This Brew’s For You
Beer is Not Just for Boys
October 9, 2008
By Monyka Berrocosa
Photography by Natalia Bratslavsky
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Hey, I love wine — we’ve established that. Chances are if you’re reading this column, you like — or love — wine, too. But can we talk? How do you feel about beer?
Yes, you heard me. How do you feel about the bubbly stuff? No, I don’t mean Champagne — I mean beer, as in “This Bud’s for You,” “meal in a glass” and so on.
For some reason, beer has been unfairly (narrow-mindedly if you ask me) branded a boy’s drink, and it’s assumed that women have little or no interest in the stuff. Well, I can vouch that that’s not true. In April, I was a featured speaker at the amazing Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival. Held every year at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, the event is the brainchild of Greg Nivens, food and fine drink event impresario extraordinaire.
Nivens knows his beer and he knows his market. “We’ve seen good growth in women’s interest in beer over the past couple of years,” he says. With the creation of new flavors have come new converts, many of them women.
“As with many things, women just get it!” Nivens continues. “Women will try something new and explore and then actually purchase the product.” Increasingly, women make up a good part of the crowd at beer festivals, he says. “Our women attendees are increasing with every show. They just don’t want the same old suds.”
If you’re not sure you know enough to explore the varieties of beer, here is a primer to get you started.
WHAT IS BEER?
Wikipedia.org has one of the clearest and most succinct descriptions, noting that beer is “the world’s oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage” and it is produced “by the fermentation of sugars derived from starch-based material — the most common being malted barley; however, wheat, corn and rice are also widely used, usually in conjunction with barley.”
The starch, whatever it is, is first steeped in water. Enzymes in the grain break down the starch molecules, producing a sugary liquid known as wort, which is then flavored with hops — flowers of the hops plant. Other ingredients such as herbs or fruit may be added. Yeast is then used to cause fermentation, which produces alcohol. The process of beer production is called brewing.
THE MOST COMMON AND POPULAR TYPES OF BEER
Ales: Ale is made from fermenting malt and hops. Hops are what give beer its complexity. The more bitter a beer or ale the more “hoppy” it is. Ales are usually stronger than lagers.
Common types of ales include pale ale, stout and porter, Black and Tan (a blend of pale ale and a dark beer such as stout), red ale, amber ale, biere de garde (“keeping beer”), witbeir (Belgian white beer), oatmeal stout (originally for lactating mothers!) and gueuze (another Belgian variety).
Popular brands include Bass Ale, Guinness Stout and Clipper City Oxford Organic Ales (the last is microbrewed in Maryland).
Lagers: Lager is brewed with bottom-fermenting yeasts and usually at colder temperatures. (Lagers are usually best enjoyed cold.) Lagers tend to be paler, drier and less alcoholic and complex than ales.
Examples of lager include American lager, Bock, Doppelbock, Czech Pilsner, American red lager, Japanese rice beers, “light” beers, and Maerzen and Oktoberfest styles.
Some popular brands of lager are Heineken Light, Sapporo, Sam Adams Winter Lager, Victory Festbier and Killian’s Irish Red.
TASTING BEER
How do you taste beer? It’s pretty similar to tasting wine.
The technical steps to tasting beer can be summed up by the word “lass” – Look, Agitate, Smell, Sip.
Look: To describe color, head (the white collar that forms on top after pouring — yes, this is a good thing) and consistency.
Agitate: Similar to swirling wine, agitating serves to release the aromas, loosen and test carbonation, and test foam retention.
Smell: You actually taste with your nose — you smell to pick up aroma, bouquet and overall olfactory impression.
Sip: Take a sip, let it swirl around your mouth — and don’t swallow right away. Let it slosh around so it touches all of your taste buds. You’re looking to identify salty, sweet, sour or bitter flavors and to note them for overall balance and taste.
For a wide selection of beer — as well as expert advice — visit Wells Discount Liquors at 6310 York Road in Baltimore. (410-435-2700.) Store hours are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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