What is an English IPA? In North America, the term IPA has become synonymous with American IPAs and for many people it conjures images of juicy, hazy, New England brews. So, what is an English IPA? As opposed to the more neutral malt base used in American-style IPAs, English IPAs have more biscuit, toffee-like or...
What is A Golden Ale? As beer fads come and go over time, beer styles and classification evolve in line with emerging trends. With that in mind, are there any fundamental differences between a traditional Belgian golden strong ale, blonde ale and golden ale? Let’s start with the easy part… A Belgian golden strong ale...
What is Table Beer? Table beer is difficult to define as it’s an elusive term that does not align with a specific beer style, rather it represents a concept – an everyday, low-alcohol by volume (ABV) beer that’s both accessible and communal. While table beer does not adhere to any strict guidelines, they are generally...
Märzen Beer What is a Märzen? A Märzen (or March beer) is a German amber lager that is dark copper to reddish brown in colour. It’s crisp and smooth with toasted bread aromas and subtle hints of spice. The rich and toasty malt sweetness is balanced with a noble hop bitterness and a clean, dry finish....
Italian Pilsners Pilsen & The Birth of Pilsners The Pilsner style was born in Pilsen, a city in what is now Czech Republic, in 1848. Pilsner Urquell is credited as being the first pilsner ever produced, pilsner meaning “from Pilsen” in Czech. The Czech pilsner is pale gold in colour with low-to-medium noble hop presence....
Oak Barrels & Aging Beer Wood has played an instrumental role in the brewing industry for hundreds of years. For centuries, wooden barrels have been used to transport beer, as well as providing a vessel for serving and fermenting, and recently there has been a resurgence in barrel-aging beer. History of Wooden Barrels The Gauls,...
What is a Roggenbier? Roggenbier, directly translated from German to mean ‘rye beer’ is an ale made with large portions of malted rye rather than barley or wheat. In modern versions, rye often represents the majority of the beer’s grain bill, but it may make up as little as one quarter to one third of...
What is Escarpment Labs? Escarpment Laboratories is an Ontario-based yeast lab that offers a wide range of liquid yeasts for craft brewers and homebrewers. Lab co-founders Richard Preiss, Angus Ross and Nate Ferguson initially met while working in a wine yeast lab at the University of Guelph. They soon realized there was a void for...
What are hard seltzers? A hard seltzer is a light refreshing drink that combines alcohol, sparkling water and flavouring. The term hard seltzer encompasses alcoholic beverages made with a clear malt base, as well as those with a brewed sugar base where all fermentable sugars are from a non-malt base. Hard sparkling water that uses...
What is a Gose? A gose, pronounced go-suh, is a top-fermented German wheat beer soured through lactic fermentation and flavoured with coriander and salt. The sourness and salinity should be noticeable but not overwhelming, as a gose should have a lively thirst-quenching acidity. Hops work in the background to provide a hint of bitterness without contributing to...
