What do the Undead Drink?

By Brandon Schiwal

Walking into a specialty beer store or bar can be shocking at times, even for the living. Confronted with variables from every possible direction, how can anyone be certain they are making the right decision? This can make even a seasoned beer drinker want to scream. There are a lot of choices, and not knowing what to look for can lead to a drastic misunderstanding of the beer world.

With the availability of such a wide variety of choices, there are a few simple things you can learn to help choose a better beer as well as help to have a better idea of what you are getting.

Ale or Lager?
Rule number one: Ale and Lager actually mean something. It’s not just a word the brewers use to make the beer sound cool. It actually refers to the type of yeast used in production. Understanding the way the yeasts work will also help you determine a lot about the beer as well.

Ale yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ferments at the top of the fermentation vessel and is active at higher temperatures. Ale yeast can finish fermenting a batch of beer in as little as just a few days. Because of these factors, ales tend to have a lot more flavor. This active yeast, creates esters in the beer which add distinctive flavors of spice, banana, clove, coriander, and bread to name a few.

Lager yeast (Saccharomyces pastorianus) works in almost the exact opposite way as ale yeast. Lager ferments at colder temperatures at the bottom of the barrel, and can take months to completely finish fermenting. Lagers tend to have a more muted flavor than ales. The less active yeast results in a cleaner, less obtrusive taste that could be considered both refreshing and boring at times.

For a good reference on the difference between ale and lager compare Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber Lager with New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale. If you want to know how yeast can flavor a beer, try a real Belgian beer.

It is worth mentioning that while “Ale” and “Lager” describe most beers on the market today, they are not the only types of yeast used. However, as they make up the vast majority of beers on the American beer market, anything else is another article all together.

Triple-Noble-Dry-Northwestern-Hoppy-Head-What?

Everyone has heard the clever marketing phrase “triple hops brewed” on at least one television commercial. The fact is almost every beer sold is triple hops brewed. If brewers don’t use three different types of hops they use one type in at least three different ways. Just exactly what are hops and what do they mean for the beer we drink? Hops are the cones of the Humulus lupulus plant species and contain lupulin, an acid that acts not only as a preservative, but also as a notable flavoring agent in beer.

In brewing, hops can add both flavor and smell depending on when they are added and how long they are boiled. To save from giving a science lesson, I will just say-the longer you boil hops, the bitterer they become. The less you boil hops, the more floral they smell. Because of this brewers tend to use hops in three different increments to add bitterness, flavor, and a citrus floral aroma. Some beers go through dry hoping as well, a process in which hops are added after fermentation and allowed to steep for days. Since no boiling is involved, a profound aroma is added without extra bitterness. Don’t be fooled though, most American beers that go through dry hopping also have highly acidic hops added at the beginning of the boil to balance out the hop profile.

The most important thing to learn when choosing a beer is that Americans, specifically Pacific Northwesterners, love hops in all forms. If it says “Northwestern Hops” or “American Hop” chances are it will be a little more bitter and floral. India Pale Ale is another notoriously hoppy beer as the style was developed to withstand the long boat ride to India from Europe. That being said, Extra Special Bitter and Bitter are actually less bitter than an American Pale Ale or IPA.
If you are not sure what hops taste like, or would like my recommendation, my personal favorite highly hopped beer is Bells Two Hearted Ale.

Dark or Pale

The last determining factor in beer is the color. Beer gets its color from the grain that is used in production. Like coffee, malted barley is roasted to different levels that affect the beer in different ways. It should go without saying that the darker the grain the darker the beer. It is also important to know that roasted malts affect the flavor and body of beer to the largest extent. It can add sweetness, roast, chocolate, sour, and bitter flavors. Taking this into consideration, a pale beer will have less flavor overall than a dark beer.

“Imperial” is one word relating to malt that literally describes it as being “big.” Imperials use more malt than their underlying styles. This extra malt produces more alcohol, which means more hops need to be present to balance everything out. A great example would be Rogue’s Morimoto Imperial Pilsner compared to any pilsner style.

Amber, Red, and Brown ales all tend to be more balanced than other beers both in malt and hop flavor. Whenever I get asked for a beer recommendation from someone who is starting out on his or her beer adventure, I always recommend an Amber Lager. Ambers are smoother and more balanced than any other style on the market.

This is obviously not going to help you every time, I would be a fool to think I could write a brief article and teach the nuance of beer styles. For interested zombies, there are plenty of intriguing books that delve into this topic with greater detail. All this being said, how do you really know if you will like the beer in front of you unless you try it?

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