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Kottbusser is a German beer style that was outlawed in 1877 due to the German Beer Purification Law, which restricted beer ingredients to just barley, hops, water and (once discovered) yeast. The golden-hued ale uses wheat, oats and barley for the grist, a dose of noble hops to add floral notes and honey and molasses for more fermentable sugars and a hint of subtle complexity. Unlike more well-known styles of German wheat beers, like hefeweizen, kottbusser is fermented with a clean ale yeast, leaving little to not yeast character in the finished beer.
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse of Loveland, Colorado shared the recipe for their kottbusser ale, Snowdrop. Snowdrop earned a bronze medal in the 2015 Great American Beer Festival. To learn more about kottbusser and to get some tips on brewing the style from Grimm Brothers, check out 6 Tips on Brewing Kottbusser from Grimm Brothers Brewhouse
You probably know that temperature control is a key way for brewers to ensure consistent, quality beer from one batch to the next. Professionals enjoy the benefit of glycol-cooled, jacketed cylindroconical fermentation tanks, but we homebrewers typically improvise a temperature-regulated fermentation chamber or even an ice bath. Just measure the temperature of the beer and let a controller turn on the cold as needed.
Alas, as with human beings, there are multiple places at which one may take a beer’s temperature. Ideally you’d just sanitize the probe and drop it directly into the fermenting beer. In practice, however, this is probably a bad idea unless said probe is specifically rated for submersion in liquid. Here, then, are the two of the most common ways to measure temperature without voiding your controller’s warranty.
Within the Beer Itself via a Thermowell
This is the best place to measure because the beer in the middle of the fermentor can be much warmer than that near the wall, perhaps by as much as 10°F (5.6°C). Measuring your evolving beer at its warmest spot ensures that things stay nice and cool during the most active phase of fermentation.
The easiest way to measure internal temperature is to use a thermowell (pictured above), which is a long, closed metal tube that extends into the fermentor. If you use a carboy or a plastic bucket, a drilled stopper can hold a thermowell alongside your airlock. Many stainless fermentors already have a thermowell. If not, it’s easy to install one yourself. Once the thermowell is in, simply drop the probe into it and you’re on your way!
Attached to the Outside of the Fermentor
In the absence of a thermowell, taping the probe directly to the outside of the fermentor is your next best bet. This measurement will track the internal temperature fairly closely, but thanks to the insulating properties of the vessel and the aforementioned thermal gradient, you may wish to adjust the setpoint temperature a few degrees lower than your target. As fermentation slows, the internal temperature will more closely match that read at the edge.
It’s also worth taping some insulation around the probe to ensure that it measures the beer temperature and not an average of the beer and the surrounding air. Any kind of cheap insulation will work, including bits salvaged from old camping mattresses and yoga mats. Some brewers even use good, old-fashioned bubble wrap.
Whatever you do, don’t just hang the temperature probe in the chest freezer or refrigerator without attaching it to a fermentation vessel in some way. The mass of the fermenting beer is much greater than that of the surrounding air, and by the time the probe senses a warming of the air, the internal temperature of the wort is likely to have gotten well out of hand.
It might seem hard to believe, but beer isn’t like any other beverage when it comes to the importance of glassware. Beer’s carbonation is what is known as hydrophobic—it repels from water. Carbonation will stop at nothing to get away from water, hence the bubbles rising to the top of your beer. Carbonation’s hydrophobic quality makes it extremely important to have perfectly beer clean glassware. A glass that isn’t “beer clean” messes with head retention, banishes aroma, and compromises mouthfeel. The look isn’t right either — almost every beer deserves a healthy foam capper to keep oxygen out and aroma in.”
What is Beer Clean?
A beer clean glass is free of any impurities: leftover sanitizer, beer, dirt, food, detergent, grease, chap stic, lipstick, lip balm, boogers, or anything else that would provide the escaping CO2 a spot to cling to.
These areas of grime act as nucleation sites, allowing bubbles to cling to and collect around the point. Any time you serve a beer in a glass that is not free of impurities you (or your customers) will quickly see the hidden residue that remains on a seemingly clean glass.
The Brewers Association’s Draught Beer Quality Manual (DBQM) describes a beer clean glass is one that, “forms a proper foam head, allows lacing during consumption and never shows patches of bubbles stuck to the side of the glass in the liquid beer.”
Bubbles clinging to the inside of a beer glass is the most obvious sign that a glass is not beer clean. I don’t care what is causing those nucleation sites, but I don’t want to be drinking it, and neither do you.
How to Achieve Beer Clean
A beer served in a beer clean glass will look inviting with a persistent foam head and consistent lacing will appear as you drink it. Sixpoint offered suggestions for getting beer clean glassware both in a commercial setting and at home in their blog post “Beer Clean Glassware“
The DBQM also offers helpful tips including:
Wash beer glassware separate from other dishes.
Air dry glassware to avoid adding lint to the glasses.
Pre-rinse glasses before serving to remove dust or other particulates.
Avoid frosted glassware: each ice crystal acts as a nucleation point creating excess foaming.
A lot goes into that glass of beer, if you’re the last part in the chain to ensure a great beer experience, be sure it’s not spoiled by serving the beer in a dirty glass.
I’m always amazed that craft beer generates such polarizing opinions. No matter how many excited beer fans I meet, there are always a few people that love to tell me how much they hate beer, or a specific style of beer.
Now, I’m not a fan of crinkle-cut carrots, but I don’t hate them. It’s just a preference; not an all-out hatred. I can understand if you prefer other beverages more than beer, or prefer certain beer styles over others, but to generalize and say that you just don’t like it? I think that’s very limiting.
After all, beer is a very personal, multi-faceted experience that is dependent on many variables. I continue to learn that beer has as much to do with environmental conditioning as it does with your innate human makeup.
Believe it or not, humans are not born with an inclination for hand-crafted, hoppy India pale ales, and some have never developed a taste for bitter-forward beers. If you’re one of those people, I bet you’ve gotten some grief at some point from your “hop-head” friends. Don’t worry, you’re not an inhuman monster (probably—I don’t know you), and here’s why: distaste for hops is part of our human genetic heritage.
To illustrate this, imagine early hunter-gathers. Early humans were driven by the most primal and basic instinct to survive. Picture one of our ancient ancestors (I’m calling him Fred) wandering the wilderness, trying not to get eaten by whatever predators were around at that time, and searching for things that he could eat to survive.
Fred comes across two berry bushes that he’s never seen before. He tastes a berry from one bush, and it’s sweet: He swallows happily. Then he tastes a berry from the second bush, and it’s very bitter: His instinct is to immediately spit it out. Fred gathers up the sweet berries—as hunter-gatherers were known to do when they weren’t hunting—gets a job at a rock quarry, raises a family and the rest is totally made-up history.
So why was Fred immediately drawn to choose the sweet berries, having never tasted either before? The answer is in his genes. Scientists like Garneau believe that the sense of taste is hardwired into the brain to recognize whether something you ingest is going to help you or hurt you.
A sweet taste is recognized by the brain as good, because sugar represents calories and calories are needed to sustain energy and outrun sabre-toothed tigers. The taste of bitterness is an immediate red flag to the brain that warns you something may be poisonous and should be rejected–just in case.
Other tastes provide similar alerts in the brain. For instance, salt is needed by the body (salty = good), while a sour taste might mean that the food is spoiled (sour = bad). A baby’s “yuck” face when she tastes bitter vegetables is her brain’s natural, instinctual reaction and is meant to protect her from ingesting anything harmful (also it’s hilarious and adorable).
Outside Influences Shape Taste
So there you have it, IPA-haters: It’s not your fault. Dr. Garneau said that humans were never supposed to like bitter beer in the first place, and we can’t do anything about our genes, right?
Not so fast!
If humans are naturally averse to bitter tastes, why are coffee, tea and Brussels sprouts so popular? And why are so many people crazy about hops in craft beer?
The answer Garneau revealed is that the environment is to blame. Outside influences can teach your brain to override its genetic predilection and aversions. In her own example, Garneau asked the audience what I’ll ask you now: Have you ever had a bad experience with food, like getting sick from oysters? Chances are it was a while before you went back to slurping down the briny bivalves, if you’re not still avoiding them to this day. Did your genes change? Nope—you can’t change your genes—but you are now ‘conditioned’ to avoid oysters.
Conditioning allows your brain to work around your genes, like when you were a kid and thought coffee was gross. Like most of us, you probably learned to love a cup of joe as you had more exposure to it, and you realized it had the positive effect of helping you stay alert and awake.
That, Garneau said, is how we learn to like bitter beer. Exposure to foods you don’t like will show your brain that bitter foods aren’t going to kill you. It can take up to 20 instances of exposure to something until your brain re-conditions itself to recognize that something which once was potentially adverse is now welcome.
So does this mean you can force-feed someone who doesn’t like beer in general, or hoppy beer specifically, 20 hop-heavy beers and expect them to be conditioned to enjoy an IPA with you? Fat chance!
No one likes to be told what they “should” like. As hoppy beer fans, we need to respect our friends’ tastes. We like hoppy beers because we gave them a try, and then another and another, despite what our genes were telling us. We hop-heads are the ones technically going against human nature.
The moral of the story is that you can change a negative to a positive with positive conditioning. We can all benefit from giving something a try or two (or 20) before we decide to love it or hate it.
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 cups)
1/4 large yellow onion, coarsely grated
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup olive juice (from a can of olives)
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crackers, for serving
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cheese, onion, beer, mayonnaise, olive juice, Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix on medium-low speed until soft and slightly creamy, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the dip to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week. Bring dip to room temperature before transferring to a serving bowl and digging in with crackers.
The holidays are officially upon us, though one could easily be forgiven for thinking they’ve been upon us since mid-September. Some of us put off buying gifts until only a couple of days are left and then make up for our procrastination by doing our part to ensure the continued success of the overnight shipping industry. But if you like to get an early start, you may already be shopping for friends, family, and loved ones.
For the homebrewers on your list, here are five ideas for gifts that usually cost less than $100. If you shop around, you may even find them for considerably less.
1. Stir plate
To brew the best beer possible, yeast propagation really needs to be part of the equation. To that end, many of us rig up makeshift stir plates from old computer fans, magnets, cell phone chargers, and several rolls of duct tape. But a purpose-made stir plate is an affordable luxury that any hobby brewer would love to have. Look for a model that can handle 2 liters, which is the maximum size that most of us usually make. Larger plates can handle larger volumes, but of course, they come with a larger price tag. And don’t forget the stir bar!
2. Refractometer
Refractometers let brewers measure wort specific gravity using a very small sample, and most feature automatic temperature compensation (ATC). All-grain brewers in particular will enjoy the convenience of being able to take gravity readings throughout the runoff. In addition to ATC, look for a model that displays results in both Brix and specific gravity (SG). Consider throwing in a bottle of distilled water in case your brewer is eager to calibrate his or her new toy straight away.
3. Mash paddle
A sturdy wooden or stainless steel mash paddle will cut through the thickest of grists and just feels right in your hands. Generally speaking, good mash paddles don’t have lots of features to watch out for, but some can be customized with your brewer’s initials or a decorative, beer-themed emblem.
Good temperature control improves the quality of any brew and is essential for making lagers. Give your brewer the gift of predictability with a digital controller. This plugs right into a standard wall outlet and features a probe to measure the temperature of fermenting beer. It then turns an old refrigerator or chest freezer on or off to maintain the desired temperature.
This is but a small smattering of ideas for gifts that any homebrewer would be thrilled to receive this holiday season. And remember, if you like craft beer, giving a piece of gear to an enthusiastic homebrewer means that your investment will come back to you in the form of delicious homebrew for years and years to come.
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By Julia Herz
I like to call craft-brewed beer a cerebral beverage. Based on all the flavors, variety and innovation going on today, it certainly gives beer lovers much to talk about. But therein lies the challenge…
In talking about flavor on a daily basis, I’ve searched high and low for a solid answer on what exactly flavor is, how the heck we perceive it, and more importantly, describe it.
Admittedly, as one on a flavor-finding journey, and ever a palate athlete in training—we train each bite people—the bottom line is flavors are often difficult to describe. There are a multitude of books on the very topic. A new one that relates directly to pairing is Beer, Food, and Flavor by Schuyler Schultz.
Schultz talks about tasting in terms of attack: primary, secondary and tertiary flavor characteristics, finish, balance and dimension. There’s also the stand-by bible Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. For those who really want to geek out, read Neurogastronomy by Gordon Shepherd, or Sensory Evaluation Techniques by Morten Meilgaard, Gail Vance Civille and B. Thomas Carr.
Flavor = Taste + Aroma
In January, I attended a fantastic three-hour seminar presented by Ray Daniels and Nicole Erny of the Cicerone® Certification Program titled “Flavor & Tasting.” This is more of what the craft beer world needs to hear to help us understand and better describe flavors.
Daniels emphasized right out of the gates that flavor = taste + aroma. Sit with that one for a moment while I share it again. Flavor = taste + aroma. I often liken a new taster’s experience to being blind, with no reference to the primary colors. In this scenario, primary colors are taste elements like sweet, salt, sour, umami and bitter. On my beer journey, it took a while to mentally detect and separate these elements. Until a taster has reference to what they perceive, they have a hard time describing (internally or externally) what flavors they’re detecting.
For example, here is a recent inner dialog I had, yes with myself, while tasting a very fresh American IPA—a very hop centric beer. “Oh wow, mid-taste I get mango…no wait, it’s more like passion fruit…nope, it’s way closer to pineapple. I taste lemon-citrus, but yet smell more tropical fruit.”
Sound familiar? Well that inner conversation would have been way different if I had never tried pineapple, passion fruit or mango in the first place, as I would have been unable to reference those as flavors and aromatics. You with me? So part of the take away here is that tasting craft beer is more than just tasting, it’s the whole experience.
Similar to how a musician might want to understand how our ears help us hear, or a painter might want to fully understand how our eyes allow us to see, I’m just craft beer foodie who wants to know how our tongue, palate, nose and mind help us perceive flavors.
The Four Main Taste Sensations
So here goes! Flavor is a compilation (fusion) of different perceptions of our five senses. Yes my dear friend, flavor is a fusion. Based on my journey thus far, here is how I summarize the four main sensations that collectively work in concert when we sample: smell, taste, sensation and experience.
1. Smell
Smell is the dominant sense affecting flavor perception. Without it, what we taste would be very simplistic and much more one-dimensional. Thus smell is a synthetic experience, in that the brain has a hard time picking apart the individual pieces, compared to taste which is an analytic experience where our brain can dissect the parts more easily.
Smell is an aromatic experience that happens via two reactions:
Orthonasal: Sniffing with the nose (nostrils), what is perceived and chemically interpreted by the brain.
Retronasal: Chemical reactions that take place where the nose and mouth meet. When we taste food (or beer), it gives off aroma vapors. Humans have about 300 odor receptors that act in combination to allow us to detect 10,000 (or more) possible aromas.
2. Taste
Taste is a chemical sense perceived by receptors on the tongue and soft palate. On the tongue, taste cells are housed in taste buds, which in turn are housed in the papillae that are the bumps on our tongue. We also have filiform papillae which do not have taste buds, but act to help grind down food in the mouth.
Each taste bud is composed of 40-100 taste cells. Each cell is specific to a singular taste modality, and you can have any combination of taste cells in one taste bud. There is a taste pore at the top the taste bud. Food molecules dissolved in saliva enter into the taste bud through the pore and interact with the taste cells receptors that are on extensions of the cell called microvilli for sweet, bitter and umami. It is thought that salt and sour molecules enter through a gated channel. Either of these pathways activates the cell and sends a chemical signal through the cell which is transformed into an electrical signal in our nerves to the brain. The brain then takes detection to the level of perception, and ultimately to make a decision to consume or spit out.
The main tastes we detect are:
Sweet: brain thinks energy
Salty : brain thinks ions
Sour: brain things spoiled (sour milk) or good (orange juice) or toxic
Bitter: brain thinks toxic (poisonous plants) but this innate reaction can be overcome (beer bitterness/coffee roast)
Umami: brain thinks protein (savory richness: what an aged steak delivers that a fresh cut does not; think parmesan cheese or soy sauce)
3. Touch/Somatosensory
The sensations of temperature, pain and texture in the mouth are in fact a subset of the same receptors in your skin. These sensations are detected by free nerve endings in the mouth by the trigeminal nerve—now those are two very big words! Basically it’s the physical and chemical sensory ability of the skin and mucus membranes to interpret sensations like mouthfeel, temperature, carbonation, body, cooling, burning or numbing, tearing and astringency. All of which, when combined with our other senses, help us create the entire flavor enchilada.
4. Experience
Small details you may not even be aware of in your surroundings can have a big impact on your tasting experience.
Atmosphere: Is the room quite or loud? Cold or hot? Are you extremely hungry? Are you distracted?
Memories: Is there a good or bad experience being triggered by what you are seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting?
Influence of others: If someone around you says, “Oh this tastes bitter,” that might influence your mental interpretation of what you are perceiving.
What you’ve previously consumed: Flavors from what you’ve ingested earlier might carry over to what you are tasting now.
So with all that, and mind you I’ve skipped a lot of the scientific mumbo jumbo, go forth my fellow palate athletes. Taste, describe, repeat and build those reference memory muscles.
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Brewers Association 2015 Beer Style Guidelines February 18, 2015
NORTH AMERICAN ORIGIN ALE STYLES Golden or Blonde Ale Golden or Blonde Ales are straw to light amber. Chill haze should be absent. Hop aroma is low to medium-low,
present but not dominant. Light malt sweetness is present. Hop flavor is low to medium-low, present but not
dominant. Hop bitterness is low to medium. Fruity esters may be perceived but not predominant. Diacetyl should not
be perceived. DMS should not be perceived. Body is crisp, light to medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.045 - 1.054 (11.2 - 13.3) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.008 - 1.016
(2.1 - 4.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.20% - 4.00% (4.10% - 5.10%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 15 - 25 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 3 - 7 (6 - 14) American-Style Amber/Red Ale American-Style Amber/Red Ales are copper to reddish brown. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.
Fruity-ester aroma is low if present. Hop aroma is medium. Medium-high to high maltiness with low to medium
caramel character is present. Hop flavor is medium, and characterized by American-variety hops. Hop bitterness is
medium to medium-high. They may have low levels of fruity-ester flavor. Diacetyl can be absent or barely
perceived at very low levels. Body is medium to medium-high.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.048 - 1.058 (11.9 - 14.3) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012 - 1.018
(3.1 - 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.50% - 4.80% (4.40% - 6.10%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 30 - 45 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 11 - 18 (22 - 36) American-Style Pale Ale American-Style Pale Ales are deep golden to copper or light brown. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.
Hop haze is allowable at any temperature. Low caramel malt aroma is allowable. Fruity-ester aroma should be
moderate to strong. Hop aroma is medium to medium-high, exhibiting floral, fruity, sulfur/diesel-like, citrus-like,
piney resinous characters that are typical of though not exclusively from American-variety hops. Low to medium
maltiness may include low caramel malt character. Hop flavor is medium to medium-high, and is reflective of
American-variety hop aroma characters. Hop bitterness is medium to medium-high. Fruity-ester flavor should be
moderate to strong. Diacetyl should be absent or very low. Note that the “traditional” style of this beer has its origins
with certain floral, fruity, citrus-like, piney, resinous, or sulfur-like American hop varietals. One or more of these
hop characters is the perceived end, but the perceived hop characters may be a result of the skillful use of hops of
other national origins. Body is medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.044 - 1.050 (11 - 12.4) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.008 - 1.014 (2.1
- 3.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.50% - 4.30% (4.40% - 5.40%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 30 - 50 ● Color SRM
(EBC) 6 - 14 (12 - 28) American-Style Strong Pale Ale American-Style Strong Pale Ales are deep golden to copper. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures. Hop
haze is allowable at any temperature. Low caramel malt aroma is allowable. Fruity-ester aroma should be moderate
to strong. Hop aroma is high, exhibiting floral, fruity, sulfur/diesel-like, citrus-like, piney, resinous characters that
are typical of though not exclusively from American-variety hops. Low level maltiness may include low caramel
malt character. Hop flavor is high, and is reflective of American-variety hop aroma characters. Hop bitterness is
high. Fruity-ester flavor is moderate to strong. Diacetyl should be absent or low if present. Body is medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.050 - 1.065 (12.4 - 15.9) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.008 - 1.016
(2.1 - 4.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 4.40% - 5.60% (5.60% - 7.00%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 40 - 50 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 6 - 14 (12 - 28) American-Style India Pale Ale American-Style India Pale Ales are gold to copper or red/light brown. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures
and hop haze is allowable at any temperature. Fruity-ester aroma is moderate to very high. Hop aroma is high,
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exhibiting floral, fruity, sulfur/diesel-like, citrus-like, piney, resinous characters that are typical of though not
exclusively from American-variety hops. Medium maltiness is present. Hop flavor is high, and is reflective of
American-variety hop aroma characters. Hop bitterness is medium-high to very high. Fruity-ester flavors are
moderate to very high. Diacetyl can be absent or very low. The use of water with high mineral content results in a
crisp, dry beer. Body is medium. English and citrus-like American hops are considered enough of a distinction
justifying separate American-style IPA and English-Style IPA categories or subcategories. Hops of other origins
may be used for bitterness or approximating traditional American or English character. See English-style India
Pale Ale.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.060 - 1.075 (14.7 - 18.2) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012 - 1.018
(3.1 - 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5.00% - 6.00% (6.30% - 7.60%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 50 - 70 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 6 - 15 (12 - 30) Session India Pale Ale Session India Pale Ales are gold to copper. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures and hop haze is allowable
at any temperature. Fruity-ester aroma is light to moderate. Hop aroma is medium to high with qualities from a wide
variety of hops from all over the world. Low to medium maltiness is present. Hop flavor is strong, characterized by
flavors from a wide variety of hops. Hop bitterness is medium to high. Fruity-ester flavors are low to moderate.
Diacetyl is absent or at very low levels. Body is low to medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.038 - 1.052 (9.5 - 12.9) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.008 - 1.014 (3.1
- 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.00% - 4.00% (3.70% - 5.00%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 40 - 55 ● Color SRM
(EBC) 4 - 12 (8 - 24) Pale American-Belgo-Style Ale
Pale American-Belgo-Style Ales are gold to light brown. Chill haze may be evident. Fruity-ester aroma is medium
to high. Hop aroma is medium to very high, exhibiting American type hop aromas not usually found in traditional
Belgian styles. Hop flavor is medium to very high. Hop bitterness is medium to very high. Fruity-ester flavor should
be medium to high. Yeast derived characters such as banana, berry, apple, sometimes coriander spice-like and/or
smoky-phenolic characters should be portrayed with balance of hops and malt character when fermented with
Belgian yeasts. Diacetyl should be absent. Sulfur-like yeast character should be absent. Brettanomyces character
should be absent. Pale American-Belgo-Style Ales are either 1) non-Belgian beer types portraying the unique
characters imparted by yeasts typically used in big fruity Belgian-style ales, or 2) defined Belgian-style beers
portraying a unique character of American hops. These beers are unique beers unto themselves. To allow for
accurate judging the brewer must provide information that identifies the classic beer style being elaborated upon (if
there is one) or other information unique to the entry with regard to flavor, aroma and/or appearance. Beer entries
not accompanied by this information will be at a disadvantage during judging.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) Varies
with style (Varies with style) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Bitterness
(IBU) Varies with style ● Color SRM (EBC) 5 - 15 (10 - 30) Dark American-Belgo-Style Ale Dark American-Belgo-Style Ales are brown to black. Chill haze may be evident. Fruity-ester aroma is medium to
high. Hop aroma is medium to very high, exhibiting American type hop aromas not usually found in traditional
Belgian styles. Perception of roasted malts or barley will be subtle to robust. Hop flavor is medium to very high.
Hop bitterness is medium to very high. Fruity-ester flavor should be medium to high. Yeast derived characters such
as banana, berry, apple, sometimes coriander spice-like and/or smoky-phenolic characters should be portrayed with
balance of hops and malt character when fermented with Belgian yeasts. Diacetyl should be absent. Sulfur-like yeast
character should be absent. Brettanomyces character should be absent. Dark American-Belgo-Style Ales are either
1) non-Belgian darker beer types portraying the unique characters imparted by yeasts typically used in big fruity
Belgian-style ales, or 2) defined darker Belgian-style beers portraying a unique character of American hops. These
beers are unique beers unto themselves. To allow for accurate judging the brewer must provide information that
identifies the classic beer style being elaborated upon (if there is one) or other information unique to the entry with
regard to flavor, aroma and/or appearance. Beer entries not accompanied by this information will be at a
disadvantage during judging.
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Original Gravity (ºPlato) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) Varies
with style (Varies with style) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Bitterness
(IBU) Varies with style ● Color SRM (EBC) 16+ (32+) American-Style Brown Ale American-Style Brown Ales are deep copper to very dark brown. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.
Fruity-ester aromas should be subdued. Roasted malt caramel-like and chocolate-like aromas should be medium.
Hop aroma is low to medium. Roasted malt caramel-like and chocolate-like flavors should be medium. Hop flavor is
low to medium. Hop bitterness is medium to high. Fruity-ester flavors should be subdued. Diacetyl should not be
perceived. Body is medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.040 - 1.060 (10 - 14.7) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.010 - 1.018 (2.6
- 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.30% - 5.00% (4.20% - 6.30%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 25 - 45 ● Color SRM
(EBC) 15 - 26 (30 - 52) American-Style Black Ale American-Style Black Ales are very dark to black. Medium caramel malt and dark roasted malt aromas are
evident. Hop aroma is medium-high to high, with fruity, floral, herbal or other hop aroma from hops of all origins
contributing. Medium caramel malt and dark roasted malt flavors are evident. High astringency and high degree of
burnt roast malt should be absent. Hop flavor is medium-high, with fruity, floral, herbal or other hop flavor from
hops of all origins contributing. Hop bitterness is medium-high to high. Body is medium.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.056 - 1.075 (13.8 - 18.2) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012 - 1.018
(3.1 - 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5.00% - 6.00% (6.30% - 7.60%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 50 - 70 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 35+ (70+) American-Style Stout American-Style Stouts are black. Head retention is excellent. Fruity-ester aroma is low. Coffee-like roasted barley
and roasted malt aromas are prominent. Hop aroma is medium to high, often with American citrus-type and/or
resiny hop aromas. Low to medium malt sweetness with low to medium caramel, chocolate, and/or roasted coffee
flavor is present, with a distinctive dry-roasted bitterness in the finish. Roasted barley and roasted malt contribution
to astringency is low and not excessive. Slight roasted malt acidity is permissible. Hop flavor is medium to high,
often with American citrus-type and/or resiny hop flavors. Hop bitterness is medium to high. Fruity-ester flavor is
low. Diacetyl should be negligible or not perceived. Body is perceived as a medium to full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.050 - 1.075 (12.4 - 18.2) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.010 - 1.022
(2.6 - 5.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 4.50% - 7.00% (5.70% - 8.90%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 35 - 60 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 40+ (80+) American-Style Imperial Stout American-Style Imperial Stouts are black. Extremely rich malty aroma is typical. Fruity-ester aroma is generally
high. Diacetyl aroma should be absent. Hop aroma is medium-high to high with floral, citrus and/or herbal hop
aromas. Extremely rich malty flavor with full sweet malt character is typical. Roasted malt astringency and
bitterness can be moderately perceived but should not overwhelm the overall character. Hop flavor is medium-high
to high floral, citrus and/or herbal hop flavors. Hop bitterness is medium-high to very high and balanced with the
malt personality. Fruity-ester flavors are generally high. Diacetyl should be absent. Body is full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.080 - 1.100 (19.3 - 23.7) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.020 - 1.030
(5.1 - 7.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5.50% - 9.50% (7.00% - 12.00%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 50 - 80 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 40+ (80+) American-Style Imperial Porter American-Style Imperial Porters are black. Ale-like fruity-ester aromas should be evident but not overpowering,
complimenting malt and hop aromas. Hop aroma is low to medium-high. No roast barley or strong burnt/black malt
character should be perceived. Medium malt, caramel and cocoa-like sweetness is present. Hop flavor is low to
medium-high. Hop bitterness is medium-low to medium. Ale-like fruity-ester flavors should be evident but not
10
overpowering, complimenting hop character and malt derived sweetness. Diacetyl should be absent. Body is full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.080 - 1.100 (19.3 - 23.7) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.020 - 1.030
(5.1 - 7.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5.50% - 9.50% (7.00% - 12.00%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 35 - 50 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 40+ (80+) Imperial or Double India Pale Ale Imperial or Double India Pale Ales are gold to light brown. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures and haze
created by dry hopping is allowable at any temperature. Hop aroma is very high. Hop aroma should be fresh and
evident, from any variety of hops. Malt character is medium to high. Hop flavor is very high, and should be fresh
and evident and should not be harsh in quality, deriving from any variety of hops. Hop bitterness is very high but not
harsh. Alcohol content is medium-high to high and notably evident. Fruity-ester flavor is high. Diacetyl should not
be perceived. The intention of this style of beer is to exhibit the fresh and evident character of hops. Oxidative
character and aged character should not be present. Body is medium-high to full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.075 - 1.100 (18.2 - 23.7) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012 - 1.020
(3.1 - 5.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 6.00% - 8.40% (7.60% - 10.60%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 65 - 100 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 5 - 15 (10 - 30) Double Red Ale Double Red Ales are deep amber to dark copper/reddish brown. A small amount of chill haze is allowable at cold
temperatures. Fruity-ester aroma is medium. Hop aroma is high, arising from any variety of hops. Medium to
medium-high caramel malt character is present. Low to medium biscuit or toasted characters may also be present.
Hop flavor is high and balanced with other beer characters. Hop bitterness is high to very high. Alcohol content is
medium to high. Complex alcohol flavors may be evident. Fruity-ester flavors are medium. Diacetyl should not be
perceived. Body is medium to full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.058 - 1.080 (14.3 - 19.3) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.015 - 1.024
(3.9 - 6.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 4.90% - 6.30% (6.10% - 7.90%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 45 - 80 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 10 - 17 (20 - 34) Imperial Red Ale Imperial Red Ales are deep amber to dark copper/reddish brown. A small amount of chill haze is allowable at cold
temperatures. Fruity-ester aroma is medium. Hop aroma is intense, arising from any variety of hops. Medium to high
caramel malt character is present. Hop flavor is intense, and balanced with other beer characters. They may use any
variety of hops. Hop bitterness is intense. Alcohol content is very high and of notable character. Complex alcohol
flavors may be evident. Fruity-ester flavors are medium. Diacetyl should not be perceived. Body is full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.080 - 1.100 (19.3 - 23.7) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.020 - 1.028
(5.1 - 7.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 6.30% - 8.40% (8.00% - 10.60%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 55 - 85 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 10 - 17 (20 - 34) American-Style Barley Wine Ale American-Style Barley Wine Ales are amber to deep red/copper-garnet. Chill haze is allowable at cold
temperatures. Fruity-ester aroma is often high. Caramel and/or toffee malt aromas are often present. Hop aroma is
medium to very high. High residual malty sweetness, often containing caramel and/or toffee flavors is present. Hop
flavor is medium to very high. American type hops are often used but not necessary for this style. Hop bitterness is
high. Complexity of alcohols is evident. Fruity-ester flavor is often high. Very low levels of diacetyl may be
acceptable. Characters indicating oxidation, such as vinous (sometimes sherry-like) aromas and/or flavors, are not
generally acceptable in American-style barley wine ales, however if a low level of age-induced oxidation character
harmonizes and enhances the overall experience this can be regarded favorably. Body is full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.090 - 1.120 (21.6 - 28) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.024 - 1.028 (6.1
- 7.1) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 6.70% - 9.60% (8.50% - 12.20%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 60 - 100 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 11 - 18 (22 - 36)
11 American-Style Wheat Wine Ale American-Style Wheat Wine Ales are gold to light brown. Chill haze is allowable. Fruity-ester aroma is often
high and counterbalanced with complex alcohol character. Bready, wheat, honey-like and/or caramel malt aromas
are often present. Hop aroma is low to medium. High residual malt sweetness is present. Bready, wheat, honey-like
and/or caramel flavors are often part of malt character. Hop flavor is low to medium. Hop bitterness is medium to
medium-high. Fruity-ester flavors are often high and counterbalanced by complexity of alcohols and high alcohol
content. This style is brewed with 50% or more wheat malt. Very low levels of diacetyl may be acceptable. Phenolic
yeast character, sulfur, and/or DMS should not be present. Oxidized, stale and aged characters are not typical of this
style. Body is full.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.088 - 1.120 (21.1 - 28) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.024 - 1.032 (6.1
- 8) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 6.70% - 9.60% (8.50% - 12.20%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 45 - 85 ● Color SRM
(EBC) 5 - 15 (10 - 30) Smoke Porter Smoke Porters are dark brown to black. Fruity-ester aroma is acceptable. They will exhibit a mild to assertive
smoke malt aroma in balance with other aroma characters. Hop aroma is not perceived to medium. They will exhibit
a mild to assertive smoke malt flavor in balance with other flavors. Black malt character can be perceived in some
porters, while others may be absent of strong roast character. Roast barley character should be absent. Medium to
high malt sweetness, caramel and chocolate are acceptable. Hop flavor is not perceived to medium. Hop bitterness is
medium to medium-high. Fruity-ester flavor is acceptable. Body is medium to full. To allow for accurate judging
the brewer must list the traditional style of porter as well as the wood type used as a smoke source (e.g. “alder
smoked brown porter”). Beer entries not accompanied by this information will be at a disadvantage during judging.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.050 - 1.065 (12.4 - 15.9) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.010 - 1.018
(2.6 - 4.6) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 4.00% - 7.00% (5.10% - 8.90%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 20 - 40 ● Color
SRM (EBC) 20+ (40+) American-Style Sour Ale American-Style Sour Ales are any range of color, and may take on the color of other ingredients. Chill haze,
bacteria and yeast-induced haze are allowable at low to medium levels at any temperature. Moderate to intense yet
balanced fruity-ester aromas are evident. In darker versions, roasted malt, caramel-like and chocolate-like aromas
are subtly present. Diacetyl and DMS aromas should not be perceived. Hop aroma is evident over a full range from
low to high. In darker versions, roasted malt, caramel-like and chocolate-like flavors are subtly present. Hop flavor
is evident over a full range from low to high. Hop bitterness is evident over a full range from low to high. There is
no Brettanomyces character in this style of beer. The evolution of natural acidity develops balanced complexity. The
acidity present is usually in the form of lactic, acetic and other organic acids naturally developed with acidified malt
in the mash or in fermentation by the use of various microorganisms including certain bacteria and yeasts. Acidic
character can be a complex balance of several types of acid and characteristics of age. Moderate to intense yet
balanced fruity-ester flavors are evident. Residual flavors that come from liquids previously aged in a barrel such as
bourbon or sherry should not be present. Wood vessels may be used during the fermentation and aging process, but
wood-derived flavors such as vanillin must not be present. Diacetyl and DMS flavors should not be perceived. Body
is evident over a wide range from low to high. For purposes of competition entries exhibiting wood-derived
characters or characters of liquids previously aged in wood would more appropriately be considered Wood-Aged
Sour Beers which are classified elsewhere. A statement by the brewer explaining the classic or experimental beer
style being made sour and identifying fruit or any other ingredients (if any) is essential in order for accurate
assessment in competitions.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) Varies
with style (Varies with style) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style (Varies with style) ● Bitterness
(IBU) Varies with style ● Color SRM (EBC) Varies with style (Varies with style) https://www.brewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines.pdf
Despite what your parents may have taught you, sometimes it pays to be late. Sure, there are certain things for which it’s generally best to err on the side of punctuality: flight departures, job interviews, your first wedding, etc. But sometimes running a little behind is healthy, too. After all, who wants to arrive early to the party and spend half an hour entertaining oneself with the overzealous poodle until everyone else gets there? Not that I’ve ever been guilty of this myself…
Lateness definitely pays off when brewing with malt extract. What I mean is that reserving some of a recipe’s extract for late in the boil (usually the final 10 to 15 minutes) can improve the quality of your extract-based beer. How, exactly, you ask?
Hops Utilization
Hops utilization is probably the most often cited reason for performing late extract additions. The degree to which alpha acids in hops are converted to iso-alpha acids (compounds responsible for bitterness) during the boil is inversely related to wort gravity: The higher the gravity, the less isomerization takes place.
Brewing from extract commonly (but by no means necessarily) entails a concentrated boil on the kitchen stove. Dissolving an entire recipe’s worth of extract in just 3 or 4 gallons (11 or 15 liters) can mean boiling wort that’s more than twice as strong as wort one would boil in a full volume. And that means you need a greater mass of hops to achieve the desired level of bitterness.
The answer? Just add an appropriate proportion of malt extract up front and save the rest for late in the boil. How much? You don’t need to be too precise, but a quantity proportional to your boil volume does nicely. Boiling 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) for a 5-gallon (19-liter) batch? Then add half the extract initially and save the other half for later. Boiling 4 out of 5 gallons (15 out of 19 liters)? Then make it an 80/20 split, with 80 percent up front and 20 percent in the final 10 minutes.
The math can be complex, but software such as BeerSmith does it for you, accurately and effortlessly.
Kettle Caramelization
If you care as much about how your beer looks in the glass as how it tastes on your tongue, then listen up. Extract-based wort is almost always darker than wort freshly mashed from grain. Why? Three reasons:
Malt extract darkens as a side effect of the process used to manufacture it.
Liquid malt extract naturally darkens with age (dry malt extract, however, does not).
Boiling wort of any type for an appreciable length of time darkens said wort thanks to Maillard reactions in the kettle.
The truth is, you don’t really need to boil extract very long. It has already been stabilized during manufacturing, so boiling only serves two purposes: It sanitizes the extract and isomerizes alpha acids. That’s it.
Thus, late extract addition simultaneously enhances hops isomerization and avoids additional kettle caramelization that can lead to darker-than-desired beer. Again, there’s no need to be super-precise. Whatever math you do (or software you use) to get a good result for hops utilization will be just fine in terms of preserving the best color you can.
Brewing with extract is easy and convenient, and countless homebrewers have won awards doing so. Late extract addition is just another tool to help you improve the quality and appearance of your homemade beer.
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• Automatic Hops-Boss hops feeder option that dispenses hops automatically. • All Food/Brewery Grade Components • Great Value - Affordable • First time home brewers can brew all grain perfectly the first time!
Brew-Boss Features and Benefits
• Brew-Boss controller automates all temperature, timing, & pump control. • Electronic process control provides consistent results batch after batch. • Available with Mesh Bag or the New COFI Filter System • User defined steps configurable to nearly any brew process. • Brew all-grain batches in 3½ hours including clean-up! • Complete systems and conversion kits available. • Supports Conventional or Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB) brewing methods. If you are unfamiliar with the Brew-Boss® home brew system, it is an all electric home brewing system that allows home brewers to brew extract or all-grain recipes with complete and accurate automatic control of temperature and timing. Automated control provides consistent results every time. No other system available offers this level of automated brew control. It actually talks you through the brew process. www.brew-boss.com
A professional brewer friend once told me that, for him, the American sour-beer renaissance has been like being confined to a brewhouse his entire life, knowing no different, and then throwing open a window to glimpse a bright, wild, vibrant world filled with possibility and ripe for exploration. And yet many beer drinkers, having tried a sour or three, tend to limit their expectations to a very narrow view.
In reality, sours are a broad-reaching category that encompasses a breadth of styles and brewing techniques—from historic lambics and other traditional Belgian and German brews to today’s Wild West of experimental sours and wild ales—as well as a wide range of flavors and intensity.
The Science of Sour
Many sour beers are fermented, in full or in part, using a strain of Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces, orBrett for short, is a wild cousin of domesticated brewer’s yeast that was first discovered growing on fruit skins. Winemakers consider it a spoiling agent and go to great lengths to keep it from contaminating their cellars, but sour-beer brewers have embraced it. It’s especially good at chopping up long chains of sugars that Saccharomyces won’t eat and converting those sugars into alcohol and CO2. Brett also imparts a wide range of esters and phenols—often described as earthy, fruity, musty, or funky depending on the specific strain used. These rustic, wild flavors go a long way toward giving sour beers their character, but Brett isn’t what makes a beer sour.
What our palates perceive as “sour” is really a taste response to the acidity level in a beer—namely acids that microbial bacteria such as Pediococcus and Lactobacillus create. Once inoculated into the beer, the bacteria feed on what’s left over after fermentation and, over time, create lactic acid. They can also create acetic acid (vinegar), which can be desirable at low levels but is generally considered an off flavor.
Brewers manipulate this process by:
varying the ingredients in the base beer
varying fermentation temperatures and times
varying whether Brett is introduced during primary or secondary fermentation and which strain is used
varying how and when bacteria is introduced
adding adjuncts such as fruit or other ingredients
barrel aging and blending together batches
It all multiplies into countless permutations. But, for all the variables that brewers can control, there’s also the unpredictable element of nature at work that’s so appealing to brewers and beer drinkers alike.
Here’s an overview of some of the better-known styles in the sour spectrum and how they develop their individual characters and flavors.
Lambic Beers
All lambics are spontaneously fermented by naturally occurring wild yeast. It’s how beer was first discovered and a method that predates human knowledge of yeast, bacteria, and other forms of microscopic life. Only a handful of breweries in the Senne Valley near Brussels, Belgium, produce true lambics. These are the breweries, such as Cantillon and Boon, that famously preserve the dust and cobwebs in their brewhouses and barrel rooms, lest they disturb the colonies of microbes that give the beer its distinct character and local flavor.
The grist bill for lambics includes a high proportion of unmalted wheat in addition to malted barley. Aged, oxidized hops are used for their antibacterial properties rather than to impart bitterness, flavor, or aroma. A turbid mash—in which a cloudy liquid portion of the mash is drawn off, heated, and then reintroduced to the mix—is also traditional and results in lots of unconverted starches and dextrins that help sustain the bacteria after the yeast has finished fermentation.
The sweet wort is poured into a large, shallow container called a coolship (koelschip), where it cools overnight in the open air and collects ambient yeast cells, bacteria, and other tiny critters. The beer is then transferred to large oak barrels to ferment, where more buggy residents go to work. Fermentation often takes a year or more to complete and to develop the desired acidity.
Finished lambics are also used as base beers to create several related styles. Older and younger lambics are blended together to make gueze, for example. The blended beer undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle and finishes with a champagne-like effervescence with a mild oak aroma, fruity esters, and balanced acidity. Faro is a sweetened variant made by blending in dark candi sugar and caramel.
Fruit lambics are made by adding whole fruit, fruit pulp, or fruit juice to a batch of lambic as it ages in oak casks. The fruit helps balance the beer’s tart acidity, and the added fruit sugars initiate a secondary fermentation. The beer might be blended again with a younger lambic before it’s bottle conditioned.Kriek, made with cherries, and framboise, made with raspberries, are the most common fruit lambics; however, just about any kind of fruit can be used. For example, Brasserie Cantillon’s Fou’ Foune is known for its use of apricots, and Guezerie Tilquin’s Quetsche is named for the plums added to the lambic.
Flanders Red Ale
Rodenbach Brewery, founded in 1821 in the West Flanders province of Belgium, is practically synonymous with Flemish Red-style ales. Specialty malts give the base beer its distinctive red hue, and a long maturation period in oak barrels inoculated with Lactobacillus and other bacteria gives the beer its acidity. Older batches are blended with younger beer to help balance the flavor and acidity before bottle conditioning. While no fruit is added, fruity esters and phenols reminiscent of black cherries, raisins, and stone fruit are common and give the beer a vinous character akin to full-bodied red wine.
Oud Bruin
Oud bruin is a similar yet distinct Belgian-style sour traditionally produced in East Flanders. Brown ale is used as a base beer; it is then aged in oak casks for as long as two years (hence an “old” brown) to ferment, mature, and develop lactic acidity. Again, older batches are blended with younger beer and bottle conditioned. The interplay of fruity esters and rich malts characterizes the style, with low to moderate acidity and some barrel character.
Gose
Not to be confused with gueze, gose is a traditional German-style unfiltered sour wheat beer that’s currently enjoying renewed interest among American craft brewers. Westbrook Brewing Co. in South Carolina, DESTIHL Brewery in Illinois, Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in California, and others have all released riffs on the style.
The gose grain bill consists of at least half malted wheat in addition to malted barley, with coriander and salt added during the brewing process. Traditional gose is spontaneously fermented; however, top-fermenting ale yeast can be pitched for primary fermentation. The result is a low alcohol, lightly tart, and lemony wheat-based beer characterized by its clean lactic acidity and notes of salt and earthy spice.
It’s more common today to see U.S. brewers using the kettle-sour method to achieve the sour aspect of gose, rather than longer mixed-culture fermentations. Using this method, brewers follow a traditional mash and lauter regimen, transfer wort to the boil kettle, then pitch Lactobacillus into the wort and let it sit (the time in the kettle varies depending on the level of intended sour, from a few hours to a few days). They then boil to kill off the Lactobacillus, and ferment with brewers yeast.
This process is much less expensive and less time-consuming than traditional mixed-culture fermentation, and as a result certain commercial brewers have begun to use the process for other styles of sour beer.
As a general rule, less-expensive sour beers are typically kettle soured, while beers that spend a year or more in barrels or tanks souring with mixed-culture fermentations command higher price points. But there are definite exceptions to this, and the process used does not necessarily correlate to “better” or “worse” taste in the glass—that’s entirely up to the skill of the brewer.
Berliner Weisse
Berliner Weisse is another variety of sour wheat beer. The style originated in Germany near Berlin and was hugely popular there during the late 1800s. It has also enjoyed renewed interest from American craft brewers.
The grain bill is typically evenly split between malted wheat and malted barley, although some modern brewers dial the wheat way back. Lactic acid is primarily created through added Lactobacillus, either in a cask or through bottle conditioning. The finished beer is very low in alcohol—around 3 or 4 percent ABV—with a mildly tart, clean, and fruity character and a dry finish. Berliner Weisse is traditionally accompanied by fruit syrup, such as green woodruff or a berry syrup, that’s added at serving for a shot of sweetness and additional complexity.
Most commercial examples of Berliner weisse available in the United States are now brewed using the kettle-sour technique, similar to gose.
American-Style Sour Ales
Style guidelines for American-style sours are intentionally nebulous because American brewers are still rewriting the rules. Many are inspired by traditional sour styles, which are used as a jumping off point to experiment with techniques such as hops additions for bittering and aroma, racking sour beers into freshly used wine or spirit barrels, blending together batches, adding adjuncts, or just about anything else they can think of.
Balanced acidity and an overall harmonious complexity are desirable in most examples of sours, as is the absence of jarring off flavors or obvious flaws. Otherwise, the possibilities are wide open.
The answer Garneau revealed is that the environment is to blame. Outside influences can teach your brain to override its genetic predilection and aversions. In her own example, Garneau asked the audience what I’ll ask you now: Have you ever had a bad experience with food, like getting sick from oysters? Chances are it was a while before you went back to slurping down the briny bivalves, if you’re not still avoiding them to this day. Did your genes change? Nope—you can’t change your genes—but you are now ‘conditioned’ to avoid oysters.
1. Smell
2. Taste
3. Touch/Somatosensory
