Craft Beer: More than 100 of the world’s top craft beers. Dominic Roskrow
and a golden to amber colour. British pale ales can be quite bitter; American-style pale ales have more citrus notes.
Pilsener: Well-hopped, with spicy, herbal, or floral aroma and flavour, with some citrus-like zesty hoppy bitterness.
Pilsner: From Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Medium- to full-bodied. Characterised by high carbonation and tangy Czech varieties of hops that impart floral aromas and a crisp, bitter finish.
Porter: Traditional and historical English beer. Black or chocolate malt gives the porter its dark brown colour. Porters are often well hopped and so heavily malted. There is considerable diversity in style but porters may be sweet.
Saison: Distinctive Belgian-style beer with lactic character and fruity, goaty and / or leather-like aromas and flavours. Specialty ingredients (including spices) may contribute a unique and signature character.
Schwarzbier: Refreshing, dark lagered German beer.
Sour beer: Covers a number of styles but with an intentionally acidic, tart or sour taste. Examples include lambics, gueuze and Flanders red ale.
Stout: Dry, roast and butter.
Tripel: Bright yellow to gold in colour. Complex, spicy, fruity and estery, with a sweet finish. Tend to be high in alcohol.
Witbier: Light, fluffy body and tart, lemony finish. Textured with wheat, very yeasty, and with pungent spices and hints of herbs.
Wood aged beers: Beer matured in oak casks. The casks come from various sources.
PRODUCER: Brasserie de St-Sylvestre
AREA OF ORIGIN: Saint Sylvestre Cappel, France
VARIETY: Golden ale
ABV: 8.5%
WEBSITE: www.brasserie-st-sylvestre.com
Brasserie de St-Sylvestre takes the view that the future of small brewers requires looking backwards to traditional brewing methods. It believes the expense of modern mechanisation has favoured the big brewing companies, pointing out that of 2000 small village breweries at the beginning of the 20th century, only 30 remain open now, and two-thirds of those are in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais. In order to survive, it argues, these small breweries have specialised in traditional beers, in contrast to the big boys. 3 Monts is one such ale, a throwback to another era with big, fruity and hoppy flavours. This ale has a light grassy nose. On the palate it starts sweet and malty, with softly sour wine-like characters and a decent bitter mouthfeel. It has a bitter and dryish finish. A great and refreshing but strong and tasty golden ale.
PRODUCER: Hopworks Urban Brewery
AREA OF ORIGIN: Portland, USA
VARIETY: American IPA
ABV: 7.3%
WEBSITE: www.hopworksbeer.com
Hopworks is a brewery in Portland Oregon that makes a wide range of beers, both as core offerings and as seasonal releases. Abominable Winter Ale is made with organic Northwest hops and organic malt, and the brewery describes it as a complex floral, spicy, and citrusy beer. Despite its weighty alcoholic content, it is surprisingly easy to drink, with a medium-full mouthfeel and a distinct and enjoyable hoppiness. The taste mixes citrus and resinous hops notes with some light sweetness. There is some limited bitterness, with good floral notes. The body is fuller than average and there’s a nice mixture of malt and fresh hops notes.
Hopworks has now made its range of beers available in attractive and colourful cans as well as traditional bottles, and includes ciders in its portfolio.
PRODUCER: Chorlton Brewing Company
AREA OF ORIGIN: Manchester, England
VARIETY: Sour beer
ABV: 5.4%
WEBSITE: www.chorltonbrewingcompany.com
Sour beer is beer that has an intentionally acidic, tart or sour taste. The most common sour beer styles are Belgian: lambics, gueuze and Flanders red ale. The sourness is created by natural yeasts that would have found their way into beers before the introduction of the sterilised conditions associated with modern breweries. Amarillo Sour is based on the sour beer traditions of Prussia and Saxony but it is brewed like a modern pale ale. It is fermented twice: first, with Lactobacillus to give a balanced acidity, and then with a British strain of brewer’s yeast for a smooth body. It’s then dry hopped to give big juicy flavours with negligible bitterness. This is a thirst-quenching beer with a fragrant and clean taste and a sharp acidity, grapefruit flavours and no bitterness.
PRODUCER: Anchor Brewing Co.
AREA OF ORIGIN: San Francisco, USA
VARIETY: Porter
ABV: 5.6%
WEBSITE: www.anchorbrewing.com
Anchor has a long proud tradition stretching back to 1871. It took the name Anchor at the end of the 19th century and it has survived fires, unexpected deaths, Prohibition, and changes in fashion and fads, to still be making some of America’s finest beers and spirits. Anchor Porter became the first modern American porter when it was introduced in 1974, and it still has a huge following. It contains a blend of roasted pale, caramel, chocolate, and black malts, and is made with top-fermenting yeast. The brew is hopped at a high rate, and is naturally carbonated. The result is dark in the glass, but is bitter free and surprisingly light on the palate. This beer has lots of chocolate, liquorice, coffee, toast, and cream. There are traces of dark fruit jam, dried fruits, and cocoa beans.
PRODUCER: Brasserie du Pays Flamand
AREA OF ORIGIN: Blaringhem, France
VARIETY: Blonde lager
ABV: 8.0%
WEBSITE: