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MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2016
B
ack in the dark ages of American craft beer — the 60s
through the 90s — beer lovers in the U.S. turned to foreign
imports as an alternative to the pale American lagers that
dominated the market. These beers from England, Germany, and
elgium were sought after by many a beer geek back in the day.
They achieved such popularity that they still sell strong, even with
the many microbrews available these days.
The American beers that we love from breweries like Abita,
Southern Prohibition, Sierra all have their roots in English,German,
or Belgian brewing traditions. So let’s explore what each of those
traditions are and examples of each that can be found on the shelf.
The Germans are well known for their lagers, especially pilsners (and
variations thereof ). A lager uses a certain type of yeast that ferments
best at colder temperatures, and this yeast doesn’t contribute a flavor
of its own, leaving the beer to showcase whatever malt ingredients
it has. Germans have, historically, been quite strict as to what goes
into their beer, even going so far as codifying the Reinheitsgebot,
or Purity Law, that required all beer to be made with the following
ingredients and nothing else: water, barley, hops, and yeast (once
they figured out it was the yeast actually creating the alcohol, it was
added to the list centuries later).
Wheat beers were permit-
ted eventually, like Ayinger
Brauweiss and Franziskaner
Weissbier. Other various tra-
ditional styles can be traced
back to different regions of Germany:
the dark wheat dunkelweizen, such as
Warsteiner Dunkel; the boozy bock, like
Weihenstephaner Vitus; the even booz-
ier doppel (double) bock, like Paulaner
Salvator and Spatan Optimator (fun fact,
if the name of the beer ends with
-tor
,
that’s going to be a doppelbock); the malty
oktoberfest/marzen, like Paulaner, available
in the autumn from dozens of breweries all
over Germany; the smoky rauch bier. And
more. So many more.
The Brits pioneered the ale, where the beer
is fermented at slightly warmer temperature,
using a different class of yeast. Traditional
British styles tend to be lower in alcohol.
The prominent styles range from the bitter/
pale ale, to the mild/brown ale, and the
almost black porter.
Samuel Smith’s Brewery is a traditional
English brewery that’s been around since 1758.
However, its beers are still very popular and the
brewery has been moving in new directions
with organic ales and ciders.The oatmeal stout
and nut brown ale are great examples of both
those classic styles, and if you see a bottle of the
Yorkshire Stingo, be sure to grab this limited
release barrel aged beer.
For those who like to combine beer with
dessert, try Young’s Double Chocolate
Stout, Meantime Brewery’s coffee porter,
or Wells’ Banana Bread beer. Or try
Harviestoun’s Ola Dubh 12, which has been aged in Highland Park
12-year-old single malt whiskey for that after dinner drink.
England’s most popular beer export is the legendary Bass Ale,
traditionally brewed with the famed Burton-upon-Trent waters
since 1777. AB-InBev purchased Bass Ale in 2000, and now, the
Bass found in the United States is brewed here, not in England. But
Bass Ale’s influence on the beer world cannot be overlooked. In the
1800s, it was exported all over the world, and the distinctive water
used in the beer that defines the style is often imitated through
water chemistry.
Another fun fact, for those who are interested in exploring British
styles but want to buy local: NOLA Brewing’s Brown Ale is actually
a British mild style. Though the color is a rich brown, the alcohol
by volume (ABV) is usually right around 4% and it’s quite easy
drinking and light on the tongue.
The Belgians get a lot of credit for elevating brewing to an art
form, with monasteries devoted for centuries to creating beers that
tend to be higher alcohol and have a distinct spicy characteristic
from the yeast used and the higher temperatures it ferments at.
Some examples of style are
dubbels, tripels, quadrupels,
saisons, lambics, strong ales,
and Trappist ales. The tripel
is perhaps one of the most
widely available Belgian-style
“We’re as proud of our global selection
as we are of our local.”
—Donny Rouse, 3
rd
Generation
the
Around the World
issue
Take A Sip
Around the World
by
Nora D. McGunnigle