#whatbeerwednesdays: Episode 3

American amber ale

Continuing BlindTasteTest’s series on beer styles you may have forgotten, let’s take a look at the humble American amber ale.

Autumn, Fall if you will, is descending upon the Southern hemisphere. There are no complaints about the milder temperatures and the sun rising at a civilised hour at this end, and ultimately this is a beer blog - not a weather channel. Plus I’m aiming for an overseas readership as much as a local one.

Anyway, the transitional seasons are perfect times to explore versatile session beers, those beers perfectly suited to 5°C either side of 19°C (or 41°F either side of 66°F). Not hot enough anymore/ yet for sours? The wind chill factor is a ways off/ a growingly distant memory and stouts, porters and strong ales are out of the question?

It is perhaps now the best time to seek the comfort and refreshment of the middle of the road.

But let’s say the good old fashioned American pale ale or even session IPA isn’t doing it for you anymore. You want malty body, you want soul, a bit of a dance of flavour, but still with a certain pronounced citrus driven American/ New World hop character. It’s worth noting the latter rules out many English bitters).

American amber ales might just be what you’re looking for.

They get even better when burgers are thrust onto the stage.

A great Australian example of the amber ale style, a more hoppy one at that, is Exit's Amber ale. Image shows a glass of amber ale with a branded Exit Amber can to just out in front but off to the side a tad for dramatic effect.

American amber ales: What you need to know

Origin: A modern take on the American pale ale which became popular among many US craft breweries.

Etymology: American ambers were for a time also referred to as simply red ales in the Pacific NorthWest during the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Where to find them: Good mainstream bottleshops/ supermarkets (depending on where you live) and independent retailers. It is a fairly common, even mainstream style.

ABV: 4.5-6.2%

Approachability: Very approachable. Because of their even balance between hops and malt American ambers are often seen as “gateway” beers.

Glassware: “ Nonic”pint glass (the sort with the convex protrusion forming a hoop about one-third down) if it’s not too warm. A dimpled mug is also a great option.

Seasonality: Year round, but amazing in milder weather

Serving temperature: 6-8°C (42-46°F). Serve colder if it is on the warmer side of 19°C / 66°F.

American amber ales: A (not so) brief history

Simply put, American amber ales evolved out of American pale ales, themselves inspired by English bitters. (I am a big fan of Sierra Nevada pale ale as it harks back to English strong bitters but with a decidedly Californian sensibility).

Many American beers during the 1970s and ‘80s were born out of British brewing traditions due to the brewing literature available at the time.

American amber ales, or red ales, morphed out of the pale ale style as brewers amped up the malt base with crystal malts (these impart quite caramelly notes) and Continental specialty grains (hearty Munich or Vienna malt) to add colour and depth of flavour.

During the ‘80s many enterprising American breweries slapped together apathetic examples of the emerging amber ale style and gave them woodland critter names so as to cash in on the trend. As ever the market decided and these critters soon retreated back into the undergrowth from whence they came.

 The amber liquid

Sessionable and approachable they may be, American amber ales can be a confusing bunch. The term is almost a catch-all in that there is plenty of overlap. The darkest of pale ales impinge on amber ale territory equalling the palest ambers, while the palest of amber ales can be equal to the darkest of pale ales.

In terms of appearance, we’re talking about a moderate amber to coppery brown hue with a relatively persistent off-white head. Unless dry-hopped to the wazoo, amber ales should also boast an attractive clarity - the sort I hope to leave you with after navigating the murky waters of this intriguing modern style.

As if the style’s colour wasn’t confusing enough, since the ‘80s and ‘90s amber ales have morphed several times over, the style ever evolving. Some examples are known to be as aggressively hopped as American pale ales.

On the other hand, some examples’ malt character masks the hop character almost entirely.

When choosing an amber ale always have a read of the spiel and from there you can generally tell what the beer has in store. Words like “citrus, New World hop character and even simply “hoppy amber” will of course denote a beer whose balance is slightly to the bitter side. “Caramel, toffee, richness, creamy head” suggest you’ll have an amber ale somewhat on the maltier end.

Either way the malt-hop balance sees the pendulum swing not too far in either direction. Any emphatic hoppy zing will have the measuredly caramelly malt to rein it in, while less hoppy versions will most certainly have a characteristic New World hop aroma about them (think citrus, a touch of pine, stone fruit and maybe even some berries).

What they both have in common is their clean American yeast profile, meaning you won’t detect any red apple, pear or other yeast serived aromas and flavours. It’s malt and hops, straight down the line.

Why are American amber ales so awesome?

Few beers could be quite as sessionable as the humble American amber, which is precisely what they are intended to be.

Pale ales can sometimes err on the lean side. Session IPAs, in most cases, are certainly too lean for certain times of the year. American amber ales promise both flavour and refreshment, deliver both, and add in a touch of proper fulfilment for good measure.

American amber ales are better than wine with...

American ambers make for a fantastic table, picnic or barbecue beer, adept at linking arms with all sorts of foods, but where they shine is when they are enjoyed with a hearty cheeseburger or mushroom burger.

Think a toasted bun, the start and the end of any burger experience really. You want something that has enough of a very slightly toasty, malty-rich character to meet it at the centre of the dancefloor.

Then the tango commences. The meat (or indeed mushroom) needs both enough malt for the lead and follow routine before the beer’s hoppy character cuts through and sweeps the burger off its feet.

Caramelised onions heel-toe with the beer’s own caramelly malt notes. We’re looking at a unanimous 10 out of 10 score from the judges here. If bacon is involved, any impression of sweetness from the beer will contrast the saltiness of the meat while the hearty maltiness plays off the fat.

Got pickles? I should bloody well hope so. Hoppier examples of American ambers will further enhance pickles’ cutting and balancing power. Given the beer’s hoppiness and moderate to high carbonation, there is enough there to cut through the beastly richness and refresh the palate (even when salty chips are involved).

 And with that the dance on your palate is over and everyone is applauding.

Six-Pack o’ Beer Facts: Episode 2

Happy Friday Blind Tasters! Here we are again, let us delve into the world of beer facts, but not so deeply you’re drowning in alpha acids and college degree level history.

These are beer facts compact enough to take home with you right now. And what better way to start this fortnight’s episode with the six-pack itself?

1.The convenient six-pack

Before we look into the origins of the six-pack we must first go back to 1935, when the (now defunct) Kruger Brewing Company of New Jersey released the very first canned beer. The packaging vessel of course has gone in and out of favour in the near century since, but one thing that remains constant is the ubiquity of the six-pack, the beer delivery system those first cans helped create.

The greatest appeal of the six-pack was, and it is said to be quite by design, was among American housewives who found carrying and storing cans by the six easy and convenient. The beer can itself also finding favour among GIs returning from service who consumed beer from the can while on the frontlines during the Second World War.

2.Russian Court order

Think Trump’s current trade war is baffling? Me too, I don’t understand the first thing about it. But historically trade tariffs and embargoes have gone back centuries. On March 31 1822 Russia wholesale banned the importation of almost every British article, from cheese to cutlery, and from ale to cotton, with one notable exemption: Porter.

That’s right, the Russians made the strange distinction between ale and porter (porters right down to their core are of course ales!) meaning the peoples could enjoy porter but not their also much beloved Burton strong ale. All this was of course at the behest of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great who was said to be highly partial of the beer that came to be known as Russian Imperial Stout in the early 20th century.

You can learn more about this storied beer style from a fascinating article for which I have provided a link below.

3.Belgian beer glasses

Most of Australia’s major cities have a Belgian Beer Café. Each has an admirably strong selection of Belgian beers. Admirably these are dependable sources for the likes of Westmalle, St. Bernardus, Liefmans and Petrus, among others. What is a very neat touch is most of these beers come with matching glassware for that perfect Instagram shot.

But what might be a feast for the eyes is more often than not seriously compromising the beer’s complex aromatic presentation, the very thing for which Belgian beer is known (Liefmans’ glassware being a notable exception - see images below). Most branded Belgian beer glasses, even Orval’s!, are shaped like a chalice, with an enormously exposed surface area that does nothing in giving your nose that concentrated dose of concentrated aromatics. They are purely for marketing purposes. 

Liefmans' branded glassware is among the better examples doing the rounds. Image shows a glass of Liefmans' Goudenband oud bruin-style ale poured into its matching glass with the original bottle to its left

4.Millboro Lite?

Marketing and beer go hand in hand, from the sales reps on the road to asinine Super Bowl advertisements. The story of Miller Lite is particularly fascinating. The “Lite” brand was originally owned by Gabblingers, and the name harks back to Marlboro Lite cigarettes. Both were marketed heavily towards women, however Miller, whose parent company was then Phillip-Morris (!), purchased the “Lite” brand in 1975.

Then, marketing swayed heavily back towards the male populace (particularly sports fans) with the tagline:”More flavour, less filling.” Miller Lite, an adjunct lager (which is to say brewed with maize), was indeed made less filling by being filtered to an inch of its life, with every last skerrick of fermentable sugar accounted for by a fungal agent.

5.Umami’s first cousin: Kokumi

The five taste sensations of salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami (savoury) should be familiar to everyone who appreciates food and beer, and almost certainly familiar to everyone else. But did you know there are several more as yet less understood detectable flavours science is still working to understand? One particularly mysterious flavour element is known as Kokumi, and it is thought to be a hidden flavour element within beer that is absent from wine and even sake.

Kokumi is noted to be indicative of protein-rich material, and yes, beer is relatively rich in protein. But rather than being its own flavour element, kokumi is also said to enhance salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami flavours, while also enriching mouthfeel. It’s for this reason it is being widely studied as a food additive. Moreover, its flavour enhancing properties are why beer should be considered more as a partner for your next meal.

6.Beer as an antibiotic?

Beer’s nutritional value goes far beyond kokumi-giving protein. After all, much like bread it has kept millions of people nourished for centuries. It was once upon a time, Ancient Egyptian times to be exact, even a source of antibiotics.

To be exact, it was the peoples of ancient Nubia whose bones were found to have traces of tetracycline, which most likely came from beer (then a valuable dietary staple). It is also worth noting that studies undertaken by bioarchaelogists and medicinal chemists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals found that the ancient Nubians were then producing antibiotics, over 2,000 years prior to the advent of penicillin in 1928.

More on the history of Russian imperial stouts can be found here

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#whatbeerwednesdays: Episode 2

What You Should Be Drinking Wednesdays: Episode 2

Kriek (Belgian lambic ale brewed with cherries)

Let us begin this episode by pondering why Belgian lambics, particularly fruited lambics, are solely the preserve of beer geeks. Even those within Belgium scarcely knew of their existence. It took beer writer Michael Jackson to introduce Belgian beer to Belgians, hence why he was the only non-brewer to be inducted into the Belgian Brewers Guild.


Today, every time I pick up a bottle of Boon Kriek or Oud Beersel Kriek I ponderously run two fingers around the Champagne-like bottle’s punt (the concave indent at the base) and wonder, in spite of Jackson’s best efforts, why this beer style is still so under appreciated.

To put it bluntly, every wine cellar should have at least one bottle of kriek therein, especially as pet nats and natural wines take over the world. Every self respecting restaurant with a cutting edge wine program ought to have kriek on its menu. And every Homer Simpson beer guzzler who knows only beer to be akin to a singular cigarette brand he or she rigidly sticks to their whole life should at the very least sample a glass of kriek to witness what beer can be. 

Heck, it may even impress a love prospect.

Younger kriek is likely to have more fresh fruit character from cherries that have yet to be fully developed through the process of fermentation.
Image shows a pair of Boon Kriek bottles with bright red labels with corks still unopened.

Kriek: What You Need to Know
 
Origin: The village of Lambeek, located just outside of Brussels, Belgium.
Etymology: “Kriek” is the Flemish word for cherry.
Where to find them: Specialty bars and bottleshops.
ABV: 5.0-7.0%. Some modern interpretations may be higher.
Approachability: Unsweetened kriek may be quite bracing at first, like having red wine for the first time. Complexities and nuances become more apparent before too long.
Glassware: Stemmed goblet with inward taper. The Spiegelau Barrel-aged style glass is my go to for the job. Otherwise for a real touch of class and elegance, serve in a Champagne flute.
Seasonality: Year round.
Serving temperature: Around 7°C.

Kriek: A (not so) brief history

One only has to look at the history and geography of Europe to deduce there is a “grape and grain” divide. On either side of the divide climate and other forces helped determine the suitability for production of grains for beer or grapes for wine.

This dividing line cuts right through Belgium, which might not only explain why fruited beer has been made there for centuries, but also why the Belgians treat their beer like wine more than anywhere else on Earth. Perhaps most crucially, in the days before hops, beers were flavoured with gruits (a catch all term describing any combination of herbs, botanicals, spices and fruits), the Belgians added fruit to their beers almost exclusively. They have maintained this tradition more than anyone else over the ages.


Indeed the fruit used in Belgian beer was that which grew wild and was left over from each growing season. The resident yeast in the fruit (and it may surprise you to learn all brewer’s yeast originally derives from fruit) provided further fermentation as the fruit was added to barrels of beer. The resultant beverage transcends the worlds of wine and beer perhaps more than aficionados from either side would like to admit.

It bears mentioning that krieks and other fruited lambics differ from gueuzes in that although both are a blend of older and newer beer, fermentation begins anew with the addition of fruit in krieks, while gueuze’s fermentation continues with the blending of one year old lambic that is itself still fermenting out.

During the 1980s krieks and other spontaneously fermented lambic beers were often sweetened and fermented in stainless steel vats instead of wood to increase their appeal at a time when pale lagers dominated.

Kriek... What processed cherries should taste like

It is no small wonder why lambic brewers have any scalp left on their head with the amount of noggin scratching they do. The decision over which beer is destined for the local cafes of Brussels as a single lambic, which will be blended with two- and three-year old lambic to make gueuze, or that which will have locally sourced dried, sour Schaarbeek cherries added is as complex as the resultant beers themselves.

When a kriek is being produced, the cherries (which in the boldest form of krieks are added by the pound for every few litres of beer) ferment right down to the pits. That’s right, yeast is literally flesh eating, and the pits themselves add a touch of nuttiness and bitterness to the beer as well.

In younger versions, there is more fresh fruit flavour as one can well imagine. Older versions, known as oud kriek, tend to be brighter (more acidic) and a touch more astringent as the fruit develops into more complex, intriguing characteristics.

As krieks continue undergoing fermentation in the bottle, why not grab two of the same vintage? Drink one now. Take notes. Cellar the other for later. Compare.

Why kriek is so awesome

The fermentation process itself is only the beginning of the endless fascination that kriek lambic beers offer. The fruit does its thing, the wood and its bugs impart their flavour and the brewer selects the blend. What we’re left with is a true object of desire, one that will surely delight and surprise with every sip.

Forget Champagne, Kriek is sure to to win over your next date.

 
Kriek is better than wine with...


A date.

No, really. I encourage you to have your partner over for dinner, and having purchased a couple of bottles of Kriek Mariage Parfait, pour it into a pair of Champagne flutes before or after dinner. The pop of the cork only helps to complete the picture. Then you may thank me later as you melt into each other’s eyes.


Kriek Mariage Parfait is a more delicate, nuanced and subtle example of the style. It is perfect for those not used to sour beer but with an already sophisticated palate. And would you look at its blushy claret colour against the candlelight...? It looks almost wine-like, yes?

Probably because kriek is not that far removed from wine.

Kriek is also great with chocolate, cheesecake and soft ripened cheeses. Also highly date appropriate!

#whatbeerwednesdays: Episode 1

Hefe-weissbiers

In a new weekly feature I’ll be taking you though the best beer styles, one by one, you should be drinking and why.

Indeed the current #flagshipfebruary campaign incongruously enough helped inspire this idea. If you haven’t heard about this movement within the craft beer industry you might have been living under a rock, or somewhere outside the USA. Essentially #flagshipfebruary was an initiative started by fellow craft beer writer Steve Beaumont in response to craft beer geeks’ ongoing obsession with the shiny and the new. Classic beers that helped pave the way to where we are today are under an acute degree of pressure to the point they could even fade into obscurity.

Herein lies a fundamental flaw within the #flagshipfebruary campaign: It is targeting craft beer’s already captive audience when brewers should be going after new markets. When one in two people worldwide are still drinking beers within the AB-InBev portfolio, one feels there is still a vastly untapped market out there.

To that end, not only is this this series geared towards the craft beer drinker no longer interested in anything unless it has DDH or Milkshake in its name, I hope it to be appealing to drinkers new to styles beyond pale ales and lagers.

Each introduction will feature a brief history of the style, its flavour profile, what to have with it for dinner, why it is generally awesome and a handful of examples of the style - or a full blown blind tasting to follow in coming weeks. So save some room in your fridge and clear your calendar for every Wednesday from now on.

First up,… German Hefe weissbiers.

Just imagine sitting on your balcony or back patio. It’s Friday, the heat of the day has gone over the top of the curve and it’s now just north of balmy. The trials and tribulations of the evening commuter crush remain fresh in the memory, but you suddenly have a one worded epiphany: Hefe-weissbier.

As you meticulously pour your beverage into its appropriate vase-like wheat beer glass (see below for the pouring method) and the heady aromas of banana, clove and lemony citrus waft towards your nose, the grind of the working week fades away and suddenly you are transported to a luscious Bavarian biergarten. Maybe you’ve been there before, or maybe it’s the biergarten of the imagination.

A freshly poured glass of Weihenstephaner's Hefe-weissbier. Photo supplied by Weihenstephan Australia
Image shows a glass of wheat beer with a lively head, with blurred beer taps in the background

Hefe-weissbier: What You Need To Know

Origin: Munich, Germany.
Etymology: “Weissbier” (meaning “white beer”) generally refers to the family of German wheat beers. Hefe (yeast) weissbiers refer specifically to the most common wheat beer style being discussed today. They’re otherwise known as “hefeweizen” (literally yeast-wheat) outside Bavaria.
Where to find them?: Very easy to find at supermarket chain bottleshops and smaller retailers too. Some pubs and brewpubs even feature weissbier on tap.
Appearance: Pale straw to gold in colour, sometimes may appear to have an orangey hue. Huge, mousse or meringue-like snow white head. A visual delight when poured correctly.
ABV: Sessionable, between 4.9-5.8%.
Approachability: Highly approachable, though with complexities that may compound a few newbies at first.
Glassware: Vase-shaped wheat beer glass (see below picture).
Seasonality: All year round, but great in summertime.
Serving temperature: Cold, but not ice cold (7ºC is ideal).

Hefe-weissbiers… A (not quite so) brief history

The idyllic and quiet setting of the Munich beer garden has seen many a wheat beer poured and consumed for centuries. The style formed a loophole within the Reinheitsgebot (German purity law) in that wheat could be used as an ingredient alongside malt, water, yeast and hops.

So popular in fact were wheat beers in Bavaria after spilling over from the style’s ancestral home of Bohemia that the Degenberg family obtained the exclusive rights to brew them from the ruling Whittelshach dynasty. Though ordinarily such a move would have been originally thought to be inconsequential, the Bavarian dukes could only watch on in horror as the Dagenberg family raked in vastly greater profits than anticipated.

Not only did the Dagenbergs wield an unfair balance of power and wealth, they also diverted wheat from food stocks to their brew kettles. In 1567, Duke Albrecht V declared (rather incorrectly) hefe-wiessbier to be: “A useless drink that neither nourishes nor gives strength, but only encourages drunkenness.” Wheat beer brewing was categorically outlawed within his entire realm, but of course it was nothing doing as feudal etiquette dictated that an exemption be granted to the Dagenberg dynasty. A lack of an heir soon put paid to all the shenanigans following the passing of Hans Sigmund of Dagenberg passing in 1602, and Whittelbach Duke Maximilian I happily assumed total control of wheat beer production.

As with anything, change is a constant. The ruling faction within Bavaria relinquished its monopoly  over the production of weissbier lasted for 200 years, after which time all could have at it. As pale lager began its ascent in central Europe from the mid-nineteenth century, weissbier’s popularity began waning to near the point of extinction.

In 1872, the Bavarian Dukes sold the rights to brew wheat beer to one Georg Schneider, of Scheider Weisse Brewing. Amazingly, after the sheer popularity of wheat beer in Bavaria during those heady days of corruption and conjecture, its popularity sunk to just 5% of the market. It wasn’t until the 1960s the style began its steady revival. Today, the style enjoys 25% marketshare in Bavaria’s biergartens.

Elsewhere, the hefe-weissbier style goes in and out of fashion like nobody’s business. And that’s why we’ve arrived here at this post. I’m hoping that this history lesson has made you thirsty for more, such that a bottle of hefe-weissbier is a constant in your fridge.

Though hefe-weissbiers are best enjoyed from the bottle rather than from the tap due to allowable carbonation levels, that doesn't take anything away from how good they are. Blasta Brewing in Perth brews a lovely example of the style available on draught.
Image shows a glass of wheat beer on a wooden outdoor table with a grey-coloured brick wall in the background.

Hefe-weissbiers… The taste of summer

On a balmy late summer’s afternoon few beers could be so more-ish while being so packed with interesting flavours as hefe-weissbiers. No these are not hop bombs with stripped back malt profiles that might promise refreshment but are in fact unbalanced beyond belief. Nor does fruit need to be the star of the show like the latest raspberry gose.

Speaking of fruit, I’m not going to enter the debate over whether or not you should garnish your hefe-weissbier with a slice of lemon. It looks nice and may have been historically added by old timers to compromise for the beer’s lowered acidity as it became less sour over time. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.

When the beer is poured properly into the glass, with or without garnish, nothing could be quite so alluring. Just look at that thing. If you’re not thirsty for one of these bad boys by now you might be one of those straight-edge types and you’ve landed on this page by some miraculously impossible accident.

Your thirst will only build even more as you take in the aroma. Suddenly, your pupils dilate, your mouth uncontrollably salivates and you head into a trance-like state. Soft banana not unlike banana cake. Spicy hints of clove. A tinge of vanilla, and maybe bubblegum. It’s all there and it’s all too happy to take your hand to that Bavarian biergarten of your dreams.

The flavour of the beer is not that far removed from its complex, malt and ester (yeast-derived) aroma. Malt sweetness at its base is balanced by more banana and clove-like character, offset by a touch of acidity, dry finish, low hop bitterness, creamy mouthfeel and very full carbonation.

It is this elevated carbonation that suggests for the optimal hefe-weissbier experience, you’re best off enjoying this beer from the bottle rather than on draught. Most beer taps at your favourite bar are set to a carbonation level that is far below hefe-weissbier’s own naturally occurring carbonation.

Why hefe-weissbiers are so awesome

I have mentioned the beer’s appearance and presentation multiple times, which are in themselves awesome. But this awesomeness cannot be achieved without the equally awe-inspiring pouring method this beer commands.

Check out a full demonstration of the “inversion pour technique” by author Stefan Bolz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smlLwa4Mx8Y

Notice all that yeast sediment that practically oozes out towards the end of Bolz’s pour? Turns out, contrary to a certain Bavarian ruler’s claims, that stuff is particularly good for you. If you cast your mind back to my previous post (the first edition of the Six Pack o’ Beer Facts series) you might remember I discussed the topic of hefeweizen yeast being particularly rich in B-complex vitamins. So, not only should you have German hefe-weissbier in your fridge regularly, perhaps you might want to think of it as being a dinner table staple.

Hefe-weissbier is better than wine with…

If you’re going to look for serious food matchings with hefe-weissbier as well as it being a fantastic all round table beer, you have quite a few compelling options.

Weisswurst and other German sausages are of course the traditional and cultural pairing. If you are lucky enough to have a local butcher or pub that offers up German meat in tube form, you can then really complete that transportive Bavarian biergarten experience.

A less traditional though no less delicious match is Indian curries rich in tomatoey gravy. Think masala, korma or vindaloo. Hefe-weissbiers are higher in acidity than most beers hence they are enough to stand up to the tomato in the curry. High carbonation helps cut through the rich and sometimes creamy sauce, the malt sweetness matching the starch of rice, potato or naan bread.  Banana, clove aromas then come in and rocket to the stratosphere with the spices by their side. If it’s a particularly hearty, spicy-hot vindaloo, the subtle sweetness may even help temper the heat for balance.

Watch this space for a full Blind Taste Test of a selection of beers within this style in the coming weeks.

Six Pack o' Beer Facts: Episode 1

Quirky and cool things you might never have known about beer you can take home with you right now.

Before we get stuck into today’s post, there’s going to be a few changes around here. Henceforth the Blind Taste Test blog will be more geared towards resources, facts and all things beer knowledge. For beer, event and other reviews, head on over to my Blind Taste Test: Beer Reviews page. For almost everything else, head to @blindtastetestgf on Instagram. I will be exploring other platforms in future to get more content out there.

The Six Pack o’ Beer Facts will be a fortnightly series of, as the name suggests, easily digestible beer facts you can take anywhere.
 
So, without further ado…

Beer is an endlessly fascinating subject, but sometimes it can get a little boring when things get long winded. Just ask Conan O’Brien who interviewed Jim Koch of The Boston Brewing Co...

But there is no reason why beer knowledge can’t be fun and engaging. To that end, here are six quick fire beer facts you can fit in your backpack or share with friends.

1. Enterobacter and lambic

Lovers of sour might be intrigued - or put off - to know that enterobacter (think E. coli, think gut flora) is imperative in the very early stages of spontaneous fermentation.

Enterobacter is quickly crowded out by Saccharomyces, Brett and other bugs, hence it is totally benign long before the final beer is done fermenting. However, many homebrewers fail in their attempts to brew the style because of enterobacter’s absence.

2. B-complex vitamins and hefe weissbier

E. coli is regarded as anything but healthy, but precisely the opposite is true of German hefe weissbier yeast. It is choc full of B-complex vitamins, including B12. It follows a Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier with dinner might turn out to be healthy after all.

In fact vegans looking to bolster their B-vitamins may need look no further. It is a common misconception that B12 is present in animal flesh inherently. The truth of the matter is B12 is present in soil and dirt in which animals roll about and humans are no longer exposed to.

But you needn’t think about that. Just think of the health benefits and how awesomely hefe weissbier pairs with things like dahl, masala and all manner of other foods thanks to its higher than average acidity.

3. Saison Dupont: The most underground brewery ever?

Saison is another great table beer, but we mighn’t have one of the stalwarts of the style without a bit of quick thinking and a metric shit tonne of hard work! Belgium’s Brasserie Dupont, makers of the classic Saison Dupont, was directly in the firing line of enemy NAZI air strikes during the Second World War. 


In order to save the brewery, then on the cusp of celebrating 100 years in operation (albeit operating under different owners following Louis Dupont’s acquisition of the farmhouse brewery in 1920), the brewery’s tanks were buried deep underground.

The war never quite ended for Brasserie Dupont and other brewers of fine Belgian ale. As Pilsners and pale ales grew in popularity in Belgium other beer styles struggled to remain relevant. Until writer Michael Jackson introduced the world (and indeed Belgians!) to Saison Dupont it only represented 2% of the brewery’s sales, and it was considered for discontinuation.


4. Blue cheese and barleywine - and the aristocracy

The 1% of Britain during the 1800s sure had good taste! At a time when pesky wars with the French meant fine red wines from the continent were hard to come by, what were the aristocrats to do but enjoy barleywine instead.

Indeed stronger beers such as barleywines and imperial stouts were the preserve of the wealthy elite (so too pale ales for a time) until the wars, taxation and cultural shifts saw darker beers fade into relative obscurity during the middle of the 20th Century. But before that time, the aristocrats found the now famous pairing of blue cheese and barleywine to be so damn good they kept it secret from the common folk.

5. Keep it in the fridge!

Necessity is the mother of all invention. Just ask the military or those who worked with brewing during the 1700s and 1800s. The process of refrigeration, essentially moving a heat source from one point to another, was invented at the Spaten brewery of Bavaria by Carl von Linde in 1873.

Prior to the advent of modern refrigeration brewing was at the mercy of the seasons. Refrigeration ushered in the modern era of brewing in which brewers could brew and lager beer all year round.

What followed of course was the commoditisation and globalisation of beer, a highly perishable product, which could then be distributed over long distances by railcar. Anheuser-Busch established the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company just five years following von Linde’s landmark invention. Small wonder the 39 breweries in Brooklyn servicing the local comunity all but disappeared while beer took marketshare from cheaper, then easier to produce spirits in the South.

6. The Be-Fuggled New World

Once again necessity is the mother of all invention. Prior to the advent of Cascade hops, Cluster hops made up to 80% of Oregon’s hop production (as overseen by the US Department of Agriculture - USDA’s breeding program) before the onset of Downy mildew which blighted crops. The Cascade hop was developed by the USDA and Oregon State University not only for its aromatic properties but also its strong resistance to disease.

The Cascade hop variety (first released in 1972) is a cross-pollenation between the English Fuggle variety, the little known Russian Serebrianker and an unknown native male hop with the allocated number USDA 56013. The Cascade hop, categorised as an aroma rather than a bittering variety, went on to redefine beer as we know it today with its citrus and piny aromatic profile.




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