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The basics of beer

I never drank beer at all in high school or college. Living in Utah, I could get away with this sort of teetotling without being branded a geek (at least not for that reason). I didn't realize it at the time, but I would one day be very thankful for my youthful abstinence since I never developed a taste for cheap beer. I love beer now, but I still can't understand how my peers as a younger man could swill down cheap, warm beer. I first started drinking beer while living in Portland, Oregon since I figured that living in the cradle of the microbrew craze I should avail myself of the local bounty. In my opinion, Oregon still produces better beer "pound for pound" than any state in the country.  Another secret that I learned during my time in the Rose City was that beer is a great accompaniment to food. While dining snobs will probably stick to wine, there's not many dishes that aren't enhanced by the right choice of malt beverage. Basically, the deal with pairing beer to food is the same as with wine: don't choose a beer that will overpower the dish. 

Even if you're a longtime beer drinker, it is important to understand the basics of beer.  The philosophical foundation of the brew master's craft is essential knowledge for a truly civilized man.  If you're a youngster who has never tried beer, I would implore you to not give in to peer pressure by drinking cheap brew.  Be a man, learn about the art of brewing, and then cut your teeth on the good stuff. 

What is beer?

By definition, beer is any fermented beverage brewed with a cereal grain.  It is interesting to note that this definition also encompasses the Japanese beverage sake (brewed with rice), which is typically not associated with beer.  Most beers can be categorized as a lager or an ale, which are roughly the equivalent of red and white wine:

Lager:  A lager, roughly analogous to white wine, is generally lighter in color, body and taste.  You'll also hear beer types talk of Pilsner and bock styles, which are included in the lager family. 

Ales:  Darker and more robust, typically with a more complex flavor profile which for the sake of discussion we'll consider as the equivalent of red wine.  Stouts and wheat beers are members of this family.  Ales cover a lot of ground, however, from the almost "lager-like" Rogue Oregon Pale Ale to the high viscosity Guinness Stout.

IMPORTANT:  Drinking lagers is not wimpy!  This is a very important fact that I cannot stress strongly enough.  Some poorly informed and ill bred men think that to be "macho" it is essential to drink a dark, heavy beer.  While I certainly suggest that a well rounded man develop an appreciation for all types of malt beverage, there's nothing wrong with a lager or other light beer (distinguished from "Lite" beer).  One of my biggest gripes about South Carolina's state controlled liquor distribution is that there is a severe under-representation of lighter complected beverages.  As I've said before, I like a good stout or dark ale as much as the next guy, but on a hot, humid summer day I'd much rather have a Hefewizen or something light. 

The ingredients:

Not surprisingly, the ingredients of beer has a great impact on the taste and body of beer.  Here are the basic ingredients: 

Grain:  Beer is usually made from barley, and frequently from wheat.  The grain is soaked, allowed to ferment, and then dried.  At this point, it is referred to as malt--a dark malt is produced by drying the grain quickly at high temperatures, and pale malt is made by gentle roasted of the wet grain. 

Hops:  Are flowers of a twining vine (like kudzu or ivy) which release a bitter oil when boiled.  The longer the hops are in the beer, the more the beverage will take on their characteristics (or the more "hoppy" the beer will become).  Well hopped beers taste distinctly herbal, and not sharply bitter. 

Water:  Basic H20, but the quality of the water impacts greatly the quality of the resulting beverage. 

Yeast:  As any baker will tell you, there's a number of yeast varieties each having their own characteristics.  Without going into great detail here, remember this fact and that the type of yeast used determines if the beer is considered an ale or lager. 

Tasting Talk: 

If you're familiar with tasting cigars or wine, you've got a leg up on tasting beer.  The same basic concepts apply, with a couple of terms unique to beer: 

Maltiness:  Comes from the fermented grain (see above)  Any sugar that isn't converted into alcohol is left behind as a sweet characteristic that is described as "maltiness".  There's also a term called "malty-dry", where the malt expresses more the taste of the grain itself rather than conveying sweetness.  

Body:  This will come easy to cigar smokers-basically; how heavy or light the beer feels in the mouth.  As a rule, full bodied beers have more residual sugar, while lighter beers have less. 

Hoppiness:  The result of how long the hops were boiled in the brewing process, and how prevalent they are in the taste profile of the beer.

Beer and Age: 

The big commercial breweries that make Bud and similar products aren't usually good places to start learning about quality beer, but they did get one thing right.  They've started hyping the "born on" date of their products, which underscores the fact that most beer is better when it's fresh.  There are a few that improve like wine and get better and more complex with age (typically heavy ales, particularly those made with fruit) but more often than not fresher is better.  The first 90 days are the best, but most will be OK for at least a year. 

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