Beer Season

            I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day.  We now enter our “summer” season, which means boating on the chain and drinking beer (of course, not for the driver of the boat).  Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and I read that it is third to water and tea in terms of total beverage consumption.  It is also one of the oldest – some dating it back to 9000 BC.

            Beer is made by converting a starch, usually grain such as barley, into a sugary liquid called Wort.  The Wort is converted to beer in a fermentation process using yeast.  The number of ingredients used to make beer is fairly limited (which is why home brewing is so popular).  They include the following, each of which is important in imparting the flavors of a particular beer:  1. Water – Beer is mostly water.  Certain mineral compositions in the water will give beers their regional characteristics.  For example, the hard water of Dublin is suited to making stouts such as Guinness.  2. Starch source – Usually malted grain, the different roasting times and temperatures will produce different colors of malt from the same grain.  Darker malts produce darker beers.  3. Hops – The hops provide the major portion of a beer’s taste.  They contribute a bitter component to the sweetness of the malt as well as floral, citrus and herbal aromas.  4. Yeast – the microorganism that ferments the beer. 

            You might now ask what is the difference between ales and lagers?  The answer is in the yeast.  Ale is made with top-fermenting yeast.  They ferment at higher temperatures and thus more quickly than lagers.  The result is a beer with slightly fruity compositions - apples, pears, pineapples, bananas or plums to name a few.  Ales usually have sweeter, fuller bodies than lagers.  Lagers are made with cool, bottom fermenting yeasts.  The name lager comes from the German lagern for "to store," as brewers around Bavaria stored beer in cool cellars and caves during the warm summer months.  This results in a “cleaner” tasting beer.  Pale lagers are the most commonly consumed beers in the world.

            If you would like to try the varied styles of beers, we will be holding our “Summer Tent Event” on July 24^th, 2010 between 1 and 5 pm.  We will have all kinds of beer outside in a Tent (well, really under a Canopy), as well as wines and liquors for tasting inside the store.  Always a fun time!!!

            Well, I have once again reached the end and it is time to stop.  Cheers and hello Summer!!!