Summer and Beer - the perfect pairing

Summer and Beer - the perfect pairing

I'm going to try not to sound like a bad beer commercial here, but there is something wonderful about a beer on a hot summer day. And since I'm a SmartsCo girl, I can't just have a beer, I need to gather some friends around to compare a variety of beers and have a beer tasting. Until we developed BeerSmarts, I didn't know the difference between a lager and an ale, or about the huge variety of beers available.

In BeerSmarts, our writer Joe Cummins, and editor Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery, shared a great description of the difference between lager and ale, and an overview of ales. So chill your glass and read on... (and if you want to check out his tips for throwing your own beer tasting party, visit our party tips page.

Ale and Lager--What's the difference?

There are two main species of yeast for fermenting beer, and they make the two types of beer we have today: ale and lager. Within these two species are thousands of strains.

ALE has been brewed since ancient times and was mostly unhopped until the 15th century. Ale is fermented at warm temperatures where the yeast rises to the top. Such “top-fermenting” yeast works very quickly, which is why ale is generally aged for only a few weeks at most. It tends to be fruity in flavor.

LAGER is the type of beer most casual American drinkers are familiar with. Lagers are bottom fermenting, which means that the yeast ferments at colder temperatures, and sinks to the bottom of the vat. Traditionally the beer is then aged for months (however mass market lagers are usually only aged for a couple of weeks). Lager tends to be smooth and subtle in flavor, and today accounts for most of the beer consumed in the world.

A Spotlight on lagers


Pilsner
Pilsner originated in the 19th century in what is now the Czech Republic. This dry, superbly golden, carbonated beer took an ale-weary world by storm and today is still the most popular beer around. Beers such as Budweiser and Miller are based on the Pilsner style although they use some different ingredients and are less flavorful than the original.


Bock / Doppelbock
Bock is a strong and malty beer that originated in the German city of Einbeck. It was originally brewed late in the harvest season, stored all winter and tapped in the spring. A stronger bock beer is known as doppelbock.

Oktoberfest (Märzen)
Hearty and full of malt flavor, these beers are traditionally brewed in the sp ring (märzen means March in German) to last through the summer into the fall. A nice accompaniment to an Oktoberfest celebration.

Malt Liquor
Malt liquors usually have added rice, corn or refined sugars (as do almost all mass-market beers), although so

me states define malt liquor as any beer that has over 5 percent alcohol. Colloquially speaking, malt liquors (Olde English 800, etc.) are cheap strong lagers made by large breweries.

Helles
Helles means “bright” in German, and these pale, golden beers are easy-drinking and slightly less bitter than their neighboring Czech pilsners. Helles is the most popular beer style in Bavaria.

Dunkel
Dunkels (meaning “dark” in German), are smooth reddish-brown beers made with gently toasted barley malts, creating soft caramel, nutty, and coffee flavors.

Standard American Lager
These tend to be quite bland, light-bodied, pale in color, with lots of fizz. The big-name U.S. brands follow this style.