2. Bitter

Bitter is a copper-coloured draught ale beer with a predominant hop flavour which results in a bitter taste. It is a pale ale British-style beer whose colour ranges from gold to dark amber, The colour may be controlled by the addition of caramel colouring.

There are five types of bitter beer

1. Light ale
2. Session or ordinary bitter
3. Best or special bitter
4. Premium or strong bitter
5. Golden ale

• Alcohol by volume:     3% to 5.5%
• Country of origin:       England
• Brands:                         Bathams Best Bitter, Boltmaker, London Pride, Jeffrey Hudson Bitter
• Best food:Cheesecake, creamy dessert.

 

3. Brown ale

Brown ale is a dark brown sweet beer, low in alcohol, with a dark amber or brown colour. Brown ales from northeastern England are strong and malty, often nutty, while those from southern England are usually darker, sweeter and lower in alcohol.

 

North American brown ales are usually drier than their English counterparts, with a slight citrus accent and an aroma, bitterness, and medium body due to American hop varieties. Fruitiness from esters is subdued. When chilled to cold temperatures, some haziness may be noticed.

 

• Alcohol by volume:     3% to 5%
• Country of origin:       England,
• Brands:                         Sweetwater georgia, Brooklyn brown ale, Founders, sumatra mountain brown
• Best food:                     Cheese, pork or steaks.

 

 

 

4. Mild ale

Mild ale is lightly hopped, faintly sweet beer, which is slightly weaker and darker than bitter ale. These beers, with 3 per cent alcohol by volume, were meant for drinking in large quantities by manual workers.

• Best food:                     BBQ chicken, fish and chips

5. Stout

Stout is a very dark beer made with a high proportion of malt and hops. The world’s most famous stout is Guinness. There are a number of variations of stout beer including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, imperial stout and oyster stout.

Milk or cream stout contains sugar or lactose derived from milk, which can not be fermented by yeast, it gives sweetness and the body to the beer.

Oatmeal stout is made with a proportion of oats, som some 30% of oat is added during the brewing process. but a larger proportion of oats in beer can lead to a bitter or astringent taste.

The best-selling stouts worldwide are dry or Irish stouts made by Guinness.

• Best food:                     Oysters, Desserts, Roasted chicken or fish, smoked salmon barbecued chicken.

6. Scotch ale

Scotch ale is a very strong, often extremely dark, malt-accented beer from Scotland. It is full of caramel flavours and aromas.

• Best food:                    Charcuterie and hard cheese.

7. Porter

Since this ale is popular amongst the porters of Dublin and London, it is called the porter and brewed from charred malt which contributes a bitter taste and dark colour.

There are two styles of porter available in modern English, Brown and Robust, brown porter is maltier than hoppy with flavours of bittersweet chocolate, caramel, or toffee, Robust Porter, as the name suggests is a bit more robust.

• Food pair:                   Smoked foods, barbecue, sausage, rich stews, meats, bacon, chilli.

   

8. India pale ale

Indian pale ale has higher alcoholic strength with a more hoppy flavour. It is a pale ale style of beer that became known as Indian pale ale and was widespread in England by 1815

10. Tripel

Tripel is the term used by Belgian Trappist breweries to refer to the strongest blend beer. It is occasionally spiced with coriander. Some brewers use the Tripel term to describe strong pale ale beer.

• Food pairing:              Seared scallops, white fish

11. Burton

Burton is a strong, dark, draught beer mulled or spiced. It is popular during the winter.

Lagers (Bottom fermented beers)

Lager beer is distinguished by the fact that the wort is fermented by the bottom fermentation, yeast is introduced at the bottom of the vat and then stored in the refrigerated cellars called by the German word lager, which means store at the freezing point for a period of six months. This process matures the beer. Pilsner is stored in the limestone caves of Pilsen in Czechoslovakia.

Types of lager beer

1. Bock 

A strong beer from Germany. In the U.S.A., it is darker and sweeter. Belgian bock is less alcoholic. There are several substyles of bock beer including:

• Maibock: A paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals.
• Doppelbock:  A stronger and maltier version;
• Weizenbock: A version using 40–60% wheat
• Eisbock: A much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and removing the ice that forms.

2. Dortmunder

Dortmunder is a ‘blonde‘ beer with a lightly hopped flavour. originally brewed by Dortmunder Union in Dortmund, Germany, in 1873.

3. Ice beer

Ice beer is a strong beer. The strength is obtained by freezing since the water freezes before alcohol. The ice crystals are removed to concentrate the beer.

4. Munchener

It is a dark brown malty beer with an alcoholic content of around 5 per cent.

5. Pilsner

Pilsner is a pale gold beer. originated in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It is the most imitated of all beer styles. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (Pilsen), where it was first produced in 1842.

6. Vienna

Vienna is a medium-dark or amber-red lager originally produced in Vienna. Brewers use the term Vienna malt to indicate kilning malt to amber-red colour. This style is no longer associated with the city.

• Best food:                    Grilled Meats and Vegetables, Mild Cheeses, Almond Biscotti

7. Marzen

Marzen means March in German. Beer brewed in March and stored in caves before the summer. Marzen beer has a malty aroma, amber-red Vienna style, and more than 5.5 per cent alcohol by volume.

8. Rauchbie

Rauchbie beer is produced from smoked malt, dark, around 5 per cent alcohol by volume.

Recommended reading: What are the different types of wine?

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