Felix comes from the most famous beer region in Germany, thus he likes to drink beer sometimes. Right now, he is in Ottawa and surprised how much Canadians like to drink beer, too. In this blog he will introduce you to his personal top 10 beers and some interesting facts about these types of beer and beer in general.
Beer is not only German, although most people associate it with Germany and “Oktoberfest“. There are more than 5000 different kinds of beer, and it’s hard to try them all.
Above all, craft beers are getting more and more popular in Germany and Canada. The individual beer types can be assigned to different beer styles. These differ in the type of brew (top-fermented or bottom-fermented), hop content, bitterness (measured in IBU – International Bitter Units), original gravity, alcohol content and calories.
There is a region in Germany where everything is about beer. Franconia, in the South of Germany, has the highest brewery density. In Bamberg alone, there are over 90 breweries with 50 different kinds of beer. Not far away, in Erlangen, there is the oldest beer festival in the world, founded in 1755. Also not far away, in Kulmbach, you can visit a beer museum where you can learn how to correctly tap beer.
In Germany, it is permitted to drink beer and wine at the age of 16.
But not only Germany is a good place to taste beer. The German Embassy in Ottawa celebrated Canadian breweries with its “Craft Beer Evening”. Big Rig Brewery and Stray Dog Brewery from Otttawa and Niagara College Teaching Brewery from Niagara-on-the-Lake served their craft beer during an amazing tasting experience. Many of the beers were inspired by well-known varieties, but with an interesting touch of new flavours.
In Germany we have a law concerning the brewing process of beer called “Reinheitsgebot” (German purity law). It says that you are only allowed to use hops, malt, yeast and water when brewing beer. The original “Reinheitsgebot” from 1516 didn’t mention yeast, because it couldn’t be produced reliably then.
Der Wirt ist nicht der Beste, der mehr trinkt als die Gäste - An innkeeper who drinks more than his guests isn’t the best. (German saying)
If you are new to beer, here is a short description of the different kinds of beer:
Top-fermented/Ale vs. bottom-fermented/Lager
It is the yeast that makes the difference here. Yeast makes carbon dioxide out of wort. Wort itself is full of sugar, vitamins and proteins. If a beer is an ale, the yeast rises upwards after the fermentation process (top-fermented). The advantage of this method is that you don’t need cooling and the beer is produced quickly.
You call a beer lager, if the yeast is cooled. Cooled yeast sinks to the ground and stays there for the whole process (bottom-fermented).
IBU
In general the higher the IBU-score, the more bitter the beer is. But you have to pay attention, because the sweetness of the malt can deceive the taste, and the method to get the IBU score is close to rocket science (check out Brew Enthusiast or BeerJack).
Now you have some good facts to be a smart aleck – Cheers or Prost!
10th Place: Barley Wine
The English Ale contains as much alcohol as wine, hence the name. The top-fermented beer has a high original gravity and is, depending on its origin - English or American; weaker or stronger hopped. The barley wine scores with a fruity, fine sherry note, a sweet, bitter taste and firm, fine-pored foam.
Brewing style: top-fermented
Alcohol content: 7 - 13 %.
Original wort: 10 - 16 %
IBU: 26 - 60
Calories: 55 kcal per 100 ml
9th Place: Wheat beer
The sparkling top-fermented beer has a wheat-malt content of at least 50 % and contains lots of carbon dioxide. Both make it a fruity, spicy summer refreshment with an exuberant temperament - whether enjoyed naturally cloudy as wheat yeast or clear as crystal wheat.
Brewing style: top-fermented
Alcohol content: 5,4 %.
Original wort: 11 - 14 %
IBU: 10 - 15
Calories: 52 kcal per 100 ml
8th Place: Bock beer, Doppelbock
The bottom-fermented bock beer promises traditional hearty enjoyment. The golden to dark brown, strong beer impresses with its full-bodied taste, which it owes to a high malt content and an original gravity of at least 16 %. The doppelbock has a higher original gravity and alcohol content. Accordingly, doppelbock is stronger in taste.
Brewing method: bottom-fermented
Alcohol content: Bock beer 7 %, doppelbock 7,5 % - 12 %.
Original wort: Bock beer at least 16 %, doppelbock at least 18 %.
IBU: 25 - 35
Calories: 55 kcal per 100 ml
7th Place: Porter
With the top-fermented porter, hops are only used to balance the malty sweetness. Its foam crown has a particularly creamy, fine-pored consistency. Porter can hardly be distinguished optically from stout, but it contains less alcohol and hop bitterness.
Brewing method: top-fermented
Alcohol content: 3 - 4,5 %.
Original wort: 16 - 19 %
IBU: 20 - 40
Calories: 52 kcal per 100 ml
6th Place: Export
Somewhat stronger light beer becomes export beer. It has a long shelf life and was primarily intended for export. Even if export is hopped a bit stronger than light beer, the malt-accentuated full-bodied taste dominates. The alcohol content can be much higher.
Brewing type: bottom-fermented
Alcohol content: 5,0 - 7,0 %.
Original wort: 12.5 %
IBU: 23 - 29
Calories: 65 kcal per 100 ml
5th Place: IPA (India Pale Ale)
India pale ale is the flagship of craft beers and can come in many varieties. The high proportion of aroma hops gives the taste-intensive top-fermented craft beer a distinctive fruity hop aroma with a strong bitter note.
Brewing type: top-fermented
Alcohol content: 6 - 10 %.
Original wort: 16 - 19 %
IBU: 40 - 90
Calories: 49 kcal per 100 ml
4th Place: Light
Light beer refers to bottom-fermented, slightly hopped and malted beers produced according to the Munich or Dortmund brewing method. Only malts made from malting barley are used. Characteristic for the bright, filtered beer are its light golden colour and the strong, slightly sweet taste.
Brewing method: bottom-fermented
Alcohol content: 4,7 - 5,4 %.
Original wort 11.3 - 14 %
IBU: 16 - 22
Calories: 50 - 65 kcal per 100 ml
3rd Place: Stout
Stout is closely related to porter and has a creamy caramel-like sweetness with complex aromas reminiscent of coffee and chocolate. The top-fermented deep brown to black beer is strongly influenced by malt, hops only plays a minor role. The most famous dry stout comes from Guinness.
Brewing method: top-fermented
Alcohol content: 8 - 12 %.
Original wort: up to 25%.
IBU: 30 - 65
Calories: 42 kcal per 100 ml
2nd Place: Alcohol-free beer
If you want to keep a clear head, you can go for alcohol-free beer. Thanks to the modern art of brewing, beer connoisseurs do not have to compromise on taste or quality. It scores not only with an alcohol content of at most 0,5 % - with a whole of 30 calories in 100 ml it is also a welcome alternative for health-conscious people.
Brewing method: top-fermented or bottom-fermented
Alcohol content: maximum 0,5 %.
original wort: 7 - 12 %
IBU: different
Calories: 30 kcal per 100 ml
1st Place: Pils
The pilsner bottom-fermented beer acquires its characteristic tart note through strong hopping. The pale golden pils scores with its hoppy, spicy taste and particularly fine-pored foam.
Brewing method: bottom-fermented
Alcohol content: 4,8 %.
Original gravity: 11 %.
IBU: 30 - 45
Calories: 42 kcal per 100 ml
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