What are Esters? Esters represent the largest class of flavor compounds in alcoholic beverages, responsible for contributing to both flavour and aroma of beer. The aromas and flavors attributable to esters include: anise, apple, banana, honey, juicy fruit gum, nail polish remover, pear, pineapple, strawberry. While they are best known for creating desirable fruity flavours,...
What is a Witbier? Witbier, literally translated from Flemish to “white beer,” is named for its signature hazy, or white, appearance resulting from the suspended yeast and wheat proteins in the beer. Although no one knows the precise origin of the witbier style, it is thought to have originated in a monastic brewery near Leuven,...
What is a California Common? While there are American versions of almost every beer style out there, there are only a few true beer styles born in the US that still exist today. In the mid-nineteenth century, cream ales were developed as a counterpoint to German pilsners; in 1975 American brewing giant Miller released the...
Bière de Garde While France is rightly renowned for its robust wine culture, it also has a rich but lesser known history of brewing beer. Bière de garde, loosely translated to mean beer for keeping, is recognized as France’s contribution to specialty brewing, originating in farmhouse breweries that once populated French Flanders, an area now...
Hop Farming & Craft Beer Before the massive growth of the craft beer industry in North America, hops were primarily used for their antibacterial properties to help preserve beer. Until quite recently, hops were perceived as a generic and readily available ingredient, leaving many hop growers susceptible to supply gluts and massive price fluctuations. For...
West Coast IPA Hazy IPAs have had a profound impact on the modern craft beer world, dominating the beer scene for last decade. The Alchemist’s 2011 release of Heady Topper, a world-renowned tropical and juicy brew, is generally credited with starting the east coast beer trend. Over the last 10 years, brewers have constantly pushed...
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....
