Beer 101: Lagers, ales, lambics dominate Natty Ice

By: Evan Finkelstein

Posted: 11/21/08

Here's to the official beer review of The Triangle! Each week I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale: The Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels, and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). But enough of this formality crap: let's talk brewski.

This week there is no beer review. But there's no reason to cry or get worried - I've got something in store for you. I felt that after all the reviews I've done so far, it's about time I cater towards those who would like to get a better understanding of beer. Pencils down, and eyes on me - you've just entered Professor Finkelstein's crash class: Beer 101.

Between my thoughts, help from www.beeradvocate.com, and the input of self proclaimed beer geek and my mentor, Kraig Turner, a senior Information Systems major, we've got some good material for you.

Beer is made up of four main components: water, barley, hops, and yeast.

Each ingredient has its own purpose and what differentiates each brew from the next is how the brewer manipulated each one of them.

In basic terms, water creates a base for fermentation and is what makes beer liquid.

Barley is the source of grain, which is used to create sweeter, malt flavors.

Hops are bitter in nature and are used to balance the sweetness that malt produces. Yeast, though flavorful on its own, is the catalyst for fermentation and makes the beer alcoholic. Any and all other additions to the beer are known as adjunct ingredients.

With all of these elements thrown together, mixed around, and aged, beer is created. This art form is claimed to have been dated back for thousands of years and has become a rich tradition that is respected all over the world by many different cultures.

In terms of the types of beers, the two main categories that beers fall under are lagers and ales. Lagers are anaerobic in the fermentation process, meaning they require no oxygen, ferment at the bottom of the fermentation container, and are brewed in cooler temperatures. Opposite to lagers, ales are aerobic, meaning they require oxygen, ferment at the top of the fermentation container, and are brewed in warmer temperatures. A third and rare style of beer, the lambic style, are fermented in large barrels.

Unlike ales and lagers, lambic beers go through spontaneous fermentation.

In other words, these beers ferment via natural fermentation using bacteria and yeasts found in the air.

Generally sour and cider-like, these beers are extremely different from its lager and ale cousins.

As stated in some earlier articles, color has nothing to do with taste or how filling a beer is.

"Color comes from two different things: how much the grain is roasted and how much grain there is inside the beer.

Beer that is dark in color comes from heavily roasted grain.

Those that have a reddish hue have higher amounts of grain added.

Paler colors come from using fewer grains and not heavily roasting them before the brewing process," Turner explained.

In terms of viscosity of beer, thicker beers get their mouth feel from generally containing more sugar, ergo, more grains are utilized.

Obviously, this article is far from being a background on beer.

It's an introduction to get you started.

If you're interested in learning more about beer, I highly suggest you check out www.beeradvocate.com, search the internet, find yourself a knowledgeable beer geek - just as I have - and most importantly, go out there and try beer. Lots of it, but stay clear of the Natty.

You will not be able to understand beer just from reading - you must experience it for yourself. Until next week, enjoy your basic knowledge and go test out what you learned.

Is there a beer that I need to know about? Want Suds-for-Thought to review it? Send your beer suggestions to entertainment@thetriangle.org with "SUDS" in the subject line.