Hope this helps!

What beer is ok to drink not-cold or room temperature (for camping) As in title, I'm going camping with some buddies soon and we're planning on bringing far more beer than we have space for in a cooler. What kinds of beer are palatable to drink (or good even) when at room temperature or even slightly warm?

My first temptation is to say none. However there are two mitigation strategies to this dilemma. The first is mulled beer, you need a light IPA, a saucepan, cinnamon and star anise. Put the beer in the pan, add the spices and heat. The second strategy, and one I've used, is camp near a stream. Store the beer in the stream in a net bag or similar. Any beer works in this situation and it will cool the beer to a drinking temperature.

Somewhat related: What temperature should I serve my beer? In short, beers don't need to be served as cold as many are led to believe, and darker beers tend to be meant to serve warmer (as warm as 55°F). You certainly don't want to drink warm Coors, so maybe bring along some stouts. In case there isn't a stream around to do what @user23614 suggests, bring some newspapers. Wet a sheet of newspaper and wrap the bottle with a single layer. Leave the bottle somewhere the breeze can blow on it, until most of the water evaporates. This is probably a common camping trick, but I first saw Moroccans in the Sahara Desert do this to chill a bottle of wine.

At room temperature the flavour of the beer starts to intensify, some people would say it gets more bitter. I tried something that worked: there are beers like Kingfisher Light that have pretty good carbonation content. So even at room temperature you get a good time. You can try any other beer that has strong carbonation and little mild in flavour.

Short answer: no beer that has color-changing mountains on the side should be served warm, otherwise you'll taste it. Long answer: First, ales are traditional served warmer than pilseners, so start your selection there. Second consideration is sweet/bitter balance. Sweetness generally becomes stronger with warmer beer. Something with a bit of sour would probably hold up well when warm. At the same time, styles that are meant to be sweet are usually served at/close to room temp: barleywines, or anything imperial/double/doppel/strong. Bonus: you won't have to carry as much. Third: can you get it in a can? Cleaning up that campsite will be so much easier the next morning...

Oyster stouts are indeed brewed with oysters. The occasional offering that we sell (Niagara College Teaching Brewery), uses oysters at the end of the mash regime (hot soaking of the grains). The idea here is that you are extracting calcium carbonate from the shells, which helps reduce the tannic astringency that can result from the roasted grains used in stouts. This is the same reason/benefit that stouts are traditionally brewed in areas with relatively hard water. It also happens to be the perfect temperature for cooking oysters. Oysters cooked or uncooked could be added at other parts of the process, but may not have the same impact on reducing astringency. There is a subtle undertone of the oyster that makes it into the finished product, but your palate may vary and may or may not detect it (depending on process and quantity used).

Repeatedly cooling and warming (to ambient temperatures) a beer can induce a permanent haze, where proteins and tannins bond to create semi-soluble molecules. While this can have an aesthetic impact, it does not impact flavour, aroma or mouthfeel. This is mostly an issue in beers where the knocking-out, or rapid cooling of the beer may not have been effective at precipitating what is known as cold-break proteins. Which generally leads to chill haze (haze when the beer is cool, but not when it is warm). This generally isn't an issue with most commercial beers (especially if filtered), and is more often found in home-brewed beers.

What exactly is an XPA? The other day I ordered an Eagle Rock Brewery XPA on tap. At the time, I had no idea what that was, but according to the brewer's site : Extra Pale Ale (XPA) is a variation of American pale ale – bright and refreshing with a substantial hop presence. I'm guessing the thing that is "extra" is the paleness. To my (very) untrained palate, it tasted pretty much like any other IPA/APA I've ordered. Maybe it was a bit more bitter though? Is there any standard that differentiates an XPA from other American pale ales?

Is there any standard that differentiates an XPA from other American pale ales? Currently, no. According to the latest Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines (the drafted 2015 style guide http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf ), there is no category of XPA or Extra Pale Ale. Stylistically, depending on the malt bill used, one would place the beer in either an American Pale Ale or IPA category, though most 'sub styles' the BJCP wants to have in the 21B. Specialty IPA category. If it was heavy in British malts, perhaps even an English IPA. This doesn't mean, however, that a brewery can't just make up whatever they feel like to call their beer, which is what I believe is happening there. XPA sounds cool, new, and interesting. The idea of the style has been around for a few years, at least back to 2013 as referenced by this HomeBrewTalk forum post . Even then there were debates as to the meaning of this style... and it still hasn't become anything of note.

1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die Does anybody know someone that has completed the 1001 beers of the book: 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die - Adrian Tierney-jones If there is someone here trying, please tell me: In your opinion which beer was the best until now and why do you consider it the best.

I really like Super Bock from Portugal, it reminds me a little of Heineken but with a less bitter taste. Resembles my memories of the times that I lived there. From the beers I've tasted in Europe (Stella Artois, Birra Moretti, Amstel, San Miguel, Estrella etc) I would say it's the best between the lagers. It's a pale lager from the Unicer brewery with 5,2% of alcohol. And there is a brazilian brand I like a lot thats called Áustria from Krug Bier Brewery: http://www.krug.com.br/ My favourite is the Hefe Weizen for sure.

Beers that are popular but hyper-localized I grew up near Baltimore, Maryland (USA), and spent a few years living in the city. One very popular beer in Baltimore is National Bohemian ("Natty Boh" in local parlance). You can see the beer's one-eyed mascot, Mr. Boh, all over the city. Apparently more than half a million cases of Natty Boh are sold in the city of Baltimore each year, which seems pretty high for a city with population 620,000. One thing that I've found very odd is that outside of the small state of Maryland, you really can't find the beer at all, and 90% of the beer's sales are within the city of Baltimore . Thus, while the beer is reasonably popular, the interest is hyper-localized to a single city. Are there other examples of beers that have high sales volume but are hyper-localized, or are Baltimore and Natty Boh unique in this respect? Is there some sort of economic or marketing phenomenon behind hyper-localized popularity of a high-volume beer?

Cause of seasonal difference in beer production I was recently crunching some numbers about beer production in the United States ( data from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ), and I noticed pretty significant seasonality in the production of beer: Average production peaks in June (on average 18.1 million barrels) and is lowest in November and December (on average 14.1 million barrels). Are these ~25% seasonal swings in production based on some technical aspect of the brewing process, or are they based on something else (e.g. demand)?

I think the answer you are looking for is not so much seasonal as it is holidays. As you have your summer holiday in the middle of the year, it is the time when most alcohol is highest in demand. The small spikes in your graph around December indicates the increase in production for new-year's parties. As I am on the opposite side of the world, our peak production is the three months leading to December, for our Summer Holiday.

You will have to ask the brewery if they even try to advertise or ship their product anywhere outside of Maryland. If the brewery is limiting it's availability (for whatever reason) then that would be your answer.

The kings beer sold in the goan state of India. Super popular, but only available within the state. Granted, it's a state vs a city but its a really small state.

I have not done the 1001 to drink before you die, but I have rated more than 1000 beers on RateBeer. :) I have many favourites, but a favourite depends on so many things! Westvletern 8 is one of the best beers I have ever had, but I would not like to drink it while mowing the lawn! Snow and Bud are great for quenching a thirst, but not something I would drink with good meal. London Pride, Stone Ruination, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Dogfish Head 60, 90, Midas Touch. Weihnstephaner Weiss, Pilsner Urquell, Duvel, Cockpit Crazy Diamond, Windhoek Light, Badger Golden Glory... The list just continues. Use sites like Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate to see what others think of the beers. And sometimes the best beer is the one in front of you. :D

For quick calculations, a Fluid Ounce is is slightly less than a tot. Tots are (at least in South Africa) 30 ml.

Another something to look at: your beerline. Check for flaws, sharp bends, particles. Check your taps as well, as an imperfection there might cause the problem.

There really isn't any reason why a modern pewter tankard would be harmful to drink from. Lead has been illegal in pewter drinkware in the USA and western europe (at least) for decades now. The FDA is widely considered VERY risk-averse and they are fine with pewter when it doesn't contain lead greater than a trace amount (see FDA regulation 4-101.13(B) ). The other metals in pewter - mostly tin, with some copper and (usually) antimony - are very unlikely to cause a problem because they won't be absorbed into the beer in any material quantity, and because they are generally not harmful if they were absorbed (see this page about pewter tankards ). Remember tin's role as a coating for the inside of food containers? NOTE : older pewter may well contain lead, and this is soluble in beer, and this is not safe. The lead dissolving is what causes 'pitting' on the inside of older pewter tankards. As to whether it's more enjoyable to drink out of glass or pewter, really comes down to personal taste. I enjoy both.

How to homebrew legally in South Africa? I enjoy brewing and the challenges involved. I am self taught and rather good with my sweet beers. I am South-African and want to know how to go legal and if it is worth the costs and challenges invloved.

Having the right shaped drinkware can improve the taste of beer. For example, there's very specific reasons for the shape of a weizen vase, or a pilsner. However, more often than not unusual shaped glasses are about branding and nothing more. In this wikipedia article it is claimed that the fancy Kwak beer glasses (which I like incidentally) were not launched until the 1980s. IF that is true, their claim that it was designed for couchmen unable to leave their horses rings a bit hollow... I do think that although the flavor of your beer is paramount, there's a lot more to how you enjoy your beer than 'just' flavor. Company, environment, and a beautiful glass or mug all contribute.

How to tap beer without CO2, like the germans do? I know how to tap beer from a keg with CO2. The CO2 provides the pressure and you will get the beer. But how can germans tap their beer without using CO2?

There are two usual ways to extract beer from a barrel. By gravity, one places a tap a short way up from the base and you allow air into the top. When you open the tap beer comes out. Generally you want to drink the beer quickly in this situation as it will go off. This method is commonly seen in beer exhibitions. The other method is to use an overpressure of gas to push beer out. The gas can be CO2, Nitrogen or air. The pressure is usually generated by some form of pump. For Real Ale the handpump is the device of choice forcing air onto the beer and powered by human. In some places in Scotland the handpump is replaced by a water powered pump because Scots are engineers. When the real ale resurrection happened in the 70s barmaids were actually warned to swap hands used to pull the pump lest they increase the muscles on one side and became lopsided as it were.

I've never seen any evidence that Germans use anything but CO2, so if you have a source that'd be cool. That said, for getting beer out of the cask/keg/barrel you generally have 3 options: Pressurized gas. As mentioned by the other answer this is most commonly CO2 since CO2 is produced by yeast, so if you sealed the container while yeast were still processing sugars and producing CO2, they would pressurize the container. Some brewers, especially home brewers, will pressurize their kegs through natural carbonation but most just push CO2 from a canister. BUT there's also "beer gas" which is a mix of Nitrogen and CO2, think Guinness or Boddingtons. This came into use to emulate the soft carbonation of cask/real ale/kellerbier, which leads to: Siphoning. A hand pump, or beer engine, uses a siphon to "pull" the beer out of the cask and up to the tap. The physics needs atmospheric pressure to be maintained inside the cask, so it's usually open to the air at the top. This required a fast turnaround on casks to prevent the beer from spoiling, which is one of the reasons cask/"real" ale fell out favor. Kegs simply kept longer and were more economical. I think CAMRA still isn't a fan of them, but some bars use "breathers" which basically add very low pressures of CO2 to replace the volume lost by the beer, but not enough to pressurize the cask. This just lets the beer last longer in the cask. Gravity pouring. This tends to happen most often at festivals or if a bar has a "guest cask". A spout is installed in the side and beer pours out. All the caveats about air spoilage from cask ale still exist here. So if the bartender pulls a handle and leaves it there until the glass is full of beer, that's a pressurized gas system. If the bartender has to keep pulling the handle to fill the glass and the beer has that cool "cascading" look, it was pulled by siphoning. If the cask is on the bar and the bartender just opens a spigot...that's a gravity pour. I don't know that there are any other options...maybe an open barrel and ladling the beer out like soup?

Great Lakes Brewing Company located in Cleveland, OH has a lot of great beers! To be honest I don't leave the state too often, but I believe it's an Ohio thing. There is also another popular brewing company in Akron, Ohio called Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, which also makes a lot of great beers! Like I said, I don't leave my bubble very often, so I can't tell you how hyper-localized these are.

Beer Clubs Online What is the best beer subscription service that people have found? I have wanted to get beers delivered to my doorstep that I have never tried before.

Eat bread before drink beer make you drunk less? My friends says if you eat some bread it will absorb the alcohol and make you high less. is it true?

Eating will absorb some of the alcohol. Drinking on an empty stomach means the alcohol can go directly to the blood stream and the effects of the alcohol will happen faster. So if you have food in you, especially breads, it will rather slow the process of getting drunk. Of course you could eat four loaves of bread a slam a bottle of liquor in less then a minute and it won't help you there.

A friend of mine used to be barman in an old pub in Dublin. He said the old boys would get him to microwave the cold Guinness up to room temperature. Additionally, non draught Guinness such as the old export strength stuff wadcdrunk at room temperature

My wife will try a beer mixed as a shandy e.g Badger brewery's Tanglefoot 1:1 with lemonade. This can take the hoppy edge off "beery" beers. Mort Subite or Kriek fruit beers are also a hit

What ingredients leave beer with sugary taste? I know that exists those beers that uses fruits and then leaving beer with sugary taste, for example Belgian Hoergaaden with orange zest. But there are those without any fruit part and it's yet sweet. I don't like too much these kind of beer but I don't know what look for in orther to avoid them. What kind of ingredients should I look for? Or maybe, should I look for ingredients that leave beer less sweet? P.S. My favorite kind of beer are American Lager like Heineken, IPA and Stout from Ale family.

As a South African homebrewer I can happily report that it is legal to brew in South Africa. We have no legal limitation on what/how much we may brew. The only rule is: Do not sell your brewed product! There are a few homebrew shops around, Beerguevera, brewmart, black kilt, etc. Google should help you find a good one close by. Ask your questions on homebrew.stackexchange.com For a active SA Brewing forum: wortsandall.co.za There is a home brew club in most provinces. On wortandall you can find one close to you. Better get brewing fast! The Nationals are starting soon! :D Happy Brewing!

There is one new "sneaky" technique, where the beer is in a bag inside the keg. To create pressure, air is pumped into the area between the bag and the keg.

Cooling and warming a beer does have an effect , but it is minor in the beginning. If you heat, cool, repeatedly many times, there will be evidence of damage and it will become staggeringly obvious! At Budweizer they gave us a beer that was cycled over a 100 times! It was shocking how many off-flavours such a delicately flavoured beer can get!

One thing you should take into consideration is that this chart certainly represents macro breweries production, once they still have the vast majority of the market-share, as opposite to craft breweries. So, we are talking here mainly about light lagers, known to be consumed as a refreshing beverage. So, to me, it's pretty clear that the production increases as the weather warms up, peaking at the summer, and then falls down again towards chiller seasons. Considering distribution and other delaying factors, the peak at June would match the peak consumption at mid-July through mid-August. PS: I don't live in USA, and this is merely a theory I came up with, but which seems feasible to me.

This is a simple question to ask but has a longer answer with a ton of complexities you probably don't care about if you are not brewing your own. Ultimately sweet beers are part of the style they are in so avoiding sugary sweet beers is as simple as knowing the styles. You can skip to the bottom if that's all you want to know. There are two types of sweetness that are often discussed and sometimes confused in beer, a Malty flavor and a Sweet flavor. The same ingredients are involved but in different ways. Sugary sweet beers basically come from unfermented sugars which simply means sugars that the yeast hasn't processed to create alcohol and carbon dioxide. This is also called attenuation . This can be caused by a few different things such as unfermentable sugars that come from the way the beer is mashed (when the grains are mixed in with hot water and left to sit for a specific length of time) or from specialty grains, or the yeast itself. The explanation of how the mash affects sweetness is very complex and full of biochemistry. I will try to summarize. Grains are full of starches that need to be converted to sugar for the yeast to ferment. There are two main enzymes involved in this process, alpha and beta amylase enzymes. Using a branched tree analogy works great. After a strong storm you need to clean up your yard from the limbs that have fallen from the trees. You have a lopper (alpha amylase) which is great for cutting the branches apart from the limbs but still leave you with long branches and twigs. You also have a chipper (beta amylase) which is good at taking the branches and twigs and cutting them into little pieces that are easy to use. The two enzymes need to do their work together to make the most fermentable sugars out of the starches stored in the grains. Alpha amylase is good at breaking the limbs apart into long starch chains but these are not easy for yeast to ferment. Beta amylase is great at making small glucose chains that the yeast can convert but the big limbs are too big to get into the chipper, if the alpha amylase doesn't do its job first the beta amylase can't do its job well. The kicker is each enzyme works in a specific temperature range (beta amylase 131-150°F and alpha amylase 154-162°F). A brewer can manipulate the mash temperature to ensure both enzymes are working with an overlapping temperature (for instance 152°F) or adjust the temperature up or down to accentuate one enzyme over the other. For instance if we mashed at 158°F the beta amylase will denature and not affect the beer, while the alpha amylase will be very happy and busy. This will result in more long starch molecules in the beer which are harder for yeast to ferment and result in a sweeter beer! Unfermentable sugars can also come from specialty grains added to the beer for flavor and intentional sweetness. The usual suspects are roasted grains where the sugars inside the grain will start to caramelize such as Dark caramel and roasted malts like Crystal 80, Crystal 120, Special B, Chocolate Malt, and Roast Barley. Below is a great place for people to start learning the intricacies of brewing beer at home. Increasing the Body Ultimately these things are done by brewers to make their beer fit into the style they are trying to make along with other things like the amount and type of hops used and other adjuncts (stuff added to beer like fruit or rice or...) So to avoid sugary beers you mainly need to know what styles are not sweet or it's as simple as saying know what types of beers you like. If you really want to learn the styles turn to the Beer Style Guide! 2008 BJCP Style Guidelines Look around and see which are sweet and avoid, meanwhile look for highly attenuated beers. I'd expect some you would like are: German Pilsners American Lagers and Pilsners Berliner-Style Weisse Dunkel Weizen/Dunkel Weissbier Munich Helles Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale Pale Ales shouldn't be too sweet Kölsch IPAs should be dry If you want to be adventurous, try a Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer. They are supposed to be dry although I can't speak from experience.

What is the traditional vocabulary to describe the characteristics of beer? I know there are certain words experts use when they talk about wine. Categories of taste, colour etc. This is of course a matter of creativity and subjectivity, like describing a beer as “chocolaty” or “nutty” despite there being no chocolate or nuts in it. But is there an established vocabulary in beer-tasting? Where could I find a list of words, and a description of these properties? For beer, what are the magic words so abundantly found in wine culture?

This is a couple years behind the topic. What the heck. I've got 3 aluminum long neck bud's, Not that light stuff either, from 2006. I'm straining them through a coffee filter just in case. 1st thing I noticed was the color. Much darker than a new bud. 2nd is the smell. Strong alcohol smell you don't get with beer. Makes me wonder if fermentation was still active at a later point. Wish I had a way of checking the alcohol lv. After about 20 oz consumed I'll have a close enough guess. Waiting til after work around 11 or 12. I'll put in an update. 9 year old beer. This sounds like fun. I am Tom Sawyer

I found this pretty amazing infographic at popsci. Most of them seem pretty clear, but for context reading some of the BJCP Style Descriptions might help you out. But really, describe it however it tastes to you even if the word isn't commonly used in beer tasting. There are some hop varieties that, to me, smell and taste like raw green onions rubbed on feet so I just say that.

Off the top of my head, Half-Time Beverage co. runs a few Beer of the Month clubs . I've ordered beer from them, and that worked pretty well, but never tried any of their clubs. I'm sure there are some other companies, but figuring out who can legally ship to you can get a bit tricky.

The heavier beers (ABV 6.5% +) tend to have a sweeter taste as the alcohol increases. Alcohol may add a bit of sweetness to a beer, but it is mostly due to the amount of malt used to increase the alcohol of the beer. Note: Certain styles, like the Belgian Strong Ales, also tend to have sugar added. Sometimes this may lead to a sweeter beer, but the beer (usually) should finish dry. Beer that is cloyingly sweet after you finished your sip is usually not well fermented. In the stout style you also get Sweet Stout that is made to be sweeter using lactose (milk sugar) which is unfermentable.

In college we found a miller high life in the basement of a rental house that was at least 15 years old judging by the can design. (This was 2004 and it was a 1980s era can) A pledge drank it and he didn't die so if say you're fine.

I have not aged one yet (they only arrived in my country a month ago!), but I am sure it should age well. Due to the higher ABV it should develop some fruity aromas and flavours, maybe even go into the sherry-like arena. If you do age them, age them properly (cold/cool and in the dark) and try one every year. Certain beers age amazingly well in the beginning, but then go sideways after year 5, others you can leave for ages!

the bubbles are most probably just CO2 coming out of suspension. This can be due to temperature diffences between the beer and the beerline, or because of something causing the agitation (dirt in the beerline). If the beer is overcarbonated this will happen quicker. Try to get the beer & beerline at the same temp, or get the beerline even colder.

Usually beer is shipped, by ship. This is a slow process and can get quite hot. The beers are usually not in temperature controlled environments, just in a container. The heat causes chemical reactions in the beer, making the beer's flavours and aromas change. The temp rise (day) and drop (night) also causes the beer to "age" quicker. Yes, this process hurts all beers. You can do a simple test. Take 2 cans of beer, put the first in the fridge and leave it there for the week. The second you put in a sunny spot in the house during the day and in the fridge at night. Taste the beers after one week.

Most of the long running local brands have been acquired by the conglomerates and continue to operate and distribute in a limited range, as there is little to no financial motive to further the distribution of these brands.

You judge a beer based on visual, aroma, taste, mouthfeel; and descriptive terms generally fall into these categories. Visually you might describe the color of the brew (amber, golden, inky black, hazy, clear), the color and retention of the head, how the beer poured. Aroma might be described by smell of hops (floral, citrusy, resiny, piney, etc.), or malts (caramel, toffee, smoke, chocolate, etc), or other aromas present (molasses, booze, soy sauce, oak). Describing taste opens up even more potential terminology, but don't be shy to use whatever terms or comparisons best describe the flavor for you. Think of tasting beer as an evolution of flavor in your mouth: describe how it hits your tongue; how the flavor builds, morphs, and leaves; and the aftertaste. You might use any word you would to describe the flavors of food and more to describe beer (Sweet, salty, sour, tangy, raisins, dough, bread, bacon, spicy, herbal, etc). Finally, for mouthfeel, you're looking at words describing the texture and consistency; so ones like smooth, rich, chalky, gritty, effervescent, thick, syrupy, etc., are very useful when appropriate.

All beer has CO2 in it, whether or not its added artificially, even nitro pours. Not sure if you mean a gravity based pull system, or maybe a nitro tap line? Nitro beers use a gas mix of mostly nitrogen to some parts CO2 to give the beer a richer, creamier body and head.

Glassware for Beer It's kind of simple question, I'd like to know why exists different kinds of glass for each beer. Could glass affect beer taste? How? Or is this just marketing?

Most people would say yes, it does make a difference. Take a read of this article for some thoughts: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/07/11/can-this-glass-actually-make-beer-taste-better/ The type of glass can effect not only the aromas imparted to your nose but also how quickly the beer warms up and also the visual appeal too. I tell people you first taste things with your eyes, then your nose, then your mouth.

I found an awesome resource: Draft Beer Quality . They have a very nifty pdf Manual that you can download for free!

Here is a great site http://www.draughtquality.org/ Download the free manual and I am sure it will help you.

Why do France and Italy have so much lower beer consumption than their neighbors? Consider the map of per capita beer consumption by county from Wikipedia : Zooming in on Europe, something that jumps out is that France and Italy consume much less beer than their neighbors: What has caused these two countries to be pretty much surrounded by other countries with higher beer consumption? I would imagine to some degree this is caused by replacing beer consumption with wine consumption, but what led to these regional differences in alcohol preferences?

Nutritional value of hops? Since beers are made with hops, what nutritional value do those hop give to a human body when beer is consumed?

You are correct that in countries like France and Italy, beer consumption is replaced by much higher wine consumption. Why? Because they can. It's a cultural difference that has been developed and ingrained over many centuries, back to when trade was more limited and more difficult, and Northern Europe was colder than it is today. For much of that time, the climate in Southern Europe was ideal for growing grapes and producing wine, while it was simply too cold further north. So, Southern Europe produced and drank wine, Northern Europe produced and drank beer, thus creating regional preferences that persist even to this day.

None, the hops are added to provide a bitter flavour and because they have an antibiotic property that favours yeast over other microorganisms. The hops are filtered out in the brewing process so there is no calorific gain. In a typical UK beer recipe the hops are typically 1% of the dry ingredients.

Causes for regional differences in brewery count in the United States I recently came across the following map of number of breweries per 1 million population in the United States: Visually it's apparent that there are the most breweries per capita in the northwest and northeast, and there are the fewest breweries per capita in the south. What is the main cause for these regional differences? The impact of climate? Laws and regulations in different parts of the U.S.? Regional demand differences? Something else?

Here are some US options. The Bruery has a few different levels but their starter Preservation Society gets you 3 bottles of different styles each quarter without any commitment (you can join for one quarter and quit any time). This is also the easiest way to get some of their big beers like Black Tuesday, White Chocolate, and Chocolate Rain. The contents of the 2015 4th quarter Preservation Society package includes: Black Tuesday - bourbon barrel aged stout Oude Tart with Boysenberries - Flemish-style red ale Humulus Triple - triple india-style pale lager Cost is $58.50 but doesn't include tax or shipping. The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club offers many different options. You can choose beers from the US or international, or a mix of both. They have levels that run from 2 large format bottles up to a dozen 12-oz bottles.

Was beer conceived to be a bitter drink? In all the years of my life (except when I was a minor), I've never tasted beer that's not bitter. So was beer conceived to be a bitter drink? What factors in the bitter taste of beer?

Beer is not always bitter, but the bitterness (usually from the hops) is there to counter the sweetness of the malt. Some beers, like the Belgian Strong Ales, tend to be malty & sweet, with just enough bitterness to but the sweetness. Beers become sweeter with age, as the hops (and the bitterness) drop out, leaving only the malty sweetness. Gruit (beers made without hops) use different herbs to give bitterness to the beer.

There was a lexicon written, but it does not seem that it ever made it to the public. Trained tasters have fairly similar tastes, as that is what makes them so important. Thus they will know the difference between roasty, coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, white chocolate, coffee with milk, latte. The beer descriptors (I think) are a lot more down to earth. (To quote CBR) If beer had a wine vocabulary, we would say simcoe is feline, as opposed to cat piss! :p Listen to podcasts like Dr Homebrew, Brewing With Style and Craft Beer Radio. They rate the beers, providing amazing insight to the vocabulary of a beer judge as well as the judging process.

Is there a common name for a "craft" beer brewed by a major brewery? A fake grassroots organization (one sponsored by an industry but made to look as though it was set up by regular people) is called an "astroturf" group. Is there a similar name for a "craft beer" that's actually produced by one of the big brewers (AB InBev, SABMiller, etc.)? Said another way, what do you call a beer that is made to look as though it was brewed by a small, independent brewery but was really produced by a major brewer? Examples might be Blue Moon (SABMiller) or ShockTop (AB InBev).

Why can't antibiotics be taken with beer? Myth or Fact: Antibiotics cannot be taken with beer because it damages the effect of the drug with the interaction in your body of the alcohol. I take antihistamines with beer and they work, so not sure if anyone knew about this one?

As everything in life, it depends.... From the Mayo Clinic : Antibiotics and alcohol can cause similar side effects, such as stomach upset, dizziness and drowsiness. Combining antibiotics and alcohol can increase these side effects. A few antibiotics — such as metronidazole (Flagyl), tinidazole (Tindamax) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra) — should not be mixed with alcohol because this may result in a more severe reaction. Drinking any amount of alcohol with these medications can result in side effects such as flushing, headache, nausea and vomiting, and rapid heart rate. So some antibiotics may not cause issues while others might. Best thing to do is follow the medications warning label

In Wisconsin, there is not a coined term for those types of "craft brews" as produced by a global brewery. They are generally referred to simply by describing the brew as a/an fake or impostor craft, craft-style beer, or Big Beer craft. (The descriptors simply degenerate as the beer-passion elevates.) This 2013 TIME article simply references "Faux Craft" and "Crafty" http://business.time.com/2013/08/13/that-craft-beer-youre-drinking-isnt-craft-beer-do-you-care/ If it's a matter of simply communicating effectively, I don't feel the need to use a coined term (as astroturf is to grassroots). For marketing purposes, however, it seems there is still time for a hilariously ironic name to be coined.

Call them and find out cause in NYC you can get it at a couple of international beer carriers (SEARCH ON YELP). Or try PRESIDENTE Beer from their DR neighbours at any Publix Supermarket/Wine & Spirits. Phone Number to Medalla Company

It is rather hard to say what should be in beer making as much of beer making is just a exercise in the personals taste of the brewer but yes a certain level of bitterness is required to counter act the sugars that need to be present for fermentation.

It is curious to note that much to the chagrin of the Lowlanders some of the earliest beer history dates from the Roman empire. These types of beers did not use hops. The hop beers dated from 8th century and was first developed in Germany. It was not long before the new technology in brewing spread to Neighboring Belgium and a little while there after it jumped the channel to the British island. It is was evident from a early stage in the history of brewing that these hops where only made in a handful of places in the old world and the beer culture centered around these places. The Goldbach Valley in western Bohemia, near the town of Saaz, and the Mittelfrüh subregion of the Hallertau being the most famous. That being said northern Italy is busy with a nice beer renascence

So I'm going to assume you mean historically... The Wikipedia page has a ton of good info but basically, beer was originally a very sweet beverage due to the wild yeast and under modified malt that was used in the brewing process. To combat the sweetness, brewers would use Gruit which is an herb mixture to bitter the beer. Hops were also used as a bittering agent , but not to the same extent as gruit. In 1842, the first Pilsner was brewed, a style which showcases hops and is very pale in color which was revolutionary at the time. This style took Europe by storm and the migrating Germans to the US brought this taste for hoppy pilsners with them to the US. There were many competing styles that were popular in the US up until Prohibition. After prohibition, the breweries that were still in business chose to produce the beers that appeal to the widest consumer base, I.E. Pilsner drinkers. This is the raison d'etre for the very large breweries. As for the bitterness in beer, the most common factor is Hops . Hops contain different acids ( Alpha, Beta, Myrcente, etc) that bitter beer in different ways. The type, quantity and usage of hops in the brewing process can affect the bitterness of beer. That being said, some styles don't use a lot of hops if at all. Scottish/Irish ales, for instance, don't have much hop flavor due to the lack of availability of hops in the region . Other styles originate from locations that have never seen hops . Hope this helps. Never be afraid to try new things.

I believe it is mostly due to the laws of each state. Brewers Assoc. stats. After prohibition ended, it was up to the states and counties to determine their own stance toward alcohol . One part of the repeal of the 18th Amendment was the legalization of homebrewing wine and mead. The law did not allow the homebrewing of beer until 1978 . Event then, it was up to each state to determine their stance toward the homebrewing of beer. The states with the most breweries per capita follow the federal statute , which allows for 100 gallons per person of drinking age up to a maximum of 200 gallons per year. The states on the map with the least breweries have only recently relaxed their laws on homebrewing and alcohol sales in general. Many homebrewers dream of starting their own brewery or pub, but they need to be able to practice their craft. I am unable to locate the minutes to the Alabama House of Rep. discussion online, but the Basic Brewing Radio Podcast did air a snipped of the floor arguments on the legalization of homebrewing. Some of the arguments against were uniformed and antiquated. Why open up a beer business in a city/county/state where regulations and attitudes are opposed to your product?

Are there any bottled South Korean craft beers? Are there any South Korean craft breweries who bottle their beers? Bonus question: Where (in Seoul) can my friend obtain some?

Here you can find several places: Good Beer Hunting . e.g.: Craftworks [img] https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPq1g.png

In the case of France it is more or less how is says in the accepted answer. In the case of Italy they consume in general little alcohol for European standards: List of countries by alcohol consumption per capita (Wikipedia) This can also be observed when there (which I am a lot). Cafes are popular which do in general also serve alcohol, but in the evening it usually remains at one drink often an Aperitif (Aperol Spritz for example) or a single beer or a glass of wine.

Changes of gasification of beer in a long draw series Is there any information on how the levels of co2 and n2 change over time in a keg series pressurized with a 30/70 mix (co2/n2 respectively)? Assuming the beer originally carbonated (not a nitro beer) and it takes a week to empty the series of kegs? I would guess that one would get at least a 1/2 barrel of beer that is at the original carbonation level and no nitrogenation, but as the flow mixes the beer it would change and finally the last 1/2 barrel would have the greatest nitrogenation. Also, since it is not a nitro beer is there a limit of the amount of nitrogenation due to the originally present carbonation?

Try the J.W. Sweetman Craft Brewery on 1-2 Burgh Quay. Just after O'Connel Bridge.

Beer as a conditioner? So my grandmother told me before they had hair conditioner in the islands (grew up in Cuba) they used beer on their hair and laid out in the sun. She claims the 'froth' is packed with rich nutrients. I am not sure whether she made this up so I would pour it on my hair instead of drinking it. Anyone else ever heard of beer as a conditioner?...

There are certainly a good few beer based shampoos available. Even Carlsberg make a beer shampoo/conditioner. I've no idea whether it's "probably the best shampoo in the world'.

Same here in Germany, in the 70s and 80s all the local breweries were bought by bigger companies or closed down. But than more and more small breweries got founded with delicious beers, hand crafted and very small amounts and miost of them (locally) very popular. Others such as Rothaus in black forrest simply reached their capacity because they decided not to expand. Rothuas only has 7 natural water sources and therefore cannot produce any more beer based on those.

How to decant beer from bottle I have an old bottle of Sahti, Samuel Adams, probably 3 years old, it's been kept properly, I noticed that it has a lot of sediment, don't know if it's normal or not, but regardless I want to try it. Is there a safe way to decant the beer, so the sediment or floaties don't make their way to the glass?

Assuming no side effects, the alcohol can actually inhibit the effect of the antibiotic i.e. negating the effect. It would be as if you hadn't taken any, so it would affect your medication course. As it is, some medication does cause side effects and since most people don't read the leaflet insert in their medicine box, it's safer to generally avoid the booze. Antifungal treatments can be fine, but no one right in the head would drink a load of vodka with paracetamol unless they were trying to end it all. Each drug is different.

Just like wine, pour into a glass while watching the sediment. Make sure the bottle has sat still for long enough that everything has settled. Stop when the sediment is about to pour out. Enjoy.

I was recently in Burlington and picked up a couple of cases. Yes, it's a good beer. No, it's not as good as the hype suggests. One of the previous posts hit the nail on the head. Heady Topper has a good balance between the strength and the hoppiness. It has what I call smooth strength. But is it worth driving up from Pennsylvania and following the delivery truck around - probably not

Beer with honey, beer with cinnamon A while ago on a visit to Tallinn I visited the medieval-style restaurant Olde Hansa . There they had two very good kinds of beer: one with honey and one with cinnamon. Do such beers exist elsewhere, in particular, in bottled versions?

I have tried Fullers (of London) Organic Honey Dew which is lightly flavoured with honey - its a golden ale with a light flavour. Very refreshing. I believe it's available generally throughout the UK and is imported to the US. There is another honey beer by a company called Hiver but I've yet to track down a bottle and even I won't make a trip to London for a beer. I've never seen a beer with cinnamon brewed in but I have had mulled ales with cinnamon added so the flavours are compatible, I'm sure someone has done it.

There are several beers with honey, some of them are quite famous. For example the ones I know are from Belgium and France: "Barbãr" and "Barbãr Bok" from the Levebvre brewery "Bière des ours" from the brewery "La Binchoise" "Bière de miel biologique" from the Dupont brewery "Véliocasse" from the brewery "La bière du Vexin" The easiest to find are probably the ones from the Levebvre brewery. I don't know any beer with cinnamon but I'm quite sure that it exists.

Are we born to either like or hate beer? I know some people like beer so much while some other resist do drink, is it determined by DNA? Can the situation be changed?

Beer is a taste preference, and therefor the chances exist that you may "learn" to like beer. As a child I tasted the pale mass-produced lager that my father drank and I did not like it. But children (usually) prefer sweet over bitter. As we grow older, our taste change and we learn to enjoy a more varied amount of flavours, including bitterness, and we then start to enjoy beer more. Another thing to take into consideration: There are MANY different types of beers! A person might love sour beers, but hate IPAs. Or prefer Bocks over fruit beers. It is a personal thing, but it means that, even though you do not like one style of beer, it does not mean that you will hate all beers! As a brewer once said: "If you have have not found a beer you love, keep drinking more beer" For reference: Explosm. http://explosm.net/comics/52

There are LOADS of beers with honey and or cinnamon! Using Ratebeer I could find 5 beers in Germany that have the word honey in their name. Start searching there, or just visit craft breweries. Cinnamon beers would be more common in winter, again, from craft breweries and imports.

I have heard and seen beer shampoo, both as a home-remedy and a commercial product. Here is an article about beer shampoo. http://lifehacker.com/5908809/shampoo-your-hair-with-beer-for-a-silky-soft-shine

Ratebeer has list of breweries in South Korea. I see there are some in Seoul and the images show bottles, so I assume that they bottle. Go to RateBeer and in the Brewer Search area select the country. (I would have liked to give a result link, but ratebeer hides them).

Dumping small amount of cigarette ashes into the beers By dumping a small amount of cigarette ash into a beer, I have heard people say it helps give the beer an extra "kick"... Is there any truth to this? Or, is it just a myth?...

Do such beers exist elsewhere, in particular, in bottled versions? Yes. American craft brewers use honey and cinnamon quite a bit, though not necessarily at the same time. Here are a few that might be available to you, but as is the case with a perishable product, your mileage may vary. Honey Dogfish Head Midas Touch is brewed with honey, barley malt, white muscat grapes and saffron. Sam Adams Honey Porter uses Scottish Heather Honey. Brooklyn Brewery Local 2 uses NY State Raw Wildflower Honey. Here are a few more that utilize the sweet stuff for extra flavor. Cinnamon Dundee Festive Ale is brewed with nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and orange peel. Cigar City's Hunahpu's Imperial Stout brewed with Cacao nibs, ancho and pasilla chiles, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. Sweetwater Festive Ale has "a taint of cinnamon and mace". Who could forget Terrapin's Cinnamon Roll's Wake-n-Bake ? Though I believe it is retired now.

Adding any particulate to a beer will reduce the carbonation due to more nucleation sites and the flavor may change from the tobacco ash, but the only way to increase the alcohol content of a beer in your glass is to add alcohol.

Lots of good, in-depth answers here. It looks like nobody (edit: looks like Soloem did, actually) mentioned the obvious: close your supply line and bleed excess CO2 from the keg. Sometimes a keg will come to you highly carbonated and you just have to bleed it. Sometimes you have to bleed it a few times (before you begin dispensing for the day). As long as you don't have some physical problem with your setup (long lines, warm temps, leaks or something crazy) you're just facing an over-pressurized keg.

There is a beer called "Snake Venom", by "Brewmeister" a scottish brewery. The alcohol content is 67.5% . It has been verified by Trading Standards and is officially named the world´s strongest beer. The wiki entry states that they use the process of fractional freezing to achieve such a high percentage of alcohol.

Using beer as hair care product Can I use any brand of beer on my hair? what are the things I need to consider before applying beer on to my hair?

Mixing vodka with beer? Is it safe to mix small quantity of vodka with beer. Any there any dare devils who had tried cocktails on their beer?

Mixing vodka (alcohol mixed with water) to beer (alcohol mixed with water plus some flavouring and other compounds) is perfectly safe. No need to be a daredevil to do it. Beer cocktails also exist but have varying degrees of pleasantness. The "black velvet", stout and sparkling wine (Black Velvet - beer cocktail) I have tried and can confirm that it is not too bad as beer cocktails go. I make no assertions as to the quality of the hangover after beer cocktails.

It is most definitely okay, but can lead to much higher alcohol content compared to what one might expect. There is actually a commonly made mix in college that I and others had made using a bottle of vodka a couple cans of beer and lemonade concentrate. Was quite good, but dangerous in high quantity. I know of others who would put an ounce or so of flavored vodka or rum in their beers as well.

Before application, consider the steps you have taken to have gotten to that point, then do whatever you can to ensure you never repeat those steps again.

Can canned beer be frozen for longer than bottled beer? In a bid to chill my beer quickly, I've placed my bottles in freezer only to find myself cleaning up a mess a few minute later. In order to save myself from having this happen again, is it ok to leave beer in cans inside freezer for a longer time?

Cans should be okay in the freezer for a long time, however they will probably dent outward as the water freezes. Bottles will pop the cap since that is the weakest part of the container. All that being said, the quality of the beer may deteriorate from being frozen as the water will separate from the alcohol during freezing and they may not mix evenly when thawing.

What is the result of boiling beer? Recently, I had seen a video where a Coke was boiled, and end result was tar like substance. I am just curious to know if anyone has tried boiling beer, and what is the result?

Well, I never tried such an heresy, but theoretically you will end up with some kind of syrup (or broth, I really don't know the most appropriate word in english for it), thick, and more or less sweet depending on the beer you use. Some beers have more residual sugars than other ones. Alcohol will be the first to evaporate, then water, which is basically the majority of beers composition, in volume, leaving behind sugars and proteins, basically. Those last compounds can be modified or merged, as well, I can't say. Then, depending on the beer's malt bill (pale, crystal, caramelized, roasted, smoked, etc), you might get different flavors related to it. I don't know what would happen to hop compounds when boiled for a long time, but you'll probably still get some bitterness from them. You know what, you question got me curious about how it would taste at the end. =P

Not to be snarky, but there are as many uses for beer as there are people who use it. I'm here because I use it, specifically high-hop/low alcohol (IPAs) as an alternate for sleep medication, since I don't want to be taking the same ones all the time. (And though it's impossible to separate the sleep benefits, I think it helps with anxiety, not just at consumption time, too). Beer, particularly the hoppy stuff, is known to raise blood estrogen levels. http://goo.gl/qctfH3 . Frankly, though I'm no expert by any stretch, I'd say a (that's one) bitter IPA at bedtime is the perfect prescription for menopausal insomniacs. There's so much to read about beer and hormones. To each his (her) well-read own.

Yip, all good. As a student we called it "Power [Drink]", where [Drink] is the name of the original drink. :p Anything that is safe to eat/drink can be added to a beer. Whether it will taste good is subjective. Beer and lemonade (shandy) is well known. Beer and fruit juice (radler) is getting popular. There are LOADS of recipes on the web.

There are a number of different types of porters and stouts, so it isn't necessarily a simple answer, but I would say the use of roasted grains in stouts, particularly roasted barley, is the biggest difference. As such, you end up with more burnt toast and coffee type flavors in a stout, but the amount and type of roastiness depends upon the type of stout. If you get the chance, try a side-by-side comparison between the regular Guinness and the Guinness Foreign Extra stouts where the regular Guinness comes off more roasty than the Foreign Extra. Most porters have little to no roastiness. I think of them as having more smoother chocolate-type flavors, and to be lighter in color (deep red or ruby as opposed to black), but there is a lot of overlap in the Venn diagrams between the two.

There is a drink called the Hangman's Blood that uses either porter or stout, which aren't too far off of a mild (well, the porter at least). It also contains other things like rum and brandy so it might not be what you're thinking of, but it does have a history that goes back to around 1930 or so.

I don't remember much of the advantages of using beer in your hair, but it was popular in the 70s . Variations across beer styles are much greater than variations across brands within a style, so if you know what style of beer you want to use, it should not matter much which brand you pick. My recommendation is to go with the cheapest brand you can find within the style you want to use.

Beer reductions can make very good sauces. For more flavor you go with darker beers , but you apparently want to shy away from using hoppy beers because the bitterness can become rather harsh. Just punch in something like "beer reduction" into your favorite search engine.

What kind of beer has the highest alcohol percentage Would the highest alcohol percentage be things like bud light or something resembling an ale?

Strange question, but here goes: No, on both. Explanation: To make a beer strong requires a LOT of ingredients and of these the ones that provide sugars for the yeast are most important. The large volume of ingredients means that the beer will (usually) have complex malt flavours. Mashing: We immediately run into a problem: You can only get so much sugar out of malt. So you use all sorts of tricks to get the most out of your malt. Boiling: To increase the sugar content the brewers add sugars to the wort. Next problem: too much sugar and the beer does not taste very good and fermentation problems are a possible problem. (Sugars can also be added to the fermentation). Another trick is to concentrate the wort by boiling for a longer period. The water evaporates, but the sugars and other ingredients stay in the wort. Note that a large amount of hops is required to balance all the sugars. Fermentation: High gravity beers are notoriously difficult to ferment. The biggest problem is that the alcohol in the beer becomes so much that it poisons the yeast. So, you need a yeast that is "strong" enough to work in these harsh conditions. You will often find that brewers will mix strains, starting with a lager, then going to ale, then to champagne or wine yeast. Most "normal" yeasts will (with help) get you a product of 15-20% ABV. Stronger yeasts can go higher than 20%, but not much further. Post Fermentation: Lest assume that you ended with a naturally fermented product of 20%. Fermentation is complete and your yeast is dead. The alcohol kills any other yeast that you add. What next? Ice concentration! This process is seen as a form of distilling. You put your fermenter in a freezer and scoop out the ice crystals. As water freezes before alcohol, the alcohol in the beer increases. Stronger beer! But the penalty is that you use a lot of flavour and aroma during this process. The final product: A boozy, typically malty, bready, product, usually on the sweeter side. The body tends to be heavy. Hops is usually low to none, unless the beer was dry-hopped post concentration. Here is a list of the strongest beers: http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index.php?t=highest_alcohol

Beer will evaporate down when boiled. During this it will become thicker. The alcohol will evaporate the quickest, then the water. Caramelization (Maillard reaction) will occur. The bitterness will NOT evaporate, making the bitterness more concentrated. However; boiling wort is "required" to make beer and excessive boiling is used in some styles to give it extra flavours and colours or to make the resulting beer stronger.

Chances are that your cans will also explode. Just leave them in the fridge. Do a test: take one can and leave it in the fridge. Take another and place it in a plastic container. Close the container and put it in the fridge. The container serves no purpose apart form minimizing the amount of clean-up. After a few days, remove the can from the fridge. If it is still whole, put it in the fridge and mark it with pen so that you know which is which. Leave for two day. Both beers should now be at the same temp. Open them both and compare the beers. There are many techniques for cooling cans quickly. I would rather do that than leave beers in the freezer.

In (Soviet) Russia it is called Yorsch ("yorsh" means ruffe , a small fish remarkable for its hard and sharp spines). There is a variations of it – "From brown bear to the polar and back". You take a glass of beer, drink a little, fill it up with vodka, drink again, fill up again and keep drinking and filling until the mixture is colorless. After that you keep on drinking but start to fill it up with beer. It is said that many have seen The White Polar Bear but only few have managed to see The Brown again.

It is more than color. You need the other beer to have a different density from Guinness, at least if you want it to stay separated for any length of time. And be careful which Guinness you use because there are a number of them out there with different "strengths". If the densities are too close, they'll mix together. A good starting point in selecting interesting combinations is to look at the densities across different styles . Pick two that are widely different and find bottles of each. For instance, if you take a bottle of a kriek (red-looking fruit lambic), it would probably float nicely on most other beers, but you'd want to pick a nice, dark beer to show off the contrast (plus, if you used a kriek (cherry) or frambois (raspberry), pairing it with a porter or stout that has nice chocolate tones would taste very nice). Likewise, just about anything would float on a bock or a strong scotch ale like a "wee heavy".

What is the Hong Kong craft beer scene these days? When I lived in Hong Kong a few years back I enjoyed several interesting microbrewed beers and a small but enthusiastic beer scene. I still think about the much-missed Belgos East , which had a whole suite of Belgian ales on tap. What's available these days?

I will put forth my own experience. I disliked beer when I was young. It was not until I tasted ale imported from England that I liked it and sought it out. I loved Samuel Smith's, Old Peculiar, Bass Ale, and others. I expanded from there and sought out other beers and ales that were not your ordinary North American Lagers and found many I liked. I quickly discovered homebrewing while perusing a used bookstore. This was way before it was popular here and way before 'Craft Brewing' was a term that people knew. I started to make my own. Now I really like beer. However I still don't really like most of the big-brand beers. And I don't drink beer as a thirst quencher. But if someone offers me a beer - I am no snob and say yes. As far as DNA or genetically based dislikes. I don't think there is a 'beer' gene. There may, however be genes that make people dislike, or at least avoid certain tastes or aromas, or perceive these in different ways. These could then translate to dislikes of beer. However, there are so many types of beers that this is probably very unlikely. It would at least it's unlikely that beer would be the only thing that would be affected by this inheritance. I think a dislike of beer can be overcome. Many people have notions of beer that are not really true. A friend said she hated dark beer because it was too bitter. I explained that this was not really true (that all dark beer is very bitter). So, I brought over some examples that were not bitter, but chocolaty, sweet, roasty, etc. She now loves dark beers (most are actually not very bitter). With some people it is really difficult to overcome these dislikes however. But at least, in my opinion, most of these dislikes are learned.

Beer cocktails, where spirits are added to beer, were a sort of Fad here in the US a couple years ago. Maybe they still are (I'm sort of isolated where I live in that respect). Your question of safe is a bit perplexing. The only unsafe part might be if you give a charged up beer to someone who isn't used to much alcohol and bad consequences result... But otherwise it's not unsafe. I've done it (added vodka to beer) and it doesn't taste that great to me. But with some other additions you can make a pretty great cocktail. From The Huffington Post: Beer Cocktails.

The two craft breweries in Lisbon are Dois Corvos and Oitava Colina. Dois Corvos has a tasting room a couple km from the centre. Both make good beer.

I am Czech and I would say there are few factors to it. Firstly many grocery products are cheap as well as services which makes beer affordable even in restaurants. Most importantly there is long historical tradition in drinking beer. It is common to drink it with lunch, it is usual to visit the pub for a chat with friends and drink 1,2 or 10 beers there. Beer is cheaper than water in restaurants and this is another reason why people prefer it to other drinks. It is said that the government can do anything unless they increase the price of beer. The pub is often the cultural center of many villages where people meet after work and when we are there we drink beer.

Go to http://www.ratebeer.com/search.php and in the Brewer Search enter Lisbon in the City and Portugal in the Country, then click Search. It returns 4 breweries. 100 Maneiras Rua do Teixeira, 35 Lisbon Portugal Amnesia Brewery Oeiras, Lisbon Portugal Cerveja Aroeira Lisbon Portugal Dois Corvos Cervejeira Lisbon Portugal

Recommendations for Kegerator conversion kit? I have a mini fridge and looking to convert it into a kegerator with a tower tap on top. I've researched a few kegerator conversion kits and see economy, standard, deluxe, etc, kits available. I'm not looking for a super fancy setup but a solid kegerator that will look good in my garage. Any recommendations for what conversion kit or how to best practices to convert a mini fridge to a kegerator?

Some things to consider: If you don't tap a beer every so often, the beer that is left in regular beer faucets can dry out and lock the tap shut. I suggest a perlick faucet as it seals without drying out. I've used mine for years without any "sticky tap" problems. If you are going to have a tower on top of the fridge, the beer line in the tower will warm up to the ambient room temperature. This means that the first part of the first pour of the night will be very foamy as the pressure is different in the warm tower. Some way of insulating the tower or circulating the air inside the tower will ensure the quality of the beer in the line. When cutting the top of the fridge, be very careful to avoid damaging the cooling lines (if there are any in the top) as that will destroy the cooling ability on that wall of the refrigerator. If you're keeping it in the garage, you may want to consider some way of sealing the tap when you're done for the night. A plug will prevent flies or ants from enjoying your beer while you're out. A lock will prevent any neighbors from doing the same. Probably not as direct as a link to a conversion kit, but hopefully this will help you decide.

It is legal to home brew beers in unlimited quantities for personal use only. You may not for sell it without the required required permits or licenses. Registration as a "manufacturer not for commercial use" at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is required to produce wine at home. Happy brewing from a fellow home brewer in Cape Town

I would suggest the extra kick would be due to the fact that as you smoke the cigarette, you are taking in nicotine, which does enhance the effect of alcohol. So the effect is not coming from the ash, but the cigarette you smoke to get the ash.

At what temperature should sour brown ale be served? I have never tried sour beer before, and was recently given a sour brown ale. At what temperature should I serve this type of beer?

Tough one to answer... Since all sour ales have a very low pH, the sour flavor will be present no matter the serving temperature. With that in mind, the subtle notes of the beer will probably require the beer to be warmer than most beers when serving. I would recommend a cellar temperature, about 55F (12C) to bring out the best combination of flavor and drinkablity. The best advice I've ever heard on sour beers is from the tour at New Belgium Brewery: Take a sip and think for a few seconds about what the beer is trying to tell you then take another sip. If the second was better than the first, take a third. If the third was better than the second then keep going. Never be afraid to try new brews.

Of course you can add vodka to beer! As long as you're mindful of how much you're drinking and how long it takes to process, you should be fine. The harder part is actually devising a cocktail you'd want to drink. With the popularity of craft beer, a new culture of beer cocktails is growing. Do a quick Google search, and you'll come up with tons of great recipes, old and new. While the craft beer world has traditionally been sceptical about mixing things with beer, there are endless possibilities to elevate and excite, and some are coming around to this. My old beer manager would make a Blanche De Chamblay and vanilla vodka drink that was delicious. Rauchbier and other smoked styles work amazingly well in a bloody Mary. If the mood strikes you, experiment!

Do beer blends exist? I asked a bartender what she was drinking near the end of her shift. She said a blend. Of Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA and North Coast's Le Merle (a Belgian Saison). I tried it and it was great. I already liked Le Merle except it had a bit too much of the Belgian kick, and I never liked Racer 5 at all, but together somehow the attributes I didn't like canceled out or masked one another. At the risk of heresy, I wonder if mixing beers is or was ever a (semi-)official thing anywhere. I've heard wine blends mostly exist as a product of leftover grapes, so their justification doesn't apply to beer. Still, if the taste is great, why not have beer blends? With the distinct taste variations of hops alone, I wouldn't be surprised if great combinations could be found. So, to put succinctly: Are beer blends being served anywhere?

There are beer blends served in England and Scotland although it tends to be the older drinkers. Mild and Bitter is one where a half pint of bitter is mixed with a half of mild. Brown and Bitter is half of bitter with a brown ale such as Mann's. A common Scottish blend is the Black and Tan which is Guinness and IPA/Heavy - this can also be made a Sweet Black and Tan by using sweet stout and IPA. Before Fullers shut Gales of Horndean down they produced a bottled Christmas ale which was a mix of their HSB premium bitter and their 555 mild with spice.

Some breweries do release blends from time to time. I recently picked up a bottle of Siren Cotteridge Wines 20th Anniversary , which is a blend of a few different beers.

Sam Adams has released special blends of beers as has Firestone Walker. I am sure other breweries have done special blends too. And lets not forget Mississippi Mud.

According to Graham Wheeler's article on the history of porter (which I cannot currently locate), London-style porter was originally a mixed-on-demand blend of mild and sour brown ales. "Butt porter" was a later version, blended at the brewery so it could be shipped in a single keg ("butt.") EDIT: Found it! The article was reposted in parts to the Homebrew Digest mailing list in 1996 & 1997 by Rob Moline. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Hope that's of interest. Cheers!

Slightly OT but my Dad used to drink what he called a "Poor mans black velvet". Half Guiness, Half cider

In general, beers that are served with nitro tend to be smoother than their CO2 counterpart. Personally, I've had Left Handed Milk Stout Nitro and Standard side by side and much preferred the Nitro version.

Tobacco-flavored beer Inspired by this question , I want to ask if there are any existing beer flavored using tobacco or have a hint of tobacco in the taste.

If used the the brewing process, the nicotine in the tobacco leaves would be extracted into the beer. Too high a nicotine dose in the beer would be poisonous. The whole process would probably be more effort than it is worth. As for tobacco flavor, it depends on the flavors that you enjoy in tobacco. Just like some smokey whiskeys work well with cigars, some rich beers work just as well. Strong beers aged in spirit barrels often contain the same oakey, vanilla notes that are present in the aged spirits. Cigar City Brewing uses a lot of different barrels to impart tobacco like flavors in its beers and their tasting notes usually suggest pairing a beer with a cigar. If you are looking for a smokey beer without the possibility of nicotine poisoning, then I suggest Rauchbier . Some of the malt used in this beer are smoked over different woods (usually alder). Some breweries experiment with adding smoked malt to other beer styles ( Porter , IPA , etc .)

Is beer healthy if drunk in moderation? Beer is obviously not healthy if it is drunk to much, however, one of my friends argue a little beer in moderation can provide certain health benefits. Like it can lower risk of stroke and heart diseases. Is this true or is it just baloney people say to get someone else to drink a little bit? Are these claims true?

According to this research paper published in BMJ they concluded the following: Results from observational studies, where alcohol consumption can be linked directly to an individual's risk of coronary heart disease, provide strong evidence that all alcoholic drinks are linked with lower risk. Thus, a substantial portion of the benefit is from alcohol rather than other components of each type of drink. This argues that health benefits are alcohol related and not specifically beer related. This is, again, during moderate consumption.

There's very little hard research on the healthful benefits of beer, though there is some observational research on both beer and (as Jens mentioned in his answer ) on the benefits of moderate levels of alcohol in general. It's also been noted that there beer has a number of ingredients that are generally believed or known to be healthy, including vitamins, fiber, silicon, and others. So, while I wouldn't base a diet on it, moderate consumption of beer is at least anecdotally a reasonably healthy habit in which to imbibe.

While a doctor probably won't ever state that drinking beer is "healthy," doctors do provide advice on what "moderation" is. Women who consume eight or more drinks per week are considered excessive drinkers. And for men, excess is defined as 15 or more drinks a week. (A drink is defined as just 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of spirits.) Moderation is around 1-2 drinks per week or per 2 weeks. All of this varies of course per individual's weight, current health, etc.

Is there evidence that drinking beer on airplane have more "kick"? I remember when my brother said that drinking beer on a plane have more "kick" than when in land, so we tried it. It was my first time being on a plane, so I don't know if that's the reason, but I felt the "kick" sooner, and it gave me a worse headache than usual, and that's just one can. Is this common? Does drinking in a plane make you more intoxicated?

It doesn't matter what beer you drink, whether it is a beer bought from the grocery store or a liquor store in Colorado. It is all the same beer, bottled off the same vat. In every beer sold, alcohol is measured by volume, except 3.2% beer which is measured as alcohol by weight. Ask a brewer they will tell you the same. They (the beer owners) did this so that they could get around the blue laws prohibiting beer sales on Sunday, but without any cost increase to the business. If you drink Coors Light bought at a liquor store it's 4.2% ABV, that very same beer bought at a 7-11 is 3.2% ABW. The measurement ABW is just about a 1% difference vs. ABV.

I have experienced the following: I can drink vast volumes whilst flying. However, when we come in to land (cabin pressure changes) I got very drunk, very quickly. I think the cabin pressure is the culprit.

Beer is a good way to prevent kidney stones (have to be sure that the person is not susceptible for uric acid stone, because in that case it's not recommended). Also reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases, strengthens bones, plus good for your insomnia. One beer a day is generally good for your health. just a few quick results : https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/beverage/health-benefits-of-beer.html http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/7-healthy-reasons-be-drinking-beer

BITBURGER GERMAN 100% Alcohol-free Tastes like beer. Made full strength then all alcohol extracted.

The 'kick' you are describing is being caused by a mild altitude sickness. As you can read in these medical guidelines for airline passengers the cabin pressure is contrary to popular belief, not pressurized to sea level pressure: On most flights the cabin altitude will be between 6,000 and 8,000 ft. (1,828m and 2,438m) even though the aircraft is flying at much higher altitudes. In other words, on most flights, it is as if you are on top of a hill or small mountain. This imposes two stresses on the body: less oxygen; and, expansion of gases in the body cavities. The reason for feeling drunk more quickly is due to the lack of oxygen presented by the lack of pressure. Lack of oxygen, according to this source, gives rise to the following symptoms and comes to the same conclusion: There are various symptoms, including dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, drowsiness, weakness, nausea, unsteady gait, and a headache. Sounds familiar, right? Yeah, the symptoms of altitude sickness are a lot like the effects of alcohol intoxication. Another interesting read can be found here .

Beer contains alcohol. Beer is addictive because some people are indeed predisposed to be an alcoholic. Beer drinking is no different than any other method of consuming alcohol. Yes, alcoholism is in your DNA. That's why some people get carried away with the allure of Beer only to find out that they are now dependent on alcohol. Easy Peasy. Answer is good Ya?

Beer is alcohol no matter what people may think. Alcohol is a dangerous drug that happens to be legal right now. There are no proven benefits to drinking, bathing, washing hair or dishes in beer. Beer has a reputation of being safer than whiskey, but the opposite is true. Both can kill you.

Did Henry VIII really outlaw hops? I recently read Stephen Buhner's "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers" wherein he claimed that hops were a fairly new way to bitter beer in the renaissance and that in England Henry VIII outlawed them. However, I have not been able to find substantiation of this in the historical record. It makes for a great story, but is it true?

First off, I don't know if this story is in fact true, but I can shed some light on the subject which would indicate that it is certainly plausible. Hops were first used to flavor beer around 1000 A.D., starting in Germany. Until this time beer was flavored with a mix of herbs and spices called "gruit" which was taxed (generally by either the government or the Roman Catholic Church) and in many cases required by law, so when hops did appear, they appears in regions where the church had less control. Hops didn't make their way to England until around 1500 A.D., and weren't universally used until around the year 1600. Since Henry VIII reigned from 1509 until 1547, it would have been early in the introduction of hops to the region, and it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he may have outlawed them as a threat to the tax revenue stream provided by the sale of gruit. Eventually though, demand for hops won out, and Henry's own wars with the Catholic Church may have weakened the ability to gruit rights-holders to continue to monopolize the market, and as I mentioned, by fifty years after Henry's death, hops ultimately won the war.

Corona is a very famous, international beer consisting of corn. It's made by a starchy product, and that's why we use to lemon wedges at the time of serving: in order to disguise the starchy taste.

What are the ingredients in beer that cause people to feel ill almost immediately? Beer isn't for everyone. That's fair enough. However there are some people that get physically ill from it almost immediately. Are there specific ingredients in beer that can cause this? Or is it dependent on the consumer? If the ingredients cause this, is there a way to nullify/reduce the effects?

(Assuming you are referring to "plain" beers, not beers with weird ingredients) The only allergen that is present in normal beers is malt that contains gluten. Gluten intolerant people can therefor react to beer very aggressively. Next, I would guess the alcohol. Some people have violent reactions to any form of alcohol. Then, maybe the bitterness or just the flavour. The people may be sensitive to bitterness, or just really do not like the taste of (that) beer. I have had beers that taste like baby vomit. It is VERY hard to not gag when you taste that! You have to determine why the person reacts that way. If it is the malt, then get them a gluten free beer, if it is alcohol, then try an alcohol free beer, or just a cold drink, if it is the bitterness, then get a beer that is less bitter, if it is the flavour, then get a beer with a different flavour (fruit beer or a different style of beer that has other prominent flavours).

Depends on who you ask. Both of these answers are correct but some would take the definition of cask ale a little further by defining it as an ale that is unfiltered and unpasteurised and conditioned (including secondary fermentation) and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure. One of our local beer shops has a few cask ales on tap, ran by someone from England. He often scolds beer sold as cask ales which were only placed into the cask after fermentation is completed.

How to pair a beer with a glass? I have recently begun to learn somethings about beer and I suddenly noticed that, for a while now, I have always been served similar types of beer on different looking beer glasses... which is confusing me. It could be human error, but it's got me wondering what beer glasses should I really be sipping from? So I decided to get some beer glasses, and what do I find? A plethora of beer glasses, all kinds and funky shapes, where not one glass is like the next. It makes me feel like the beer glass industry is very opinionated, rather than factual, and I need to know how to choose correctly. Could anyone please instruct me on the general type of beers and how they pair with beer glasses, as well as why x glass goes with y beer?

Beer glasses are mainly a product of the region in which the beer was originated and therefore tied to a specific beer. Belgian beers - Normally served in goblets because the beers have very complex aromas and the shape of the glass can help present and concentrate them for consumption. British beers - Normally served in the " nonic " glass. Simply a glass that is easier to hold in the hand whilst standing around the pub. Normally associated with most British ales. Pilsner - High sided flute to concentrate the hop aroma and show off the high carbonation of Pilsners. Weissbeir - German wheat beers are usually served in tall glasses to show off the cloudy beer and also the creamy tall head of foam. Scottish Ale - a Thistle glass designed to evoke the image of the national flower of Scotland. Stout - Popularized by Guinness, a glass designed to show off the nitrogen bubbles.

It might sound snobbish to be peckish about the type of glass but the glass does influence the taste of the beer. Some things are: - the thickness of the glass. A thin glass invites to a more delicate way of drinking, a really thick glass would let you expect a sturdier beer. - the surface compared to the volume of beer. A big surface gives a change to let of more aroma's but I would think you also need a little more foam. - the capacity to keep the aroma's. As pointed out by Rube. Think of a cognac glass versus a vase . Some glasses also take in you nose deeper than others. - the way the beer flows. The shape of the glass how quickly you can drink it without spilling. Think of kwak , you HAVE to drink the last very carefully. So to answer your question: there are many factors how the glass influences how you taste a beer. What's best is very subjective. You could at first stick to the opinion of the brewer, what he finds the best glass for it. If you like the taste with an other glass better, use that. I would not approach this as a hard science. Brewers might choose a specific glass to "stand out".

Question one : how does bottled beer differ from draught beer? This varies from beer to beer, and should be handled on a beer-to-beer basis. Sometimes beer in the bottle is pasteurized, while the keg is not. Sometimes one or the other is filtered, while the other is not. The gas content can also differ, since this is adjustable in draught systems but not with bottles. In some cases, such as when yeast content is very important for the flavor profile of a beer, like German Hefeweizen, how much yeast you get in your glass has a big impact on the drinking experience. When drinking from the bottle, you can make sure that you get all of the yeast from the bottom of the bottle into your glass by agitating the last few ounces of beer, but this isn't possible with a keg. Kegged versions of these beers still have yeast in them, but you're not getting that perfect ratio in every glass. In my two years as a beer enthusiast living in Germany, these beers are almost always served from the bottle, and every bar or bartender has their preferred method for getting all the yeast out of a bottle. Question two : What is done to bottled beer to prolong its shelf life? This also differs from beer to beer. Some imports are pasteurized in the bottle, some others, namely MillerCoors products, use proprietary hop derivatives like Tetrahop to keep hop flavor while minimizing hop oils' susceptibility to producing off-flavors due to light exposure. This isn't a bad or unnatural thing, and I hope this becomes more widespread, because skunked, lightstruck beer is awful. (see this interview ) This, however, is also present in kegged beer, as it has other beneficial properties like increased head retention. Sometimes, though, nothing is done beyond packaging, like Sierra Nevada's transition from twist-off to pry-off caps a few years ago to combat leaking, infection, and oxidation. Brookston Beer Blog 2007 Question three : Why is draught so much better? Very, very subjective, and you may want to clarify or qualify this in the future. Is good draught beer better than old, skunked bottled beer? Yes. Is good bottled beer better than flat draught beer poured through dirty lines? Also yes. Each has its pros and cons when it comes to service and storage. I would venture to say that much of draught beer's appeal comes from it being special- you typically have to go somewhere else to get it in a way that's not usually available to the home user, like how the theater experience differs from the home movie experience. Yes, you can get bottled beer in bars, too, but it's still a more "normal" format. In terms of taste over experience, though, I don't know that you could say for sure without some sort of blind tasting with lots of variables (age, glass type, line cleanliness, CO2 pressure) controlled for. Even then, what does it for the tasters might not do it for you. For further reading on all that goes into draught beer, check out the Draught Beer Quality Manual

Is there a difference between normal Duvel and Duvel "Love" I bought a 4-pack of Duvel recently and when I looked at the last bottle I saw that instead of this label: It instead had this label: All of the bottles had different art/text on the backs, but up to this point I hadn't noticed anything different on the front label, so I decided to look into it. I couldn't find any official references to a Duvel "love" beer but also could not find any official images of these labels. I was able to find images of bottles with the same label listed as a unique beer on Untappd but am somewhat hesitant to take this as any kind of proof of it being a different beer. Did I stumble upon a rarity or packaging mistake or is this the same beer and I'm just overreacting because I don't know any better?

Here in Belgium where the majority of 'true' (certificated "Authentic Trappist Product") Trappist breweries are located (6 out of 11), the common answer is the almost mythical Westvleteren 12. It is notoriously hard to acquire. One has to register by phone to get a date and hour. You can only reserve 2 crates (42 euros each) and this at most once every 60 days per phone number and car. I drank it once and it was very very good. I however like blonde beers more and prefer Orval, which has the additional benefit of actually being readily available.

As a Belgian I am always told by bartenders and brewers that for special (heavy) Belgian beers a Tulip glass is a good choice, except for Belgian Lambics (nl:Lambieken) for which one should use a flute glass. These glasses are sometimes scratched at the bottom to better accommodate the bubbling (for example: Duvel Glasses)

There are a few common allergens in beer- hops are a fairly common allergen, and gluten intolerances or celiac's disease can cause physical illness. Yeast is also a common allergen. Also, some people lack the ability to properly process alcohol- this often manifests by a single beer being enough to cause illness and vomiting.

It doesn't even show on the belgian (dutch/french) pages of the site, My best guess is that it's just an alternate cover. DUVEL - mastery in beer It seems they used these different covers as a marketing trick designed to generate publicity and hype as it clearly did here

In the beginning most in Western Europe drank beer,the Romans however started converting to wine. It wasn't long before the idea spread that wine was somehow more sophisticated, contrary to beer, which was only drunk by Barbarians. After Caesars conquest of Gaul. The Gauls were quickly romanized. It is clear that the romanized parts drink less beer and more wine, and the Germanic area produces more beer (+ the Belgian region which were there was a lot of germanic immigration). The reason Spain produces a lot of beer is probably because the relative dryness and infertile grounds make it not ideal to grow wine (largest area of wineyards, only third in production).

Other Jalapeño beers? I recently drank Stone's "Punishment" which was brewed with jalapeños! Having homebrewed with jalapeños from my garden for years I was super excited. Are there other breweries that have started experimenting with spicing their beers this way?

Is the german "Warsteiner" a Pilsner? I've heard lately, that the german beer Warsteiner does not fullfill the german Reinheitsgebot and therefore is is not allowed to be called Pilsner , that is why they call it a Premium Verum . Is that true and if yes, why?

I recently had their "Crime" and loved it. Here are some other beers brewed with Jalapenos, but not a whole lot from major breweries like Stone. Rogue - Chipotle Ale "smoked jalapeno peppers" Twisted Pine - Ghost Face Killah "serrano, jalapeno, habanero, fresno, anaheim" (notoriously hot) Alaskan - Jalapeno Imperial IPA Horseheads - Hot-Jala-Heim "jalapenos and anaheim" No Label - Don Jalapeno "this beer is brewed with 60lbs of jalapenos. 30 lbs raw and 30lbs roasted (seeds included)" Hot Box - Imperial Smoked Pepper Porter "smoked poblano & jalapeno peppers"

As far as I read, Warsteiner is not a Pilsener because they don't use enough hops. It's like a Pilsener but less bitter.

I think your friend got the wrong end of a stick :p Wikipedia lists it as a pilsner, so does BeerAdvocate and the Warsteiner site. I think Premium Verum is just a name.

Why do Double IPAs (aka Imperial IPAs, IIPAs) tend to be sweeter than regular IPAs? Why do Double IPAs tend to be sweeter than regular IPAs? (I personally have in mind Ninkasi's Tricerahops and Saint Archer's Double IPA.)

I would say some are sweeter, some aren't. Brewers do kick up the mount of malt in IIPA's to get the ABV up there. This could lead to a sweeter taste depending on the malt bill and fermentation.

Why are dubbels generally dark while most tripels are not? In my experience, dubbels are often fairly dark, brown ales, while tripels are much clearer and lighter (of colour). Why is that?

Yeast can just process a certain amount of sugar inside the mash and therefore in double IPA there can be more sugar left in the beer, depending on the yeast that is used.

Beer that's slightly out of date I've got a case of beer, which is Rivet Beer. Each can is 330 mL, & 4.7%/1.2 standard drinks. They ran out of date on 13 November 2015, & it's been in a cupboard the entire time, room temperature. Are the cans safe to drink? I'm not concerned about bad taste or anything, I just don't want to get sick. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Should not be a problem healthwise, taste could be a little different but as it was stored in a can it was protected from sunlight.

To be classified as a double IPA it must have an ABV >= 7.5%. That requires more malt/sugar. However, the perceived sweetness can be a factor from yeast used and the Bitterness Ratio: http://www.madalchemist.com/chart_bitterness_ratio.html

In general, beer only has 4 ingredients: grain, hops, yeast and water. Of those 4 ingredients, 3 can cause issues with somebody who is sensitive (everything but water). As Tom said, if a person has Celiac's Disease, they're going to be sensitive to the gluten that that is in barley and wheat, which is why some breweries are offering an alternative (usually made with sorghum). It's also possible that hops might be an issue for somebody sensitive. I have a friend who is allergic to hops. There are also folks who are sensitive to yeast. Both ale yeast and baker's yeast are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, so if somebody has trouble with yeast raised bread, they'll have trouble with beer too. A yeast sensitivity can be mitigated by filtering the beer, but not all of it is captured. All that said, I thought that I was going to get sick before I tried a certain maple bacon doughnut beer and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it.

This is not a jalapeno beer, but along the same lines. Ballast Pointe brewery out of San Diego, CA makes what they call a Habanero Sculpin IPA. It is delicious and you can find it all the way over here on the east coast in NC. It has a very nice kick to it- it's great with a steak or something kind of heavy, but not so great for beer pong as the habanero really does have a bite to it.

Again, not a jalapeno beer, but a great one nonetheless that incorporates similar thinking. RAR Brewing in Cambridge, MD makes a killer beer called Habanero Nectar.

Flavour components in beer What are the most important chemicals for the flavour of beer, and what effect do they have? I mean chemicals as components in the beer not regarding if they are naturally or artificially added.

I don't want chemicals (as in not natural grown plants) in my beer. The standard natural ingredients are: water yeast hops barley To be a craft brewery in Texas you are limited to those ingredients A good link There are different types of hops and barley. The type and amount affect the flavor. Naturally the brew process, water, and yeast also affect the flavor. A hoppy beer will have more hops. Link to hops . An IPA is heavy on the hops. Link to barley / malt There are also wheat and rye beers but I don't know much about them. Brewers may use corn syrup and number of other ingredients. Low calorie beer will naturally not use as much high calorie ingredients.

"premium verum" is just a marketing-joke. Warsteiner is a real "Pilsener". And they brew according to the german purity law. Martin (I studied Brewing Science in Weihenstephan and know Warsteiner very well)

Color tends to come primarily from the malt bill used (darker roasted malts lending darker color to a beer). In the case of Belgian beers, a "candi" sugar (derived from beets) may used as an additive, and different styles use different types of candi sugars. For dubbels in particular, the candi is a darker variety, made with a (more) substantial dose of molasses, which would darken the beer further. A tripel uses a candi with less molasses.

Bent River (from Rock Island/Moline, IL) has a Jalapeno Pepper Ale. They take it with them when they go to most festivals. I assume it's mostly for novelty. Tastes kinda like drinking nacho beer (probably make a good beer dip). It was added on beeradvocate in like 2005, so apparently they've been doing it for a while.

Drinking beer with a straw Does drinking strong beer with a straw get you drunk faster? If this is true what causes this effect?

This is caused by two things. 1) When you drink with a straw the liquid touches your palate (upper part of your mouth) more, the skin in your palate is thin and strongly circulated (with blood) this accelerates the absorption of alcohol in the blood. 2) Sucking fluid trough the straw requires a lower than ambient pressure in the lungs and mouth. This lower pressure causes more of the alcohol to evaporate, this alcohol is absorbed by the lungs again increasing alcohol absorption. While drinking with a straw will get you drunk faster it will not necessarily get you more drunk as this is mostly just related to the amount of consumed alcohol.

Deposit on bottom beer bottle What is the residue some in bottled (special) beers. Is it true that it can cause flatulence?

This deposit is called trub (sometimes lees), and is a created in all ethanol fermentation processes. The trub is mostly yeast cells both living and dead. This is why this deposit is only seen in beers that ferment in the bottle as it is otherwise removed before bottling. It is even possible to cultivate the yeast from the trub, but this requires special care. It is often advised not to drink it but some people like the taste. It is also possible a little glass is provided to separately drink the trub. As some of the yeast still lives, it will continue to produce gas while inside you which can cause flatulence.

Why are there so few "real" trappists and why are six from them from belgium I was wondering why there are so few trappists and how is it that from the eleven trappists 6 of them are from Belgium. Why aren't the breweries more spread over the world? Does it have something do to with what happened there in the history?

The Trappist designation is monitored by the International Trappist Association. Here are the criteria set forth by them for an abbey to maintain their Trappist label: The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision. The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need. Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

The Trappists are members of a Roman Catholic religious order. Trappists follow a rule of St. Benedict stating that they should "live by the work of their hands", which means many Trappist monasteries sell goods for income. The order has no particular prohibition against alcohol, so producing beer is an entirely reasonable profession for the monks. The order is centuries old, and originated in France. However, many of the French breweries were destroyed during the French revolution (and later, the world wars). Fortunately for us today, the monasteries in the beer-loving Belgium survived (or in cases like that of the Rochefort Abbey , were restored). Today, the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo, which defines a "real" Trappist beer, is owned by the International Trappist Association, an organization founded in 1997. The founding members include six abbeys from Belgium, one from the Netherlands, and one from Germany (which doesn't produce beer). It is only in very recent years that the ITA has expanded to recognize breweries aside from the original 7, the first "new" one being Stift Engelszell from Austria in 2012. As the craft beer revolution pushes forward, I'd say we're likely to see more monasteries start their own beer production and apply for the logo. But right now, it's still mostly the original Belgians.

When the Trappist foundation was founded in 1997, were there breweries which didn't get the label although they succeeded to the conditions? So from a previous question I learned that the Trappist foundation was founded in 1997 by 6 Belgian breweries one from the Netherlands and one from Germany. But were there other breweries which succeeded to the conditions for the label of Trappist. I mean, it sounds unfair for a brewery in France that six of the founding members are from Belgium. And are those original founding members still the people who control the label? Then it sounds still unfair today, because they can easily keep the number of breweries with the trappist label low, just for marketing reasons.

The explication to your question is multi-faceted and not so easy to understand if one is neither Roman Catholic nor understanding of the nuances of religious life (Trappist). The Trappists were founded in 1664 as a branch of the Benedictine Order at the La Trappe Abbey. The abbot of La Trappe has a greater authority of jurisdiction than the other trappist abbots. Under canon law this is permitted because La Trappe is the motherhouse of the Trappist Order. The history of the Trappist Foundation in 1997 is of a totally different perspective. Originally only La Trappe Abbey could grant the title of the label to those Trappist breweries which could safeguard the integrity of the Order. All other monasteries which could not or would not abide to the conditions to be met, would not be granted the Trappist Label. Since 2012, four other Trappist monasteries have been added to the list, including St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts, United States. The three basic rules for granting the label are: The beer must be brewed within the monastery, by the monks or at least under the supervision of the monks. The making of ales should be of a secondary importance to the monastery and should be seen as a witness of monastic life. Any profits from the brewery are to be use to help sustain the monks in their life of prayer. Any extra income is to be given to some sort of charity. There seems to be no other Trappist Abbeys that were producing beer at the time the label was founded. Since abbeys are independent of one another, sources of revenue are not limited to the brewing of ales. Some abbeys made vestments, while other distilled products such as kirsch, as was the case at Fontgombault Abbey from 1849-1905. Fontgombault Abbey (Wikipedia)

I find it so weird that there is no consistent rules as to why some varieties of beer and ales are so difficult to obtain in Canada. Regulations change even between the provinces. It seems so strange that in BC there is a regular list of products sold in liquor stores as well as a restricted list for restaurants and a specialty list where one can buy products providing one buys the whole box. Some private liquor store may allow you to buy a six-pack if it is permitted to be sold within a particular province. You need to ask and find out if the province carries Grimbergen. One can also order it online using the same criteria. Here is an example for Alberta. If you are fortunate enough to be able to cross the border you will have little trouble finding Grimbergen in the US. Normally would pay duty upon returning to Canada, but in my experience here in BC is that if your bottle of wine is valued less than $10.00 or you are bringing back only a six-pack of beer or cider, you will not pay anything. I always declare my purchases and have yet to pay any duty.

What are some of the most common ingredients used in gluten-free beers? What are the most popular ingredient used in the making of gluten-free beers? Do they have a good shelve life or not?

There is a condition caused by alcohol, called an "alcohol flush reaction". Some people (often from Asia) have a condition, not related to allergies, that makes them lack a certain enzyme that lets their bodies process alcohol properly. The condition apparently causes rapid intoxication and nausea after drinking only small amounts of alcohol, and I believe the reason for the sufferings are an overproduction of the same waste chemicals that causes the really bad hangovers (aldehydes). Anyhow, I wouldn't blame them for being abstinent.

Which beer or beers are associated with Lent? Are there any varieties of beer that some people associate with the liturgical season of Lent? If so, why?

Bock style beers are regularly produced for festivals such as Christmas and Lent. The specific kind of bock for Lent is Lentenbock. The only one I've tried in the UK is Oates Lenten Bock. It was a traditional Bock style, dark, sweet and strong and it was OK. I wasn't enamoured of it enough to repeat tasting it.

When yeast ferment the sugar into alcohol it produces a lot of different by-products that give beer most of it's flavour. The brewer can influence the by-products produces by controlling the temperature at which the fermentation takes place. Hops also add a lot in particular aroma. Since so much of tasting depends on the nose aroma comes of as flavour too. By boiling hops most of the aroma disappears and your left with only bitterness. By boiling hops for a shorter time, or not at all you can add more aroma. Brewers often talks about bittering vs aroma hops. Hops bitterness and aroma contribution depends on the variety of hops used. Hops growers are constantly coming up with new types of hops. Malt, grain having been processed, also add flavour. Though most malt come from the same type of grain, barley, it can be processed/malted in many different ways giving a different flavour. When mashing (getting the sugar out of the malt and into the liquid) you can adjust the flavour by temperature. At high temperature (68c) you get almost only unfermentable sugar, which will give you a sweet result, while mashing at 64 will give you fermentable sugar and therefore a dry product. Water does not add so much to the flavour in it self as it helps other parts of the recipe add a certain flavour. PH and content of minerals have a huge impact on mashing and fermentation.

Which band beers exist in your country? Does your country have any band or music based special crafted beers? In Finland I can get Mötorhead, Kiss, Iron Maiden and Finnish bands like Amorphis and soon Diablo's Corium Black titled beer. I was wondering that if I could get information that different countries have band or music related beers I could order some online for educational purposes.

IIRC, Lakefront New Grist is made from sorghum. I can't comment on shelf life.

Hell, yes ! (source: acdc-beverage.com ) I have never drunk it though :) Update. German rock band " Die toten Hosen " ("The dead pants", means "deadly boring") has recently presented its own beer brewed in collaboration with a local brewery - "Hosen Hell" (don't be confused with "hell", it's German for "pale lager beer", so the skull is from the band's logo not from hell. See also note below) In Russia, there is "Leningrad band" beer named after Russian " Leningrad " band. Note: Same applies to " Fucking Hell ". Fucking is a village in Austria, Hell is pale beer. But the name is obviously an intended pun.

In South Africa (where I am from) the band FokofPolisiekar had two beers. In other countries: Queen has a Bohemian Pilsner. Loosely related: Playboy also has their own beer. Not a band, I know.

Corn, rice, sorghum, buckwheat, millet and quinoa are popular. Each has their own special trick to get it to convert the starches to sugars. In Africa sorghum lagers are very popular, and they have the same shelf life of "normal pale" lagers. aka 3-6 months. I do not know if gluten-free affects the shelf life. Here is a BYO article to provide more information on gluten free brewing .

In Brazil, we have a few. But, in general, they're not an original beer, really created by some musician, but more a marketing thing. They only contract a micro brewery to develop a recipe for then, or even use a previously existent beer and re-brand it with their names. Examples are: Raimundos, Sepultura (which is a brazilian hardcore band well-known around the world) and Paralamas do Sucesso, bands which have a beer with their names produced by Bam