LEARN ABOUT BEER
Which beer is right for you depends on your preferences for colour, body, flavour, bitterness, freshness, and sweetness. Read on to find the perfect beer.
Colour
One of the first things many people consider is what colour they want their beer to be. And that's actually quite wise. The colour of beer says a lot about its aroma and flavour.
Light beer
Light beers generally have mild aromas of grain, porridge, biscuits and bread. These beers are designed to be fresh in style and therefore often have a high carbon dioxide content. This is the most widely drunk type of beer in the world. Classic examples are Lager, Pilsner, Blonde and Tripel.
Medium-coloured beer
Beers with a relatively transparent brown or reddish-brown colour are often slightly sweet in style. This is due to the use of caramel malt. Caramel malt is grain where the starch has been converted into sugar before the grain is roasted at a temperature that caramelises the sugar. In addition to colour, this gives sweetness and a caramel aroma. Pale Ale and Bock are classic examples.
Dark beer
Really dark beer owes its colour mainly to the use of heavily roasted malt. This gives it strong, roasted aromas such as chocolate and coffee. Classic examples are Porter and Stout.
Body
Regardless of colour, the body of beer can vary. Many people think that dark beers are fuller-bodied, but this is not always the case. There are two main factors that determine the body of a beer: alcohol and foam. This means that a dark beer with a low alcohol content and moderate foam is actually quite light. A rule of thumb is that the higher the alcohol content, the fuller the body. If you are wondering how full-bodied a beer is, it may be a good idea to check the alcohol content. When beer foams well in the mouth, it gives it an extra creamy consistency and thus fullness, which can make a beer with a relatively moderate alcohol content seem full-bodied. A good example is Weissbier, where the alcohol content is often around 5%, but where the foam is so strong that the beer is fuller than a regular lager bought at the grocery store. Because of its thick foam, Weissbier is served in special glasses. As a rule of thumb, beers that contain a lot of wheat, such as Weissbier or Witbier, or rye, have an extra creamy texture.
Flavour
Some people like their beer neutral, others prefer it full-flavoured. Some like a strong grain flavour, others prefer a fruity taste. As mentioned, very dark beers will always be rich in roasted aromas of coffee and chocolate, but when it comes to medium-coloured and light beers, it is not always so easy to tell; light beers can have varying characteristics of, for example, grain, hops and other additives and fermentation.
Grain pattern
The alcohol percentage indicates how much grain is in the beer. The higher the alcohol content, the more grain is used in relation to water to make the beer, so, as with body, it may be wise to take a look at the alcohol percentage.
Flavour of hops and other additives
Hops are a common ingredient in beer and, in addition to bitterness, can also impart aroma. Some well-known aromas are grass, flowers, spices, grapefruit and passion fruit. Other beer styles use spices and herbs instead of or in addition to hops. Witbier, for example, uses coriander seeds and citrus peel. Styles such as American Pale Ale and India Pale Ale often have a strong hop character, while styles such as Bock, Weissbier and Blonde have less.
Fermentation
Even though the beer has little hint of hops and grain, it can still have a lot of aroma from fermentation. This may sound a little unpleasant, but aromas from fermentation do not necessarily mean yeast aromas. Often, it is actually aromas of fruits such as banana and apple and flowers. Weissbier is a good example of a beer with a lot of aroma from fermentation. The beer has moderate hints of grain and hops, but is still bursting with flavours of banana and cloves. In any case, if you want a beer with a neutral character, you should go for a bottom-fermented beer. This means beer that is brewed with a specific yeast culture and at temperatures that produce little aroma. Bottom-fermented beers include the beers that sell best in grocery stores, in other words Lager or Pilsner, as well as styles such as Bock. If you want a beer with a lot of character, you should go for a top-fermented beer. This is a beer brewed with a specific yeast culture and at higher temperatures that produce a lot of aroma. Virtually all products with “Ale” in their name are top-fermented. The same applies to Weissbier and Belgian styles such as Witbier, Saison, Dubbel, Tripel and Quadrupel.
