Beer equals true love
It’s September 7. We made it through labor day. And, now it’s time for the best holiday of the season. It’s National Beer Lover’s Day. And, we did the math. The equation says: Beer equals true love. We’ll even give a pass to those who think they love beer, but only drink cheapo light beer while watching sports. It is still a form of beer (even though it’s a poor representation of the craft). There is something about the affection we have for a few simple ingredients. It’s pretty much liquid bread. And, bread is one of the cornerstones of life as we know it. No wonder it evokes such a strong emotional tie. Take water. Add grain, hops, sugar, and yeast. Again simple mathematics. And, we know the answer to the equation.
So, how do we celebrate such a momentous occasion? Well, think of it as Valentine’s day for beer. When you celebrate Valentines with a loved one, you drink in the love. On Beer Lover’s day, that drinking is literal. And, you don’t have to buy your beer a gift or take it out to dinner. It is dinner. Of course, unlike valentines, you don’t have to be faithful to one beer. In fact, we encourage you to dabble with all manner of beer today. Think of it as sharing the love. So, where do we start? maybe, write a country song about how you love beer? Sure. Why not? How about what works best? How about drinking beer? Don’t mind if I do…
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How do you know beer equals true Love?
Well, Charlie Esten’s song sums it up pretty well. He sings of how he and beer met, the good an bad times, and how beer is still with him, outlasting other relationships. It’s a typical story that many people can relate to. And, the end result is beer equals true love. Of course, it also makes him sound like an alcoholic. And, that is something to be careful about. We always say to drink responsibly. Well, we don’t really say it or necessarily mean it. But, it should be clear. Seriously, though, don’t overdo it. As Groucho Marx said: “I love my cigar too, but sometimes I take it out.” What we do encourage is enjoying beer. If you sit down and drink a dozen of the same beer, that’s not necessarily showing your love of beer. We suggest sampling a number of different beers.
The best way to do this is to visit a brewery or establishment that specializes in local and/or artisan beers. Take in a flight of beer: 4 to 6 varieties in small glasses. Just, don’t be like Richie Cunningham and have 72 teeny weeny glasses. By sampling beers, you can explore all that beer has to offer. If you think beer is a clear golden liquid that simply refreshes and washes down pizza, you are missing a whole lot of potential. Beer can be light, crisp, and best served ice cold. That’s fine if you follow the old Schafer beer maxim of “when you’re having more than one” (There’s a message condoning alcoholism). Or it can run the gamut from light to heavy and everything in between.
Types of beer
Technically, there are 2 types of beer: Lager and Ale. They differentiate by how they ferment: Top fermenting beers are generally ales. The yeast settles to the top of the wort and works at a higher temperature. Bottom fermenting beers are primarily lagers. They ferment in colder temperatures, and the yeast works from the bottom up. Top fermenters tend to be heavier. We can’t say one is better than the other. But, top fermenting ales tend to adapt better to variations and different environments. Most bottom fermented beers tend toward the lighter, simpler styles. But, that is a bit of a stereotype. Some Stout and bock beers are bottom fermented. So, there is a variety in the cold brew genre.
Still, top fermented ales span a wider variety of flavors. Since hey don’t require refrigeration during fermentation, they adapt better to different ingredients. While this doesn’t preclude the use of different ingredients in lagers, the higher temperatures allow for different characteristics to develop. Think of it like this: if you eat an apple straight from the fridge, it will have a crisp clean flavor. But, if you leave that apple out at room temperature for a few days, it develops a sweeter, softer flavor. The same holds true for ales vs lager. Ales open up sugars, fruity flavors, and esters that don’t express as well in lagers.
And, top fermenters are easier for a home brew hobbyist to do, since they don’t require the precise temperature controls.
With over 100 varieties, beer equals true Love
So, those are the 2 basic categories. But, beer and ale come in endless variations. APA, IPA, Stout, bock, porter, helles, sours, trappist, wheat, and more. And, modern micro brewers are constantly trying new ideas. So, the quest for the best beer is now impossible. There is only the perfect beer moment. They add fruits, try new strains of yeast, different grains, and more. How about a watermelon ale or a New England AKA hazy pale ale? Again, we recommend you go out, right now, and try some different ales. The only rule we suggest you follow is to start light and work toward the heavier ales. This is the same concept as wine tasting. Don’t over-stimulate your taste buds so you can’t taste the other ales.
And, while you’re at it, try your hand at home brewing. It’s really not that hard. Although, if you get into it, you can start making some complex ales and lagers requiring a lot of controls. But, for a hobby, it can be quite simple and rewarding. To that end, we have a home brew recipe to get you started here. And, with October and Oktoberfest right around the corner, this is the time to brew. It will be ready about a month from now. And, while you’re brewing, take some time with your true love and enjoy some beer.
Cheers!
28 Days Later October Ale
Ingredients
- 6 Gallons Water (3 gallons for cooking, then more to finish)
- 8 Lb Medium malt extract
- 1 quart Munich Malt
- 1 pint Carapils Malt
- 1 Pint Chocolate Malt
- 3 each cinnamon sticks
- 2 Oz Hallertau Hops
- 1 oz Cascades hops
- 1/2 oz Chinook Hops
- 1/2 oz Hallertau hops (finishing)
- 1 each defloculation tablet (or 1 oz Irish moss)
- 11.5 grams Lager yeast
- 3/4 cup corn sugar or other type of priming sugar
Instructions
- Sanitize all your equipment and containers at all steps of the process.
- Bring 3 gallons of water to a boil.
- Place the Malts in a cheesecloth sack and put in the water. Add in the cinnamon sticks. Taper it back to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Then remove the bag, making sure to strain the liquid back into the pot.
- Whisk in the Malt extract and bring back to a simmer.
- Add in the Hallertau hops. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the cascades hops and Irish moss or flocculation tablet. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add in the remaining hops. Continue simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Strain the brew into a 5 gallon bucket using a sparging bag to remove as much sediment as possible. Take out the bag and add cold water to the wort. Transfer to a "carboy or fermenting tub. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then pitch the yeast.
- Put a stopper with a blow off tube in the carboy. Put the fermenter in a dark cool place like a closet. Allow the brew to ferment for 2 to 3 days with the tube so that the krausen (foamy discharge) can escape, and drain off into a container with water in it. Check the discharge a couple times a day.
- When the discharge level tapers off, replace the tube with an air lock. Allow to ferment an additional 11 days for a total of 14 days.
- After the initial fermentation, transfer the beer to a "raking" or bottling bucket. Strain it out during the transfer to remove excess sediment. Use a syphon for this process. You don't want to mix in the sediment in the bottom. Heat the priming sugar in about a cup of water. Whisk into the beer. Transfer the beer to bottles and/or kegs. Cap them and then allow the secondary fermentation to take place. Place the bottles or kegs in a dark cool place where they won't be disturbed for 2 weeks.
- The bottled beer should sit for 2 more weeks. Then, you can rfrigerate and enjoy.