CHAPTER 3.3: American Beer Styles Flashcards
Which of the following sets of new world beer styles were the result of German immigrants bringing lager brewing technology to America?
A. American Lager, Cream Ale, and California Common
B. Pale Ale, IPA, and Amber Ale
C. Oktoberfest, Bock, and Doppelbock
D. Blonde Ale, Wheat Beer, and Golden Ale
A. American Lager, Cream Ale, and California Common
Adapting lager brewing to the ingredients and conditions of the new world led to the development of American Lagers, Cream Ales, and California Common.
Which two of the following adjuncts is most commonly used to produce American lagers?
- Corn
- Oats
- Honey
- Rice
- Wheat
Corn and Rice
American lagers are typically made using corn or rice for 20 - 40% of the grain content. These grains first were added to allow production of a golden and sparkling clear beer from American barley.
Why were adjuncts originally added to lagers brewed in America?
Clarity
The six-row barley that grows in the US has a higher protein content than the two-row European variety. Since protein causes haze and cloudiness in beer, American efforts resulted in a beer that did not achieve the clarity of its European cousins. However, brewers found that adding corn and rice diluted the proteins, resulting in the clear, golden beer they desired. Modern American lagers are typically made using corn or rice for 20 to 40% of the grain content.
What is the most widely consumed style of beer in the United States?
American Light Lager
In the 1970s, marketing targeted at health-conscious consumers set the stage for the emergence of a lower-calorie, lower-alcohol variation of the standard American Lager.
Name the beer based on the following:
SRM: 2 - 3 (Straw)
Perceived Bitterness: 8 - 12 IBUs (Low)
Alcohol: 2.8 - 4.2% ABV (Lower)
American Light Lager
The flavor profile of American Light Lager is subtle, with mild malt and hop traits. While most lagers have no fruity traits, American lagers differ and often have a low level of fruitiness.
American Light Lager is straw-colored, and has a lower alcohol content than most traditional German lagers. The use of unmalted grains gives this lager a very light malt flavor, which, in turn, requires a delicate use of hops. The bitterness is typically quite low.
The carbonation level is fairly traditional at 2.5 volumes of CO2, but the light flavor of the beer causes the carbonation to have a bold presence and significant impact on the flavor profile.
Made with an adjunct, American Light Lager contains up to 30-40% of corn or rice content.
Which one of the following statements is false?
A. American Light Lager uses corn or rice for up to 30-40% of the grain content.
B. American Light Lager usually has 3-4% ABV.
C. American Light Lager has a distinct caramel malt flavor.
D. American Light Lager is known for its light flavor profile and high drinkability.
C. American Light Lager has a distinct caramel malt flavor.
This is false. American Light Lagers are very lightly flavored and made with the palest malts. The malt character may be slightly bready, but never toasty or caramel-like.
Name the beer based on the following:
SRM: 2.5 - 5 (Straw to Light Gold)
Perceived Bitterness: 8 - 20 IBUs (Moderate)
Alcohol: 4.2 - 5.6% (Lower to Normal)
Cream Ale
The Cream Ale is a hybrid lager-ale, which may show some low levels of ale-like esters. It is typically straw-colored, and includes an adjunct (either corn or rice).
One of the identifying flavors in the Cream Ale is a light creamed-corn character, cause by the sulfur-based compound called dimethyl sulfide (DMS). It can also have higher bitterness than American lagers.
Commercial examples: Genesee Cream Ale, Little Kings Cream Ale, Sleeman Cream Ale, New Glarus Spotted Cow
Name the beer based on the following:
SRM: 10 - 14 (Light Amber to Amber)
Perceived Bitterness: 30 - 45 IBUs (Pronounced)
Alcohol: 4.5 - 5.5% ABV (Normal)
California Common
Light amber to amber in color, the California Common features a medium body and a slight caramel malt flavor and aroma. The bitterness is pronounced and the beer has a clean finish.
Defined by the prototypical Anchor Steam example, the California Common at its best is a cross between American Pale Ale and German Pils, an assertively hopped beer with a light toasty malt background.
Because of a modified lager fermentation process, there are low to moderately high hop flavors, and woody, rustic, or minty aromas.
Commercial examples: Anchor Steam, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
Name the beer based on the following:
SRM: 3 - 6 (Straw to Gold)
Perceived Bitterness: 15 - 30 IBUs (Moderate)
Alcohol: 4 - 5.5% ABV (Lower to Normal)
American Wheat Beer
Fledging craft brewers in the 1980s wanted to create beers they had tasted in Europe but never seen in the US. One style that originated in Germany was Weissbier, a unique Bavarian wheat beer.
Lacking recipes, American brewers did their best to create a similar beer. Ranging from straw to gold in color, the American Wheat Beer is often hazy or cloudy, with the flavor or wheat flour or bread.
The American Wheat Beer uses about 30% wheat malt (about half that of Weissbier) and is fermented with regular ale yeast, lacking the unique clove and banana flavors of traditional Weissbier.
When should a beer be described as an “American Wheat Beer” and not as a weizen, Hefeweizen, or Weissbier?
When it lacks the banana-clove flavors of an authentic German weizen.
American Wheat Beers are fermented with American ale yeast and therefore lack the clove and banana flavors commonly found in German wheat beers.
As a server or seller of beer, it’s important that you know the difference between American Wheat Beer and German Weissbier, and are able to explain it to your customers.
Name the beer based on the following:
SRM: 3 - 6 (Straw to Gold)
Perceived Bitterness: 15 - 28 IBUs (Moderate)
Alcohol: 3.8 - 5.5% ABV (Lower to Normal)
American Blonde Ale
The American Blonde Ale is straw to gold in color, with balanced and reserved flavors. It shares remarkable similarities with American Wheat Beer. The difference between the styles is that Blonde Ale has no wheat malt in the recipe. Because of this, it has no flour or bread dough flavor; instead, the malt tastes more like baked bread.
Commercial examples: Victory Summer Love, Kona Big Wave Golden Ale, Widmer Citra Summer Blonde Brew
Where did the name “Amber” Ale come from?
Originally, the American Amber Ale was another name for pale ale. Early craft brewers found some resistance from consumers who didn’t feel their “pale” ales were actually very pale in color. For this reason, they adopted the “amber ale” moniker.
While pale ale and amber ale styles still have significant overlap today, the overall population of amber ales is expected to have a deeper amber color and more robust malt flavor compared to pale ale.
American Amber Ales are still well-hopped, with similar levels of flavor, aroma, and bitterness as pale ale.
What two differences separate American India Pale Ale (IPA) from American Pale Ale?
A. IPA is darker and higher in alcohol content (ABV)
B. IPA is hoppier and paler in color
C. IPA is hoppier and higher in alcohol content (ABV)
D. American Pale Ale is hoppier and paler in color
C. IPA is hoppier and higher in alcohol content (ABV)
Compared to the American Pale Ale, IPAs have about the same color but higher levels of hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness as well as greater alcoholic strength (ABV).
American Porter uses what grain that distinguishes it from the English Porter style?
A. Roasted Barley
B. Black Patent Malt
C. Crystal Malt
D. Smoked Malt
B. Black Patent Malt
Black Patent Malt–first made in the patented roasting drum of 1817–is typically used in American Porter.
Put this group of American beer styles in order from darkest to lightest in color, based on degrees SRM.
A. California Common
B. American Brown Ale
C. American Wheat Beer
D. American Light Lager
B. American Brown Ale
A. California Common
C. American Wheat Beer
D. American Light Lager
American Brown Ales range from 18-35 SRM, and are reminscent in color of English brown ales, such as Newcastle. California Common beers are amber to dark amber in color and range from 10-14 SRM.
American Wheat Beers and American Light Lagers are similar in color, although wheat beers tend to be hazier or cloudier than lagers. American Wheat Beers range from 3-6 SRM, while American Light Lagers–straw-colored and pale–come in at 2-3 SRM.
