Beer Terms

Ale:

This is a beer fermented at warmer temperatures. Ales depend on the flavors and aromas from the type of yeast that is used. Ales are produced in a wide variety of colors, palates and strengths.

Pale Ale:

One of the original pale beers, originally from England. The Pale Ale is light to dark golden in color, with a crisp finish. American versions have a citrusy hop aroma.

IPA:

India Pale Ale is a stronger, hoppier version of Pale Ale. Some have high amounts of hop flavor and aroma.

Cream Ale:

An American term for a very pale, lightly hopped ale that may have been blended with a lager.

Stout:

A very dark ale, almost black in color. It gets its dry finish from dark roasted barley.

Porter:

A London-style of beer that had become extinct, but revived by American Craftbrewers. Porters are roasty-tasting dark ales that are rich and satifying.

Scotch Ale:

Ales of Scotland that generally have a malt accent. They are smooth, lightly hopped dark beers.

Brown Ale:

A brown or reddish-brown ale. Malty and lightly hopped. American browns have more hop bitterness.

Weisse/Weissbier/Weizenbier:

The German term for "white" beer is a pale ale made from wheat and barley. They can be clear (krystal) or hazy (hefe) with spicy flavors such as clove, banana, coriander or orange. Lightly hopped.

Lager:

Any beer that is fermented at colder temperatures. "Lagering" the beer at near freezing temperatures gives a lager beer a smoother, rounded flavor.

Pilsner:

The other original pale beer that is crisp and refreshing. Pisner Urquell (meaning original source) was the first of this style from the town of Pilsen in Czechoslovakia.

Bock:

A German strong lager. It is cold fermented and made entirely from barley malt. Bock beers range from pale to quite dark, and are lighlty hopped. Very malty!

Dopplebock:

While not "Dopple" in strength, these beers are strong and malty. They helped nourish the monks that made them while they fasted during Lent.

Schwarzbier:

The lager version of Stout. Smooth and very dark, with notes of roasty bittersweet chocolate. Oktoberfest/Marzen: The celebration beer of Bavaria! Smooth, malty and delicious.

Malt:

Barley malt is the source of fermentable sugars in beer. The barley is malted (soaked in water until it partially germinates and then dried) which releases starches, which are in turn made into fermentable sugars.

Hops:

The oils and resins in hops give beer it's bitterness, flavors and aromas. It's often called the "soul" of beer.

Yeast:

Brewers put the ingredients together and the yeast makes the beer! It eats the malty sugers and gives off carbon dioxide, ethanol (alcohol) and many aromas and flavors.

Water:

We forget that beer is mostly water! Most beer styles originated because of the water available near the brewery.