Beer Differences (Part 2)

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Everything you need to know about the different types of beer but were too afraid to ask

Angela Johnson

Ales

Ales typically have a thick layer of foam at the top.Foursquare via njwineandbeer

Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeast. Fermentation takes place in warm temperatures (between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit), which speeds up the process. For this reason, ales don’t have to be stored for long periods of time.

The yeast rises to the top during fermentation, and as a result, ales generally have a thick layer of foam (also known as the beer head) at the top.

The flavor of an ale tends to be more complex than that of lagers. They also tend to have a fruitier taste. Ales are more comparable to red wines. Ales pair well with burgers, Asian food, and pizza.

IPA

There are three styles of IPAs. quite peculiar/Flickr

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and this is definitely true in the case of the IPA. India pale ale was invented by a London-based brewer for English troops stationed in India.

India’s warm climate was not ideal for making beer, and English brews would not survive the six-month journey journey at sea. So in the late 1700s, George Hodgson exported a strong pale ale to Englishmen in India. He added extra hops and increased the alcohol content, which helped preserve the beer over the long journey. The soldiers even claimed it had a better taste. IPAs gained popularity in the United States in the 1970s.

There are three styles of IPAs – American, English, and Double/Imperial. And while they don’t all taste the same, IPAs are often described as bitter. They pair well with spicy, salty, and grilled foods.

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Appearances

Color based on Standard Reference Method (SRM) SRM/Lovibond Example Beer color EBC 2 Pale lager,Witbier,Pilsener,Berliner Weisse 4 3 Maibock,Blonde Ale 6 4 Weissbier 8 6 American Pale Ale,India Pale Ale 12 8 Weissbier,Saison 16 10 English Bitter,ESB 20 13 Biere de Garde,Double IPA 26 17 Dark lager,Vienna lager,Marzen,Amber Ale 33 20 Brown Ale,Bock, Dunkel,Dunkelweizen 39 24 Irish Dry Stout,Doppelbock,Porter 47 29 Stout 57 35 Foreign Stout,Baltic Porter 69 40+ Imperial Stout 79

The visual characteristics that may be observed in a beer are colour, clarity, and nature of the head. Colour is usually imparted by the malts used, notably the adjunct malts added to darker beers, though other ingredients may contribute to the colour of some styles such as fruit beers. Colour intensity can be measured by systems such as EBC,SRM or Lovibond, but this information is rarely given to the public.

Many beers are transparent, but some beers, such as hefeweizen, may be cloudy due to the presence of yeast making them translucent. A third variety is the opaque or near-opaque colour that exists with stouts, porters, schwarzbiers(black beer) and other deeply coloured styles. Thickness and retention of the head and the lace it can leave on the glass, are also factors in a beer’s appearance.

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