Two strong ales can have similar alcohol but almost opposite personalities: one tastes of roasted grain, another of rich bread and fruit. Strong m
Continue ReadingPorter and Stout Explained: How Dark Beers Get Their Character
A black beer can be dry and relatively light. Another can be sweet and creamy. A third can put citrusy hops beside roasted grain. Porter and stout
Continue ReadingRed and Brown Ales Explained: Irish Red, British Brown, and American Brown Ale
A red ale offers a little caramel at first, then finishes unexpectedly dry. A brown ale smells nutty without containing nuts. Red and brown ales a
Continue ReadingLight Malt-Driven Ales Explained: Blonde Ale, American Wheat Ale, and Kölsch
A pale beer arrives in a narrow glass and tastes crisp enough to suggest lager. Another contains wheat but none of the banana-and-clove aroma you
Continue ReadingBock and Rauchbier Explained: Strong and Smoked German Lagers
A pale beer can be stronger than a dark one. A smoky beer can be no stronger than its unsmoked neighbor. Bock and rauchbier make those distinction
Continue ReadingAmber and Dark Lagers Explained: Dunkel, Märzen, Vienna Lager, and More
A brown lager smells of bread crust rather than coffee. An amber lager finishes dry enough to invite another sip. Amber and dark lagers are useful
Continue ReadingPale Lagers Explained: American Lager, International Pale Lager, Light Lager, and Helles
Four glasses arrive, all clear, pale and neatly capped with white foam. If pale lagers were one flavor, choosing between them would be easy. In pr
Continue ReadingBeer Finishing and Special Brewing Methods Explained: Filtration, Pasteurization, and Cask Conditioning
One brewer wants to stop a beer changing. Another wants yeast to keep working in the package. Both may be making a careful decision. Beer finishin
Continue ReadingBeer Fermentation and Maturation Explained: Temperature, Attenuation, and Conditioning
The bubbling slows down, but the beer still tastes unfinished. Beer fermentation has done its most visible work, yet the yeast may have useful bus
Continue ReadingWort Boiling and Hop Additions Explained: Building Bitterness and Aroma
Put a handful of hops into wort early in the boil and you get one emphasis. Use the same material much later and the result can smell dramatically
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