Beer Glossary, brew terminology, IPA, Lager, Pilsner, Ales, Porters Abbey Beers: A variety of strong ales, similar to the Trappist beers, but not made in monasteries although, in some cases, they have been at one time. The term "Abbey ale" refers more to a relationship with a monastery than it does with a specific beer style. The following sub-categories are just as hard to define clearly. There are considerable conflicting viewpoints about what makes a tripel a tripel and so forth. It should be noted that due to the great variety in abbey ales, some of them would not fall into any of the four sub-categories listed below. That said, here's our take on the usual suspects: Single- Also often referred to as a blonde, singles tend to be the lightest in alcohol. They are usually under 6.5% ABV. Often golden, bottle conditioned, and just a bit dry. Dubbel-Both dubbels and quadruppels tend to be darker in color, but vary in strength and flavor profile. Dubbels are largely malt forward, with roasty qualities. They typically range from 6.5% to 8% ABV.

Tripel- Probably the most pervasive style of these four sub-categories, tripels are lighter in color, yet higher in strength, usually over 8% ABV. It has been written that tripels use three times the normal amount of malt, dubbels twice as much, etc. True or not, tripels are fine examples of a light color/high strength beer style. Tripels can be very dry to very sweet, showing more range within their category than the other sub-styles. Quadrupel- As one might guess, quads are the darkest and the strongest, with an emphasis on the malt. They tend to be a little harder to find. Belgian Browns: This classic style from Flanders Belgium combines malty sweetness with a sourness gained from several months of maturation (usually in metal tanks). The most complex examples have a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Oudenaarde is the most famous producing town, located in East Flanders. Oudenaarde's water is low in calcium and high in sodium carbonate, which gives a particularly textured character to the beers. Typical examples of Belgian browns come in three ages and strengths.

Golden/Blonde: Often aromatic and fruity-tasting, some of these are at a conventional alcohol content of 4%-5% ABV. Others are stronger. The most famous are the very strong ones like the deceptively drinkable Duvel, at 8.5% ABV. The name is Flemish for Devil. This beer has many competitors, usually with equally Devilish names. Lambics: Lambics represent the oldest style of beer (and beer making) found in the modern world. Specific to the Brussels area, this style resembles wine and champagne more than any other beer in the world. The name is most likely derived from the small town of Lembeek ("Lime Creek"), southwest of Brussels in the Zenne River valley. This is the heart of the Lambic region. A handful of breweries around Lembeek practice brewing methods which pre-date the culturing of yeasts. They gain their tartness from a content of at least 30% raw wheat in addition to malted barley, but their defining characteristic is the use of wild yeast, or "spontaneous" fermentation.

Wild airborne yeasts, indigenous to the region, descend upon open brewing vessels in attics of farmhouse breweries, where nature takes its course. It is not uncommon for Lambics to have a fermentation period of two or three years, and much of that time in wooden casks. Most of these beers have a conventional alcohol content, in the range of 3%-6% ABV. Fruit Lambic- They are beers, and not wines, because the original fermentation is grain based (the definition for beer). The fruit comes later, and is an excellent compliment to acidity of the lambic beer style. In the traditional method, the fruit is added during the maturation of the beer, causing a further fermentation. The best of Belgian fruit beers have the dryness of pink Champagne, rather than the sweetness of a soda-pop. Gueuze- A champagne style lambic. The carbonation is achieved by blending young Lambic (typically six months old) with more mature vintages (two to three years). The residual sugars in the young Lambic and the yeasts that have developed in the old cause a new fermentation. The most traditional examples will usually have the endorsement label of the organization De Objectieve Bierproevers.

References to "old" (oud, vieux, vieille) on the label indicate a minimum of six months and a genuine Lambic process. Without these legends, a Lambic may have been "diluted" with a more conventional beer. Straight Lambic- Straight Lambic is very rare (and hard to find). Typically, it is tapped directly from the cask in which it was fermented. With almost no carbonation, unsweetened and unblended, straight lambic can seem less like a beer and more like fine sherry. Red Beers: Mainly from West Flanders, they are the more sharply acidic, reddish, half-brothers to the Brown Beers of East Flanders, with the additional difference that they are often filtered and pasteurized. The sharp acidity and some of the color is derived from aging in large wooden tuns. Saisons: Seasonal beers for the summer, but available all year round. It was once a poor-man's blend of several beers, designed to be a thirst-quencher for local farm workers.

At 5% - 7% ABV, Saisons are regarded as "light" summer specialties (yeah well, compared to the typical strengths of Belgian beers...). They are usually amber to orange in color, and often quite dry, with a citric, peppery, quenching quality. This can be attributed to hard water, heavy hopping, spicing, or deliberate souring. Saisons are largely local to the French-speaking part of the country, especially the western part of the province of Hainaut. Many small breweries in the French-speaking part of Belgium make similar beers, not necessarily identified as Saisons. The style does not exist in the Flemish speaking part of the country. Trappist Beers: (also Dutch) This term is properly applied only to a brewery in a monastery of the Trappists, one of the most severe orders of monks. This order was established at La Trappe, in Normandy. There are seven Trappist breweries, six in Belgium and one just across the Dutch border. Trappists who left France after the turbulence of the Napoleonic period established all of them.

The Trappists have the only monastic breweries in Belgium, all making strong ales with a re-fermentation in the bottle. Some gain a distinctly rummy character from the use of candy-sugar in the brew-kettle. They do not represent a style, but they are very much a family of beers. Beliner Weisse: The lightest of all the German style wheat beers. This highly carbonated, low alcohol (3%-3.5% ABV), low hopped beer is most famous for its tartness, due to the combination of a yeast and lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Fruity esters are evident as well. Dunkel-weizens: "Dunkel" means dark. "Weizen" means wheat. In addition to clove and banana-like esters, these wheat beers are also famous for raison and caramel flavors. More common in southern Germany, this style of wheat beer is highly carbonated with low hop character and brewed using at least 50% malted wheat. They're usually unfiltered, and if so would include the prefix "Hefe" on the label. They tend to be of medium strength, but can be as high as 8% ABV.

Hefe-weizen: "Hefe" means "unfiltered" or "with yeast". Clove and banana-like esters produced by particular strains of brewing yeast are signatures of this style. German style wheat beers are highly carbonated, have low hop character and are brewed using at least 50% malted wheat. Sometimes they are called "Weissbiers", or white beer. This is a reference to the light color of the beer and head. India Pale Ale (IPA): England: The stars of the hop world. As with a number of brewing styles, IPA was born out of necessity. When the British were colonizing India, the beers they sent down to their troops kept spoiling during the long sea voyage. With an extra healthy dose of hops and alcohol (40-65 IBU and 5% -7.5% ABV respectively), both having great preservative value, their problems were solved, and the world had another distinctive beer style. Today, American craft brewers do more than emulate the style. They continue to push the envelope with strength and bitterness. Curiously, it's much harder to find a true IPA from England these days, with a few notable exceptions, which we will feature.

Pale Ales: Traditionally golden to copper in color, pale ales have low to medium maltiness, with English hop varieties providing flavor and bitterness. Pale ales are not really "pale". The term was originally used to distinguish these ales from porters and stouts. They tend to have a bit more assertive flavors than most beers in the "Bitters" category. Porters: Porters were the first beer style in the world to achieve national distribution, due to the industrial revolution. The style can be dated to the early 1700's. It has been argued that porter takes its name from the train porters who used to sell their beer throughout the early British rail system. Another notion is that porter was first produced on a commercial scale in London on the River Thames, where it was sent out on ships bound for other port towns. The darkness of the beer covered up cloudiness and the roasty full flavor helped mask flavor defects. These were helpful beer style characteristics during a period when problems with consistency in brewing were commonplace. Today, porters range from 4% -6.5% ABV, and 20-40 IBU.

Imperial Stouts: Typical alcohol contents exceed 8% ABV, with an extremely rich malty flavor balanced by assertive hopping, and a fruity-ester character. Originally brewed as a winter warmer, for sale in the Tsarist Russian Empire. It is medium dry and distinguished by its great strength. Winter Warmers: Countries vary: Generally amber to brown in color and are brewed with ale or lager yeast. They are brewed seasonally as a way for the brewerS to express their appreciation and love of beer. Winter warmers often exhibit strong and complex maltiness along with low to assertive hop characters. Spices and other special ingredients are often added to increase complexity. They are typically rather potent. Bock: Bockbiers are strong beers that can be traced to the town of Einbeck Germany, circa 1250. They were originally spontaneously top-fermented dark beers primarily made of wheat. Einbeck is also one of the areas responsible for the propagation of lager yeasts that have become commonplace in the modern world. They usually have more than 6.25% ABV, and may be golden, tawny or dark brown. Outside Germany, strengths vary, and a bock is usually dark.

Helles bock/ Maibock- Lighter in color ("helles" means light in German), with an average strength of 6% -7.5%. Hop bitterness is low, yet noble hop aroma may be at medium levels. (20-35 IBU). Traditional Bockl-Similar to helles bock, yet a couple shades darker in color, and with an even lower level of bitterness (no higher than 30 IBU). Their alcohol content is the same. Ur-Marzen or Oktoberfest: Germany: A style derived from "Sommerbiere" (Summer beer). Ur-Marzen, meaning "original of March", are beers that were brewed in March, and made stronger to remain preserved over the summer months, prior to the help of modern refrigeration. A son of the owner of the Spaten Brewery earned of this brewing style while serving as an apprentice in Vienna around 1870. The next year, it was served for the first time at the Oktoberfest in Munich and, due to its popularity, became the official beer style from that point on.

Ur-Marzens are full-bodied lagers that are amber in color and usually weigh in at around 6% ABV, with bitterness at about 18-25 IBU. Beer Types and Styles | The Beer Store Ownership Beer Types and Styles So, you want to know more about beer... Well, pour yourself a cold one and get comfortable because there's a whole lot of great stuff to learn about your favourite beverage. Beer Types Ales Brewed with top fermenting yeast at cellar temperature, ales are fuller-bodied, with nuances of fruit or spice and a pleasantly hoppy finish. Generally robust and complex with a variety of fruit and malt aromas, ales come in many varieties. They could include Bitters, Milds, Abbey Ales, Pale Ales, Nut Browns, etc. Ales are often darker than lagers, ranging from rich gold to reddish amber. Top fermenting, and more hops in the wort gives these beers a distinctive fruitfulness, acidity and pleasantly bitter seasoning. Ales have a more assertive, individual personality than lager, though their alcoholic strength is the same. Ales are 30% of all beer sold in Canada.

Our Ales Lagers Lager originates from the German word lagern which means 'to store' – it refers to the method of storing it for several months in near-freezing temperatures. Crisp and refreshing with a smooth finish from longer aging, lagers are the world's most popular beer (this includes pilseners). A lager, which can range from sweet to bitter and pale to black, is usually used to describe bottom-fermented brews of Dutch, German, and Czech styles. Most, however, are a pale to medium colour, have high carbonation, and a medium to high hop flavour. Lagers are 56% of all beer sold in Canada. Stouts & Porters There’s very little distinction between a Porter and a Stout, but they do have their differences. Porter is a dark, almost black, fruity-dry, top fermenting style. An ale, porter is brewed with a combination of roasted malt to impart flavour, colour and aroma. Stout is also a black, roast brew made by top fermentation. Stout, not as sweet to the taste, features a rich, creamy head and is flavoured and coloured by barley.

Stouts often use a portion of unmalted roasted barley to develop a dark, slightly astringent, coffee-like character. Our Stouts & Porters Malts Generally dark and sweeter in flavour, malts contain hints of caramel, toffee, and nuts. They can be light to full bodied. Our Malts Beer Styles In addition to type, a beer's character can be described by its style. Listed below are some of the many different styles of beer carried at the Beer Store. Amber A very versatile beer, Amber beers are full bodied malt aromas with hints of caramel, these beers could be either lager or ale. Our Amber Beers Blonde Blonde ales are very pale in colour and tend to be clear, crisp, and dry, with low-to-medium bitterness and aroma from hops and some sweetness from malt. Our Blonde Beers Brown Dark amber or brown in colour, brown ale have evidence of caramel and chocolate flavours and may have a slight citrus accent or be strong, malty or nutty, depending on the area of brewing. Our Cream Beers Dark Dark ale is a British type beer, combining hops, yeast and a blend of malts.

It's a medium chestnut brown colour, with a delicate fruity smell and robust, malty character. Our Dark Beers Fruit Most fruit beers are ales however, they typically do not carry an ale character. In order to allow for the fruit flavor to come through nicely, the malt’s flavor is not dominant and there is a low bitterness level to the beer. Our Fruit Beers Golden First developed in the UK, Golden ales are straw coloured with a slight hint of citrus and vanilla. The beer can sometimes contain spicier flavours. Our Golden Beers Honey A full-bodied beer with a creamy texture and copper colour. Honey beers are slightly sweet with hints of caramel. Our Honey Beers India Pale Ale A hoppier version of pale ale. Originally brewed in England with extra hops to survive the journey to British troops stationed in India. Light Extremely light in colour and mild in flavour. Light beer has fewer calories and/or lower alcohol content. Our Light Beers Lime Typically light in flavour with a refreshing lime taste. The intensity of the lime can differ from very subtle to strong. Our Lime Beers Pale Pale ale has a fruity, copper-coloured styler. It originiated from England.

Pale ales are robust beers that can be enjoyed with strongly spiced foods. Our Pale Ales Pilsner Made with neutral and hard water. Tend to be golden in colour with a dry, crisp, and somewhat bitter flavour. Pilsner stands out from other lagers due to its more distinctive hop taste. Our Pilsners Red Red ales can either be red or light brown in colour. They are moderate to heavy in flavour and contain hints of caramel that is offset by the predominant hop characteristic of the beer. Our Red Beers Strong This is a broad grouping that can describe any beer over 7% ABV. Strong beers are typically dark in colour, some are almost black. Different styles can include old ales, double IPAs, and barleywines. Our Strong Beers Wheat Light and easy to drink with very little aftertaste. Wheat provides a soft character to beer and is sometimes hazy or cloudy with a touch of spice notes. Beer Styles | The Local Brew House Contact us Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London.

It is generally brewed with dark malts. The name “stout” for a dark beer is believed to have come about because a strong porter may be called “Extra Porter” or “Double Porter” or “Stout Porter”. The term “Stout Porter” would later be shortened to just “Stout”. For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called “Extra Superior Porter” and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840. Bock is the term for a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles are based on bock, including maibock or helles bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and removing the water ice that forms. Originally a dark beer, a modern bock can range from light copper to brown in color. The style is very popular, with many examples brewed internationally. Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager.

It takes its name from the city of Pilsen (Plzeň), Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, where it was developed in the 19th century and where the original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced today. Lager (German: storage) is a type of beer that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager. Pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world. There are also dark lagers, such as Dunkel and Schwarzbier. Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers’ yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which help preserve the beer and impart a bitter herbal flavour that balances the sweetness of the malt. Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery.

There are a number of variations including Baltic porter, dry stout, and imperial stout. The name porter was first used in 1721 to describe a dark beer popular with street and river porters of London that had been made with roasted malts. This same beer later also became known as stout, though the word stout had been used as early as 1677. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented (as required by law in Germany). The flavor of wheat beers varies considerably, depending upon the specific style. Ginger beer is a carbonated drink that is flavored primarily with ginger and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Most ginger beer produced commercially is a manufactured soft drink. The original version, rarely produced commercially since the mid-20th century but often home brewed, is a brewed alcoholic beverage. Cider is a fermented beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% ABV to 8.5% ABV. Cider varies in flavours from pear to strawberry and even mango.

PILSNER BEER BRANDS | PILSNER BEER BRANDS PILSNER BEER BRANDS Pilsner Beer Brands pilsner beer Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from being developed in the 19th century in the city of Pilsen, Bohemia (Plzeň in the Czech Republic), where the original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced today. brands (brand) trade name: a name given to a product or service A type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name (brand) burn with a branding iron to indicate ownership; of animals A particular type or kind of something (brand) a recognizable kind; “there’s a new brand of hero in the movies now”; “what make of car is that?” pilsner beer brands – MISTER BEER MISTER BEER PILSNER ALE (One 2L Bottle of Mr Beer) Brand: Mister Beer Fresh Premium Beer Micro Brewery in a Bottle. Just add the yeast capsule and 2 weeks later you have beer!. The world’s easiest beer making kit Just add the yeast capsule and 2 weeks later you have beer!

Mister Beer Bottle Brew is craft-brewed using only the finest Canadian Barley Malt, with no additives or preservatives used in our brewing process. Stefan Riedelsheimer, our German born brew-master, studied his trade in Munich, Germany, before moving to Canada in the 1990’s. His passion and dedication to great beer is reflected in the quality and flavour of our products. The traditional German Hefe-Weizen style of beer, which is partially fermented and aged in bottles, is where the initial idea of BottleBrew was born. Unlike commercial breweries, fermentation is completed under pressure in the bottle, similar to Champagne. The result is a fresher, smoother tasting, unfiltered beer with a natural fine carbonation, similar to Champagne. -MAKES 4% OR 5% ALC. VOL -ALL NATURAL -READY IN ONLY 10 DAYS -2.0L BOTTLE SAME AS A SIX PACK What makes Mister Beer Bottle Brew different than most home-brew kits? Most home-brew kits are based on a dehydrated malt or liquid concentrated malt. You then add water, boil, ferment, sterilize bottles, etc.

It seems like a lot of work with marginal results. Any real brewer or beer lover equates this to an orange juice made from crystals like Tang or a concentrated orange juice, versus freshly squeezed orange juice. The end result can’t possibly be very good. Mister Beer Bottle Brew is craft-brewed, the same way all premium beers are made. Then, instead of fermenting it, we bottle it. After you buy it, you simply add our specially selected brewer’s yeast which triggers the fermentation in your home, right in the bottle. Berliner Pilsner I had not heard of Berliner Pilsner beer before my 2004 trip to Berlin. It was the main beer served at Gasthaus Krombach on Meinekestrasse, and was well advertised. I ate at Gasthaus Krombach four of my five nights in Berlin, with the same outdoor table and the same waitress from the Czech Republic. Berliner Pilsner was apparently a leading beer in the former East Germany. Schultheiss revived the brand after German reunification, with a logo of the bear which is the symbol of Berlin and the new Reichstag dome.

Slovakian Beer Review I picked up these beers in the local supermarket for review. Okay, so technically they are not all of Slovakian origin – but they sell them here and i’ve not seen them available back in the UK (yet). Beer Styles | BeerAdvocate BeerAdvocate Beers Beer Styles What's a beer style? Simply put, a beer style is a label given to a beer that describes its overall character and often times its origin. It's a name badge that has been achieved over many centuries of brewing, trial and error, marketing, and consumer acceptance. Our styles reflect our spin on the constantly evolving world of beer, with non-geek descriptions broken down for all to understand. Click on any of the styles below to find out more about them, including our recommendations for Food Pairings, Glassware, and Cellaring/Serving Temperatures. Note: This is not the bible for beer styles, but should be viewed as a work-in-progress and a fun reference that's open to change and interpretation. Ale Styles Hybrid styles are in the process of being sorted and moved into proper categories. Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now.

Yes, my password is: Stay logged in What's an Ale? This category of beer uses yeast that ferments at the "top" of the fermentation vessel, and typically at higher temperatures than lager yeast (60°-75°F), which, as a result, makes for a quicker fermentation period (7-8 days, or even less). Ale yeast are known to produce by-products called esters, which are "flowery" and "fruity" aromas ranging, but not limited to apple, pear, pineapple, grass, hay, plum, and prune. What's a Lager? The word lager comes from the German word lagern which means, "to store". A perfect description as lagers are brewed with bottom fermenting yeast that work slowly at around 34 degrees F, and are often further stored at cool temperature to mature. Lager yeast produce fewer by-product characters than ale yeast which allows for other flavors to pull through, such as hops. BeerAdvocate German Beer Styles Brewing in Style Germans are very conscious of distinct beer styles. When they order a beer, they rarely ask for it by its brand name.

Rather they order beer by its style designation, asking for a Pils, an Alt, a Kï¿½lsch, a Weissbier, a Helles or a Dunkel, for instance. Depending on your definition of beer style, there are arguably between two and four or five dozen styles in Germany. Some people consider Bockbier, for instance, a broad style that comprises many subcategories, such as the stronger Doppelbock and the even stronger Eisbock, while others count each of these brews as a separate style. The same goes for Altbier and its stronger version, the Sticke Alt, for instance. Likewise, the large family of yeast-turbid German wheat ales, called Weissbiers or Hefeweizens, has a clear, filtered member, called Kristallweizen, as well as a strong member, called, Weizenbock, which many consider separate styles. Except perhaps for the ubiquitous Pils, which holds a roughly 60% market share throughout Germany, most styles have a stronger following in their regions of origin but are much less known, though usually available, elsewhere.

The unfiltered, low-carbonation, malty Kellerbier, for instance, is a specialty of Franconia in northern Bavaria, but it can be hard to find along the Atlantic and Baltic coastlines. Likewise, the blond Kölsch, which is by far the most popular beer in and around Cologne as well as the copper-colored Altbier, which holds the same rank in and around Düsseldorf, would be hard to find in, say, southern Bavaria. Conversely, Weissbier, which is the most popular beer style in Bavaria, with more than a one-third market share there, holds only about a 10% market in the rest of Germany. German Beer Regions German beer making has taken different paths in different parts of the country. Broadly speaking, beers become maltier as you travel from north to south and hoppier as you travel in the reverse direction. In addition, some styles have more than one, often regional, name. A Kellerbier, for instance, may also be called Zwickelbier, Krï¿½usenbier or Zoigl; a Dortmunder may be called Export; a Maibock, Helles Bock.

Among all the German regions, the southern-most state, Bavaria, clearly has spawned the greatest variety of beer styles. They vary in shades of color and strength. There are very blond and almost black lagers as well as clear and yeast-turbid, pale and brown wheat ales. Some brews, like the Helles, are quaffing, or easy-drinking, beers, while others, like the Eisbock, are sipping beers. Neighboring Bohemia to the east of Bavaria (once part of the German-speaking Autro-Hungarian Empire and now part of the Czech Republic) has produced, under Bavarian influence, the world's most popular style, the Pilsner, which is the mother of all modern lagers, including the popular German Pils, the Dortmunder Export, and the Bavarian Helles. Rhineland and Westphalia, which together now form the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, probably rank second in contributions to the German beer landscape.

The Rhineland, with its Alt and Kölsch ales, has become the custodian of the ancient German ale tradition, while Westphalia has enriched the world with its peculiar interpretation of the blond lager, the Dortmunder Export. The northern regions, until the late Middle Ages hot-beds of ale brewing, have given us the dry, assertively hoppy Pils, the original Bock from Einbeck (which was an ale in the Middle Ages), and a light, acidic wheat beer called Berliner Weisse. Understanding German Beer Labels German breweries often use prefixes or adjectives in conjunction with their style names to highlight a particular characteristic of their beer. For instance, ungespundet means a low-effervescence beer that was fermented to the finish in an unpressurized fermenter. The carbon dioxide in the solution, therefore, is minimal and the beer tastes only gently pétillant and very smooth. The word hell or helles means "light," but, unlike in North America, this designation refers to color only, not to the beer's calories or alcoholic strength.

A light beer in the North American sense would be called leicht or, more commonly, by the English term "light." If a beer features the prefix ur or urtyp, which mean "original" or "original type," the brewery tries to emphasize the authenticity of its beverage. A spezial is just what you suspect it is: A beer that the brewery made as a seasonal special or one it considers especially good. If a brewery designates its brew as edel, which means "noble," it points to the lofty rank of its hops, because the best hop varieties in Germany are called Edelhopfen noble hops). German breweries pay taxes by the "heaviness" of their sweet wort (which is the run-off from the malted grain in the mash tun, i.e., unfermented beer). Wort heaviness is measured as the percentage of non-water substancesmostly fermentable malt sugarsdissolved in the wort. Most German beers contain around 88% water and 12% extract. As a rough rule, depending on the fermentation method used, one extract point contributes about 0.3 to 0.4% alcohol by volume to the finished beer.

The higher the extract level of the unfermented beer, the more tax the government collects on the brew, regardless of the final alcohol content of the beer that results. Thus, in additon to belonging to style categories, German beers also belong to one of four official tax categories, which are sometimes noted on the label: By law, a Vollbier (literally "full" or "entire" beer) contains 11 to 14% extract. This category holds about 99% market share in Germany. A completely fermented Vollbier usually has between 3 and 5.3% alcohol by volume. Pils, Helles and Weissbier (Hefeweizen) belong in this category. Three other beer categories occupy the remaining 1% of the market: Einfachbier (literally "simple" or "plain" beer) has about 0.1% market share. It is defined by a taxable extract value of 2 to 5.5% and generally has no more than 0.5 to 1.5% alcohol by volume. Schankbier (literally "tap" or "draft" beer) has a 0.2% market share.

Its extract value is 7 to 8%, and its alcohol by volume level tends to be between 0.5 and 2.6%. Berliner Weisse, for instance, falls into this category. Finally, Starkbier (literally "strong" beer) has a 0.7% market share. All beers with an extract value exceeding 16% are Starkbiers. Their alcohol level is invariable above 5% and usually no more than 10%. All Bockbiers, Doppelbocks, and Eisbocks belong in this category. Until 1990, beers outside these extract bands  that is, beers with 5.5 to 7%, 8 to 11%, and 14 to 16% extract  were not permitted to be brewed, by law. Oddly, the law has since been changed, but the definition of beer categories has not. <back to top> From the Brewery to the Consumer Germany never had Prohibition, as did the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. As a result, Germany lacks the stringent alcoholic beverage regulations that prevail in North America.

There are no state-run or province-run beverage stores, nor is there a three-tier system that rigidly separates licensed producers from licensed distributors, and both from on- and off-premise retailers. Instead, anybody in the beer trading chain  including breweries and wholesalerscan sell beer directly to the public and many beer distributors make "house calls." In Germany, therefore, beer is just another food commodity. It is readily available just about anywhere, any time, including on Sundays, at convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores, newspaper kiosks, gas stations, company cafeterias, and even vending machines. Every brewerynational or localmakes several beer styles, and a brand is a brewery's particular interpretation of a style. While stores are likely to carry more than one brewery's brands, pubs and restaurants tend to be tied to just one, often local, brewery and serve only that supplier's brands. The brewery, in turn, supplies all the establishment's glasses, taps, trays, and neons, and often even the pub's or restaurant's entire furnishings. Thus, unlike in North America, when you order a beer, you can rarely choose the brand you will be served.

Still, with such a great variety of beer styles, from the racy, edgy Pils to the mellow, malty Schwarbier (black lager), there is usually a beer for just about any mood and any occasion. On a hot summer afternoon, for example, the lazy quaffer may crave a Helles to keep his internal temperature in check, while on a wintry afternoon, he may crave a tankard of nourishing Doppelbock to warm his insides and to help him forget the frosty punishment from his long wait at the commuter bus stop. In Germany, brewers are much like great chefts. They emphasize technique as much as they do ingredients. Restricted by the so-called Reinheitsgebot (purity law), which allows them to use only four ingredients in their beer  malt, hops, yeast, and water  they insist on working only with quality raw materials. The incredible variety of German beers, therefore, stems largely from technique in the service of a traditional style. At right is a complete list of the styles that you might encounter while traveling in Germany or while shopping for a German beer in North America.

Goat races, beer to headline NuLu festival Goat races, beer to headline NuLu festival Bock Day will celebrate start of spring, local craft beer on Saturday. Post to Facebook Goat races, beer to headline NuLu festival Bock Day will celebrate start of spring, local craft beer on Saturday. Check out this story on courier-journal.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 1 Goat races, beer to headline NuLu festival Bailey Loosemore , @bloosemore Published 9:27 a.m. ET March 22, 2016 | Updated 3:42 p.m. ET March 23, 2016 Louisville residents annually celebrated the release of bock beer in the 19th century, but the tradition ended following Prohibition. (Photo: Courtesy photo) This Saturday, while basketball fans nationwide cheer on teams in the Elite Eight, people lining the streets of NuLu will cheer for an entirely different sport - goat racing.

Starting at noon, divisions of adult and baby goats will run between Nanny Goat Strut and Billy Goat Strut alleys as part of the NuLu Bock Fest - an event that plans to celebrate local businesses while reviving a mid-19th Century tradition involving bock beer. The brew - which takes its name from the German word for goat - is generally a malt-forward lager that was first introduced by German monks who used it as sustenance during Lenten fasts. Unlike other beers, bock beers could be stored through the winter without spoiling. And through the years, the beer's release became a massive celebration for the start of spring. After making its way to the states, the tradition all but died off with the start of Prohibition. But the NuLu Neighborhood Association hopes to restart it with this weekend's festival , taking place from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday on the 600 and 700 blocks of East Market Street. Silver Dollar team to open bar in Germantown The event will kick off with a ceremonial blessing of the goats and will include seven races throughout the day.

Food will be provided by local vendors and restaurants, and 10 Kentucky breweries will offer their versions of bock beer, including downtown breweries Against the Grain, Akasha Brewing Company, Falls City Beer, Goodwood Brewing and Gordon Biersch. The day's schedule is planned as follows: Noon - Blessing of the goats and beer 1 p.m. - Kentucky Guild of Brewers Goat Race (each goat will represent a KGB brewery) 2 p.m. - Kid goat race, winner advances 3 p.m. - Adult goat race, winner advances 4 p.m. - Kid race No. 2, winner advances 5 p.m. - Adult race No. 2, winner advances 6 p.m. Kid race final, winner crowned 7 p.m. - Adult race final, winner crowned The free newsletter arrives every Thursday at 8 a.m. WHAT IS BOCK BEER? "Although most people are familiar with bock beer, comparatively few know what it is," according to a Courier-Journal article from 1910. "It is merely a special brew of lager beer, with a larger amount of malt, caramel and alcohol than are contained in ordinary lager.

It contains between 7 and 8 percent of alcohol, not more than hard cider, but enough to make an excessive indulgence a trifle dangerous to those who are not accustomed to malt beverages." According to BeerAdvocate.com , the style dates back to medieval days, when German monasteries would brew a strong beer as sustenance during their Lenten fasts. The beer was typically brewed and aged during the winter months and released in March, signifying the start of the beer season. Modern bock beers are lagers that typically take extra weeks or months of cold storage to smooth out the taste. Examples include Samuel Adams Winter Lager and Shiner Bock. Remember to drink smart, drink safe. Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or bloosemore@courier-journal.com. 86 CONNECT TWEET 11 LINKEDIN 1 COMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: TOP VIDEOS Beer & Brewing Terminology | BeerAdvocate Home Beers Beer 101 Beer & Brewing Terminology It's important to know your beer terminology. Here we'll provide you with a growing list of common beer and brewing terms.

Term Alcohol by weight Amount of alcohol in beer measured in terms of the percentage weight of alcohol per volume of beer, i.e., 3.2% alcohol by weights equals 3.2 grams of alcohol per 100 centiliters of beer. (It is approximately 20% less than alcohol by volume.) Ale Beers distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The top fermenting yeast perform at warmer temperatures than do yeast's used to brew lager beer, and their byproducts are more evident in taste and aroma. Fruitiness and esters are often part of an ale's character. Barrel A unit of measurement used by brewers in some countries. In Britain, a barrel holds 36 imperial gallons (1 imperial gallon = 4.5 liters), or 1.63 hectoliters. In the United States, a barrel holds 31.5 US gallons (1 US gallon = 3.8 liters), or 1.17 hectoliters. Bottom-fermenting yeast One of the two types of yeast used in brewing.

Bottom-fermenting yeast works well at low temperatures and ferments more sugars leaving a crisp, clean taste and then settles to the bottom of the tank. Also referred to as "lager yeast". Cask A closed, barrel-shaped container for beer. They come in various sizes and are now usually made of metal. The bung in a cask of "Real" beer or ale must be made of wood to allow the pressure to be relived, as the fermentation of the beer, in the cask, continues. Lauter To run the wort from the mash tun. From the German word to clarify. A lauter tun is a separate vessel to do this job. It uses a system of sharp rakes to achieve a very intensive extraction of malt sugars. Mead Meads are produced by the fermentation of honey, water, yeast and optional ingredients such as fruit, herbs, and/or spices. According to final gravity, they are categorized as: dry (0.996 to 1009); medium (1010 to 1019); or sweet (1020 or higher). Wine, champagne, sherry, mead, ale or lager yeasts may be used.

Pasteurization Heating of beer to 60-79(�C/140-174�F to stabilize it microbiologically. Flash-pasteurization is applied very briefly, for 15-60 seconds by heating the beer as it passes through the pipe. Alternately, the bottled beer can be passed on a conveyor belt through a heated tunnel. This more gradual process takes at least 20 minutes and sometimes much longer. A Beginner's Guide to German Beer Styles | Serious Eats A Beginner's Guide to German Beer Styles 32 Some of Germany's finest. [Photographs: Mike Reis ] Yesterday, my dear, sweet, 95-year-old grandma asked me if the Germans still make the best beer in the world. That should give you a pretty good idea as to how hip German beer is at this point (hint: it's really, really, unhip). But the answer I gave her wasn't an easy one to land on. There is no doubt that the Germans do still make incredible beer. What it lacks in sexy youth, German beer certainly makes up in quality and tradition. The American beer drinking public sometimes forgets that.

Maybe it's that lager doesn't seem that exciting, maybe it stems from shocking run-ins with rauchbier, or maybe it's just all the umlauts. At any rate, something is scaring many folks away from zee German stuff. But there's a lot of pleasure to be found in German beer, and it's time y'all got comfortable with the beer styles you'll run into at the store. Here's our quick and handy guide. Let's start with the lagers. Pilsner/Helles Walk into the beer section at your local supermarket, spin around a couple times and stick your hand out. You'll probably hit a pilsner or some variation on the ubiquitous style. The Buds, Pabsts and Millers of the world owe their inspiration to this pale lager style that originated at what is now the Czech Republic's Pilsner Urquell brewery. Proper all-malt pilsner comes in two variations: Czech (AKA Bohemian) and German. Both are pale yellow in color and finish with a bitter snap of spicy, floral hops.

German-styled takes tend to be lighter in body, drier, and a touch more bitter than their Czech counterparts, but both should be easy to drink and refreshing. Helles was born as an early German take on pilsner as well. Less hoppy than its Czech cousin, helles is a more malt-driven style that often leans toward the sweeter end of the spectrum. Maibock/Traditional Bock Find a beer with a goat on the label and you've probably found yourself a bock. This is a class of beers that range in color from fairly light (maibock) to quite dark (doppelbock and eisbock, more on those later). Plain ol' traditional bock sits right in the middle—amber to brown in color, it's a strong, very malty lager that weighs in around 6 or 7% ABV. Expect a toasty, bready, slightly sweet flavor from the Munich and/or Vienna malt that make up the bulk of the grain in this beer.Maibocks are a springtime seasonal variation (Mai means May in German) that are a lighter in color and a bit hoppier with a floral bitterness on the finish. So, why the goat?

It's a little bit of wordplay—these beers originated in the town of Einbeck, Germany. That name Einbeck got telephone-lined around a bit and ended up sounding sorta like "ein Bock," which translates to "a billy goat." Doppelbock and Eisbock Stronger, even maltier bock beers are known as doppelbocks (which translates to "double bocks"). Born of a monastic tradition of brewing beers to sustain the monks during Lenten fasting, the style-defining example was first brewed by the monks at Munich's Paulaner brewery. Almost all commercial examples you'll encounter today are very dark in color, but doppelbocks can technically be fairly pale as well. Expect a very rich beer with a lot of caramelized (but not burnt!) sugar flavor. Darker examples can taste chocolatey and dark fruit-like as well. These tend to be rich, decadent sippers that are often named ending in "-ator" as a reference to Salvator, the original doppelbock brewed by Paulaner. If you're looking for an even bigger bock, find yourself an eisbock.

These are doppelbocks that have had a portion of their water content removed via freezing. If you drop the temperature of a beer to between the freezing points of water and alcohol, the water will freeze, leaving just a boozy, concentrated beer behind. Eisbock brewers will typically remove around 10% of the water content, leaving a massive, intense beer in the 9-14% ABV range. Expect flavor characteristics similar to those of doppelbock, but bigger. Boozy, fruity, and intense. Oktoberfest/Märzen/Dunkel/Vienna Lager (okay, that one's from Austria) Let's get a few terms clear first: Oktoberfest and Märzen are generally used interchangeably to describe one style. I'll just use Märzen from here on out. Vienna and dunkel lagers are beers that are fairly similar in character, though the history is a little different. Way back in the 1500s, Bavarian lawmakers forbade the brewing of beer between April and September to ensure quality. In the warmer months, wild yeast and bacteria could thrive, leading to nasty, spoiled beer for the people.

Without an understanding of modern fermentation science, the lawmakers were unknowingly establishing a long future for German lager. Fermented and stored in cool caves, the beers produced in the winter and early spring would eventually evolve into the modern dunkel ("dark") lager. Märzen (meaning March) takes its name from the frantic brewing that occurred in the month leading up to the summertime ban, but it and Vienna lager didn't emerge in their modern forms until the mid-1800s, with the isolation of lager yeast. Two friends, Gabriel Sedlmayr from Munich and Anton Dreher from Vienna, released similar amber-colored lagers in their home towns and watched their respective Märzen and Vienna lagers rise to popularity. Sadly, Vienna lager has since fallen out of popularity, but the tradition lives on to some degree in Mexico (yep, really! Ever had a Negra Modelo?), where Austrian immigrants settled in the late 1800s. All of these beers are malty lagers with an amber-brown color imparted by nutty, bready, toasty Munich and Vienna malts.

Märzens are sometimes paler in color and dunkels are the darkest of the group, but that's the gist of it. None of these beers are hop driven in flavor and all should have a clean, neutral yeast flavor—they're really all about the malt. Schwarzbier Schwarzbier is a notch darker than dunkel and doppelbock—it's the darkest of all the German lagers. As it should be, too—the name translates to "black beer." Despite its ominous appearance, the schwarzbier is an easy drinker—it's only about 5% ABV and is lighter in body and drier than dunkel lager. Roasty bitterness is fairly restrained—don't expect this to taste like a stout. Instead, look for a lightly bready malt character backed up by a touch of roast and hop bitterness on the finish. Rauchbier My love for rauchbier is no secret ( especially when these beers are paired with food ), but it's a style that is certainly not for everyone. The defining characteristic is that the beer is made with a large portion of malt that's been smoked over the flames of a beechwood-fueled fire.

The result is a powerfully smoky, sometimes meaty-tasting beer that is usually based on a Märzen recipe. A specialty of the Franconian town of Bamberg, Germany, rauchbier is an unusually savory beer that you'll probably either love or hate. Now, let's move onto the ales, shall we? Wheat Ales: Hefeweizen/Dunkelweizen/Weizenbock When it comes to ales, Germany is most famous for their wheat beers. Hefeweizen is the most common—poured into towering vase-like glasses, this cloudy southern German specialty is all about the yeast. Heck, it's right there in the name—hefeweizen translates to "yeast wheat" in German. The beer's cloudy appearance and powerful banana and clove-like aromatics are the direct result of an unusual yeast strain that is essential to producing this classic style. Darker variations are referred to as dunkelweizen ("dark wheat") and stronger versions are called weizenbock (as in, a wheat beer brewed to bock strength).

Dunkelweizens take on a caramelly, dark-fruit like flavor that some liken to liquid banana bread, and weizenbocks are like hefeweizens and dunkelweizens on steroids—stronger and more flavorful in every way. All are delicious! Altbier Altbier is an unusual specialty hailing from Düsseldorf. Its strangeness lies in the fact that it is fermented cooler than most ales with a yeast that operates best just above the temperatures that are usually reserved for lagers. This process allows rich, nutty, bready malt character to shine alongside a firm, spicy, floral hop bitterness. Most are around 5% ABV, but stronger variations exist and may be labeled as "sticke" or "doppelsticke" altbier. Kölsch Kölsch also has a strange fermentation process. Fermented a touch warmer than altbier (but still cooler than most other ales), the yeast produce a delicate, mildly fruity flavor profile. This pairs up with a relatively assertive hop profile from those spicy, herbal German hops and a more mellow pale malt presence. It's a nice, easy drinking beer with about 5% ABV.

Kölsch is also unusual for the fact that the name is protected within the European Union so that only breweries within the city of Cologne can give their beer the respected Kölsch name. Berliner Weisse and Gose Berliner weisse and gose are the only German beer styles that are likely to be accused of being hip (Grandma surely hasn't heard of them). The craft beer world has thoroughly embraced sour beer in recent years and Germany's entrants are among the most popular amongst American craft brewers. Berliner weisse is a tart wheat beer that is soured through a fermentation with the bacteria Lactobacillus. This bacteria produces lactic acid—the same acid that gives yogurt and sour cream their signature tang. Gose is also soured with the aid of Lactobacillus, but has a couple other ingredients that make it quite unusual: coriander and salt. The final product is cloudy, tart, and spicy and it's one of the most refreshing beers you can drink. More from Mike Reis

Question: What type of beer takes its name from the German word for "storage"?
Answer: Lager