| What I enjoy most about beer is there are so many | | | | to ferment during the time in storage which produced |
| different kinds. It is really hard to get tired of beer | | | | a light, dry, and clear beer. |
| when you have so much to choose from. While beer | | | | The lager brewing process uses"bottom-fermenting |
| is brewed virtually everywhere in the world the | | | | yeast" and usually involves a two step fermentation |
| traditional beer brewing regions are Europe, the | | | | process. The primary, or first, fermentation takes |
| United Kingdom, North American, and Australia. As | | | | place between 45 and 55 degrees F. and is followed |
| you might imagine these different regions all produce | | | | by another, or secondary, fermentation at 32 to 40 |
| very different tasting beers. | | | | degrees F. This secondary fermentation lasts much |
| Despite these regional differences, beer is | | | | longer and is known as "lagering". It is during the |
| categorized into just two main types generally based | | | | secondary phase that the lager clears and mellows. |
| on the temperature of the brewing process. The | | | | These two types of beers also have very distinctive |
| temperature differences effect how the yeast | | | | colors. Most of today's beers, as measured by sales, |
| behaves during brewing. Beers brewed at lower | | | | are pale amber lagers with a very light color and a lot |
| temperatures use slow acting yeast are classified as | | | | of carbonation. All of our most favorite US brands, |
| "lagers". Beers brewed at higher temperatures use | | | | Budweiser, Miller, and Coors are of this type. |
| much faster acting yeast are classified as "ales". | | | | Dark beers are most often brewed with a portion of |
| Because of the regional differences, ales are broken | | | | darker malt in the mix to produce the darker color, |
| down into more sub classifications such as "pale ale", | | | | although other ingredients, such a caramel, can be |
| "brown ale", and "stout". | | | | used as well. The darkest beers, the stouts, use |
| Let's take a brief look at both main types. | | | | very dark or roasted malts, or in some cases |
| Ales are typically brewed with "top-fermenting | | | | unmalted barley. |
| yeasts" and, as I noted above, are brewed at higher | | | | The alcoholic content of beer comes from the |
| temperatures. The usual temperature range for | | | | breakdown of the sugars produced during |
| fermentation is between 60 and 75 degrees F. In this | | | | fermentation. The amount of sugars in the wort and |
| temperature range the top-fermenting yeast | | | | the type of yeast used to ferment the wort are the |
| produces a large amount of "esters" (critical for the | | | | basic factors that decide the amount of alcohol |
| formation of alcohol) as well as other aromas and | | | | present in the beer. Occasionally additional |
| flavors. The result of this manner of brewing is a | | | | fermentable sugars are added to the mix specifically |
| beer that is sweeter and more full bodied than lagers. | | | | to increase the alcohol contents. Alcohol is a |
| On the other hand, lagers are the most widely | | | | byproduct of the yeast metabolism and is toxic (to |
| consumed beers in the world. The word lager comes | | | | the yeast). Typically, brewing yeast cannot survive |
| from a German word meaning "to store". This is | | | | alcohol concentrations above 12% by volume. |
| probably because early brewers stored their beer in | | | | Today's pale lagers generally have between 4% and |
| cellars and caves during the hot summers. In doing | | | | 6% alcohol by volume with the most typical ABV |
| so, these brewers noted that their beers continued | | | | being 5%. |
