(Abbreviated)Once upon a time. . . Beer is the oldest recorded recipe in the world. The ancient Egyptians first documented the brewing process on papyrus scrolls around 5,000 B.C. These first beers were brewed with things like dates, pomegranates, and other indigenous herbs, and were probably quite harsh by today's standards. The Egyptians used beer for religious ceremonies, with the Pharaoh directing the brewing schedule and distribution to the masses. You could call the Pharaohs the first brewmasters (or you could call the current brewmasters Pharaohs if you like).Before the Egyptians, the primitive cultures of Mesopotamia are believed to have been the first brewers, though they didn't bother to write anything down (this was around 10,000 B.C.!). All they left behind were malted barley scraps and bowls with beer like residue (and they called themselves brewers!). This residue was probably the remnants of a grain porridge that had fermented naturally with wild yeast, imparting an intoxicating effect to the consumer, who, therefore, repeated the process.
And then. . . Beer eventually made its way from the Middle East across the Mediterranean to Europe, where it became an integral part of life. This was especially true in Northern Europe where abundant barley crops provided ample raw ingredients for brewers. Beer was valued both for its nutritional value and because it was a safe alternative to drinking water, many sources of which had become contaminated with human waste (Mmmm, thirsty yet?).
It was during the early Middle Ages that what we think of as modern beer was born. Brewers had been using malted barley as the main source of fermentable sugar for hundreds of years, but the use of hops as a bittering and flavoring agent did not become common until around the twelfth century. Before that time, many different herbs and spices were used to balance the sweet malt flavors in beer; everything from spruce boughs to dried flowers to bitter roots had found their way into brew kettles. Around 1150, however, German monks began commonly using wild hops in beer and the ingredient quickly caught on. Brewers found that hops added a very pleasing, thirst quenching bitterness and, as an added benefit, the hops acted as a natural preservative extending the life of their beers.
Monks were very much the preeminent brewers of the Middle Ages, with virtually every monastery having a brewery on site. Historians credit monks with many brewing innovations beyond the introduction of hops, including the idea of lagering, or cold storing, beer to improve flavor. Even in modern times the monastic brewing tradition holds, with a number of Belgian monasteries ranking today among the greatest breweries in the world.
Along with Northern European countries like Germany and Belgium, the British Isles too, became a brewing center. Many styles of beer familiar to drinkers today have their roots in Britain; pale ales, porters, and stouts have been brewed in England and Ireland for hundreds of years. Beer has been such an integral part of British life that the British army issued daily beer rations to each soldier, and, when the British Empire occupied half of the civilized world, the Royal Navy delivered beer to troops in even the furthest corners of the Empire. In fact, a very popular style of beer today, India Pale Ale, developed out of the need to ship beer from England to far-away outposts of the Empire in places like India and Burma without it going stale or sour. British brewers discovered that a beer with higher alcohol and extra hops-both of which act as natural preservativesalasted longer and could survive the long journey to the other side of the globe.
Beer arrived in the New World with the first European colonists. According to the journals of the Pilgrims, the reason they landed at Plymouth Rock was that they were out of beer and needed to make more. Indeed, the first permanent structure they built was a brewery. And Americans have been brewing ever since. Both New York and Philadelphia were early brewing centers in America: New York City alone had 42 breweries in 1810.
Almost all early American beers were based on the English-style ales the colonists were familiar with. That began to change, though, in the mid-1800s as wave after wave of new immigrants came from Northern and Central Europe, bringing with them a taste for a new style of beer had taken hold on the Continent: Pilsner-style lagers typical of Germany and the Czech Republic. Very quickly, these pale, hoppy, clean tasting beers replaced the darker, heavier ales that had typified American beer in the previous centuries.
Increasing demand for lager beer and the influx of millions of immigrants drove American beer production to new highs in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But then along came a period of great trouble-Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933, it was illegal to consume alcoholic beverages in the U.S.A. Small regional breweries and brewpubs lost a major source of revenue, and went out of business. Some breweries survived by making malt extracts (sugar), ice cream, and soda. After Prohibition was repealed (1933), the U.S. was in a major depression, making it harder for breweries to rebound from the 13 years of madness. Brand loyalty had been eroded, and people’s pockets were picked clean. Beers that became popular from these situations were the ones that expanded during Prohibition and could thus mass-produce cheap beer (Budweiser, Schlitz). As their sales grew, so did their ability to make their beer cheaper.
This trend continued until the late 1970's and early 1980's. Before Prohibition, there were over 2000 small breweries in the U.S.; by 1983, there were only a few hundred. In fact, the Tied House Law (a law that makes it illegal for breweries to sell their beverages on premise) was in effect until the late 1970's. Since then, various legal exceptions have been passed. Now, almost all 50 states have permitted the regulated establishment of brewpubs. Today, there are over 2,000 brewpubs in the U.S. ,35 in New York State, and 2 in New York City.
Lagers are a typical entry point into beer for new drinkers. Made with bottom fermenting yeast that has a lower tolerance to alcohol, lagers can taste light and a little malty. Classic lagers in America include Miller High Life, Coors, Budweiser and Yuengling. And according to Jim Koch, the co-founder of Boston Beer Co., which makes Sam Adams beer, lagers are a great launching pad for newcomers to beer. They are clean, consistent, well made, and not particularly challenging on the flavor,” he said. “It’s not a bad place to start as you work your way up the flavor ladder.
India Pale Ales (IPAs), which encompass numerous styles of beer, get their characteristics largely from hops and herbal, citrus or fruity flavors. They can be bitter and contain high alcohol levels, though the final product depends on the variety of hops used. Some IPAs can taste like pure citrus, while others are strong and bitter. Prominent IPA styles include West Coast IPA, British IPA and New England Style IPA According to Bon Appetit, New England IPAs carry a fruity flavor with low bitterness, while the British style is maltier and bitter. West Coast IPAs appear to stand somewhere in the middle, with a balance between the fruitiness and bitterness. The best way to figure out your preference would be to figure out which IPA style goes best with your tastebuds. According to Koch, IPAs are usually a beer drinker’s first introduction to the world of craft beer. He suggests trying out a variety of IPA types before eventually settling on a couple of favorites.
Pale ales are usually hoppy but carry a lower alcohol content than IPAs. Most types of pale ale, which can include American amber ale, American pale ale, blonde ale and English pale ale, are malty, medium-bodied and easy to drink.
Pilsners, which originate from the Czech Republic, fall under the lager category. German pilsners give off a pale gold color and crisp flavor, while Czech pilsners are a little darker with higher bitterness
A dark beer, the flavor of stouts depend on where they come from. Sweet stouts largely originate from Ireland and England and are known for their low bitterness. In fact, Ireland’s Guinness brand produces some of the world’s most recognizable stout beer. According to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), which ranks and evaluates all styles of beer, stouts are a sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale that can suggest coffee-and-cream, or sweetened espresso. While the darker color of the beer gives the impression it's tough to drink, these stouts carry sweetness from unfermented sugars that offset any bitterness. Stouts produced in the U.S. combine the typical dark body and creamy notes with the hoppy bitter flavors characterized by American beers. American stouts are strong, highly roasted, bitter and hoppy, with high malt flavors that give them the taste of coffee or dark chocolate, according to the BJCP
Traditional porters, which can trace their roots to the United Kingdom, are dark in color like stouts due to common ingredients like chocolate or other dark-roasted malts. Porters tend to taste less like coffee than stouts, with more of a chocolatey feel.
Belgium's rich beer culture has poured into the U.S. over the years, giving enthusiasts on this side of the Atlantic a deep appreciation for the wide variety of Belgian-style flavors. Belgian beers span pale ales, dark ales, fruity beers and sour ales. WebstaruantStore, which provides equipment and information for restaurants, bars and other establishments, generally defines Belgian-style beers as carrying fruity, spicy and sweet flavors with a high alcohol content and low bitterness. Popular Belgian beers also include Trappist ales, which are produced only at Trappist monasteries that brew their own beer. Trappist ales encompass beers like Belgian Dubbel, which is somewhat strong and complex, and Belgian Tripel, which is pale, spicy and dry. Blond ales like Delirium Tremens further add to the strong flavor profile of Belgian beers.
Wheat beers rely on wheat for the malt ingredient, which gives the beverage a light color and alcohol level that makes it perfect for kicking back with during the summer and for combining it with fruit, like a slice of lemon or orange. Some wheat beers, with their funky and tangy flavors, fall under Belgian-style brews while the ones made in the U.S. have a light flavor that recalls bread.
Sour beer has shot up in popularity in the U.S. over the last few years, becoming an enticing beverage to people looking to branch out their beer palates or to those wanting to try something new. Highly tart, sour beers can take on many forms, including Belgian-style Lambic beer, fruity Flanders ale and lemony Berliner Weisse beer. With the addition of fruits like cherry, raspberry or peach, sour beers marry sweet and sour to make beer flavors completely unlike the lagers and IPAs of yore.