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Monday, January 1, 2007

Bitter

Bitters are the pub beer of Britain. Traditionally, a pale ale poured from a cask at a pub is a Bitter. There are no official designations except that they be bitter. When a Bitter is bottled it is a Pale Ale.

Today that designation is not as clear cut. Bitters tend to be more bitter than a pale ale and usually less than an IPA. They are also more bitter than a Mild. Bitters can be bittered via overhopping, but an overhopped beer doesn't have to be a bitter. It can be an IPA. Bitters come in bottles. Brewers have different classes of Bitters from ordinary Bitter to Special to Extra Special or other designations. Perhaps you have to be English to fully comprehend all the subtleties.

Bitters range in color from golden to amber. They are moderate to heavy in alcohol. They can be malty upfront but must be bitter on finish and dry.

India Pale Ale

England needed a way to ship its beer to far away places in the Empire. A normal pale ale would spoil on the long journey and turn to vinegar. After some experimentation, it was found that adding a lot of hops to the beer kept it from spoiling and turning to vinegar. India Pale Ale was born.

IPAs are extremely hoppy and bitter. Although an IPA is bitter, it is not necessarily a Bitter Ale. IPAs are foremost very hoppy which makes them bitter. A Bitter Ale is foremost bitter which could be done by hops. See Bitter for a complete definition.

IPAs can range in color from golden to amber. The aroma is of strong hops. The taste should be acidic on the tip, and hop/bitter on the back. The finish is dry but should linger a bit. The middle can be various flavors from citrus to floral to honey. It should not taste medicinal.

Pale Ale

Pale ale is perhaps the second widely most consumed beer after pilsners. Pale ales are British ales. They predate the golden pilsners. The color can range from a light straw, to golden, to copper, to amber. Pale is in comparison to the darks that ruled beer since its inception.

Pale ales are crisp, dry, and emphasize the hops over the malt. They tend to be moderately bitter, but not as bitter as the India Pale Ale or Bitter Ale. It can be a bit flowery in aroma. They work beautifully on a hot day to cut through your thirst.

The term can also be used more generically. When a British ale isn't a mild, a bitter, or an IPA, it's a pale ale.

Abita Restoration Pale Ale: 22
Anchor Liberty Ale: 22
Ballantine XXX Ale: 13
Bass Pale Ale: 18
Blowing Rock Ale: 21
Budweiser American Ale: 16
Cooper's Sparkling Ale: 18
Dogfish Head Hellhound: 14
Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale: 28
Elysian Loser Pale Ale: 20
Farmington River Blonde Ale: 21
Fuller's 1845: 27
Fuller's Special Pride: 9
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale: 24
Great Divide Fresh Hop: 27
Hook and Ladder Golden Ale: 18
Lagunitas Sumpin' Sumpin Ale: 19
Magic Hat Fat Angel: 16
Magic Hat Number 9: 23
Magic Hat Roxy Rolles: 24
Mercurty Brewing Stone Cat Blonde Ale: 20
Monty Python Holy Ale: 4
North Coast Brewing - Red Seal Ale: 27
Ommegang Aphrodite: 18
Ommegang BPA: 25
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale: 24
Pete's Wicked Ale: 14
St. Peter's Organic English Ale: 18
Rogue Single Malt Ale: 18
Sam Adams Boston Ale: 21
Sam Adams Pale Ale: 25
Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale: 19
Saranac Pale Pale Ale: 16
Slyfox Phoenix Pale Ale: 24
Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale: 23
Southern Tier Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale: 16
Stone Levitation Ale: 24
Terrapin Peaotch: 19
Three Floyds Alpha King: 23
Three Floyds Zombie Dust: 25
Troeg's Hopback Amber Ale: 25
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde: 28
Unibroue Maudite: 27
Victory Headwaters: 29
Victory Summer Love: 20
Victory Yakima Twilight: 25
Voodoo Love Child: 16
Voodoo White Magick of the Sun: 11
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale: 19
Young's Special London Ale: 20

Black

Black lagers are an extremely dark and rich lager. It should be even more intense than a doppelbock. It is more of a dessert beer with its intense dark chocolate flavor. It should be very bitter sweet with a dry and lingering finish.

Samuel Adams Black Lager: 15

Bock

Bock is a strong and dark type of German beer. This can cause some confusion as to the difference between Bocks and other dark beers such as Dunkels. Generally they have the same flavor characteristics. More on the sweet side with the malt. A bit of hops. And full bodied in the middle. A very warm and flavorful beer.

Bocks come in various strengths. The Maibock was a lighter, less full-bodied version drunk in Spring around May. Bock is a bit more flavorful. And the Doppelbock (double) is a very strong and intense bock. It was traditionally drunk in late fall and early winter to warm the soul. Another version not often seen is the Eisbock. It is frozen to increase its strength.

Dunkel (Dark)

Dunkel lager is the original type of German beer. In German, Dunkel means dark. This can cause some confusion as to the difference between Dunkel and other dark beers such as Bocks. Generally they have the same flavor characteristics. More on the sweet side with the malt. A bit of hops. And full bodied in the middle. A very warm and flavorful beer.

Imperial Stout

In order for Britain to ship its porters and stouts to eastern Europe and Russia, they had to create an extra strength version. Imperial Stouts were born. Higher in alcohol to survive the trip. Also more intense in flavor. Kind of like a super strength version of a stout.

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel - Peche Mortel: 29
Little Crum's Imperial Stout: 21
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout: 25
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout: 14
Weyerbacher Tiny: 25

Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal Stouts are another sweet-type stout. They have a lot in common with the Milk Stout. They are made with a certain percentage of oatmeal. It gives it a sweet and somewhat nutty flavor along with the chocolate or coffee characteristics. Oatmeal Stouts were also touted as nutritious at the turn of the 20th century.

Octoberfest

Octoberfest style comes from a lager that was brewed in the spring and then drunk during the local German Octoberfests in September and October. This beer is supposed to be more flavorful than the regular beer the brewers were making at the time. A typical Octoberfest beer should be amber to copper in color, although golden is also done. The aroma should be of malt, not hops. The beer should be sweeter and maltier than a normal beer. The hops are diminished. It should finish cleanly.

Milk Stout

Also known as Cream Stout. Milk Stouts are made with milk sugars left over usually from making cheese. Milk sugars do not ferment so Milk Stouts usually are lower in alcohol. In the 1800s and early 1900s, Milk Stouts were touted as nutritious and good for you. Pregnant mothers would drink it during pregnancy to get iron, protein, and other nutrients. Though these claims are a bit exaggerated, there is minor merit in what they advertised.

Milk Stouts are the beer equivalent of a milk shake. They should be sweet up front, a nice rich chocolate flavor in the middle, and a sweet and smooth finish. They should smell of malt and cream.

St. Peter's Cream Stout: 27