LET'S TALK ABOUT BEER, B*TCH - THURSTQUEEN DIVES DEEP INTO THE WILD, WACKY & WONDERFUL WORLD OF ALES
OMG, welcome to Beer Month, Thurstqueen! That’s right, for the entire month of March 2023, this blog will be devoted entirely to BEER. Fuck yeah.
When I worked as a Distributor, I noticed that a lot of the smartest people in the industry worked in beer. Making beer is a highly technical and complicated process, with a TON of information. So let’s touch briefly on the basics and get started.
But, like, how is beer made, tho?
I’m pretty sure most of you know this, but beer is a fermented beverage made from starches that come from, well, grains. A variety of different grains can be used like wheat, malted barley, corn, and rice.
The first step of brewing involves getting your grains together and milling them. After the kernels are cracked open from the milling process, they are moved to a mash tun and hot water is added. This hot water essentially turns it into oatmeal, but they call it mash in the biz. The mash has plenty of simple sugars, which will later be eaten by the yeasts and turned into alcohol.
What happens next is a sugary liquid called wort is drained off from the mash, and separated into a brew kettle where hops are added. After the water finishes boiling, it is moved over to a device called a heat exchanger or a cool ship to very quickly cool down the boiling liquid.
The beer is then moved over to a fermenter, where yeast - and more hops depending on the brew - are added. The yeast eats the sugars in the wort, and if you’ve read my post on how wine is made, converts the sugars into alcohol and excretes them. After all the sugars are eaten, the yeast starves then dies tragically in its own shit. Very sad indeed.
Some beers get filtered through a centrifuge after fermentation for clarity, and then the beautiful beer gets packaged in cans, bottles or kegs. If you think this sounds like a complicated process, you would be 100% correct.
Brewers have to think about everything, from the yeasts, to even the structure of the WATER they use. Yes, I’m not kidding. I remember a brewery I worked with that had to figure out a way to replicate the structure of the water in Munich for their Marzen and replicate the structure of the water in the Thames for their English-style IPA. Talk about dedication, sheesh.
With all the types of beers out there, that’s a lot of different yeasts, types of water, hops, and whatnot to take into consideration in terms of brewing beer. Before we get too in the weeds about the different types of beers out there, let’s just keep things simple and discuss the two main types of beer: ales and lagers.
Ales & Lagers — the two types of beers.
There are two main umbrella categories when it comes to beers: ales and lagers. Any and all styles: Saisons, IPAs, Belgian Golden Strongs, Doppelbocks, Sours - you name it - fall within these two types.
Today, we’re going to chat about Ales and go into the process behind making them. We will also chat about the most popular styles of Ales you’ll run into in the wild, and what kind of foods to pair with them.
What is an Ale?
An Ale is a type of beer that uses yeast that gathers towards the top of the fermentation tank during the brewing process. These yeasts prefer warmer temperatures - usually anywhere between 60 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit - during the fermentation process.
Of the two styles, Ales are older than Lagers. And Ales were the original beers that were brewed around 4,000 BCE.
Ales tend to have these characteristics:
Ales are fruitier.
Ales are weightier, and have more body.
Ales tend to be more bitter and have higher IBUs (bitterness units)
There are plenty of types of ales, and in the next few weeks we’ll discuss Sours, and Stouts and Porters. But for the sake of time, let’s just chat about the lighter ales for now.
What are the three most popular types of light ales?
THE PALE ALE
Pale Ale is a hoppy style of ale, done in a light and easy-drinking style. In terms of alcohol percentage, they typically fall from around 4-6% making them the ultimate day drinking companion. Pale Ales are aromatic from the hops, and are made with pale malt and ale yeast. These light, crisp beers are pretty versatile, and go with just about everything, ranging from classics like pizza to something a bit spicier - like Thai or Indian food.
INDIA PALE ALE - IPA
The India Pale Ale - or the IPA - has all but taken over the craft beer world. IPAs come in a variety of styles, but across the board they are known for their bitter, hoppy qualities and medium to high alcohol component. IPAs were invented in Britain, when English sailors - who were sailing over to India - loaded up their brews with hops to preserve their beers as they journeyed across the sea. Nowadays, some IPAs (lookin’ at you, West Coast IPA) are aggressively hopped and have loads of bitter, vegetal flavors. You’ll run into a variety of IPAs in the wild — East Coast IPAs, West Coast IPAs, Hazy IPAs, and even the dreaded Milkshake IPA. These beers are bigger bois, and have a lot of herbaceous notes from the higher percentages of hops, so consider firing up the grill and pairing them with a juicy steak.
WHEAT BEER
Wheat Beers are perfect for day drinking, Summer sipping, and any and all brunches. These refreshing beers are typically brewed with higher percentages of wheat instead of malted barley. Because of their lower alcohol content, which clocks in at around 2.5 to 5% and their lemony, yeasty flavors, Wheat Beers are popular all around the world. German Hefeweizens, Belgian Witbiers, Berliner Weisses all fall in the category of Wheat Beers. As far as beers go, Wheat Beers are some of the most food friendly around. These easy going brews can be paired with soups, salads, and lighter faire. If you’re feeling adventurous, consider pairing your next bottle of Wheat Beer with a rich sweet dessert like bread pudding.
PICK OF THE WEEK: ALLAGASH WHITE $13.99 @ Vons
I have a lot of personal attachment to Allagash. This beer was definitely one of the brews that helped me pay for my apartment back when I was working in the business as a Distributor. Not only that, but the people who work at Allagash are quite possibly the kindest, most genuine people. As a brewery Allagash still has that “craft” vibe despite the fact they’ve grown significantly throughout the years. Basically, Allagash keeps shit real.
The Allagash white is their flagship beer, and it’s a Belgian Witbier. This extremely versatile white ale is crisp and refreshing with loads of yeasty citrusy vibes. And honestly? I struggle to find a pairing that Allagash doesn’t go with.
The Allagash White can play dress up and pair with beautifully oysters, or it can keep it simple and go with a burger and fries. I think this beer’s biggest strength is its versatility and that “food friendly” factor. Basically, it goes with everything and is a refreshingly complicated crowd pleaser that impresses anyone — from craft beer geeks, to normies.
So that concludes Week One of Beer Month! Stay tuned for next week where we chat all things Lagers.