Beer Basics Flashcards
Impress your friends with your knowledge of all kinds of beer, from ales to stouts. Quickly get a handle on the types and characteristics of the world’s favorite beverage.
What are the main characteristics to taste for in a beer?
- maltiness
- hoppiness (bitterness)
- fruitiness
What is malt?
Fermented cereal grains such as wheat and barley
What are the two principal types of beer?
Ales and Lagers
What are the main attributes of an ale?
- Made with “top-fermenting” strains of yeast
- Ferments best at warmer temperatures, which leads to faster fermentation
- Has more hops, malt, and roasted malt
- Bitterness
What are the main attributes of a lager?
- Made with “bottom-fermenting” strains of yeast, which sink to the bottom of the tank
- Ferments best at colder temperatures
- Mild, crisp taste
The following are examples of what variety of beer?
- Barley Wine
- Porter
- Stout
- Wheat Beer
Ale
The following are examples of what variety of beer?
- Bock
- Dunkel
- Oktoberfest / Märzen
- Pilsner
Lager
What should you taste for in the following beer?
American Light Lager
- subtle, lean, and crisp taste
- e.g., Budweiser, Bock
What should you taste for in the following beer?
American Light (Generic Pale Ale)
- hoppiness
- (medium) light-bodied
- e.g., Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Bock
- full-bodied lager
- strong, malty flavor
- e.g., Shiner Bock
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Pilsner
- light to medium-bodied lager
- hoppy, dry flavor
- e.g., Brooklyn Pilsner
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Barleywine
- very full-bodied ale
- strong flavor
- distinct hoppiness
- e.g., Bass No. 1 Barley Wine
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Bitter Beer
- bitter ale
- hoppy
- e.g., most British IPAs (Indian pale ales)
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Cream Ale
- light in body and color
- mild
- high level of carbonation
- very little hop flavor
- e.g., Six Point Sweet Action
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Indian Pale Ale
- very hoppy amber beer
- medium-bodied
- e.g., Fuller’s Indian Pale Ale (IPA)
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Porter
- medium-bodied, dark ale
- dry
- roasted malt
- e.g., Anchor Porter
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Scottish Ale
- full-bodied and dark
- strong
- sweet
- malt aroma and flavor
- e.g., MacAndrew’s Scotch Ale
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Stout
- full-bodied, very dark ale
- roasted flavor
- e.g., Guinness
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Witbier
- fruity ale
- pale and cloudy with medium body
- malt
- hops
- e.g., Blue Moon Belgian-style White Ale
What should you taste for in the following beer?
Hefeweizen
- typically fruity ale
- unfiltered wheat beer
- light in color and body
- banana
- vanilla
- e.g., Franziskaner
What is the right temperature at which to serve light beer and lager?
46 degrees Fahrenheit or lower; well chilled
What is the right temperature at which to serve dark lager and wheat beer?
About 50 degrees Fahrenheit; lightly chilled
What is the right temperature at which to serve ales, stouts, and porters?
53-57 degrees Fahrenheit; cellar temperature
What is the right temperature at which to serve very dark, strong beers?
58-62 degrees Fahrenheit; room temperature
What distinguishes a light beer from regular beers?
Lower alcohol content and less calories
In which country did Oktoberfest, an annual beer celebration, originate?
Germany
What is the world’s approximate ratio of beer sales to wine and liquor sales?
7 to 1
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world
What is the oldest trademark in history?
The Bass symbol, a red triangle registered in 1876
Which country has the most breweries in the world?
The United States, with over 1,400 breweries
When was beer first mentioned in recorded history?
6,000 B.C.
Beer is documented on stone tablets in Sumeria and Babylonia, where it was prepared for sacrificial purposes.
How did ancient Babylonians regulate beer quality?
They drowned unfit brewers in their own beer
When was beer first bottled?
1850
True or false: the Pilgrims’ landing on Plymouth Rock had something to do with beer.
TRUE
According to the Mayflower’s log, the crew settled on Plymouth Rock because they didn’t want to dip any further into their beer supply while looking for a better site
Upon their arrival, they immediately built a common house, which included a brewery
On what day is the largest quantity of beer consumed in the United States?
The Fourth of July
What brewery created the first six-pack of beer?
The Pabst Brewery
In the 1940s, the brewery conducted numerous studies and found six cans were the ideal weight for the average housewife to carry home from the store
Which countries consume the most beer per capita?
- Czech Republic (156.9 liters a year)
- Ireland (131.1 liters a year)
- Germany (115.8 liters a year)
- Australia (109.9 liters a year)
- Austria (108.3 liters a year)
What are a few examples of lager variations?
- Pilseners
- Bocks
- Dopplebocks
Which type of beer is most similar to white wine?
Lager
Light and crisp on palate
Which type of beer is most similar to red wine?
Ale
Complex, diverse, and fruity with a fuller body
What are some brands of domestic beer?
- Budweiser
- Coors
- Samuel Adams
What are some brands of imported beer?
- Amstel (Holland)
- Corona (Mexico)
- Guinness (England/Ireland)
