What the hell are we talking about?

Starting a blog with my friends has been a whirlwind of new experiences. The technology, the beer, and even the vernacular are all new to me. I decided that the best way to keep up with my friends would be to do some research into some of the new terminology that I keep hearing from them.

www.brewersassociation.org

It occurred to me, that perhaps our readers are also learning some of these things for the first time as well. So, why not share what I’ve learned? Here are a few things that I hope can help my fellow beer newbies become more knowledgeable beer drinkers:

First, what separates a craft beer from other beers? According to Brewers Association “an American Craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional.” See the chart from Brewers Association for more information on what this means. In relation to craft beer production, a microbrewery is a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer each year, 75% or more of which is sold (definition from craftbeer.com)

There are also different types of beer. The first is ale, which is brewed by rapid fermentation (merriam-webster.com). According to realbeer.com, ales are made using top-fermenting yeast and are best served cool (around 50 degrees F) producing a robust and complex taste. Examples of ales are stouts, porters, whitbier, hefeweizen, Indian Pale Ale (IPA), etc. Lagers are brewed by slow fermentation (merriam-webster.com), are made using bottom-fermenting yeast, are best served cold (38-49 degrees F), and are less fruity than ales (realbeer.com). Examples are red lagers, pilsner, schwarzbier, etc.

There are a few standard ingredients of beer. Hops are flowers from a perennial vine used to flavor beer. It also prevents the growth of bacteria in beer. Malt is processed barley that has been steeped in water and yeast converts the malt sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. (craftbeer.com)

Pat and me, reviewing our beers.
Photo courtesy of our IT guy, Mark.

When evaluating a beer, there are 5 standard categories – appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel, and overall (beeradvocate.com): 

appearance – color, carbonation, head
smell – malts (sweet, smoky, nutty, chocolaty, etc), hops (herbal, spicy, floral, piney, citrusy, etc), yeast (fruity, flowery ales or clean lagers)
taste -  flavors or interpretations of flavors, will be similar to smell
mouthfeel – how the beer feels (light, heavy, watery, smooth, flat, carbonated)
overall – your overall impression

When reading a review there are a few words other words that you may come across frequently. Alcohol by Volume (ABV) is the alcohol content (volume of alcohol per volume of beer) measured as a percentage. Lace is the pattern of the foam sticking to the side of the glass as you’re drinking your beer. Head is the foam of the beer, and head retention is how long the head lasts (craftbeer.com)

I hope this has been helpful. Please comment and let me know if there is anything else you would like defined or explained in more detail. Happy reading and reviewing!

Lady Love for Leinenkugel's

Leinenkugel’s is currently my favorite brewing company (please take note of my ability to persuade mike into getting Leinenkugel’s Lager for National Lager Day). I find their beers to be approachable, yet it has a name that makes my other friends who aren’t big craft beer drinkers say “oh Leinenkugel’s, that sounds fancy”. Last night, while on a girl date with Maggie, I decided Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss would be appropriate for a girls’ night out and my first beer review. With a 4.9% ABV, it’s light, crisp, and refreshing with a touch of sweetness from real Wisconsin honey. I’ve been informed that next time I should try adding a lemon wedge to balance some of the sweetness. Since this is my very first time reviewing a beer I wanted to take it seriously, so, rather than drinking it out of the bottle like I normally do, I asked for a glass. Of course it was just my luck that the only real glasses this place had was wine glasses. The Honey Weiss had a nice pale golden hue that reminded me of a nice chardonnay in the wine glass. Maggie advised me that I should be paying attention to the head and lacing of the beer (which thankfully she explained to me before I had to secretly Google it), both of which seemed average to me. Hopefully I’ll be able to have more educated opinions on the subject as I grow as a beer drinker/reviewer. The aroma was earthy with notes of honey (for obvious reasons). It wasn’t too thick or carbonated, which made it easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy. All in all, I know that that Honey Weiss won’t be the popular pick for the more experienced craft beer drinker, but I find it to be a great beer to start with for someone who is trying to expand their beer drinking horizons.

While I’m on the subject of Leinenkugel’s, I also want to recommend Berry Weiss to my fellow girly beer drinkers. I’ve found that most “berry” beers I’ve tried have tasted like beer, with a touch of berry. In my opinion, Berry Weiss tastes like berry with a touch of beer. It is extremely sweet, which makes it the perfect option for someone who normally drinks cider, wine coolers, or other fruity malt beverages. It also has a 4.7% ABV, which is nice for new beer drinkers who don’t like/can’t handle a craft beer with a much higher alcohol content. My favorite thing about Berry Weiss is that it’s purple in color, which I learned while being forced to pour it into a clear plastic cup by the New York City Police in the parking lot at Citi Field. (Side note, Leinenkugel’s is also fun to try to spell to the cops while they write you a drinking in public ticket.)

I hope that beer rookies and experienced craft beer drinkers alike will give Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company a shot. It’s not the fanciest beer you’ll ever try, but I think you may just enjoy it as a nice, easy, everyday beer option.

Meet Marissa - The Beer Rookie

I’ve never been much of a “beer connoisseur”. To be honest I generally head straight for the wines or the Woodchuck Hard Cider when I enter a liquor store. It’s just easier that way because I already know what I like in wine or cider. It’s not that I don’t like beer; I just get overwhelmed by the variety because I’m not sure what I should be looking for. I’m an adult now, so 30s of Keystone or Natty light won’t really cut it for a nice, fun “friends night-in”.

When asked to create an introductory post I thought to myself “perfect, this is finally my chance to prove that hard ciders are beer too!” So after some brief Google research I’ve found (drum roll please) that I’m absolutely incorrect. Woodchuck’s website says something about fermented apples and the yeast being different. I don’t know what that really means other than that my friends are right and will continue to make fun of me for drinking Woodchuck Cider and calling it beer.

So where does this leave me now? I guess step one would be to stop calling cider a beer if I don’t want to be ridiculed. Step two is just to learn as much as I can about beer so that I don’t make an idiot out of myself. Then step three is to try as many new beers as I can to gain a better sense of what I like and don’t like so I can actually be a useful addition to this blog. Wish me luck.

- Marissa