My first experience with beer was not a tasty one
My parents did not drink alcohol, so I was not raised up with it. College was my first experience trying it. One of my classmates was going to the store and for a nickel would purchase a can for you. Really a nickel, like in 5 cents. This tells you how long it was ago that the first experience took place. It was against the rules to have alcohol in the dormitory, so…
The delivery being made, I settled down in the room and tried to drink the beer and eat a piece of chocolate cake. See what happens when you don’t have any experience with something? It was not a gastronomic delight, in fact it is not a combination that has come on the menu again!
Yes, I have tried chocolate cake since that, in fact beer has been consumed again, but the appreciation of beer was many years in the making. As a chemist, it is interesting to dig into the complexities of food in general and while doing research on the art of zymology discovered that beer and ale can be complex and result in many different combinations that can be enjoyed.
Beer and ale are made with four basic ingredients, water, barley, yeast and hops. Any of these ingredients can contribute greatly to the finished product. Take barley for example, it is roasted which adds to the flavor and even the color of the finished product. There are dark roasts and lighter roasts, Dark roasts are familiar in Porters and Stouts for example while the lighter roasts are frequently in the lighter brews although it is possible to mix different roasts. Hops give beer its characteristic bitter flavor which I have come to enjoy highly. There are many different varieties of hops and most brews have 3 or more additions in various steps of the brewing process.
Normally, there is a bittering hop addition early in the process, followed later by a flavoring hop addition later in the process, and later followed by an aroma hop near the end of the process. Some brews even add a dry hopping step. Often the hop additions are of different varieties of hops, but not necessarily.
The difference between beer and ale is that ale is normally brewed by what is called a top brewing yeast and at higher temperatures during fermentation. Higher being like room temperature as opposed to refrigerated temperatures that are used for beers and lagers. The flavors of ales tend to be more complex and fruiter and Spicier than beers which are often characterized as cleaner and crisper.
Yeast also plays a distinctive role in the process and it is necessary to kill the wild yeast that is present everywhere in the air in order to keep them from dominating the final result. Once the wild yeast is killed, specific yeasts can be used with live liquid cultures being used for best results.
It is possible to re-create your favorite brews or more importantly improve on them with a little experimentation.
A beer club that I belong to will frequently make a couple hundred gallons of wert (the basis made with boiled barley) to send home with members who make different additions and bring back the finished product for sampling. It is remarkable the differences in the finished product.
Knowing the differences and what to look for (taste for) can add to the joy of beer making and consummation. The art of enjoying beer is not quantity, but quality. Enjoy in moderation, enjoy the subtle differences. Learn about styles of beer and you are sure to find one that you enjoy. Visit your local brew pub and get a sampler if you are not familiar with beers or ales. Brew masters love their craft and enjoy talking about it.