Beer 101

Many of us first started learning about beer in college. Back then, the options were pretty simple: dark or light, domestic or imported, can, bottle or pitcher! I could tell you that things like yeast, hops and malt were used to make beer – but really couldn’t say how exactly these things were used or what role they played in making the beer. My limited knowledge of beer was sufficient for only so long. A bit later in life, when I became more discerning about the way my beer tasted, I became curious about beer itself. Where did beer come from? With so many hundreds of variations in beer what are the base ingredients and what is added on top of that to make each beer unique? How is beer classified?

My curiosity increased even more when my husband and I, both big time novice beer aficionado’s, decided to start selling beer steins on the Internet. As I was building my website and uploading a huge variety of beautiful and detailed beer steins of every theme and style imaginable, I couldn’t help but think that the world of beer steins is perfectly accompanied by the world of beer selection to put in those steins! I felt that if I was going to sell beer steins I best upgrade my knowledge of beer and brewing at least one notch above my existing qualification: a gal who really, really enjoys putting back a few icy cold Red Stripes after a long day of work.

I ventured over to my public library for enlightenment. There I found the most useful book for any beer novice: Encyclopedia of Beer (Rhodes, 1995). As I am not a professional beer critic or brewer myself I do not plan on delving into the nitty-gritty science of beer classification here. Below I provide a brief definition of each variable of beer classification, as it is both interesting and important to have a basic understanding of these elements. The purpose of this article is to share some “Beer 101” facts from one layman beer drinker to another.

So where to start? The beginning of course!

The art of brewing is thousands of years old. Through hieroglyphics, cuneiform characters, and artifacts, beer historian have traced the roots of brewing back to the women of ancient African, Egyptian and Sumerian tribes some 8,000 years ago! The beer world has changed quite a bit since 6000 B.C. Beer and brewing is a dynamic, ever-changing industry.

Breweries can be considered as microbrews, brewpubs, homebrew, specialty brewers, etc…and the beer style can be an ale, lager or hybrid (i.e. brews made with fruit, herbs or other “non-traditional” ingredients). Beer style, simply put, is a label given to a beer that describes its overall character and often times its origin. It's a name badge that has been achieved over many centuries of brewing, trial and error, marketing, and consumer acceptance.

If we are to learn about beer the first aspect to understand is beer classification. Beer can be classified in a variety of ways. The color, alcohol content, amount of fermentables, style, type of ferment, and season may all be used to differentiate various beers. A popular way to identify a beer is by its country of origin (where it was produced). However, this classification is less than satisfactory because most countries actually produce beers that are similar to those in other countries. For example, many Norwegian, Swiss, and even Thai beers are very similar in style, content, color and method of ferment to German, Czech Republic, and Dutch beers. Australians, Japanese, Canadians, and Mexicans make beers that are virtually indistinguishable from those made in the United States. Thus, we cannot use simple guidelines to classify beer.

The Encyclopedia of Beer uses the following points of reference for beer classification:

Original Gravity – also known as Original Specific Extract or Original Extract. In sum, the original gravity is the measurement of the specific gravity at that start of the ferment process.

Alcohol Content - Amount of alcohol in beer measured in terms of the percentage weight of alcohol per volume of beer, i.e., 3.2% alcohol by weights equals 3.2 grams of alcohol per 100 centiliters of beer.

Bitterness – Hops give beer aroma, flavor, and a slightly bitter taste. Hops come in many forms: whole hops, flowers (natural form), pellets, concentrated syrup and even hop oils. These forms each have a different effect on beer. The measurable effect of hops is usually expressed as International Bitterness Units (IBU), which are parts of per million of alpha acid, the major flavor element in hops.

Color- Beer color ranges for very pale (i.e. Budweiser) to very dark (i.e. Guinness Stout). Most of the color is the result of the malts used in the mash. Malting is the process by which barley is steeped in water, germinated, and then kilned to convert insoluble starch to soluble substances and sugar. (It is the foundation ingredient of beer.) And mash is the release of malt sugars by soaking the grains in water. Most malts are pale malts. Dark beer is the result of using malts that have been roasted to some degree. Color is expressed in degrees SRM (Standard Reference Method). The higher the SRM number the darker the beer.

It is worth spending a little extra time on the next variable of beer classification: method of ferment. Within the beer community there exists disagreement on when an ale truly becomes an ale. The disagreement has to do with the method of ferment.

Method of Ferment – Another variable in beer production comes from the type of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. The higher the temperature, the faster the ferment (and its effects), because the speed of all chemical changes doubles (or halves) for each 18°F (10°C) temperature change.

A beer fermented at a very high temperature will have some harshness of character, while a beer fermented at very low temperatures will have a very mellow and moderate taste factor. Yeasts are sensitive to temperature and will function only within certain temperature ranges. For the most part, this range is about 58°F to 100°F (14°C to 38°C). This type of yeast is called top-fermenting yeast because it works through the body of the beer and then collects on the surface. The beer produced by such yeasts is called ale.

If the temperature drops too low the yeasts will go into a defensive posture by constructing a protective wall around themselves (sporulating) and will actually die if they are then subjected to high temperatures.

However, not all yeasts operate in this fashion. Lager is brewed with yeasts that do not sporulate when they get cold. These yeasts will keep working slowly right up until they are almost frozen. The benefit here is that cold fermented beer is protected against souring bacteria and hence can be made with fewer hops (less bitterness) and a weaker alcohol content (longer drinking pleasure). When this cold-fermented beer is cold-aged, the result is a very mild and mellow beverage. These yeasts ferment throughout the body of the beer and then settle to the bottom of the vessel-hence the term bottom-ferment.

Beer purists would say that an ale is a top-fermented beer. But the United States brewing industry says that an ale is a beer that is warm-fermented (above 60°F or 1.5°C) during part of the ferment, no matter what type of yeast is used.

Aging System - The final variable in beer production is aging. For most of brewing history beers were not aged. When the ferment was finished, the beer was deemed ready to drink. At some point it was discovered that beer, particularly stronger beer, would improve if it was allowed to stand for a period of several weeks or even months. This type of beer became popular in Bavaria, for example, where it was brewed in the fall, stored through the winter, and th3en consumed in the late spring. It was a great improvement over the beer that had not been aged in this way. Some monks then discovered that if they stored this beer in deep case and covered it with ice harvested from nearby lakes, the end product was even more delicious! As a result, pale, cold-fermented, cold-aged beers called lager were invented. Lager is from the German lagern, “to store”.

In summary, any description of beer styles entails a wide range of possibilities. This is natural for a beverage that comes in such a huge variety of styles. These styles vary in strength from 2 to 13 percent alcohol by volume; in color from very pale to very dark brown; in taste from modest to mind-boggling; and in hoppiness from very low to exceedingly high. Styles can also be in the form of lager beer or ale beer, and a wide range of varietal and seasonal possibilities too.

Today, the more than 1,600 breweries in the U.S. are responsible for billions of dollars that flow each year through channels of American trade and commerce. From agricultural products, can manufacturing, food processing, food stores and general retail, to wholesaling, construction and real estate, brewers, along with their wholesale and retail partners, directly or indirectly employ over 1.7 million Americans who earn over $54 billion in wages and benefits. (beerinstitute.org)

I have barely skimmed the surface of “Beer 101” here, but hopefully next time you are perusing the beer selection at your local grocery store you will do so with a little more appreciation and attention, as I know I will. Cheers!

Great online resources to check out:
www.beeradvocate.com
www.beerbasics.com
www.allaboutbeer.com
www.beerinstitute.org

Renowned Artists Lend Their Work As Decoration for Beer Steins

For many of us, love of the great outdoors and love of beer seem to somehow be naturally related. Whether is hiking, camping, fishing, wildlife observing or hunting, nothing seems quite as enjoyable at the end of a long day outdoors than an icy cold beer!

Many renowned wildlife artists now lend their name and work to licensed programs that marry wonderful nature scenes onto a high quality stoneware or glass beer stein. These sorts of steins make a wonderful special gift or a great collectors item.

Here are some of the top wildlife & nature artists you can find on a beer stein today:

James A. Meger – Wildlife Art

From Edina, Minnesota, he is known for dramatic wildlife depictions. He received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1964 and then served in Vietnam. He attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota and taught for ten years. The turning point of his career was winning the 1980 Minnesota Duck Stamp award. He is in the Wildlife and Western Art Hall of Fame.

Today, Meger feels that his previous education, which included three years of pre-med, as well as hunting experience, has educated him for the muscular and skeletal structure needed to paint his realistic depictions of wildlife. Meger wants to tell a story with each of his paintings. Some of his paintings have taken up to five months to create. Since 1982, he has included hidden elements in his paintings. The curious and keen observers seek out the hidden images. From this, Meger has been known as the artist who paints "More than Meets the Eye."

His beautiful art is licensed for use as decoration on beer steins. His beer stein collection includes wonderfully detailed and lifelike scenes of the mighty Grizzly Bear, the American Bald Eagle, the American Timber Wolf, N. American Buffalo, moose, mallards, Whitetail Deer and many other animals you would find living in the woods of North America.

Linda Picken – Animals & Pets Art

Linda Picken lives in America's Ozarks where she revels in the country life surrounded by a menagerie of dogs, cats, horses, ducks, Canada Geese, and an assortment of other birds and wildlife. Her love of animals is evident in her paintings of dogs, horses, and wildlife, which reveal the joy, humor and majesty of the animal kingdom.

Linda studied at the Des Moines Art Center, majored in art at Drake University, and then very ably developed her own style of wildlife and animal portraiture. She is an award-winning artist, named an Honorary Trustee of Ducks Unlimited and recipient of its first Silver Palette and Chisel award. Dozens of her paintings have been selected to help raise funds for conservation. Her art graces the covers of many magazines and catalogs. Her work has also been selected for high-quality collectors’ plate series, greeting cards and numerous other gift items, including the Christmas stockings, tapestry pillows and afghans.

Her country-style art is licensed for use as decoration on beer steins. Picken’s stoneware beer steins are the perfect gift for any dog lover in your life. Her current exclusive beer stein selection includes realistic outdoor scenes featuring some of America’s most beloved canines: the Black Labrador, Yellow Labrador, the Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, Dalmatian and German Shepherd.

(Picken bio taken from the artists website lindapicken.com)

John Q. Wright – Fishing & Wildlife Art

J.Q. Outdoors, formerly known as Jon Q Wright & Artists, is a world leader for outdoor art and design licensing with broad consumer appeal. This licensor specializes in the outdoor market, consisting of sport fishing, hunting and wildlife observation. Their success is based on cutting edge licensed art under the blanket of their brand. To accomplish this they recruit a select group of artists and designers who are some of the best and most accomplished in the field.

Currently J.Q. Outdoors consists of Jon Q. Wright’s aquatic fishing art and the creations of 18 artists, each with their specialty area, who coordinates with Jon Q Wright under the label.

You can find Jon Q. Wright art on an array of drinking vessels including beer steins, glass mugs, shot glasses, decanters, pilsner glasses, flasks and more. Drinking vessels include themes of: fish & game, North American big wildlife (wolf, elk, deer), dogs, and the great American Bald Eagle. This is timeless art that reflects the best in American outdoor life.

(Brand information taken from the official website jqoutdoors.com)

Beer Stein Basics

Beer steins, especially German beer steins, are a popular collectors item today. Though historical evidence shows that beer stein collectors have been around for ages (at least the 13^th century), it would appear that the second half of the 20^th century has had the greatest collecting activity. One obvious reason would be that beer steins are pleasing to the eye, being offered in a huge variety of styles.

Today’s stein collector considers a stein to be a beer-drinking vessel with a handle and hinged lid. They are commonly made of earthenware, pewter, porcelain, faience, silver, or glass. There are even rare examples carved from wood, made from leather, ivory, ostrich eggs and horns. The royalty occasionally had steins of pure gold or silver.

Steins may be traditional, regimental, occupational (depicting one's occupation), character (figural), or relief (three-dimensional). They may be new, antiques, reproductions, or limited editions. Steins range in volume from .03 liter (1 oz.) to 32 liter (8.4 gal.), the typical volume being .5 (1/2) liter (16.9 oz.). Steins often have a theme such as heritage, wildlife, medieval, patriotic/military, sports & hobbies, fish & game, etc. There may also be several steins in a series, within a theme. Europeans often engraved dates on the lids of steins to commemorate specific occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, sporting events, weddings, and retirements.

The stoneware beer steins manufactured by the firm Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach, Germany are some of the finest steins made in the 19^th & 20^th centuries. Made by internally developed, unique techniques, these etched, relief and print-under-glass steins are museum piece quality and highly desired by serious stein collectors. Mettlach steins, as they are commonly called, come in sizes from ¼-liter to giant 4-liter ones, all exquisitely decorated and ornately designed with both ceramic and pewter lids. In today’s antique market Mettlach steins range from a few hundred dollars to many thousands, depending on type, décor, size & relative rarity.

For those of us who want to appreciate the decorative and aesthetic value of the beer stein without emptying our checking account, another popular type of collector stein is the figural beer stein (also called character steins). These are shaped steins such as human figures, animals, towers, lighthouses, or anything else the artist may dream up. In today’s market you can find a figural stein for just about any niche interest and this sort of stein undoubtedly makes the best gift for the beer lover in your life.

Other fun and popular beer steins are Oktoberfest, classic cartoons, or you can stick with the timeless traditional German beer stein that comes in a huge array of decoration.

For more information on beer and beer steins visit steincollectors.org or beerstein.net.

Beer Stein Beginnings in Europe

In the late 1300s European states began to enact and strictly enforce sanitary measures. Although a lot of literature on the history of beer and beer steins state there exists no empirical evidence that the lidded beer stein evolved from a "covered container law", it is widely believed that the lidded beer vessels was indeed a result of such sanitary measures. Until that time beer had been drank from an open-mouthed vessel like a mug or tankard. The hinged lid was conceived as a sanitary measure in Germany and by the early 1500s German laws required all food & drink to be covered in such a manner. A “stein” became officially known as a beer container with a hinged lid and a handle – originating in Germany in the late 1400’s. Soon enough German beers were being improved and perfected. Strictly enforced regulations concerning the quality and transport of beer in German provinces resulted in improvement in the taste of beer. Beer consumption increased and this had an impact on stein making.

Local brews in other parts of Europe were being made from rotten bread, cabbages, eggs and anything else on hand. German beers became famous and were exported throughout northern Europe and even as far as East Indies and Jerusalem. Such beers raised a new need for beer containers. Various forms of material were being used up to this time. Wealthier folk used drink vessels made of pewter or silver, while the common folk crafted vessels made of earthenware. Generally though metal and glass remained too expensive for general use.

Earthenware vessels were porous and absorbed liquid and therefore not ideal for beer drinking. Scientific experimentation began to improve earthenware. Ultimately earthenware material was manipulated via very high temperature and new furnace designs to the point where all moisture was driven out of the clay and the clay became vitrified (partially melted) into a solid stone-like material. Hence, the beginning of the stoneware beer stein.

Stoneware was very labor and time intensive but it did prove to produce a superior vessel for beer consumption. It’s resistant to chipping and cracking and not porous, resulting in a much more sanitary container.

The time & labor involved in creating stoneware steins, especially after the covered-beverage-container law requiring lids, made steins worthy of some fine decorative ceramic art. Different glazes had already been discovered earlier in history allowing for colored glaze as a compliment to design. Many Renaissance artists contributed designs for decoration. Steins were being decorated with family crests, weapons, knights on horseback plus scenes from old German myths and history. A personal stein was now becoming a status symbol and a showpiece. By the 1500s, Hamburg had 600 breweries, producing 25 million liters of beer and directly or indirectly employing half of the population of that city.

However, the Thirty Years War that followed this period of history resulted in a major change in the history of beer. By the end of this war in the 1640s most of northern Germany breweries - the home of beer brewing up to this point in history - had been burnt down and destroyed. A few southern breweries in cloisters survived and, more or less by default, Bavaria became Central Europe’s beer land. Beer soon replaced cider and wine as the beverage of choice throughout Germany.

An expanded new market for beer steins developed, and the stoneware industry from the areas of Kö1n and Koblenz responded. Pewter, silver, and glass luxury steins were also available. All that was lacking was porcelain, which was only being made exclusively in China. No one in Europe knew how to make porcelain but several German potters were quick to jump in with a porcelain substitute — faience.

Faience is earthenware with a porcelain-like white glaze made from tin oxide. German faience was not as durable as the Chinese porcelain, but it was far less expensive. Additionally, the motifs on German faience were popular late-Renaissance and early-Baroque designs, not foreign-looking Chinese figures. The factories were located near large clay deposits. The clay was mixed with other minerals to produce a lighter, more porous material than stoneware. The body of the stein was formed on the potter's wheel and fired in a kiln. Next, it was dipped into a milk-white tin glaze to produce a smooth, white surface similar to the porcelain it attempted to emulate. After drying, the stein body was painted with various colored glazes and fired a second time. The process was time consuming but the steins that survive speak to the worthiness of the effort.

In Germany today, these steins are considered historic works of decorative art and are on display in many museums throughout that country. The painted designs include animals, architectural scenes, birds, crests, figural scenes, verses, etc.

Faience remained popular for beer steins until the last factory closed its doors in 1852. This was due to the fact that porcelain production finally began in Europe in 1709 and slowly took over faience beer steins as they became more affordable being produced domestically instead of being imported from China.

Today’s beer aficionado or casual drinker can find both economical and high quality beer steins made from earthenware and porcelain, as well as a multitude of materials including pewter and glass. Once again we are able to enjoy our brew from either a lidded or non-lidded vessel!

Beer steins make an excellent gift, as they are both decorative and functional. Steins can be found in an array of themes including wedding gifts, patriotic gifts, nature & wildlife, and heritage steins, i.e. Irish, Celtic, Scottish, etc…

For more information on the history of beer steins visit beerstein.net and steincollectors.org.