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Sometimes, you just want to drink a cold one
This week the Great American Beer Festival will be at the Denver Convention Center, Thursday-Saturday. It is the ultimate beer tasting event and we are blessed with the opportunity to taste over 1,500 brews from all over the world.
Some of these products are very limited, while others are staples on the Front Range shelves, but all have something in common; they're made from water, malt, hops, and yeast. You'll hear brewers brag about the quality of water they use, their selection of hops, the stains of yeasts, and the elaborate method they use extract sugar and flavor from grain.
Producers usually filter their water before it is used for brewing. This can make a big difference in the way the beer will taste because many mineral and chemical flavors can be detected in the end product if this is not done.
Malt is created when grains are heated in water to specific temperatures to extract their sugars. This process is called mash. Barley is the most common grain used, but wheat, corn, oats, and rice are used as well. It is the sugar released in the mash process that the yeast consume to create alcohol. Malt is boiled with water and hops to create wort, the liquid that is fermented into beer.
Hops can make or break the beer for many of us. Hop-heads love the fragrant, floral, perfume like qualities of hops. Those on the opposite side of the spectrum can't stand the bitterness that hops imparts, regardless of its exotic qualities. Hops is a flower grown in the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, the United Kingdom and pretty much anywhere beermaking has been a popular pastime. Hops is measured by its acidic qualities, the higher the acid value, the more intense the flavor and bitterness of the hops. Lower acidic hops still have the distinctive floral notes, but are more subtle in flavor. Hops can be added when the wort is boiling, as the boiling process is ending, or in a 'dry hopped' fashion-after the wort has cooled. Hops adds an antiseptic aspect to the beer too, which gives it longevity in the bottle.
Yeast is the remarkable micro-organism that makes it all possible. It wasn't until about two hundred years ago that brewers even knew yeast existed. Up until that point the fermentation process was a magical event that happened (or didn't happen) after the wort cooled. There are two types of yeast used for brewing beer. Top fermenting ale yeasts prefer a warmer fermentation; therefore they were traditionally used in warmer months. Bottom fermenting lager yeasts prefer a cool fermentation, so they were used in winter months. Each one reacts differently to the wort and offers its own characteristics.
With a little understanding of each of these ingredients you can appreciate the efforts of the brewers and recognize what it is about each beer that you like or dislike. Just like wine, learning how to express what you taste is equally as important in the realm of beer. The Great American Beer Festival runs Thursday-Saturday, September 29, 2005 - October 1, 2005, from 5:30-10:00 pm with a special Saturday session running from 12:30-4:30 pm. Check out www.beertown.org. See you there!
Articles are property of Brenda Francis and are not to be reproduced in any way without written consent from Brenda Francis.
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