Some guys think they know to much and talk big like they know what they are drinking, i shit you not, i experience it myself almost everyday. My entry's title is a question coming from a guy like me who does not drink beer often.. but hence i worked and ran a bar myself, its a common question from average joe's like me. Pale, Blonde, Brown and Black, the'y make my brain go crack. Porter, Stout, Lager and Ale cant get muddled without them turnin' stale..so here's my fair share of knowledge.
Beer dates back from the stone age, and that makes the beverage considerably older than you and me and- for the matter, my great Granddad too. Over thousands of years, brewers all over the world have plied their trade with diligence and innovation.
In a nutshell, its no mean to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the beverage, and if you really have to figure out everything before you drink that bottle of pale lager in your fridge, be careful that it doesn't turn flat first!
Don't be disheartened. Lets get some basics on the table, and with these, augmented by subsequent experience, you will eventually get a handle on your booze.
The Genetic Types:
Very broadly , a beer can be classified as lager or an ale, depending on what type of yeast that has been used during its fermentation process. Two types of yeast that are popularly used are; saccharomyces cerevisiae and sacharomyces uvarum (thanks to the ever-reliable google search button and wikipedia, i sound like a true-clever individual ei?) - ale yeast and lager yeast respectively.
Ale yeast ferments at warmer temperatures of between 15 and 20 deg C. At such temps, yeast produces significant amounts of esters(a class of highly fragrant compounds) and other secondary compounds that contribute flavor and aroma. And the result is a beer that often exudes fruity tastes and smells. As ale yeast tends not to metabolise sugars as well as its lager counterpart, ales tends to be sweeter and have a fuller body.
In contrast to ale yeast,lager yeast ferments at lower temperatures ranging from 7 to 12 deg C. Not only the cooler conditions inhibit the natural production of esters, lager yeast itself can process raffinose ( a compund made up of sugars like galactose, fructose and glucose) far more efficiently that ale yeast. These factors contribute to a beer that sports a "cleaner" , more classic kind of taste.
The family of ales can be be further broken into subclasses, which include pale ale, brown ale, blonde(or golden)ale, old ale, porters and stouts. The lager family on the other hand, subsumes beers like well-known pilsner(from which modern pale lagers are derived), amber lager, bock and dark lager.
Don't let these terms bowl you over. As a rough guide,if what your tasting is pleasantly saccharine with floral or citrus scents, chances are that its an ale. But what if you experience is a relatively clean taste underpinned by the bitterness of hops, then by all means its a lager.
Other factors:
While playing an important role, yeast are by no means the only thing that affect the flavor and aroma of a beer. The types of grains used during the malting process (which precedes fermentaion)also plays a part in influencing the final product. And yet we have not even started on hops yet- another major contributor of taste and scent. Bu we'll leave those for another day.
Drink already!
The key takeaway for this blog entry is the two generic classes of beer and their main distinguishing traits. Anytime you find yourself getting confused or overwhelmed by jargon, just remember: ale equals fruity and sweet; lager equals clean and bitter. Nothing to fret over, right?
Now, if you feel better already, proceed to drink up at your nearest local bar, then take a cold, hard look at your tipple and ask: "So who's your Daddy?
...cheers!
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