THE BASICS
THE BASICS
GLOSSARY
alcohol by volume Measure of the alcoholic strength of a beer. The percentage of the volume of the beer that is pure alcohol, usually abbreviated to % ABV.
bottle shop A retail establishment specializing in a wide range of beers predominantly for consumption off the premises. In modern usage, often used to differentiate from a shop or store where more widely marketed and non-artisanal alcoholic beverages can be bought.
cask (n.) A container for beer to be served in a bar or pub which holds cask ale. Casks are used for maturing (and conditioning) unfiltered, unpasteurized beer – cask ale (often called real ale). When the beer in a cask is served, it is not dispensed using carbon dioxide. (adj.) Denoting beer dispensed from or matured in a cask.
cellaring The crafts and skills associated with keeping beer at good quality for serving in a pub or bar. Especially associated with the skills required to keep and serve cask ale in UK pubs so that it reaches the customer in peak condition. Also referred to as ‘cellarmanship’.
conditioning The final stage in the process of maturing beer to prepare it for drinking. If unfiltered and unpasteurized, the beer continues to ferment slowly, and the carbon dioxide produced provides a fizz (carbonation), also called condition. Beer may also be force-carbonated to achieve the required level of carbonation.
degrees Plato An indicator of the eventual strength of a finished beer, it is a measure of the density of the wort, and therefore indicates the amount of sugars present before they are fermented into alcohol. Degrees Plato are converted to percentage alcohol by volume (ABV) by calculating 0.4% ABV for every 1°. Roughly equivalent to degrees Balling.
flavour profile Description of the taste of beer, usually including its perceived bitterness, sweetness or dryness, acidity, and so on, and often including a description of aromas and other flavour components.
force carbonating A method of adding carbon dioxide to a beer. While under pressure (in keg or bottle) the carbon dioxide remains in solution, emerging as bubbles when the beer is served. Most often used on beers that have been pasteurized or when a beer does not contain the required level of carbonation.
keg (n.) A container for beer to be served in a bar, usually made of aluminium, but sometimes plastic. The beer in a keg is usually pressurized with and dispensed by carbon dioxide, sometimes mixed with nitrogen. (adj.) Denoting beer dispensed from a keg.
KeyKeg® A type of keg in which the beer is held in an inner plastic bag and is dispensed by a propellant gas squeezing the bag rather than coming into direct contact with the beer.
mouthfeel The physical sensation of beer in the taster’s mouth. The subjective appreciation of the texture of a beer on the tongue and palate.
original gravity Measure of the density of a beer before it is fermented, compared to water, indicating its likely alcoholic strength after fermentation. For example, a beer’s original gravity might be measured as 1045 OG, which, because water is 1000 OG, shows about how much sugar there is to be fermented (the excess is not all sugars).
Trappist Denoting beers brewed at a Trappist monastery recognized by the International Trappist Association. Trappist beers are often strong (7–10% ABV) and usually conform to styles originating in Belgium. Beers brewed in similar styles but not at one of these monasteries are known as Abbey-style beers.
wort The sugary liquid that results from the mashing process, in which, in the simplest case, the milled grains are soaked in water at about 67°C (153°F) for 90 minutes or so and then drained.
WHAT IS BEER?
the 30-second beer
Beer is for everyone; from presidents in palaces to men and women in street bars and country fields. Discovered over 5,000 years ago, today it’s brewed everywhere, from Albania to Zambia, each country developing its own brewing identity and beer traditions. The simplest definition of beer is of an alcoholic drink produced when malted cereal, generally barley, is fermented using yeast. Hops are added for their aromatic, bittering and preservative properties. After water and tea, beer is the world’s third most popular drink. Long recognized for its intoxicating powers, for centuries beer was healthier than water. The progress of beer follows the advances of technology, as seen with the emergence of light-coloured malts and the rise of pale ale in the nineteenth century. What sets beer apart is its sheer array of flavours, textures and aromas. The Babylonians defined 20 styles of beer, and today there are hundreds, from a fragrant, quaffable pilsner through to an exotically complex imperial stout. Beer’s ability to encompass a wide range of alcoholic strengths also makes it remarkably versatile. The perfect dining companion, pub and bar cultures have grown up around the world to serve and look after beer, and now specialist bottle shops offer the home drinker the same chance to enjoy and experiment.
3-SECOND TASTER
Beer is a complex, fermented drink that embodies the taste, flavour, culture and style of every society that crafts it.
3-MINUTE BREW
Since its discovery in ancient times, beer has been inextricably linked to the economy. Ancient Egypt had its Royal Chief Beer Inspectors, and workers building the pyramids were part paid in beer. From Babylonian times, strict rules have recognized beer’s importance, in many cases enforcing quality and regulating prices. Today, the number of breweries worldwide continues to rise. In the USA alone, the beer industry as a whole generates over $250 billion, employing 1.75 million people.
RELATED ENTRIES
See also
3-SECOND BIOGRAPHY
NINKASI
fl. c. 1800 BCE
Leading goddess in ancient Sumeria, whose remit included beer and brewing; she inspired poems giving the earliest description of how beer is brewed
30-SECOND TEXT
Susanna Forbes
Everyone drank beer in ancient Egypt, from lowly workers to high-ranking pharaohs, making the growing of grain a fundamental part of the economy.
ALE VERSUS LAGER
the 30-second beer
There are two distinct definitions of ale and lager in popular use. They’re closely related, but quite different. The first revolves around the process of conditioning after the main fermentation, a process whereby the flavours round out and knit together. Broadly speaking, ales condition for a few days and are then ready to drink quickly, while lagers prefer a slow, cool conditioning process of at least 30 days, ideally more. This process gives lager its name – the word is German for ‘to store’. But ales can be ‘lagered’, or stored, too, and most commercial ‘lagers’ are not lagered at all. So the second distinction is the most useful one, and it is that ale yeasts and lager yeasts are genetically different families that behave in different ways during the main fermentation process. Ale yeast ferments quickly at warmer temperatures, tends to give the beer a fruitier character, often referred to as being ‘estery’, and rises to the top of the vessel during fermentation. Lager yeasts ferment slowly at cooler temperatures and give less contribution to flavour, leaving a cleaner, crisper drink. They sink to the bottom of the vessel after fermenting. Hence ale and lager yeasts are often referred to as ‘top-fermenting’ and ‘bottom-fermenting’ respectively.
3-SECOND TASTER
Ale and lager are beer’s two main families, and the difference between them is not necessarily colour, flavour or temperature but the yeasts that ferment them.
3-MINUTE BREW
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the name of the traditional yeast that ferments ale, as well as wine and bread. Lager yeast – commonly known as Saccharomyces pastorianus – is a genetic hybrid of S. cerevisiae and another yeast called S. eubayanus. The origins of S. eubayanus have been conclusively traced to South American forests. But lager yeast has been present in central Europe since well before European ships brought goods back from the New World. No one has yet figured out how it got here.
RELATED ENTRIES
See also
3-SECOND BIOGRAPHY
EMIL CHRISTIAN HANSEN
1842–1909
Danish scientist who built on Louis Pasteur’s work on the link between yeast and fermentation; Hansen successfully isolated single yeast cells, allowing them to be cultivated in laboratory conditions that ensured consistency and reliability, creating the first commercial lager yeast
30-SECOND TEXT
Pete Brown
Ale and lager are largely defined by how their differing yeasts behave in the brewing process.
ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH
the 30-second beer
Numerous methods of indicating alcoholic strength have been employed over the years, some based on the amount of sugar in the wort (the liquid produced by mashing) before it is fermented. These include systems known as degrees Plato and degrees Balling, which calculate the weight of the sugar as a percentage of the entire wort, and the original gravity system (OG) that reflects the overall density of the wort compared to water. Both offer only a rough guide to the actual strength of a beer because strength is ultimately decided by the length and efficiency of the fermentation process. More accurate methods therefore refer to the percentage of alcohol in the finished liquid. The alcohol by weight percentage (ABW) was once prevalent in the USA but globally accepted as the norm today is alcohol by volume (ABV). In terms of the definition of beer, there is no upper limit for alcoholic strength. While the vast majority of beers fall comfortably below the 10% ABV level, there are some that rocket into areas normally only occupied by fortified wines and spirits. Personal preference obviously dictates the favoured strength but the most successful brewers ensure that strength is not the be-all and end-all. If alcohol is out of balance with the body and flavours of a beer, it can taste crude, hot and unpleasant.
3-SECOND TASTER
The strength of a beer is determined by how much fermentable sugar is turned into alcohol and there are various ways of measuring this.
3-MINUTE BREW
Brewer’s yeast usually stops working at around 11% ABV, unable to tolerate the alcohol it has created, and so a wine yeast is often then employed to take beer to higher strengths. Some brewers freeze distil their beer to increase strength. Water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, so this process creates ice crystals in the liquid that can then be removed, increasing the concentration of alcohol.
RELATED ENTRIES
See also
3-SECOND BIOGRAPHY
ROBERT BOYLE
1627–91
Inventor of the hydrometer, the instrument that allows brewers to measure the amount of sugar in their worts
30-SECOND TEXT
Jeff Evans
Beer comes in a range of alcoholic strengths, which are normally expressed as the ABV ‘alcohol by volume’.
PACKAGING & DISPENSE
the 30-second beer
The package your beer comes in and how it gets to the glass is the subject of fierce debate: keg versus cask, can versus bottle. Casks, championed by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), are used mostly for British beer styles. CAMRA says beer from casks must be unpasteurized, and crucially, cannot use artificially introduced gas in contact with beer to dispense or carbonate it. Otherwise it’s not real ale. Unlike casks, kegs are completely sealed and use gas pressure to dispense the beer. Done well, traditional cask ale is beautifully nuanced and flavourful. Traditionalists say, ‘If we allow kegs, soon we’ll all be drinking flavourless fizz out of cans.’ ‘Ah,’ say modern keggers. ‘Beer styles like American IPAs, imperial porters and pilsners benefit from the higher carbonation that kegs allow, plus they keep fresher for longer.’ They add, ‘There’s nothing wrong with cans, either.’ Beer in kegs and cans can (now) also be unfiltered and unpasteurized – just as ‘real’ as cask ale. Modern brewing techniques have created new beer styles and refreshed old ones. Improved technology and materials deliver flavour and mouthfeel without metallic or plastic taint. Cans exclude light that ruins hop flavour and are more environmentally friendly. Surely, the best method to serve beer is what best serves the type of beer. Or, just as you like it.
3-SECOND TASTER
Traditionalists say kegs make beer too fizzy, but modern brewers say higher carbonation suits some beer styles – even cans are good, these days.
3-MINUTE BREW
Arguably, the reason this topic and the modern beer world exist is because of UK pressure group CAMRA, which champions cask beer. But as casks require careful cellaring, their use in other countries has been limited. Single-use plastic kegs (such as KeyKeg®) hold the beer in a polythene bag. Pressure on the bag – not in the keg – dispenses the beer. Plastic kegs can be used for any style that doesn’t need force carbonating – even ‘cask’ ales.
RELATED ENTRIES
See also
3-SECOND BIOGRAPHIES
BERT HANSSEN
1966–
Dutch inventor of the KeyKeg® and the technical director of Lightweight Containers, the company that promotes and sells them
DALE KATECHIS
1969–
Founder of Oskar Blues Brewery, Colorado in 1997. In 2002, it became the first American craft brewery to can its own beer
30-SECOND TEXT
Jerry Bartlett
New packaging technology alongside traditional methods helps your beer reach you as the brewer would want.
