On Tap

UM Admins

4 years ago

Head to any college party and you’re sure to find an assortment of beer cans—some full, most empty—floating around. But beyond its “bro” stereotype, beer is actually a sophisticated and intricate beverage. Distraction took a look at how to expand our palettes to include this often overlooked booze—think less “shotguns” and “flip cup” and more hops and barley.

Basic Composition

Hops: Budding from the humulus lupulus plant, hops have antibacterial properties that act as a preservative and add bitterness to the beer.

Yeast: Responsible for the fermentation of the beer, yeast is what gives it its alcohol content and some of its carbonation.

Malted Barley: This plant affects the color and the sweetness of the beer—the more malt, the more sweet the flavor. By manipulating the timeline of this grain’s germination with heat, brewers can craft a variety of flavors.

Understanding Beers

Lagers: Lagers span a scale from pale to dark with hints of aromatic fruit and liquorice. Pale lagers are translucent gold and have a dry, bitter taste from hops, while dark lagers are often an amber to red-brown hue.

Pale Ales: Pale ales date back over 300 years to England. With hints of amber and gold, pale ales give off citrus and piney notes.

Sours: One of the most unique styles are these intentionally tart beers. Originating from Belgium, American brewers have adopted this brew in recent years. The tint can range from deep red to gold, and their pungent aroma is unmistakable.

Wheat Ales: Originating from Germany, these beers are brewed using pale malted wheat instead of the normal malted barley base. The product is a light yellow hue with notes of banana and clove.

Ambers: Falling between lagers and ales, ambers are light to medium in color and, in terms of taste, tend to fall on the sweeter side.

Stouts: Stereotypically labeled as ‘strong,’ these dark beers are actually quite the opposite. Depending on the age, the barley creates stouts’ signature bitter espresso taste that pours creamy from the carbonation of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

What’s Your Style?

Aesthetics: A glance at the contents of your glass will tell you a lot about the characteristics of your beer, even before you take a sip: hue, pour, color and consistency.

Smell: Your sense of smell is vital in beer tasting, so take a good whiff of your drink to enhance the array of flavors.

Consistency: Swirling your beer around its glass or bottle can gently unlock the natural aromas and flavors of the brew as well as stimulate the drink’s carbonation.

Taste: Savor the beer’s acidity, bitterness and sweetness by taking time to sip rather than chugging or shotgunning it down.