If you love to drink beer, and most of the world does, you might be aware of all the different kinds of beer available. They are all different in color and flavor as well as in calorie content and alcohol content. They come from different regions of the world and are made using ancient traditions as well as using modern technology. However, what you might not realize is that there are really only two distinct kinds of beers: lager beer and ales. What you see in the beer aisle at your local supermarket or in a specialty store simply represents modifications and interpretations of these classic recipes.

As a matter of fact, all beer starts out exactly the same way. The end product might be different because the actual ingredients can vary, but all beers begin with grain that is mashed with malt and mixed with water. These grains can include barley, wheat, and rice (which are the three most popular). They are milled together and boiled down and then natural enzymes are introduced to help break the starch down into sugars. The sugars ferment and create the alcohol of the final product. Again, this is the same for both lager beer and for ales.

From this point, the newly alcoholic mash is sent to brew kettles where it is, again, brought to a boil. It is at this point where the hops and yeast are added and where the ales and lagers separate. A lager beer is made with “bottom-fermenting” yeast. This means that when the yeast is added it sinks to the bottom and stays there. Yeast will rise to the top over time, but a lager is “finished brewing” before the yeast can rise. If the yeast does rise it is considered “top-fermenting” and the brew you have will be ale. The longer you let the ale rest and the more malt and hops you add will produce the various kinds of ale you can find on the shelves at your local market.

Because lager brewing stops before the yeast can rise, the brewing process results in a clean finish and offers a smooth, crisp taste to the person who drinks it. This is categorically what makes a lager. The other defining characteristic of a lager beer is that it cools at a much lower temperature than ale does which, again, contributes to the mild and crisp taste.

Lagers are very popular around the world for exactly the reason you might assume: they are clean, crisp, and easy to drink. Because they are so light, they are very easy to drink with heavy, deep-fried bar foods, which make these brews ideal for bars around the world. Because they are so light, these beers are also very popular in warmer regions of the world, especially when you consider that the recommended serving temperature for lager beer is near the freezing point. Popular lagers in the United States include Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Heineken, and Corona.

It is difficult to say what the best tasting beer is simply because it is a matter of, in fact, personal taste. Everyone appreciates flavor differently, but in terms of classification it is probably safe to say that there are some beers that are “cleaner,” “smoother,” “hoppier,” and “more flavorful.” However, in order to identify these things you first need to understand the different kinds of beers.

There are really only two kinds of beer: lagers and ales. The only difference between them is how long they are brewed to allow the yeast to ferment. Lagers are bottom-fermenting brews which have less “flavor” because the yeast never rises to the top. These should be clean, smooth, and crisp (think Budweiser, Heineken, Stella Artois, and Pilsner Urquell, in order of lowest quality to highest). Ales, then, are brewed long enough for the yeast to rise, which adds depth of flavor to the brew.

That said the best tasting beer is always among those that have either a clean finish or a distinctly flavorful palate. It is also important to remember that the different kinds of beers should each be served at certain temperatures to maximize the flavors and the experience.

The lightest beers, like pale lagers and cream ales, should be served at near freezing temperatures. These are brews that are not intended to have much flavor, but some of the most popular brands are Budweiser, Heineken, and Carlsberg. The best tasting beer in this category is probably one that has little flavor, but for some reason goes very well with deep-fried, starchy, heavy bar foods.

Standard Pilsners and premium lagers, like Stella Artois, should be served at a slightly warmer temperature than pale lagers for maximum taste. This temperature is also ideal for Belgian White Ales (like Blue Moon) and dark lagers (like Dark Cloud from Mother Earth Brewing).

Pale ales (like Sierra Nevada, one of the most popular), lighter Amber Ales (like Full Sail), Porters (like those from Founders and Anchor brewing companies) and Bohemian Pilsners (like Pilsner Urquell, one of the most well-known brands in the world) are among the best tasting beer types to be served around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fruit lambics (like 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekske Kriek from Belgium) also taste best at this temperature.

“Cellar” beers are best served just below room temperature and are called this because you usually store them in a cellar, which is underground and thus slightly cooler than the surface temperature. Scottish ales, or Scotch-style ales (like Old Chub from Oskar Blues Brewery) and Brown ales (like Newcastle, one of the most popular) fit nicely in this category. So do India Pale Ales (like Dogfish Head’s 90-Minute IPA) and Premium Bitter Ales (like England’s Bitter Brewer).

Finally, “warm” beers are served at room temperature. This category includes stouts, the darkest beers, like Murphy’s and Guinness. The best tasting beers in this category usually serve up a complexity of flavors that many of the cooler beers cannot deliver. Guinness, for example, is quite aromatic and when you drink it you might taste a hint of chocolate!

Low calorie beer is somewhat of a sensitive topic in the beer world. This is because beer that is low in calories is also probably low in flavor as well as alcohol content. This, then, begs the question: “why bother?” Nonetheless, “lite” beer continues to reign among the top selling brands in America: Bud Light, Miller Light, and Coors Light, are always among the best-selling beers in the country. There are always newer versions of lite beer in development at any given time too.

The “lite” beer industry is somewhat of an anomaly for exactly that reason: that it is very successful despite the fact that it is somewhat insensible. However, there is another strange thing about low calorie beer that you might not expect: that the number of calories you save by drinking ‘lite’ beer really does not justify the fact that you pay the same amount of money for it. At least, this is the case with the most popular brands since smaller microbreweries may be able to regain some of their flavor while still offering a somewhat ‘lighter’ brew.

For example, among the top-selling beer brands in the United States, Bud Light, Miller Light, Coors Light, and Michelob Ultra all consistently rank within the top ten year after year. (It is important to note that their “full-bodied” versions also rank as high or higher). That said, though, it should make you wonder why they are so popular because these low calorie beer options do not have a depth of flavor and are not necessarily strong in alcohol content either.

The issue, then, must have something to do with a health-conscious society – one that wishes to do the best they can with the choices available. In the case of beer, then, many Americans opt for the low calorie beer option in hopes that it will justify straying far from their diet in the first place. The irony, though, is that the amount of calories you ‘save’ when choosing Bud Light over Budweiser is easily burned off during the amount of time it takes to consume one bottle of beer. Therefore, by you would take in about half a bottle more-worth of calories drinking four Budweiser bottles than you would drinking four Bud Light bottles.

What are you going to do about the calories that are common to both regular beer and the low calorie beer? Probably nothing, since it is likely that you will end the night with a restless sleep and not a thirty minute jog around the park to burn them off. However, many people do appreciate the “lite” option as it does help to reduce the amount of overall calories and carbohydrates that you take in. If you are, in fact, on a diet and watching those precious calories, it is sometimes just nice knowing that option is available. Although the margin may be small, the piece of mind it provides to you, as a consumer, may be more than enough to compensate. That, after all, is what you really want in the first place.

Most people who drink beer probably do so at whatever temperature it is out of the fridge or the tap. This is usually because most markets and bars store all of their beer in the same refrigerator, both in bulk storage and in the areas where they can be easily accessible. Just like wine, though, the various types of beer can taste better depending on what temperature you serve it. Beer temperatures, then, can greatly affect the quality of your beer drinking experience.

VERY COLD (32-39F/0-4C): Many beers that you find at top-rated ale houses are served at this, the coldest of beer temperatures, because it makes all beer taste good. Quite frankly, if you really don’t want to taste your beer, or if you prefer to drink a beer that has a very light taste, this is the temperature for you. Generally, the beers served at this temperature are simple or have flavors that are better when they are crisp

• Pale lagers
• Malt liquor
• Golden ale and cream ale (Canadian-style)
• Various ciders (Canadian, American, Scandanavian)

COLD (39-45F/4-7C): This is probably the temperature that most people are familiar with. It is a temperature that allows you to pick up more subtle flavors of the lighter beers but also one that is easier to maintain (which is better for smaller bars and restaurants). However, beers that taste best at this temperature include:

• Hefeweizen and kristalweizen
• Kolsch-style
• Premium lagers
• Pilsners (like Budweiser)
• Belgian White Ale
• Dark Lager (and stronger, richer lagers)
• Sweetened fruit lambics and gueuzes,

COOL (45-54F/8-12C): As you have probably started to gather, as beer gets darker it becomes more and more appropriate to serve it at warmer beer temperatures. This doesn’t mean that the following types of beers cannot be served colder, but they taste and settle best here in this middle range.

• Pale ales
• Amber ales
• Sweet stout
• Porter
• Golden ale (English-style)
• Fruit lambics and gueuzes
• Bohemian pilsner
• Ciders (French or Spanish)

CELLAR (54-57F/12-14C): These are, basically, beers that you would serve directly from kegs that are stored in a cellar. As the recommended beer temperatures suggest, these beers are best served just below room temperature.

• Bitter and premium bitter ales
• Brown ale
• India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Weizen bock
• Scottish Ale
• Old ale

WARM (57-61F/14-16C): While there is a warmer category (HOT), beers at this temperature are probably the end all for most beer drinkers as far as beer temperatures are concerned. As you can see, they are best when served at room temperature.

• Barley wine
• Abt/quadruple
• Imperial Stout
• Imperial/Double IPA

Many people all over the world like beer. In many countries, the tradition dates back many centuries, making beer a major part of the culture. There are many different kinds of beer, categorized by the way it is brewed and what it is made out of. This makes beer one of the most widely complex beverages in the world. Ironically, though, the process for making the many different kinds of beers is very similar; one only need look inside a beer factory to see this.

MASHING

Inside a beer factory the first thing that needs to be done is mix and mash the grains with malt and water. In modern times, this is done in a stainless steel tank. Depending on the type of beer you are making, the grains could include barley, wheat, and rice (and probably others because of the variety of specialty brands). Everything is milled, mixed, and boiled down and natural enzymes are added to break the starch into sugars, which will ferment and generate the alcohol content. The mixture is then strained which separates the spent grain husks from a clear, sweet amber liquid called wort.

BREWING

Once the mixture is strained, the wort is sent to the brew kettles. Once there, the liquid is brought to a boil where natural hops are added (for lagers). This is the “spice” or “flavor” of the beer. Depending on the recipe and the variety of hops, this step will change the fragrance and flavor of the beer. Before the beer ferments, though, the wort is pumped through another vessel, which receives it and cools it to the necessary temperature for receiving yeast.

FERMENTATION

Up until this point, the process for brewing beer inside a beer factory is exactly the same no matter what you are brewing (give or take the hops that you select for the flavors you are looking for). However, the first (of three) difference(s) between lagers and ales (which are, essentially, the two basic kinds of beers), is which kind of yeast you use. During the fermentation process, the brewer adds yeast at this point.

Lagers are made with “bottom-fermenting” strains of yeast, which sink to the bottom of the tank and ferment there. This provides a clean, crisp flavor because the yeast does not affect the flavor of the grains, malt, and hops. Lagers ferment at colder temperatures and brew for a longer period of time.

Ales are made with “top-fermenting” yeast strains. Typically, the yeast has risen to the top of the tank during the fermentation process. Top-fermenting yeast does affect the flavor of the brew. Ales ferment at warmer temperatures and brew for a short period of time.

STORING / BOTTLING

After the yeast is added and the beer is fermented it is either stored or bottled. Inside a beer factory you will find a large assembly line where the beer is put into bottles (or cans or kegs) and then either stored or further sent to the distribution area where it is shipped out to warehouses, liquor stores, grocery stores, and pubs.

If you went to college, or ever seen a movie depicting the social life of college students, then you are probably familiar with the concept of chugging beer. Movies like the classic college “Revenge of the Nerds,” the more recent teen favorite “American Pie” series, and of course “Animal House” seem to almost glorify the activity. While there really is no sensible reason to do it, it is something that is very common among the party animal crowd who simply want to get drunk as quickly as possible. Of course, there are also those who find it to be something that can be turned into a competition as well.

As simple as it sounds and appears to be, there is actually a great deal of science in the process of chugging beer. For example, many people find it difficult to chug beer because while they are trying to gulp down the liquid, it is also very easy to gulp down some air. Of course, this makes it difficult, and even uncomfortable, to finish the task of consuming a simple 12 or 16 ounces. The trick, then, is to find ways to remove the element of air from the equation, which is how the “shotgun” came to be.

“Shotgunning” involves chugging beer from a can from the bottom up. You turn the can on its side and poke a whole at the bottom of the side of the can (not on the bottom face of the can). Place your lips up to the whole and stand the beer upright in your hand; the tab should be on top. Now, pop the tab and the crisp, cold, frothy liquid should start pouring out through the hole, into your mouth, and down your gullet.

This process uses two scientific processes to get the beer out of the can and into your mouth faster with few complications. First of all, it takes advantage of gravity, which forces the liquid down and out through the hole that you made. Secondly, it uses displacement, which is a process that describes how air pressure in the can is not equal to the air pressure outside of the can and thus tries to balance itself. In terms of displacement, another trick is to insert a straw into the bottle because it will displace the air from the outside and put it inside, helping to force the liquid out. This makes it easier to drink the beer quickly.

Although chugging beer is a popular pastime for young people across the United States, often seen as a rite of passage, it is something that becomes less and less attractive as you get older. First of all, this is because chugging beer results in inebriation very quickly, which means you can get sloppy, and that’s never attractive. Secondly, the overwhelming of your digestive system with alcohol and carbonation can be very uncomfortable. Third, of course, you can get sick from both the irritation as well as having too much alcohol in your system.

Beer is one of the oldest and most widely-celebrated beverages on the planet. It is something that has been brewed by ancient societies and has been shared by many different cultures throughout history and around the globe. Depending where your family comes from, you will have a different idea about what makes a “good beer,” but what might surprise you is that some of the most popular beer brands in the world are common to several different regions.

In the United States, for example, the most popular beer brands tend to be lighter in body and flavor. Generally, this includes things like lagers and pilsners, although craft brews and seasonal ales are generally well-liked too. As you might have expected, the big beer names like Coors Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, and Miller Lite are very popular. It may be a result of marketing or it may be independent of it. Imported favorites in America include Corona, Heineken, Guinness, and Fosters. Samuel Adams is one of the most popular varietal breweries in all the United States as well. The top selling beers in America are:

1. Bud Light
2. Budweiser
3. Miller Lite
4. Coors Light
5. Corona
6. Natural Light
7. Heineken
8. Michelob Ultra
9. Busch Light
10. Miller High Life

Of course, a little farther North, in Canada, the most popular beer brands are mostly from local breweries, despite the fact that Budweiser and Coors Light are also extremely popular. The number one beer in Canada comes from the Labatt Brewing Company. In fact, two of the most popular beers consumed in the Great White North are from Labatt: Labatt’s Blue and Labatt 50. Other Canadian favorites include Kokanee, Molson, and Moosehead, which are also commonly found in the US. Some of the more rare brands you may find consumed by Canucks are La Fin Du Monde and Alexander Keith’s IPA. One of the most unique beers brands that is favored in this region, though, is Sleeman’s Honey Brown Lager which adds a touch of natural sweetness to the sometimes light but bitter taste of lager beer.

Across the Atlantic, in the United Kingdom, you will find that most of the favorite beer brands are, again, local. Stella Artois is among the local favorites as well as Foster’s, Carling, Carslberg, Beck’s, Guinness, and Kronenburg. Stella Artois is, probably, one of the most popular brands exported to the United States as well. You may be surprised to find that Budweiser, the best-selling beer brand in America, is also one of the more popular imports in European homes and pubs. Perhaps the variety of preferred brews in the United Kingdom is evidence of the many cultures that constitute the region.

Another region where beer is popular, of course, is Australia. Some of the most popular beer brands in Australia include, obviously, Foster’s, but they also like Crown Lager. The most popular beer in the Land Down Under is called Victoria Bitter. You may notice that Australians seem to like lagers.

Many people are familiar with St. Patrick as the person responsible for driving the snakes out of Ireland. However, many people are unaware that he is not only the Patron Saint of Ireland, but also of Nigeria, Boston, engineers, and paralegals. You may also not know that St. Patrick is attributed with using the shamrock (the “three-leaf clover”) as an illustrated parable of Christian teaching of “three divine persons in the one God.” This is the reason why the shamrock became a symbol for St. Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated on the day of his death. What most people probably do not know, however, is that there is no historical or biblical indication of any connection between St Paddys Day and Green Beer.

That doesn’t seem to stop most people, though, from using the day as a reason to drink Irish whiskey and green beers, especially in the United States. No matter where you go, all over the country you will be able to find enumerable celebrations revolving around St Paddys Day and Green Beer and the festive day of March 17th. This is particularly true in areas of the country with rich Irish heritage, namely Boston. Of course, traditional Irish pubs all over the country do pretty well during this period of celebration.

Ok, now that this history is out of the way, you should know that on top of there being no relation between St Patrick and beer there is neither a relation between St Paddys Day and green beer because there really is no such thing as green beer. While there are certainly some beers that may be slightly red in color, the green beers that you may consume at your local Irish pub on the days surrounding March 17th, are probably hued with food coloring. Obviously, beers that are lighter in color will take on more of the color, so you will probably want to stick to things like pilsners or traditional lagers. Of course, this means that you can very easily enjoy green beers from the comfort of your own home as well.

Ironically, though, traditional Irish beers, and those more familiarly attributed to “St Paddys Day and Green Beer” are not green in color, but actually very dark. This is because they are stout beers. The famous of these is Guinness, whose dark, near-chocolate, malty flavor, and cascading action in the glass is common to many parts of the world. However, there are many brands of the come from the land of Erin.

• GUINNESS DRAUGHT: Very dark in appearance, the aroma is sweet like chocolate and coffee but tastes surprisingly light and thin. It is lower in alcohol content as well as substance.
• MURPHY’S IRISH STOUT: Black that fades to garnet (red) with a slightly off-white head, this beer is tradition at its finest. Very smooth (even smoother than Guinness) and creamy it easy to drink straight from the can or poured into a simple pint glass.
• O’HARA’s CELEBRATION STOUT: With a surprisingly dark head it smells like chocolate and a hint of smoke. The taste is similarly but finishes sweetly and is somewhat oaky, perhaps from the tannins.

There is a beer on the market that many purists would consider a “non-beer.” Non-alcoholic beer has been available for years, though it lacks one of the key components that many believe makes it a beer – the alcohol. It has therefore been given the nickname “near beer.” It’s been given a bad rap over the years because there are some non-alcoholic (NA) beers that simply taste really bad.

If you’ve had a bad experience with a near beer and you don’t like the beer, you owe it to yourself to try another kind. There are many on the market and not all of them leave a horrible after taste in your mouth.

Common Non-Alcoholic Beer

There are quite a few non-alcoholic beers on the market and you can usually find them in a liquor store or specialty shop that sells beer (World Market is one). It is harder to find a good non-alcoholic beer in a restaurant because it’s a tough market. If you’re lucky, they’ll have one beer available. The most common beers you can find around are:

• O’Douls (they also have an Amber)
• Bucker (Heineken’s brand)
• Kaliber (Guinness’ brand)
• Sharp’s

Alcohol or Not?

Non-alcoholic beer still contains a little alcohol. If you are a recovering alcoholic, it’s got enough alcohol in it that you should avoid it at all costs. It is talked about at AA meetings as a tease and can be just enough to set an addict over the edge. When you’re pregnant, it’s enough alcohol to make a doctor advise against drinking it.

A standard beer has about 5% ABV or alcohol by volume. The non-alcoholic content typically is about 0.5% ABV. Light beers which are also lower in calories have about 4.2% ABV. So while it is a significant decrease in alcohol, there is still alcohol present. Since there is still alcohol present, the US requires that a person be 21 years of age or more, with the exception of a few states.

Why Drink It?

So if non-alcoholic beer doesn’t have a lot of alcohol but still has enough to count, why drink it? There are a few reasons. If you find a good tasting non-alcoholic beer, it will take the place of regular beer when you’ve had enough to drink but your friends want to keep partying. If you are in the military, it’s the closest to beer that you’ll most likely get. Being on high blood pressure medication, it cannot mix with alcohol; however the non-alcoholic version is approved.

Non-alcoholic beer can be your savior at a party when you need to be “good” and not drink but still want to have the taste. It’s all a matter of what beer you select and why it is that you’re choosing a non-alcoholic beer. There are many kinds of beer in general and not everyone likes them all. So if you didn’t like the first kind you had, go in search of another one and you may find that you like the non-alcoholic version just as much as the real thing.

Bavaria Beer was founded in 1719 by Laurentius Moorees in Lieshout, North Brabant in the Netherlands. At the time it was founded, the village brewery produced just shy of 90 barrels of beer. Of course, this is not very much beer. Two generations later, the great-grandson of the Moorees, Jan Swinkels was able to increase operations and distribution. By 1910 he constructed a malting plant and they were producing tens of thousands of liters of beer every year. Within the next fifteen years the operation had become so big that they had to vacate their small buildings and move into a larger brewery in Lieshout, a brewery that produced over 2,000 bottles of beer per hour, at the time.

The brewery

Bavaria beer, as a brewery, concentrated their efforts on the Dutch market for the majority of their existence. It was not until the 1970s that they expanded internationally, now servicing around 100 countries across the globe. They have even adapted their beverages to suit individual markets with sales subsidiaries in South Africa, America, Spain, France, Italy, England, and other smaller countries. An example of one of their adaptations is a non-alcoholic version, which they export to the Middle East.

The brewery now produces a wide range of standard and low alcohol pale lagers. This variety is bottled under several different names, which include “Bavaria” and “Hollandia.” Around the world, the best known brand of Bavaria beer is “Bavaria Premium Pils Lager.” They also make malts available in apple, caramel, lemon, and karkade flavors, as well as several different supermarket-owned-brand Dutch lagers in Europe. As you can see, they have greatly expanded their operations since their inception nearly 300 hundred years ago.

Different varieties

There are several kinds of specialty Bavaria beer varieties as well. In France, for example, they make two specialty brews called “Bavaria 8.6” and “Bavaria 8.6 Red.” They also make La Trappe and Moreeke, which is a tribute to Laurentius Moorees, the company’s founder. In Australia there is a chain of bottle shops (alcohol stores), called Liquorland, that distributes both Bavaria and Hollandia brands as “premium imported” Dutch beers. In Ireland you will find “Bavaria Crown,” and since the 1990’s you could also find many exported Bavaria brands in several Soviet Union countries.

Of late, however, you might recognize the Bavaria beer brand because of its placement in international news headlines. In 2006, for example, they ran a promotion where they gave away 1,000 Leeuwenhosen (orange overalls) with their logo on them to the Dutch national football team fans who bought associated Bavaria Brewery products. Unfortunately, this was viewed as ambush marketing by FIFA. Similarly, in 2007, the Bavaria was also in the news for price-fixing, as determined by the European commission. Bavaria was one of three breweries (the other two were Heineken and Grolsch) charged and fined for participating and operating the price fixing cartel in the Netherlands. Along with the InBev corporation, the four brewers controlled 95% of the Dutch market, but InBev was not assessed a penalty because they were able to show “decisive information” regarding their operations.