You say you aren’t a beer drinker? I say you haven’t found the right beer. I do think beer is an acquired taste, but I also think it is true of wine. I was a beer drinker prior to meeting my husband, but he has at least doubled my knowledge of beer. I figured it was about time for me to share some of that knowledge with you. If you have read any of my travel posts then you know, I’ve done my research 🙂 Acquiring a taste for beer requires an open mind…much like learning about anything new. Beer categories are broad and can be confusing. It is amazing the wide range of flavors that you can produce with just a few ingredients. I’m going to start you off today with what goes into beer, where the flavors come from, and common descriptors used to describe beer.
Here is a VERY simplified explanation of how beer is made:
Grains +Water converts starches to sugars
Hops are added to balance sweetness
Yeast is added for fermentation, converting sugar to alcohol
For a more in-depth explanation~Billy Brew: How Beer is Made
Grains+Water+Hops+Yeast=BEER
Each ingredient that goes into beer imparts flavor to the finished product:
Grains: provides the color and base of the beer; well grains + water, that is. The grains imparts flavors like roasty, malty, biscuity, creamy, caramel, or sweetness, to name a few. An example of a really malty (grain forward) style beer would be a Scottish ale. Grains also contribute to the body (heavy vs light) of a beer.
Yeast: is how beer becomes alcoholic (I’m not going to get into a science lesson so we will leave it at that). Yeast also imparts flavors to the beer such as peppery, spicy, fruity, bubblegum, or even musty. A good beer to see this in action is a Hefeweizen – the banana taste that is often associated with Hefeweizen is from the yeast. The yeast also plays a role in a dry versus sweet beer.
Hops: provide many complex flavors in beers. The most classic example of a hop forward beer is an IPA (India Pale Ale). While most people think hops=ipa, nearly all beer styles contain some hops. The taste imparted from the hops depend on: the kind of hops, when they are added to the brewing process, and how much. The easiest way to think about hops is like spices in cooking. Different hop varieties impart different flavors just like different spices do for cooking. Common hop flavors include bitter, floral, citrus, evergreen, piney, or earthy.
Secondary Additions: some beers may contain fruits, spices, or other flavorings that will provide additional flavor and complexity to a beer. Many beers get their flavors solely from the three ingredients above without any additions needed, but it is always fun to see the unique flavors additional ingredients can bring to a beer style. Most common beers where secondary additions play a prominent role are pumpkin or fruit beers, but Wit style beers traditionally contain additional ingredients such as coriander and camomile.
To give you a little more insight into the world of beer:
Developing Your Beer Palate
BeerAdvocate Beer 101
Join me next Sunday for some recommended styles to get you started in developing your beer palate and enjoying craft beer 🙂
And to make this seem more like a life lesson here is quote:
While this quote is attributed to Mr. Franklin he most likely did not say beer but wine instead 🙂 The more you know.
Got a lesson to share–link up below. Need to learn a thing or two–check out the links below!
I’m only just starting my foray into developing my “beer buds,” as I’m more of a wine drinker (not a connoisseur for that either! my mom used to tease me that the wine I drink is basically kool-aid with alcohol in it, which isn’t far from the truth). Loved this post – I feel more educated!
Love this! I’ve learned so much from brewery tours that I knew most of it, but it’s been awhile so it was a nice refresher 🙂
Real Simple just did a whole feature on how to put together a beer party. I’m usually a wine girl but HONESTLY it looked so festive and fun and perfect to go with our new cornhole boards that I want to do it… Slash we have a huge craft beer scene in our town so I should get with the program already.
also my fave benjamin franklin quote haha
oh no! i always get so confused on linking up bc my posts are not on the same day! i linked back to this one but i guess i’ll try to link it up to a future one?
also i think brew masters is an excellent documentary on netflix 🙂 we learned about our beers at taco mac and we both started getting into it as a hobby after we got married. they basically owned us for the next couple years bc we were going in at least once or twice a week trying diff beers to get points for their brewniversity program. lol we should have prob drank beer at home.
i always tell people the same thing that you can find a beer you like.
I freaking love beer but lately I drink it so quickly I can’t have the heavy or dark beers. Guiness is like a loaf of bread in a glass.
I also heard that if you ingest yeast before drinking beer it won’t make you drunk. Sounds like a boring experiment so I haven’t tried it
Man, the last time I had beer… AGES AGO! When I was underage, LOL! But sadly, I cannot drink it anymore… Thanks gluten! lol
I forced myself to drink beer in college and it was terrible… until I learned you had to branch out of the cheap beers. Now I LOVE beer. Nothing better than drinking a good craft beer outside.
Drinking beer outside is my outdoor activity 🙂 Yes, you Bud Light does not compare to craft beers!
Love this! Learning more about beer and craft/homebrewing has been so much fun — especially in San Diego. I would LOVE to take you to some of the breweries once you’re here 🙂
Have you read Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong? That’s a great book *after* you have good knowledge about brewing. I’ve had a love of beer since I was 18 and my dad and brother got into homebrewing. Now, my dad is an award winning homebrewer and my brother has brewed for Stone and now brews at Four Peaks in AZ. I finally bought my first homebrewing kit to get into the family biz 🙂
Sooo…I guess I fall into the “you haven’t found the right one” category because I reallllyy dislike beer. I dislike wine too though? Frankly I’m just not a booze fan at all. HA. Still a cool post, I dig the science like detail!
haha beer is… and i wanted to be like AMAZING. I used to not like beer, but now its pretty much the only thing I drink 🙂
Ooh, I can’t wait to read part 2! I think a lot of my friends could benefit from trying more beers. Keystone Light in college ain’t gonna convert anyone.
preach.
So interesting! I’m way more of a wino than a beer connoisseur, but I’m open to be converted! 😉
Fascinating! I’ve never been a big fan of the generic big name beers but I love all the flavors popping up in the craft brew scene. It’s amazing how different they all can be from the same basic ingredients.
I think you’re absolute spot on – beer has just as many flavour palates as wine. You just have to find the one you love!
Hah! Great explanation of beer brewing, My husband is an avid beer brewer. With his equipment, we actually have a “nano brewery” in our garage. He also explained that hops made the beer bitter- which I actually don’t like. And you are definitely right about it being “an acquired taste”….because I never liked craft beer, but now I can tolerate some light pale ales.
He’ll be brewing and experimenting when he gets back and I’m finally gone. You’re going to LOVE the craft beer scene here! -Jess L
Wonderful post! I was strictly an Amstel Light drinker until moving to North Carolina, where great and local craft beer is everywhere. Wine will always be my first love and adult beverage of choice, but I love the fact that one can drink great beer and not break the bank. Looking forward to learning more!
O beer the loveliest of things!!