Beer & Sake Flashcards
What is Calvados?
An eau de vie distilled from apple and pear and produced in the Normandy region of northern France.
What are the three appellations of Calvados?
- Calvados AOC
- Calvados Domfrontais AOC
- Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC
What is the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man?
Mead
Where does the fermentable sugar for beer production come from?
The conversion of the starch of a grain (usually barley).
What is wort?
Sugar-rich liquid derived from malted grain that is the source of fermentable sugars in the production of beer.
What are the four basic ingredients used for beer production?
Water, yeast, a starch source, and hops
What is the purpose of adding hops to beer?
To add flavor and bitterness while also lending preservative and antiseptic qualities that prohibit bacterial growth and spoilage.
When was the Bavarian Purity Law enacted and what did it codify?
1516; codified the three ingredients for beer production as barley, hops, and water
What is the first step of the modern brewing process?
Creating the malt
How is the malt created?
1) The cereal grain of choice, usually barley, is steeped in water for approximately two days to promote germination of the grain
2) Once grain begins to germinate, or sprout, it is transferred to compartments with controlled temperature and moisture levels.
3) As the sprout grows to near an inch in length the enzyme amylase is produced which converts the starches of the grain into fermentable sugars.
4) The “green malt” is thin roasted in a kiln to prevent further growth. The end product of this step is called the malt.
What process is heavily influenced by the style of beer desired?
The length and degree that the green malt is roasted.
What is grist? And what is used for?
The product resulting from the malt being ground, or cracked in a mill. The grist is combined with hot water during the mashing process to extract the sugar and flavor rich wort that will be fermented into the finished beer.
What is the sparge?
Additional sugar and flavor extracted from spent grains left over from the mashing process that is extracted by rinsing with more water (sparging). This is then added to the wort in the copper to be fermented into the finished beer.
What is a drawback of sparging?
It can add unwanted bitterness to the finished brew.
What happens to the wort prior to fermentation? Why?
The wort is boiled to sterilize and stabilize the brew, darken the color, and cause the excess water to evaporate.
At what times during the brewing process are hops introduced?
- Hops are usually first introduced prior to boiling the wort. During the boiling process the hops contribute more bitterness the longer they are boiled, but the longer they are boiled the more the hops’ aroma is lost.
- Hops may again be introduced to the wort following the boiling process where the wort will be passed through a hop back chamber reintroducing hop aromas as a result of contact with the fresh hops.
Once the wort is ready for fermentation, what two factors will be decided that will determine whether an ale or a lager will be produced?
The temperature to which the wort is cooled and also the strain of yeast that is selected for inoculation.
What temperatures of and lengths of fermentation are more ideal for lager fermentation? Ales?
Longer fermentations at cooler temperatures for lagers. Shorter fermentations at higher temperatures for ales.
What strain of yeast is more ideal for ale fermentation?
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
What strain of yeast is more ideal for lager fermentation?
Saccharomyces pastorianus formerly called Saccharomyces carlsbergensis.
What is the general difference in style between ales vs lagers?
Ales tend to be more fruity and rich-flavored whereas lagers are more delicate and cleaner in style.
What happens to the beer immediately following fermentation?
The beer is transferred to conditioning tanks or casks, and often pasteurized prior to bottling.
What does bottle-conditioned mean?
It means that the beer is unfiltered and undergoes partial fermentation in the bottle which it is sold in.
Which beers is most commonly unpasteurized?
Cask ales sold as draughts.
What are the two native wild yeasts that are most commonly responsible for lambic fermentation?
Brettanomyces lambicus and Brettanomyces bruxellensis
What are lambics and how are they fermented? How do they taste?
A specialty of Belgium, lambics are spontaneously fermented in open top containers with native wild yeasts. They are vinous in character, distinctively sour, and aged prior to release.
How long are lambics aged?
Lambics are aged often for up to 3 years in casks.
What is Geuze?
Geuze is a style of lambic produced by mixing one-year-old lambics with beers that have age for two to three years. The blend is then refermented with aged hops in bottle, giving the beer its sparkle.
What does the use of aged hops rather than fresh hops contribute to the aroma profile of lambics?
Lambics often have a cheese-like old hop smell as opposed to the resiny, bitter, earthy smell that fresh hops would otherwise contribute.
What is the name of the layer of yeast that forms over the top of lambics during maturation?
velo de flor
Other than the formation of a flor-like layer of yeast during maturation, how else is lambic production similar to sherry or vin jaune production?
Barrels are not topped-up during maturation.
What components typically are present in the grist used for lambic production?
60-70% barley malt and 30-40% unmalted wheat
What is the name of the open-air flat metal pan used to cool the wort and expose it to the microorganisms responsible for fermentation in lambic production?
koelschip (pronounced “quell-sheep”)
How are fruit lambics produced?
Fruits are added to a base lambic beer and refermentation of the sugars available in the fruit occurs. After fermentation the fruit is removed and further maturation takes place prior to release. The resulting product has additional flavor contributed by the fruit used.
What fruit is used in the production of Kriek lambic?
sour Morello Cherries
What fruit is used in the production of framboise lambic?
raspberries
What are two noteworthy producers of lambic?
Lindemans and Cantillon
Which beers can actually improve with age?
Some higher alcohol beers such as the strong ales of England and the Trappist Ales of Belgium and Holland.
What is the ideal service temperature for lagers?
48-52F
What is the ideal service temperature for lighter ales and draught bitter beers?
between 54-57F
Which beers should be served at a cool room temperature?
Trappist ales, lambics, stouts, brown ales, and other powerful, strong beers (between 50-60F)
What is Mars?
A mild lambic produced by reusing the malt from a previous lambic fermentation.
What is Faro?
A mixture of lambic and a lighter brewed beer, Belgian candy sugar is added for sweetness.
What are the names of 5 Trappist breweries?
- Orval
- Chimay
- Rochefort
- Westvleteren
- Westmalle
What is Rauchbier?
A smoked beer, famously produced Franken, Germany
What is Kvass?
Rye-based Russian beer usually fermented with fruit juices.
What is the name of the lager produced in United States that known for being fermented at higher than normal temperatures?
California Common
Pilsner, Bock, Marzen/Fest, Vienna Style, Dortmunder, Black/Schwarz, and Munich Helles are all examples of what style of beer?
Lager
Stouts and Porters are examples of what style of beer?
Ale
Dunkel and White are both styles of what kind of beer?
Wheat beers
What makes sake fermentation distinct from beer and wine production? What is this distinction known as?
Unlike fermentation for beer or wine, the conversion of starch to sugar and the fermentation of sugar into alcohol occurs simultaneously. Multiple Parallel Fermentation (MPF)
What is the name of the mold used in the production of sake? (both latin and Japanese)
Aspergillus oryzae or koji-kin
What is the Japanese name for the type of rice used in sake production?
Yamada Nishiki
What is the name of the heart of the rice grain that contains the starch that will be converted into sugar and then into alcohol?
shinpaku
What is seimaibuai?
A percentage listed on sake bottles that refers to the amount of the original rice grain remaining after polishing.
What does Tokutei Meishoshu mean?
Special designation sake
What are the four main designations for sake?
Junmai, Honjozo, Ginjo, Daiginjo
What is the maximum amount of rice grain remaining for Honjozo?
70%
What is the maximum amount of rice grain that can remain for Ginjo?
60%
What is the maximum amount of rice grain that can remain for Daiginjo
50%
What is the maximum amount of rice grain that can remain for Junmai sake?
Prior to 2004, no less than 70%. Now as long the producer prints semaibuai on the label and uses water, rice, and kojji, the milling percentage may be now higher than 70%.
What does it mean when a sake is said to be made in honjozo style?
Brewer’s alcohol is added (pure distillate) prior to pressing
What does it mean when a sake is Junmai in style?
No brewer’s alcohol is added
What word is used on the label of sake to indicate that the sake has been unpasteurized?
Namazake
What is the word used on the label of sake to indicate that the sake is unfiltered?
Nigori
What term is used on the label of a sake indicating that it has been aged in wood barrels?
Taruzake
What term can be used to indicate that a sake is coming from a smaller kura (brewery)?
Jizake
What term is used to indicate that a sake is undiluted?
Genshu
What happens to the rice after it has been milled but before koji-kin inoculation?
It is rinsed, soaked in water, and steamed in successive stages.
What is the moto?
The starter, or precursor of what is to become the moroni, or fermenting mash.
How is the moto created?
A first batch of steamed rice is inoculated with the koi-kin, a green, powdery mold. The mold grows on the steamed rice for about two days; the steamed rice upon which the mold is cultivated is known as the koji. Yeast, additional rice, and water are added to the koji to create the moto.
How is the moromi, or fermenting mash created?
After the moto has developed over a period of a couple weeks, it is moved to a larger vessel for fermentation where more koji, water, and steamed rice are added in three successive stages to the moto to create the moromi.
How much does the moroni increase in size with each successive addition of koji, water, and steamed rice?
It doubles in size
For how long will sake ferment once the final addition has been made to the moromi?
For up to 45 days
What percent alcohol does the sake reach towards the completion of fermentation?
20%, but it is usually diluted back down to around 17% with the addition of water.
What happens to the sake at the completion of fermentation following dilution?
The sake is usually filtered and pasteurized prior to bottling. Unless it’s Namezake (unpasteurized) and/or Nigori (unfiltered) in style.
How is the amount of RS in the sake indicated on the bottle?
As a number on the Sake Value Meter
What is the Japanese term for the Sake Value Meter which indicates the amount of RS in the finished sake?
nihonshudo
What does the nihonshudo value represent?
the sake’s specific gravity, or density in contrast to that of water.
What do negative values on the nihonshudo represent? Positive values?
Negative values indicate sweetness and positive values indicate dryness. 0 is neutral.
What is the proper temperature generally speaking to serve sake at?
Quality sake is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. The traditional practice of heating sake will disrupt the delicate nature of premium sake.
When is it most appropriate to serve sake at a warmed temperature?
When you serve a lower quality sake, warming it can actually mask some of the flaws.
What is the name of the ceramic, narrow-neck flask that sake is traditionally first decanted into before being served?
tokkuri
What is the name of the ceremonial cups for which sake is poured into from the tokkuri?
sakazuki cups
What alternative drinking vessel to the sakazuki cup is more casual?
ochoko (small cylindrical vessel)
What is the traditional method for warming sake?
Placing the tokkuri in a hot water bath
Does sake improve with age?
No, it is very unusual for sake to age with grace.
