Beer presentation 2014 MJC

Created By Matthew Carroll

Beer

an introduction Matthew Carroll



A Very Brief History

Babylonian tablets more than 6,000 years old depict the brewing of beer and give detailed recipes.Marco Polo wrote about Chinese beer, and an ancient Chinese manuscript states that a beer (Kiu) was known as early as the 3rd century. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were home brewers. Some colonial laws made it illegal for anyone without skill or mastery to brew beer.In 1826 there were hundreds of breweries in the U.S. and thousands by the turn of the century. By 1920 there were none (legal).


What is Beer?

WaterHopsMaltYeast


Water

Water constitutes 90% of the volume of beer. Different regions have different ‘tastes’ of water which impart their flavor onto the beer, much like Single Malt Scotch.The soft water of the Czech town of Plzen proved ideal for its famous golden lagers, while the hard, sulfurous waters of the Trent River in England helped define the character of PALE ALES from that region.


Hops

Hops is a flowering vine that grows in mountains (Cascades, Rockies, Alps, Pyrenees). There is a variety in the flavors imparted by the hops upon the beer. A hop can be used for bittering, as an aromatic, or flavoring.


HopsThe flavor imparted by hops varies by type and use: hops boiled with the beer (known as "bittering hops") produce bitterness. The bitterness is ranked by IBU.HOPS added to beer later impart some degree of "hop flavor" (if during the final 10 minutes of boil) or "hop aroma" (if during the final 3 minutes, or less, of boil) and a lesser degree of bitterness.HOPS added after the WORT has cooled and the beer has fermented is known as "dry hopping", and adds hop aroma, but no bitterness. Un-boiled HOPS are only mildly bitter.


HopsFlavors and aromas are described appreciatively using terms which include "grassy", "floral", "citrus", "spicy", "piney" and "earthy". Most of the common commercial lagers have fairly low hop influence, while true pilsners should have noticeable noble hop aroma and certain ales (particularly the highly-hopped style known as India Pale Ale, or IPA) can be quite hoppy also.


Malt

Many types of GRAIN are used to make beer- wheat, rye, corn, and oats among them. Raw grains, however, do not produce satisfactory fermentation so they first need to be MALTED. Barley is favored because it is easiest to malt and produces a higher quantity of fermentable sugars. Many large commercial brewers will substitute a large part of their barley with corn or rice as it is cheaper. The end product is, generally, not as good.


Malt

The grain is turned into malt by soaking the grains for a few days until they start to germinate. Then they are spread out on a floor and allowed to continue germinating for up to 5 days. Then the starch is turned into fermentable sugars that are essential to brewing and germination is halted by throwing the malts into a kiln. The heat and duration affects the color and flavor of the malt, which in turn has an impact on the color and flavor of the beer.


Malt

PALE MALT is the most commonly used form, being ideal for all types of beer. AMBER and BROWN MALTS are made by heating the BARLEY to higher temperatures, giving a copper-red color to any beer used in. CHOCOLATE MALT is kilned longer for an even darker color and more complex flavor. BLACK MALT is darker still with a powerfully bitter flavor.


Malt

Most MALTS are produced by gradually raising the temperature over a period of several hours. For CRYSTAL MALT the grains are introduced to higher temperatures immediately, creating a crystalline grain that imparts a fuller, sweeter flavor to the beer.




Yeast

Yeast was unknown to brewers until it was observed by a Dutch naturalist in 1685, yet it wasn’t until Pastuer, in 1871, when it was understood.All that was really known was that grains can make bread. Bread and grains in liquid that was allowed to sit for a while gave a peculiar feeling to the drinker.


Yeast

The medieval monks thought of the fermentation of beer as a DIVINE INTERVENTION that they called GOD-IS-GOOD. In some monasteries the open air tanks of fermenting beer was a place of silence. This open air style of brewing is still practiced today in some open-windowed Belgium breweries and no yeast is added but instead naturally enters the beer via air spores.


Yeast

Although the principle tastes in beer are the result of the MALTS and HOPS used, the strain of yeast also adds flavor.YEAST produced three metabolic by-products, phenols, ester, and diacetyl. Phenols give a spicy clove-like taste. Esters lend a fruity taste. Diacetyl have a butterscotch or a ‘woody’ tastes.




LAGER and ALE

ALE YEAST ferments between 60-75 degrees F (16-24 °C)

LAGER YEAST ferments between 32-75 degrees F (0-24 °C)

Before the mid 1800’s most beer was an ALE, except for beer made in Southern Bavaria. The brewers stored their ales in caves in the piedmont of the Alps during the Spring and Summer months, the resulting beers were smoother and drier that were not ‘lagered’. Over time this resulted in yeasts that could only survive the cold storage- bottom fermenting (lager) yeast.


Ale Yeast

Top-Fermenting ale yeast is quick-working that thrives at temperatures between 60-70 degrees F and produces esters which add the ‘flowery’ aromas of apple, pear, pineapple, grass, hay, plum, and prune.


Lager Yeast

Lager, the German word meaning ‘to store’, is a perfect word to describe a brew that is kept for more than 30 days in a cold, dark place. It works slowly and at temperatures close to 34 degrees F. It produces fewer aromatics than ale yeast. The resulting lack of esters allow the aromas of the HOPS used in the brew to remain in the forefront, complementing the sweet flavor of the malt.




Appreciating Beer

There are 4 major categories considered in tasting beer:

1. Appearance2. Aroma/Bouquet3. Taste4. Mouthfeel and Overall Impression


Appearance

Two considerations for appearance are color, or hue, and its clarity. Colors range from very pale to rich amber, copper, dark brown, even black. Most beers, regardless of color, are clear. Some, however, have a cloudy haze to it as a result of yeast or protein.Head retention is also a factor. Generally speaking, a well-made beer will exhibit a dense, creamy head composed of small bubbles.


Aroma/Bouquet

The two most prominent odors in beer come from HOPS and MALT. The fermentation also gives other aromas, such as fruit. In smelling beer, one looks for HOPS and MALT odors and evaluates the balance between them as well as their intensity and character. Next, the presence of fruity odors should be established. Finally, check for any off odors that indicate faulty brewing, poor storage conditions, or both. (example: nail polish, cardboard, rancid butter, damp paper, sour milk)


Aroma/Bouquet

Aroma- nose produced by the grain used in the beerBouquet- Impressions created by the hops usedComplex- Interaction between aroma and bouquetEsters- from malt and yeast, can be floral, spicy, or citricSmokey- Can be faint or powerfulMalty- various impression from sweet to grainyHop-impression of spiciness or earthinessAlcohol- if not a very strong beer it is out of balanceSkunky/Musty- beer exposed to light for too longClean- well-defined aroma/bouquet characteristicsFruity- Impressions of banana, apple, pear, black currantVineous- impressions of grapes


Taste

The actual flavor is quite complex. Your tongue has 4 different tastes:

Bitter sour Salt sweet

Generally speaking, most beers are made so that fuller-bodied and sweeter beers are balanced with more bitterness. Likewise, a light-bodied beer will not be as highly hopped (bitterness). Balance, except in the case of some styles


Taste


Overall Impressions

Taste- bitter/sweet- malt/hop/fermentation-balance

Mouth-Feel – The sensation of how the beer feels in your mouth (literally). Light-bodied to full-bodied

Aftertaste- Experienced after beer is swallowed. The aftertaste should be clean, not bitter, sweet, sour, astringent, or fuzzy.

Carbonation- tactile feel of bubbles in the mouth. All barley malt will tend to have smaller (creamy) bubbles. Bigger bubbles is usually other kinds of malt. Over or under carbonation can also influence flavor. A highly carbonated beer will tend to be more acidic. As it goes flat, so does the flavor.



Styles of Beer

Top Fermenting

Wheat Beer Porter Stout Ale Types


Styles of Beer

Bottom Fermenting

Lager Types Oktoberfest Munich Types


Beer Styles

There are approximately 30 major brewing styles in the world. Many also have substyles (for example, bock beer has five/six). All told, there are about 70 substyles of beer in the world. They all fall rather loosely into the LAGER or ALE category.

Bock

Bock beer in general is stronger than your typical lager, more of a robust malt character with a dark amber to brown hue. Hop bitterness can be assertive enough to balance though must not get in the way of the malt flavor, most are only lightly hopped.


Doppelbock

Double Bocks or Doppelbocks are huge beers with enough malt packed in them to consider them a meal in its self. Generally having a very full-bodied flavor and darker than other bocks with a higher level of alcohol also. The range in color from dark amber to nearly black. Dark versions may have slight chocolate or roasted characters.Starting with the Paulaner Salvator (our Savior). One of the several subtypes of BOCK beer.


Czech Pilsener

The Czech Pilsner, or sometimes known as the Bohemian Pilsner, is light straw to golden color and crystal clear. Hops are very prevalent usually with a spicy bitterness and or a spicy floral flavor and aroma, notably one of the defining characteristics of the Saaz hop. Smooth and crisp with a clean malty palate, many are grassy. Some of the originals will show some archaic yeast characteristics similar to very mild buttery or fusel (rose like alcohol) flavors and aromas


German Pilsener

Classic German Pilsners are very light straw to golden in color. Head should be dense and rich. They are also well-hopped, brewed using Noble hops such has Saaz, Hallertauer and Tettnanger,. These varieties exhibit a spicy herbal or floral aroma and flavor, often times a bit coarse on the palate, and distribute a flash of citrus-like zest--hop bitterness can be high.


Munich Helles

When the golden and clean lagers of Plzen (Bohemia) became all the rage in the mid-1800's, München brewers feared that Germans would start drinking the Czech beer vs. their own. Munich Helles Lager was their answer to meet the demand. A bit more malty, they often share the same spicy hop characters of Czech Pils, but are a bit more subdued and in balance with malts. "Helles" is German for "bright."


American India Pale Ale (IPA)

The American IPA is a different soul from the reincarnated IPA style. More flavorful than the withering English IPA, color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with a big herbal and / or citric character, bitterness is high as well. Moderate to medium bodied with a balancing malt back bone.


Amber / Red Ale

Primarily a catch all for any beer less than a Dark Ale in color, ranging from amber (duh) to deep red hues. This style of beer tends to focus on the malts, but hop character can range from low to high. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. The range can run from a basic ale, to American brewers who brew faux-Oktoberfest style beers that are actually ales instead of lagers.


Hefeweizen

A south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The "Hefe" prefix means "with yeast", hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance. Poured into a traditional Weizen glass, the Hefeweizen can be one sexy looking beer.

Often served with a lemon wedge (popularized by Americans), to either cut the wheat or yeast edge, which many either find to be a flavorful snap ... or an insult and something that damages the beer's taste and head retention.


Irish Dry Stout

One of the most common stouts, Dry Irish Stout tend to have light-ish bodies to keep them on the highly drinkable side. They're usually a lower carbonation brew and served on a nitro system for that creamy, masking effect. Bitterness comes from both roasted barley and a generous dose of hops, though the roasted character will be more noticeable. Examples of the style are, of course, the big three, Murphy's, Beamish, and Guinness.


Dubbel

The Belgian Dubbel is a rich malty beer with some spicy / phenolic and mild alcoholic characteristics. Not as much fruitiness than the Belgian Strong Dark Ale but some dark fruit aromas and flavors may be present. Mild hop bitterness with no lingering hop flavors. It may show traits of a steely caramel flavor from the use of crystal malt or dark candy sugar. Look for a medium to full body with an expressive carbonation.

Traditionally a Trappist Ale, many brew similar "Abbey Dubbels" to try and emulate the originals (Trappist Westvleteren 8, Westmalle Trappist Dubbel & Chimay Première).


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Beer presentation 2014 MJC