Anyone who’s sat at a bar and had a beer will tell you that there are many different types of beer. Just as wine comes in a variety of flavors, so does beer. There are light beers and dark beers and imported and domestic beers. Even the way they are served can be a dramatic difference, giving beer drinkers the choices of draft, bottled, or canned.
As the beer is made, it will contain key ingredients. Water, yeast, hops, and malted barley are combined to give you beer. As you change one of these ingredients to a slightly different version, you’ll get a slightly different beer.
Lager
The yeast used in lager is known as bottom fermenting. This kind of yeast produces a less alcoholic beer and needs colder temperatures during the fermentation process. Lagers are lighter in color and less complex. Of the different types of beer, most beers sold in the US are lagers.
Ale
Ales use a different kind of yeast than a lager. Different types of beer use different types of yeast and in the case of ale, the yeast used is top fermenting. As a result of this kind of yeast, it requires a warmer temperature and will have a slightly higher percentage of alcohol. Ales will be fuller and more complex than a lager as well.
Within the category of ale are the porters and stouts. These are made with dark malts and are therefore dark in color, like a Guinness. A porter and stout are very similar and were first used in the 18th century. Typically a stout is considered a double porter.
Specialty Beer
There is no rhyme or reason when making specialty beer. This is when people can truly get creative, adding virtually anything to make a unique flavor. Candy, chocolate, spices, juice, and anything else that one can get their hands on can be added to the beer. Many home brewing kits will typically be categorized as specialized beer because your average beer drinker can’t control themselves when they’re allowed the freedom for adding ingredients and making all different types of beer.
The Vessel
The different types of beer also produce a different flavor as they are served via draft or in a can or bottle. Many believe that the truest way to drink the beer is by draft because it is freshly poured. Next is the glass bottle because the glass doesn’t change the flavor that the brewery had intended. Finally is the can. While it is often the most cost-efficient way of drinking beer, many avid beer drinkers feel that the aluminum taints the flavor.
Beer comes in almost every shade from virtually clear to golden yellow to almost black. As the color changes, so does the flavor. Changing the yeast or the malted barley will change the richness and the category of the beer. As beer is made in every country, each one will taste a little different. No matter where in the world the beer was made, it will use the same four basic ingredients but can have a completely different flavor.
