Beers Flashcards
On draft Pilsner
Victory ‘Prima’ Pilsner, from Pennsylvania, 5.3 %
Color: Straw yellow, clear body with small amount of carbonation rising to the top. Flavor: Crisp and refreshing. Fresh cut grass, bready notes from the malt, hint of lemon. Brewery: Privately owned in PA, tends to brew full-flavored innovative beers melding European ingredients and technology with American creativity.
On draft Pale Ale
From Carrow Gardens, BK. Not too hoppy, great food beer, long finish. “The Other Half” Brewery.
On draft Stout
Allagash ‘Black’ Stout, 7.5%, Maine
Style: Belgian style stout
Color: Rich, chocolatey dark brown
Flavor: Dark, roasted chocolate. Silky mouth feel gives great balance to the roasted character, coffee and dark chocolate notes expressed throughout this beer.
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Co. started in 1995 as a one-man operation on the outskirts of Portland, ME
Pair with oysters; classic in IRELAND!
On draft Amber
Ommegang ‘Rare Vos’ Amber, New York, 6.5%
Color: Hazy amber with tawny highlights.
Flavor: Touches of baked apple and raisin, hop, caramel malt. Bittersweet with a touch of spice.
Brewery: Founded in 1997. Belgium Amber = styled after smooth and drinkable beers popular in Belgian cafes. Named after cafe just outsided Brussles “De Rare Vos,” which means “The Sly Fox.”
On Draft IPA
Peekskill ‘Eastern Standard’ IPA, New York, 6.6%
Color: Golden straw/mild amber hue. Slight haze.
Flavor: Bitter grapefruit, citrus, mildly floral. Rich and bold!
Brewery: Peekskill Brewery, expanded December 2012. Eastern Standard = classic IPA
Lagunitas
New bottled IPA, true west coast IPA, big, bitter, hoppy, fruity
Pilsner Style
First brewed in Bohemia, German-speaking province of old Austrian Empire.
Classically very light straw/golden in color.
Well-hopped, using noble hops = spicy herbal aroma; can be coarse on the palate with a flash of citrus like zest/hop, and bitterness can be high.
Amber style
Amber ales range from bland and vaguely caramelly to products with a healthy hop and balance. Amber will usually have a less assertive hope rate than the American Pale Ale.
Ales (Top Fermentation Yeasts)
By far the oldest of the two types of beer, ale production can be traced back more than 5000 years. The word “Ale” comes from the German word alt, meaning old or aged. Like red wines, they are fermented and served at warmer (room) temperatures, usually yielding more intense flavor profiles. Depending on the brewing style, they can be their best when very young (a couple of weeks) to very old (several years).
Lagers (Bottom Fermentation Yeasts)
Lagers have only been around for several hundred years and were not even fully understood until after the invention of the microscope. The yeast strains that make them were originally propagated on accident. Like white wines, they are fermented and served at cooler (cellar) temperatures. This limits the formation of esters and other fermentation by-products, producing a clean flavor. Lagers are the most popular big-brewery beers in America, although the version most often consumed here is nothing like the European counterparts.
English v. American Pale Ales
While English-style pale ales smell earthy and muted, there’s no mistaking American-style pale ales, marked by the bold, citrusy character of American hops. Great Divide’s Denver Pale Ale and Snoqualmie Falls’ Copperhead Pale Ale show the range in fruitiness—from lemon to dripping, ripe peach—that comes out in this style.
Pale Ale Style
Pale ales come in shades of coppery gold and traditionally have an average-to-low malt influence, along with a higher-than-average bitterness from hops. (The style is also known as “bitter.”) The aroma and flavor of hops should be front and center, but you should still taste the malt, for balance. That’s the slightly sweet, liquid graham-cracker flavor coming through on the sides of your palate; malt also contributes to how heavy the beer feels on your tongue.
IPA Style
As for India pale ale (IPA), it was created out of necessity. In the 18th century, England established a military and trading presence in India, and that meant many hot, thirsty Brits craved the quench of their native beer. However, when the motherland exported beer to India, six months on the high seas tended to render it sour, flat, and the opposite of refreshing. In order to better preserve the beer, brewers increased the hops and the alcohol content of their pale ales. Refreshment received. IPA was born.
IPAs v Pale Ales
Compared to pale ales, IPAs register at least a few notches higher on the dial in every attribute. Stick your nose in a glass—it’s impossible not to conjure up a hop field in your brain. The pale ale’s characteristic fruitiness becomes a little less prevalent, the malt adds body and some weight to the mouthfeel, and the pine and citrus notes of the hops dominate. In general, IPAs also taste more carbonated than pale ales.
English v American IPAs
Just as with pale ales, the American craving for intensity and our love for our own hops comes through in our approach to IPAs. On the tongue, English-style IPA feels much the same as a strong black tea that has been brewed too long: Your taste buds will feel like suede rubbed the wrong way. With an American-style IPA, you’re likely to think tiny kittens have just skidded across your tongue, claws blazing, leaving your mouth scoured of all but the hint of hop. Start with Speakeasy’s well-balanced Big Daddy IPA and work your way up in kittens per bottle (not an official measurement).
