A Pint Half Full

I've been feeling a bit sick for the past few weeks so I've had to limit my beer consumption unfortunately.  So I decided to take this time to write an entry on some of the terms I write about to describe beer in the reviews and how they relate to the ingredients within a beer so that you, the reader, may be able to start distinguishing the flavor profile of a brew.  Not only will you be able to understand what I'm trying to say in my reviews and articles but also start characterizing the beer you drink to better determine your likes/dislikes.

The tagline to this blog is to savor the mix of barley, water, hops and yeast.  These are the primary ingredients found in any beer and contribute to the color, aroma, mouthfeel, and taste.  I'm going to attempt to break each of the ingredients down and how they contribute to the beer's flavor.  Let's get on with it shall we?


Barley (Malt) - Barley is a grain (and cousin to wheat) that goes through a malting process, which is to say the barley is soaked in water, then baked in a kiln.  This provides yeast something to eat during fermentation of beer, which results in the by-product of sugar, carbon dioxide, and alcohol.  Depending on the types and amount of malt used, you will get different types of sweetness, ranging from notes of toffee, coffee, chocolate, and nuttiness.  The more malt used, the more the yeast has to digest, the more rich flavor and alcoholic content there may be.  Malt is also the sole contributor to color of beer; a darker malt will provide a darker colored beer and a lighter malt will contribute to a lighter colored beer. 


Hops - Hops are another plant used mainly for flavoring and its preservative nature in beer.  It provides the acidity to a beer to counter the sweetness provided by the malt.  The hops contribute alot to the aroma of the beer, bringing smells of citrus, pine, grass, and a spicy bite.  In the flavor profile, there is a bitterness or astringency (dryness, similar to tannins in wine) added to  beer.  Aroma and taste go hand in hand so what you smell may be closely related to what is tasted.  A well-balanced beer will have a good interaction of bitterness and sweetness. 


Yeast - Yeast pretty much makes beer, beer.  Ales use a top fermenting yeast, that thrive in higher temperatures while lagers use a bottom fermenting yeast that prefer lower temperatures.  In addition to breaking down malt and creating delicious sugars, alcohol and CO2, some yeasts give off esters.  Flavors like banana, clove, or pear can exist in a beer using different strains of yeast that create these esters.


Water - Naturally, there's lot of water in beer.  Just like brewing coffee with dirty hot dog water or clean water, the water is going to change the flavor of what you're brewing.  The acidity or baseness of water can change a beer's flavor.  Minerals and other things in the water can also change the flavor for better or worse.  Whatever the case, water from different regions and breweries can provide a unique flavor to beers that can only be attained using these local ingredients.

Well, that's pretty much all I have for now.  Much of this I learned from reading the book, The Naked Pint, and also drinking beers from all over the spectrum.  As you can see, there are infinite combinations of ingredients that brewers can use, not to mention fermentation time, temperatures, etc that can get you a great beer.  Enjoy them all.