General Instructions For Extract Beer Making

Caution

These instructions work with ALL the extract beer making recipes on this site. That said, I can’t verify if any other recipes have taken into account the following. I would suggest either asking, if possible, or running the recipe through a beer recipe program with the amount of water you will boil with.

I suggest the following if you decide to buy a beer recipe analysis program:

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How to Get the Proper Hop Bitterness

In order to get all the hop bitterness you expect from your beer you need to make adjustments for the amount of water you boil your wort in. Follow these instructions to get the correct amount of hop bittering and steeping water for your grains.

1. Sanitize all equipment that will come into contact with your beer (funnel, strainer, bucket, carboy hoses etc). Keep a spray bottle of sanitizer on hand for later use.
2. If your kit does not include steeping grains, go to step 5, otherwise add the steeping grains to the “sock” and calculate the optimal amount of water to steep your grains with. The formula is: 2 quarts of water per pound of grain. For example if you have 1.25 lbs of grain multiply 1.25 x 2. You will use 2.5 quarts of water.
3. Bring the water from step 2 to 160° F, this will bring the water to about 150-154O after you put in the grain, turn off the heat and place your grain bag into the water.
4. Steep for 30 minutes and let the bag drain over your “tea”. Don’t squeeze the steeping sock or you will extract tannins and other harsh compounds from the husks.
5. Bring 2-3 Gallons of water to a boil, this depends on the size of your brew pot, but more is better, just be careful of boiling over.
6. After your water has come to a boil, turn off the burner (this will keep the malt extract from scorching when it drops to the bottom) and add 1 cup of liquid malt extract or 1 lb of dry malt extract and any other additives (i.e. water treatment salts) that the recipe calls for. You can use a spatula or spoon with a little of the hot water (be careful), to help get the liquid malt off the sides of the can. Stir the up until the extract is dissolved completely.
7. Turn on the burner again, and once the mixture starts to boil start the timer. Most beers have a hop addition at 60 minutes and boil for 60 minutes also. So check your recipe and see what you need to add and at what time. Add the remaining malt extract and boil for the last 10 minutes. Usually Irish moss or Whirlfloc is also added with 10 minutes to go.
8. When your time is up add any final aroma hops if applicable and get ready to cool your wort. You can stick your pot into an ice bath in the sink or if you have an immersion chiller use that. Cool to 90O F, and add to your fermenter. If using a glass carboy, don’t add hot wort and cold water, it might break and that is not fun.
9. Top up to 5 gallons and use a hydrometer to take a reading, this is easy to do. Just float you sanitized hydrometer in your bucket and note the reading.
10. Now you can “pitch” your yeast. If you are using dry yeast just throw it on top. You don’t need to stir up anything; it will dissolve on its own. If you are using liquid yeast, follow the instructions on the yeast and by all means open it slowly as it will contain pressure and you don’t want it to blow out all over you instead of your beer!
11. Attach your lid and airlock (adding water or vodka to the line).
12. Store the fermenter where the temperature stays constant and between 65° – 75° F. Your recipe will give you the optimum temperature for your particular yeast. Cooler is generally better. If you have problems with temperatures, ask someone for some techniques to raise or lower your temperature.
13. You should see signs of fermentation in 12 – 24 hours. This will be noticed as the airlock bubbles. Don’t be surprised if it doesn’t though because some buckets don’t seal airtight and you may not build up enough pressure to push your airlock. Also, some yeast have very mild fermentations.
14. Usually in 4-7 days, the airlock will be slowed down and once you are at about one bubble every 1½ minutes you are ready to bottle. You can be sure by taking another hydrometer reading with your sanitized (remember that spray bottle) hydrometer. The recipe should tell you the expected final gravity (usually 1.008 – 1.014).
15. Congratulations, you are ready to bottle, see the bottling information sheet to learn how to do this.

Using Spent Brewing Grains for Cooking – Part 1

Part of the Green Brewer Series

By Jon Griffin

One of the questions I am asked most often is, “What can I do with my spent grains?” Well, depending where you live, the answer can be anything from, not much, to, many different things. This article will focus on using your spent brewing grain for cooking, specifically making cookies and bread. Almost everyone can utilize this technique and if you don’t bake (and you really should), you probably know someone who does.

Qualities of Spent Brewers Grain

The first thing that needs to be clarified is the definition of spent grains. For anyone reading this article who is not an all-grain brewer, spent brewers grains are the residue left after the sugar has been removed from the grains in the wort-making process. This is almost always malted barley, but can also include corn, wheat, rice, or other cereals. Please note that for the purposes of this article I am also not considering the steeping grains that are left after extract brewing (they have too much sugar left since they are not truly “mashed”). That is to say, spent brewers grains have very little residual sugar left in them. Simply steeping the grains in a tea like many extract based recipes call for leaves most of the sugars intact. They can certainly still be used, and they retain all of the nutritional properties of spent grains, but the sugars need to be taken into account in the recipe.

Composition of Spent Brewers Grain

What exactly is the composition of spent brewing grains? Believe it or not, spent brewers grain has been studied, and at least in the case of barley, has a high fiber and protein content. As mentioned above, the carbohydrate (sugar) content is mostly gone, but the bran, husk and embryo are left intact and have definite nutritional benefits that could be exploited by the food industry to increase a food products dietary fiber and protein levels.

Glycemic index of barley, wheat etc

Since little or no sugar is left in properly mashed brewers grains, there is no glycemic index. In fact, being mostly fiber and protein the use of spent brewers grains can actually raise the glycemic index of the foodstuff being supplemented.

Good for Your Heart

As of December 2005 the FDA ruled that barley, like oats, has a beneficial effect on heart health, specifically reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. The ruling cited scientific evidence that eating barley containing foods, which contain at least .75 grams of soluble beta-glucan fiber per serving, can be labeled as having a cholesterol lowering effect, specifically lowering both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (FDA, 2006).

Traditional Uses for Spent Brewers Grain

Commercial breweries have a much larger problem with spent brewing grains. Many breweries partner with a local pig farm and have the farmer transport the grain for use as feed. This can work in smaller scale breweries, but you can imagine the amounts of spent grains at large breweries. Another common use, especially for home brewers, is using the grains for compost. This works well for those of us that have gardens. The grain can either be added to a compost pile, or simply laid in a thin layer over the garden. Several commercial breweries are also experimenting with large scale composting Coors Brewing Company is donating some of their spent brewing grains to the Colorado Division of Wildlife for use in feeding hundreds of deer in the Gunnison Valley (SCRwire, 2007). Coors also sells 600 million pounds of wet spent grains and converts its spent yeast slurries and waste beer into fuel grade ethanol (Molson Coors Brewing, n.d.). Heineken has taken the uses for spent brewing grains one step farther and actually has a process for converting the spent grains into two separate products. Heineken removes the fiber to create a product for sustainable thermal energy, while the non-fiber component, which is high in protein and fats, is used as traditional animal feed (Schwencke, 2005). Sierra Nevada Brewing not only gives the spent brewing grains to the local livestock ranchers, but they also incorporate the trub, hops, and yeast into the spent grains providing even higher protein content (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., n.d.).

Using Spent Brewers Grains in Baking

One study in the Journal of the Institute of Brewing (2002) determined that spent brewers grain could be used successfully to supplement the fiber content of cookies. The study concluded that, contrary to what most people would think, medium and coarse particle size produced the best result. The study also mentions that using more than 15% spent brewers grains resulted in a marked deterioration of the cookie quality (Öztürk, Özboy, Cavidoglu, & Köksel, 2002). This leads to an interesting twist on the traditional uses of spent brewing grains. Instead of using the grains for fertilizer or animal feed, why not use them for baking? Cookies, muffins, breads, and even cakes and pies could all benefit from the fiber additions that spent brewing grains provide. It is also a practical way to use the grains if you do not have livestock or a garden.

Recipes

I have already discussed a recipe that used spent grains from an extract beer (see Quasi Aussie Bush Bread), but that recipe relies on sugar being present in the grains. You could certainly use that recipe, but realize that you will be adding fiber, not flavor to the bread. I will be experimenting with grain size and content amount in the near future, and I will write another article focusing on my findings and have more recipes that have been tested.

Conclusion

Having alternatives for using spent brewers grains is a great benefit for home brewers as well as commercial brewers. Experimenting with different baked goods can improve both the nutritional and health values of baked goods, many of which lack fiber. Commercial brewers can also partner with bakeries and restaurants to have alternatives to dispose of spent brewing grains. Instead of using the spent grains on livestock feed, scientific evidence supports the use of the spent grains to improve human food.

References

CSRwire. (n.d.). Coors Brewing Company to provide spent grain to aid deer feeding operation. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.csrwire.com/News/10892.html.

FDA. (2006). FDA allows barley products to claim reduction in risk of coronary heart disease. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/NEW01287.html.

Molson Coors Brewing. (n.d). Waste reduction and recycling – Molson Coors Brewing Company. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.molsoncoors.com/responsibility/environmental-responsibility/waste/waste-reduction-and-recycling/312/.

Öztürk, S., Özboy, Ö., Cavidoglu, I., & Köksel, H. (2002). Effects of brewer’s spent grain on the quality and dietary fibre content of cookies.

J. Inst. Brew. vol.108:1 (2002) Effects of Brewer’s Spent Grain on the Quality and Dietary Fibre Content of Cookies. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.scientificsocieties.org/jib/papers/2002/g-2002-0318-04R.pdf.

Schwencke, K. (2005). Treatment of brewers’ spent grain; Upgrading by-products. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://meeting.mbaa.com/2005/program/abstracts/O-8.htm.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (n.d.). Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.sierranevada.com/environment/recycling.html.

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© 2009 Jon Griffin

Using Sulfites In Winemaking and Homebrew Beer

By Jon Griffin

Many times we are asked why sulfites are used and how to use them. Sulfite is really metabisulfite (either potassium or sodium). Wine kits use sulfites and they can also be used as an effective sanitizer. It works by releasing free sulphur dioxide (FSO2), which inhibits yeast, mold and bacteria. Sulfites have been used for more than 500 years, with the Dutch popularizing it’s use by shipping only sulfite treated wines. They found that only sulfite treated wines could make long sea voyages and not turn to vinegar.

Sulfite is added after fermentation to prevent oxidation. This prevents a “cardboard” or “paper” taste in your wine, as well as preventing it’s browning. It does all this magic by binding with oxygen.

Another interesting fact is that there is no such thing as an allergy to sulfite. Since allergies can only be caused by foreign proteins and sulfite is not a protein, it can’t cause any allergies. Most “allergies” are caused by malo-lactic fermentation. Wine kits don’t go through malolactic fermentation so they don’t contain these allergy causing proteins.

Understanding this, you can see the reason for using the sulfites that come in your wine kit or your own juice. If you decide not to use them, you better drink up quick as the aging ability of your wine will suffer greatly.

A more thorough look at sulfites in sulphite facts, written by the fine folks at winexpert.

How much to use

Generally in winemaking you will use 1/4 teaspoon for every six gallons of must. You can also use a solution of 2 teaspoons of potassium metabisulfite per quart (32 oz) of water for sanitizing equipment.

P.S. This also applies to home brewing beer as well. If you are using fresh or frozen fruit or vegetables, you can spray the product with your metabisulfite solution above and than add the fruit to your homebrew beer. Make sure you let the wort stand for 24 hours before adding yeast, or the metabisulfite will weaken or kill your yeast as well as the bad stuff. That is not good homebrew.

What is Beer?

By Jon Griffin

What is Beer?

Beer in its basic form is an alcoholic beverage made from barley, hops, water and yeast. In fact the Reinheitsgebot German Purity Law adopted in 1516, states “the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be barley, hops, yeast and water“. This is the oldest provision that protects consumers in the world. Before and even after that time outside of Germany, many other ingredients were added to beer and some of them were poison. Many of these optional ingredients are still used today in other styles of beer and are called “adjuncts”. Some common adjuncts used are sugar, rice, corn and molasses. Wheat is also technically an adjunct and the Reinheitsgebot has been amended to allow this adjunct.

Ale v Lager

One of the biggest misconceptions about beer is that ale is strong and lager is light. The real definition is that ale is made with a top fermenting yeast and lagers are made with a bottom fermenting yeast. Also, in general, ales are fermented between 64º F and 74º F (17º C – 23º C), whereas lagers are fermented between 45º F and 55º F (7º C – 12º C).

Light v Dark

Another big misconception is that light colored beers are lower in alcohol than dark beers. In fact, the only difference between dark and light color is the type of barley used. Dark beers use dark roasted grains and darker malts and light colors use primarily lightly malted grains. Some commercial examples will spell this out: Guinness Stout is very dark and is 3.4% ABW or 4.2% ABV Westmalle Tripel is a Belgian Golden Ale and is 7.6% ABW or 9.5% ABV

Ingredients

Barley Malt

Barley is the most common source of sugars in beer. To create malted barley you first sprout a kernel to a desired modification (length). Then the rootlets are stripped and it is kilned (dried) to achieve a specific color. There are two types of barley that are used in brewing, they are two row and six row, which are distinguishable by the number of fertile flowers in the stem. Two row barley has bigger kernels, which also have less husk as well as lower protein and nitrogen. Beers made with two row tend to be less grainy tasting. Two row also has a higher yield per plant. Six row barley has a higher yield per acre, more husk and also much better enzyme potential. American brewers traditionally used six row because the higher diastatic (enzyme) power was needed to help with converting the adjuncts used in their beers.

Hops

Wort is very sweet and to counteract that, hops are added. Hops (Humulus lupulus) are the “bitter” component and can add many specific characters to a beer. Before hops were used many brewers used whatever bitter herbs and flowers were around. Dandelion, burdock root, marigold and heather were often used prior to the discovery of hops. Hops also add a preservative aspect to the beer as well. One of the reasons hops were first used in beer was because they were found to have an antibacterial function. Bitterness was a great by-product. There are many varieties of hops. The “noble” hops are generally used for aroma and are valued for their aromatic properties. These include names like, Saaz, Hallertauer, Tettnanger and Spalt. Other hops are prized for their bittering component. These include, Brewers Gold, Nugget and Galena. Others straddle the fence and are frequently used for both aroma and bittering. These include, Perle, Centennial and Northern Brewer.

Yeast

Yeast is arguably the most important single ingredient to create a beers character. Beer yeasts generally fall into the ale (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or lager (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) (or the old, Saccharomyces uvarum) types. As you saw above, ale yeasts are called top fermenters and lager yeasts bottom fermenters. This basically is a function of where they like to colonize after they eat. Ale yeast clump together at the top of the fermenting vessel and hang out. Lager yeast are anti-social and just fall to the bottom after they are done eating. All yeast flocculate or drop to the bottom at different rates and the clarity of the beer is directly related to this fact. Some beers, like German Hefeweizen, have yeast that take a long, long time to flocculate, thus imparting the trademark cloudiness. Yeast can impart many flavors that you would never equate to a single cell organism. Smokiness, pepper, clove, banana and butter are all flavors imparted by certain strains. Taking the German Hefeweizen again, the trademark banana and clove flavor and smell is actually the strain of yeast.

Water

Water makes up almost all of beer. Therefore it makes sense that water can play a big role in a beers flavor. Some cities are especially noted for how their water contributed to their beers. Some vital measurements in the water include, hardness, both temporary and permanent, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, bicarbonate and sodium. Bicarbonates neutralize the acids and tannins in dark and roasted malts. Calcium reduces pH, which allows for easier extraction of sugars and starches from the barley. It also helps prevent astringency and helps coagulate proteins. Yeast needs magnesium in a small amount, but if your water has too much, you will get a mineral taste in your beer, which is very harsh. Sodium can help accentuate the sweetness in small amounts (just like table salt), but can taste salty in higher amounts. Sulfate’s (SO₄^-2) primary role is accentuating hop bitterness and dry finish. Burton on Trent is very high in sulfate and it is no accident that they are known for Pale Ales, which are quite “hoppy”. For example, Pilsen, Dortmund, Burton on Trent, Edinburgh and Dublin all have water profiles that are famous.

Adjuncts

Cereal Adjuncts are grains other than barley. Some common adjuncts are oatmeal, wheat, corn, rice and nearly all the grains in the world. Other Adjuncts include sugars, such as molasses, piloncillo, cane and honey, other starches like pumpkin, potato and etc. Almost anything that isn’t barley and is used for sugar production is an adjunct, spruce tips, banana and mango all add a unique flavor and sugar to ferment. This is different than spices, herbs and other ingredients only imparted for flavor and not adding any significant amount of fermentable sugar.

Homebrew Beer The Easy Way – Coopers Microbrewery Reviewed

By Jon Griffin

I have been brewing and teaching about beer for many years, and I always remember fondly the first few batches of beer I made. Reading the instructions, rereading the instructions, calling the local homebrew shop and asking a question, and then reading the instructions again. Well, I finally got that first batch made and I thought it was probably the best homebrewed beer ever made. It was probably good, but not that good (my home brewing has certainly gotten better), but why ruin a good homebrew story!

A System For Homebrew Beginners

Times have changed though. When I opened my homebrew shop, I had the opportunity to try many different products, some good, and some not so good. At one of the homebrew supplier industry shows, probably back in 2005, I ran into Mark Henry. Mark was showing off the new Coopers home brewing system. I was immediately interested; at last a system that teaches a complete novice how to brew beer with minimal fuss. “Coopers Microbrewery Equipment Kit”

Now, I know that there are many sites that have a homebrew how to’s, but I am telling you, the Coopers system makes great beer and you won’t outgrow it. I have seen many of my customers start off with this kit and move on to create award winning home brews. This was a huge concern of mine since the other players in the all-in-one homebrew how to camp lock you into their system and their ingredients. To hack a phrase from the foodtv guy, that is not good homebrew!

The fermenter is 6 gallons, which leaves enough head space to ferment a 5 gallon batch of home brew, and the plastic bottles are great to bring to parties. Beginners can leave their homebrew in the ferementer because it has a sediment reducer (that is the trub falls below the spigot), and more advanced brewers can transfer their beer to a secondary carboy if they would like.  A stick-on thermometer is  on the side of the fermenter, making it easy to monitor this [critical aspect->fermenting-tempurature]  of home brewing.

DVD and Written Instructions

The Coopers Microbrewery also comes with a DVD and printed instructions. How often does a product have that. I know that I am tired of products that tell you to print the pdf file. My feeling is that if I bought it, the least the manufacturer could do is print the directions for me. Well the Coopers homebrew kit does just that and more. In fact, if you want to see the instructions before you buy: Coopers Microbrewery Instructions.

Still not convinced, check out the youtube video:

What Comes With The Coopers Microbrewy*

• 1 6 gallon fermenter, lid and rubber O ring. This fermenter is a patented design which is engineered to increase beer making success, and increase the ease of beer making.
• 1 tap, washer and sediment reducer
• 1 airlock and rubber grommet
• 1 “little bottler” bottling valve and tube
• 1 stick-on thermometer
• 1 Coopers Instructional Video, hosted by Aussie movie star Paul Mercurio (from the movie Strictly Ballroom)
• 1 instruction booklet
• 1 hydrometer (with instructions on use)
• 30 740ml plastic bottles and caps
• 1 all the ingredients necessary to make 5 gallons of beer including:
  • 1 1.7kg can Coopers Lager Concentrate
  • 1 pack Coopers Brewing sugar
  • 1 Bag of Carbonation Drops

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* Coopers may substitute or change the kit without notice, although I have never seen that happen.

Famous Beer Cities

By Jon Griffin

With many thanks to the Beer Judge Certification Program This is a small overview of some of the famous beer cities in the world.

Einbeck Germany

Known for bock beer, which was created in the Hanseatic League (14th to 17th century). A strong, dark lager in which decoction mashing and long boiling plays an important part of flavor development, as it enhances the caramel and melanoidin flavor aspects of the malt. Any fruitiness is due to Munich and other specialty malts, not yeast-derived esters developed during fermentation.

Commercial Examples: Einbecker Ur-Bock Dunkel, Aass Bock and Great Lakes Rockefeller Bock.

Dusseldorf Germany

Dusseldorf Alt is from here. A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated copper-colored German ale.  “Alt” refers to the “old” style of brewing (i.e. making top-fermented ales) that was common before lager brewing became popular. Predates the isolation of bottom fermenting yeast strains, though it approximates many characteristics of lager beers. The best examples can be found in brewpubs in the Altstadt (“old town”) section of Düsseldorf.

Commercial Examples: Don’t not exist in the USA, but if you are in Germany, Altstadt brewpubs: Zum Uerige, Im Füchschen, Schumacher, Zum Schlüssel, Diebels Alt, Schlösser Alt and Frankenheim Alt.

Köln Germany

This German city is also know as Cologne. Kolsch is king here. Kölsch is an appellation protected by the Kölsch Konvention, and is restricted to the 20 or so breweries in and around Cologne (Köln). The Konvention simply defines the beer as a “light, highly attenuated, hop-accentuated, clear top-fermenting Vollbier.” A clean, crisp, delicately balanced beer usually with very subtle fruit flavors and aromas. Subdued maltiness throughout leads to a pleasantly refreshing tang in the finish. To the untrained taster easily mistaken for a light lager, a somewhat subtle pilsner, or perhaps a blonde ale.

Commercial Examples:  Available in Cologne only: PJ Früh, Hellers, Malzmühle, Paeffgen, Sion, Peters, Dom; import versions available in parts of North America: Reissdorf, Gaffel; US versions: Goose Island Summertime, Crooked River Kölsch, Harpoon Summer Beer and Capitol City Capitol Kölsch

Munich Germany

The city that is known for Helles and Dunkel. Helles was created in Munich in 1895 at the Spaten brewery by Gabriel Sedlmayr to compete with Pilsner-style beers, and thus is pale in color. Unlike Pilsner but like its cousin, Munich Dunkel, Helles is a malt-accentuated beer that is not overly sweet, but rather focuses on malt flavor with underlying hop bitterness in a supporting role.

Commercial Examples: Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Helles, Paulaner Premium Lager, Spaten Premium Lager, Andechser Hell, Augustiner Lagerbier Hell, Weihenstephaner Original and Stoudt’s Gold Lager

Dunkel is characterized by depth and complexity of Munich malt and the accompanying melanoidins. Rich Munich flavors, but not as intense as a bock or as roasted as a schwarzbier. The classic brown lager style of Munich which developed as a darker, malt-accented beer in part because of the moderately carbonate water.

Commercial Examples: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, Hacker-Pschorr Alt Munich Dark, Paulaner Alt Münchner Dunkel, Weltenburger Kloster Barock-Dunkel, Penn Dark Lager, Capital Munich Dark, Harpoon Munich-type Dark Beer, Gordon Biersch Dunkels and Dinkel Acker Dark

Dortmund Germany

Known for Dortmunder Export. A style indigenous to the Dortmund industrial region, Dortmunder has been on the decline in Germany in recent years. This is a pale lager known for extraordinary balance between malt and hops. Brewed to a slightly higher starting gravity than other light lagers, providing a firm malty body and underlying maltiness to complement the sulfate-accentuated hop bitterness. The term “Export” is a beer strength category under German beer tax law, and is not strictly synonymous with the “Dortmunder” style. Beer from other cities or regions can be brewed to Export strength, and labeled as such.

Commercial Examples: DAB Export, Dortmunder Union Export, Dortmunder Kronen, Ayinger Jahrhundert, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, Saratoga Lager, Dominion Lager and Gordon Biersch Golden Export

Berlin Germany

A tangy, light wheat ale, Berliner Weiss, is very highly carbonated. A regional specialty of Berlin; referred to by Napoleon’s troops in 1809 as “the Champagne of the North” due to its lively and elegant character. Only two traditional breweries still produce the product. In Germany, it is classified as a Schankbier denoting a small beer of starting gravity in the range 7-8°P. Often served with the addition of a shot of sugar syrups (‘mit schuss’) flavored with raspberry (‘himbeer’) or woodruff (‘waldmeister’) or even mixed with Pils to counter the substantial sourness. It has been described by some as the most purely refreshing beer in the world.

Commercial Examples: Schultheiss Berliner Weisse, Berliner Kindl Weisse and Nodding Head Berliner Weisse.

Plzen Czechoslovakia

This fine city is also know as Pilsen. Known for Bohemian Pilsner, the original light-colored beer that was first brewed in 1842. It uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provides a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note. Dextrins provide additional body, and diacetyl enhances the perception of a fuller palate.

Commercial Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar in the US), Czech Rebel, Staropramen, Gambrinus Pilsner and Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner

Edinburgh Scotland

The colder climate creates very clean, malty flavors in the Scottish Ales and Strong Scotch Ales. Scottish ales are cleanly malty with a dry finish, perhaps a few esters, and on occasion a faint bit of peaty earthiness (smoke). Most beers finish fairly dry considering their relatively sweet palate, and as such have a different balance than strong Scotch Ales. Commercial Examples are Orkney Dark Island, Belhaven 80/-(Belhaven Scottish Ale in the US), Belhaven St. Andrews Ale, McEwan’s IPA, Caledonian 80/- Export Ale, Broughton Merlin’s Ale and Three Floyds Robert the Bruce Scotch Ales are much stronger, have more peaty, smoky aroma and more caramel.

Commercial Examples: Traquair House Ale, Orkney Skull Splitter, McEwan’s Scotch Ale, MacAndrew’s Scotch Ale, Belhaven Wee Heavy, Broughton Old Jock, Scotch du Silly, Gordon Highland Scotch Ale and Founders Dirty Bastard.

Burton on Trent England

Know for pale ales and lots of hops. Strong bitters can be seen as a higher-gravity version of best bitters (although not necessarily “more premium” since best bitters are traditionally the brewer’s finest product). Since beer is sold by strength in the UK, these beers often have some alcohol flavor, perhaps to let the consumer know they are getting their due. In England today, “ESB” is a brand unique to Fullers; in America, the name has been co-opted to describe a malty, bitter, reddish, standard-strength (for the US) English-type ale. Hopping can be English or a combination of English and American.

Commercial Examples: Fullers ESB, Adnams Broadside, Shepherd Neame Bishop’s Finger, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale, Bass Ale and Whitbread Pale Ale.

London England

This is where porter was developed in 1722 by Ralph Harwood as a way to simplify a blend of beers or gyles known as “Entire”. A precursor to stout, porter is said to have been favored by porters and other physical laborers.

Commercial Examples: (Robust) Anchor Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter. (Brown) Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, Fuller’s London Porter. London is also known for Sweet Stout. Historically known as “Milk” or “Cream” stouts, legally this designation is no longer permitted in England (but is acceptable elsewhere). The “milk” name is derived from the use of lactose, or milk sugar, as a sweetener. : A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale. Stout often tastes like sweetened espresso. Commercial Examples: Mackeson’s XXX Stout, Watney’s Cream Stout, St. Peter’s Cream Stout, Marston’s Oyster Stout, Samuel Adams Cream Stout and Left Hand Milk Stout.

Dublin Ireland

Stout was invented here in 1722 by Arthur Guinness at the St. James Gate Brewery. Is is also called dry stout to distinguish from the other stouts. This is a very dark, roasty, bitter and creamy ale. The style evolved from attempts to capitalize on the success of London porters, but originally reflected a fuller, creamier, more “stout” body and strength. When a brewery offered a stout and a porter, the stout was always the stronger beer. It was originally called a “stout porter”. Modern versions are brewed from a lower OG and no longer reflect a higher strength than porters.

Commercial Examples: Guinness Draught Stout (also canned), Murphy’s Stout, Beamish Stout, O’Hara’s Celtic Stout, Dorothy Goodbody’s Wholesome Stout, Orkney Dragonhead Stout, Brooklyn Dry Stout, Old Dominion Stout, Goose Island Dublin Stout and Arbor Brewing Faricy Fest Irish Stout.

Senne Valley, Brussels Belgium

Known for Lambics. These are complex, sour/acidic, pale, wheat-based ale fermented by a variety of Belgian microbiota. Home-brewed and craft-brewed versions are more typically made with pure cultures of yeast. Commonly including Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus in an attempt to recreate the effects of the dominant microbiota of Brussels and the surrounding countryside of the Senne River valley. Cultures taken from bottles are sometimes used but there is no simple way of knowing what organisms are still viable. Straight lambics are single-batch, unblended beers. Since they are unblended, the straight lambic is often a true product of the “house character” of a brewery and will be more variable than a gueuze. They are generally served young (6 months) and on tap as cheap, easy-drinking beers without any filling carbonation. Younger versions tend to be one-dimensionally sour since a complex Brett character often takes upwards of a year to develop. An enteric character is often indicative of a lambic that is too young. A noticeable vinegary or cidery character is considered a fault by Belgian brewers. Since the wild yeast and bacteria will ferment ALL sugars, they are bottled only when they have completely fermented. Lambic is served uncarbonated, while gueuze is served effervescent.

Commercial Examples: Most examples are not readily available. The only bottled version readily available is Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella of whatever single batch vintage the brewer deems worthy to bottle. De Cam sometimes bottles their very old (5 years) lambic. In and around Brussels there are specialty cafes that often have draught lambics from traditional brewers/blenders such as Boon, De Cam, Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Lindemans and Girardin.

Gueuze is traditionally produced by mixing one, two, and three-year old lambic. “Young” lambic contains fermentable sugars while old lambic has the characteristic “wild” taste of the Senne River Valley. A good gueuze is not the most pungent, but possesses a full and tantalizing bouquet, a sharp aroma, and a soft, velvety flavor.

Commercial Examples: Boon Oude Gueuze, Boon Oude Gueuze Mariage Parfait, De Cam Gueuze, De Cam/Drei Fonteinen Millennium Gueuze, Drie Fonteinen Oud Gueuze, Cantillon Gueuze, Hanssens Gueuze, Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René, Girardin Gueuze (Black Label), Mort Subite (Unfiltered) Gueuze and Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze.

Fruit-based lambics are often produced like gueuze by mixing one, two, and three-year old lambic. “Young” lambic contains fermentable sugars while old lambic has the characteristic “wild” taste of the Senne River Valley. Fruit is commonly added halfway through aging and the yeast and bacteria will ferment all sugars from the fruit. Fruit may also be added to unblended lambic. The most traditional styles of fruit lambics include kriek (cherries), framboise (raspberries) and druivenlambik (muscat grapes). Please note that overly sweet lambics (e.g., Lindemans or Belle Vue clones) would be better described as belgian specialty beers since these beers do not describe beers with lambic character.

Commercial Examples: Boon Framboise Marriage Parfait, Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait, Boon Oude Kriek, Cantillon Fou’ Foune (apricot), Cantillon Kriek, Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek, Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise, Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, Cantillon St. Lamvinus (merlot grape), Cantillon Vigneronne (Muscat grape), De Cam Oude Kriek, Drie Fonteinen Kriek, Girardin Kriek, Hanssens Oude Kriek and Oud Beersel Kriek.

San Francisco USA

Yes, the United States has famous beer cities (United States brewers have also revived several dead styles i.e. Sierra Nevada Porter). Whether you call it steam beer (which is a trademark) or the more generic California common, it is a true American west coast original style. Large shallow open fermenters (coolships) were traditionally used to compensate for the absence of refrigeration and to take advantage of the cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. Fermented with lager yeast, but one that was selected to thrive at the cool end of normal ale fermentation temperatures. It derives its name from the vapor clouds of CO2 that escaped from the kegs when they were tapped.

Commercial Examples: Anchor Steam, Southampton West Coast Steam Beer, Old Dominion Victory Amber are Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager.

Other Styles

There are obviously many more styles of beer. In fact, home brewers have a much narrower definition than pro brewers in competition. Some beers don’t even really fall into categories, as they are unique amongst themselves. One of the best online resources available to everyone is the Beer Judge Certification Program website. It is at http://www.bjcp.org/. Not only is there information on beer styles, there is also information on the entire beer making process.

Mashing 101

By Jon Griffin

Mashing is simply the conversion of complex sugars, which are developed during malting, into simpler sugars that yeast can metabolize.

There are 5 main types of mashing, but we are interested in only 4 of them in this class. They originated in different areas and helped create the classic beer styles of the world. Mashing techniques evolved based on climate and malting technique. In Europe most of the Maltsters, made under modified malt, whereas in the British Isles they used fully modified malts.

Historically the Picts created alcoholic beverages in 6500 BC, although no one really knows what they would have tasted like. The Vikings passed down brewing sticks for generations and yeast evolved on them to create ancestors to the very yeast used today for brewing. Belgians have always used wild yeasts and bacteria in their beers, and it wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that the Germans and French determined what yeast really were. By the late 1800’s a chemist a Carlsberg brewery isolated the yeast strain that made lagers and modern yeast knowledge was vastly improved.

Mash Types

In the British Isles from at least sometime before the 11th century all the way up to the early 1700’s the process used was called Parti-Gyle. This is a very simple technique and basically was mixing the crushed grains and water in a container. After it sits for a time, a plug was knocked out and all the liquid was released. Using this technique, after the first runnings were put to boil, the plug was reinserted and the process repeated to make a beer of the second runnings. This was sometimes even repeated for a third time.

The first runnings had a high gravity, and consequently more alcohol. The second runnings were much smaller and the third smaller still. Often times, the third runnings were left for the women to drink.

As a side note, all brewing at this time was done as a type of Parti-Gyle. In Belgium, they used a turbid mash, which was a modification of this technique.

Sometime around the middle to late 1800’s (possibly earlier), the people of Scotland invented a mashing process known as the Infusion Mash. Infusion mashing is probably the most widely used type of mash process today.

Infusion Mash

Infusion mashing (also called single step mash) started as a single step process, but as you will see the Belgians improved this further. In the infusion mash, the crushed grains are mixed with water at a temperature desired for the beer style. This is generally from 140 to the mid 160’s. Lower temperatures create more alcohol, and higher temperatures create more dextrins (increased body). They also added a mash out step. The wort temperature is raised to about 175F for 10 minutes. This stops all enzyme production. Then the wort is re-circulated until it is clear. After this the run-off is directed to the boil kettle this step is called sparging.

Step Mash

Step mashing is a Belgian modification of the infusion mash. It is also called a multi-step infusion mash. As it’s name implies instead of just one temperature rest, the grist is infused with different temperature water creating a series of “steps”. The reason for this is that continental malt was under-modified and needed a protein rest to convert protein as well as the sugar rest. There could be as many as 5 steps, but we are mainly interested in the protein and sugar rests. Other than these changes, the mash out, re-circulation and sparging are the same as infusion mashing.

Decotion

Decoction mashing is very similar to step mashing, and originated in Germany. The temperature steps are the same, only the technique differs. In decoction, a portion of the grist is removed and brought to a boil through direct heat. It is then returned to the mash and effectively raises the temperature. The single, double and triple decoctions are the most widely used.

Double Mash

Double or American Mashing is used for American Lager style beers where large portions of unmalted adjuncts (such as corn) are used. I mention this for accuracy though you are not required to remember this! In this style, the malted grains are started at the same time as the unmalted grains in separate vessels. A small portion of crushed barley is added to the unmalted grains as a source of enzymes. It is similar to a step or decoction mash and finishes the same way.