BEER!

Beer Type	Foods it goes well with
Pilsner	Light Soups, Pizza and Fish
Pale Ale	Green Salads, Fish, Pork and Hamburger
Lager	Fish, Hamburger and Curry Dishes
Brown Ale	Chicken, Salad and Pork
Porter	Cheese, Beef, BBQ, Fruit and Cream Deserts
Bock	Chicken, Game, Creamy Deserts, Lamb and Sausage
Stout	Shellfish, Chocolates, Rich Desserts and Rich Meats

Temperature is also important to serving your beer

Beer Type	Temperature (°F)
Stouts and Porters	55-60
Wheat and Pale Lagers	45-50
Fruit Beers	40-50
Pale Ales, Ambers, Dark Lagers, Barley Wines and Belgian Ales	50-55

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About Beers

So ever wonder about beers? Want to have some idea what something will taste like before you try it? Well it really is not a big secret. Although different brands of beer to vary from one another, there are general classes of beer and from this information you usually can figure out what a beer may taste like. So for those of you who do not already know, here is some information.

First off you need to know some of the common terms used in making beer.

Adjunct	Wheat, rice, oats, corn or other fermentable unmalted grain or ingredient that is added to beer to lighten flavor and produce alcohol.
All Malt	A beer made from barley malt without andy Adjunct
Anaerobic Fermentation	Fermentation without oxygen. This is performed in the late stage of primary fermentation.
Aroma Hops	Hops chosen for their pleasant bouquet.
Barley	The main ingredient in in beer which is kilned to create a malt.
Bitterness	The flavoring added to beer by hops
Black Malt	Black Malts are created by roasting the malt at very high temperatures until it turns black.
Body	How a beverage feels in your mouth. "Full-bodied" is a thick texture, where "light-bodied" is a watery.
Bottle Conditioned	Secondary fermentation that occurs in the bottle.
Bottom fermenting Yeast	This yeast performs in cold temperatures and settles to the bottom of the fermentation tank.
Brew kettle	A large vessel usually made of copper or stainless steel in which the wort is brought to a boil and hops are added.
Brink	A holding tank where yeast is kept under refrigeration.
Budding	Yeast cell reproduction, where tiny buds appear as outgrowths at the edges of a cell and eventually break away and form a new cells.
Candi Sugar	A sugar that is occasionally used as an adjunct in some Belgian and English ales.
Carmal Malt	Wet roasting barley malt makes the sugar caramelize and provides the beer with a reddish color and a caramel flavor.
Cask Conditioned	Secondary fermentation and maturation in either a wooden cask or stainless steel keg.
Cereal Cooker	A tank where cereal grains are boiled prior to being added to the mash.
Chill Haze	A cloudiness that appears in beer when it is refrigerated too soon, too long or at too cold of a temperature.
Cold-Filtered	A process that removes sediments that can cloud some beers.
Conditioning	The natural carbonation that occurs when a beer is allowed to mature. Warm conditioning is often used with ales to bringing out the complexities of flavor. Cold conditioning is usually reserved for lager beers to clean and round the taste.
Dry Hopping	The addition of dry hops during first or secondary fermentation to add a hoppy character to the beer without affecting the beers bitterness.
Esters	Organic compounds that result from the interaction of acids and alcohol during fermentation which contribute to the fruity aroma and flavor of some beers.
Extract	The overall result of dissolving ingredients into the wort.
Fermentation	The metabolism of grain based sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide through the use of yeast.
Green Beer	An immature beer that has gone through its first fermentation but has not been aged or lagered.
Grist	A dry mixture of barley malts and adjuncts used in mashing.
Hogshead	Cask that holds 54 imperial gallons.
Hop Jack	A strainer used to remove the spent hops from the wort after the kettle boil's completion.
Hops	The dried, ripe cones of a female climbing perennial's flowers that are used to flavor, bitter and preserve the beer.
Hops Extract	The concentrated oils from dried hops. Growing in popularity because of their ease of use.
Hot Breaks	The first part of the clarification process. When the wort is boiled with hops.
Hydrometer	A floating gauge that measures the specific gravity of liquids compared to water inorder to determine the alcohol content.
IBU (International Bitterness Units)	A measuring standard to gage a beers hop content.
Infusion Mash	Single vessel, single temperature mashing method where the mash is held at one constant temperature until the starch completely converts to sugars.
Invert Sugar	Hydrolyzed sucrose. A common adjunct used in some British and Belgian beers.
Iodine Test	a test done with a drop of iodine and a small sample to determine whether the entire starch content of the mash has converted to sugars. If unconverted starch remains the sample turns dark blue.
Kraeusening (Krausen Wort)	A traditional German method of secondary fermentation where a small amount of sweet unfermented wort is added to finished beer to produce natural carbonation.
Lagering	Literally "to store". Maturation for several weeks or months at a cold temperature to settle the remaining yeast, add carbonation and to round the flavor.
Malt Extract	A sweet wort reduced to a syrup or powder by removing the water content.
Malting	The process by which barley is created by germination and then kiln dried to produce starches that will easily convert to sugars.
Maltrose	Fermentable sugar from malted grains.
Mash	Malted barley is soaked in warm water which converts its starches to sugars and becomes the wort.
Milling	The malt is ground into grist to facilitate easier processing.
Pasteurization	Destroying any remaining yeast and bacteria through the use of heat which will lengthen a beers shelf life.
Pitching	Adding yeast to the wort in the fermentation tank.
Primary Fermentation	The initial fermentation which occurs after pitching, converts most of the fermentable sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. A process that usually last 2-7 days.
Priming	The process of adding sugar to a brew contained in a bottle or a keg in order to add carbonation.
Racking	Transferring the finished beer to kegs from the fermentation vessel.
Roasted Malt	Malted barley that is roasted further to achieve a darker color.
Saccharification	A natural process by which malt starch is converted into maltrose and other fermentable sugars.
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae	The scientific name for top-fermenting yeast.
Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis	The scientific name for bottom-fermenting yeast.
Secondary fermentation	Fermentation that takes place in a closed container, usually for several weeks to several months immediately following primary fermentation. Secondary fermentation naturally carbonates the beer and matures its flavor.
Sediment	The yeast material you find at the bottom of a bottle conditioned beer.
Shandy	A popular English pub drink created by mixing equal parts of ale to 7-up.
Six-Row Barley	A thick husk barley that produces six rows of grain. Six-Row has a low extract yield but is higher in protein and enzymes than two-row barley.
Sparging	Extracting the remaining malt sugars from the mashed grains husks by rinsing them with hot water.
Spent Grains	The solid grain materials that are left once the wort has been removed. often used as animal feed.
Starch	A long chain of sugar molecules that are broken down with enzymes to produce fermentable sugars.
Steeping	Soaking barley in water to prepare for germination.
Sterile Filtration	An alternative to pasteurization where miocroorganisms, bacteria, molds and yeast are filtered out of the beer.
Tannin	Organic compounds (husks and hops) that contribute an astringent taste in beer.
Top-fermenting yeast	Also known as "ale yeast", top-fermenting yeast floats to the top of the beer and works at cellar or room temperature. It tolerates higher alcohol levels and produces a fruitier more complex beer.
Trub	Proteins in barley that are filtered during the wort boil.
Two-Row Barley	A thin husked barley that produces two rows of grain. Two-Row Barley has a good extract yield but contains fewer enzymes and proteins than six-row barley.
Wort (hopped)	Beer before the addition of yeast. A bittersweet liquid created by mixing or mashing malted barley with water and boiling in the hops.
Yeast	A single cell, living plant microorganism that converts sugars in the wort to alcohol, carbon dioxide, flavors and aromas. There are many variations or strains of yeast, each with their own unique characteristics.

Now something about different types of beers....

Ale	Ales are fermented with a top fermenting yeast, in most cases at or near room temperature. They can be of almost any color and almost any strength, but tend to have a richer flavor than lager beers.
Abbey Ale	A beer made in a Trappist style by a secular brewery occasionally through a license from an abbey.
Alt	"Old Style" A type of beer commonly made in Germany before the introduction of lager beers. Alt is a top fermented specialty beer that is cold conditioned.
Barley Wine	A strong ale of British origin with an alcohol content within the 7 to 11 % range.
Berliner Weisse	An acidic beer made with large amounts of wheat. It is a low gravity beer that uses lactic fermentation. Often served with a touch of fruit syrup to help lessen the acidity.
Bitter	A hoppy English style ale of average strength. 3.5-5.5% abv.
Bock	A strong German style lager of at least 6.25% abv. Usually very malty and sweet.
Brown Ale	Light amber to light brown in color. Average malt, little in the way of hops.
Cream Ale	A uniquely American style. Often a blend of lager and ale.
Dort	Short for Dortmunder. German style lager, less hoppy than pilsner.
Dry Stout	A very dark, full bodied ale with a dry taste can be attributed to roasted barley and hops.
Dubbel (Double)	A strong Trappist/ Abbey Ale usually containing 6-7% abv. Dark amber to brown in color. Little use of hops with plenty of roasted malt and Bottle conditioned.
Dunkles Bock	The original German bock style. A heavy low fermented beer with a dark color. Varieties include Herfstbok, Winterbok and Tarwebok.
Dunkel Weiss	This malty beer uses less wheat than other Weiss styled beers, yet maintains many of the characteristics of other Weiss beers.
ESB(Extra Special Bitter)	A premium bitter that was first brewed in 1971 by The renowned Fuller Brewery and was quickly copied by brewers around the world.
Faro	Traditionally, a spontaneously fermented lambic sweetened burnt sugar.
Framboise/Frambozen	A lambic or Flanders brown ale aged with raspberries.
Gueuze/Gueze	A blend of aged and young lambics that undergo additional fermentation in the bottle. Sour to bitter taste. A spontaneously fermented beer.
Hefeweizen (Hefe Weiss)	A bottle conditioned Bavarian wheat beer. Very carbonated with a huge head.
Helles Bock	A pale yellow to golden colored lager, brewed in the spring and summer. Helles has a sweet barley flavor and few hops. Helles bocks come in a number of varieties, Meibok, Lentebok and Zomerbok.
Herfsbok	The traditional German beer style. A heavy low fermented, dark beer.
India Pale Ale/IPA	A pale ale that was originally produced in the UK for export to India. Hop bitterness and alcohol content (about 6% abv) were increased to assist in preserving the beer on the long voyage.
Kolsch	The Cologne style. Light in color with a sweetish-slightly bitter taste.
Kristall Weizen	A Bavarian wheat beer that has been filtered.
Lager	A lager is a bottom-fermented beer that was intended to go through a long maturation period.
Lambic	Only breweries around Brussels, Belgium can produce what is known as a Lambic. The beer is made with raw wheat, spontaneously fermented and aged from one to two years in oak barrels.
Lentebok(Spring bock)	A variety of Helles bock brewed in the spring. A strong light colored sweet barley seasonal beer.
Marzen/Martzen	A variant of the Vienna style originally created for Munich's Oktoberfest. Originally this was a seasonal beer brewed only in March when the water quality was at its best.
Malt Liquor	An American lager beer with little flavor and high alcohol content.
Meibok (May bock)	Traditionally a variety of Helles bock that was stronger than the usual brew, because it was brewed early (May) and had to survive the summer heat. Quite strong and often somewhat sweet.
Munchener Dunkel	A malty medium bodied beer with a small hop content. Pale to dark brown in color
Oatmeal Stout	A sweetened stout
Pale Ale	A well-hopped amber ale
Pilsner/Pilsener	Originally the style of beer brewed in and around the town of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Pale yellow to golden in colour, this lager beer has a light to medium body and a hoppy flavor and aroma.
Porter	A very dark beer and bitter beer created in 18th century London. Roasted barley and heavy hopping provide the flavor.
Rauchbier	A specialty lager beer of the city of Bamberg, Germany made from malt smoked over beechwood.
Russian Imperial Stout	A high alcohol content aided in shipping this beer from England across the frozen Russian snows to the Czar's awaiting court.
Saison	Brewed at high temperatures, this amber Belgian ale often has herbs and spices added. Originally a seasonal ale Saison is now brewed year round. Occasionally dry roasted. Occasionally refermented in the bottle.
Scottish Ale	op fermented but aged cold for smoothness. Malty in taste. medium to full bodied.
Steam beer	A pale lager that is fermented at high temperatures like an ale.
Stout	Usually sweet and bitter, with a roasted flavor. Dark to opaque in color.
Sweet Stout	a stout that is sweetened before bottling (usually with lactose) and then pasteurized to prevent further fermentation. Occasionally called milk stout.
Tarwebok	A form of Dunkles bock where both wheat and barley are used.
Trappist	A variety of strong bottle conditioned ales by the six Trappist monasteries that produce commercial beers. Each monestary produces its own distinctly unique beers using its own special yeasts.
Triple bock	17%abv! This extremely dark, extremely rich beer was developed by Samual Adams. Softens with age. Collected by vintage.
Trippel (Triple)	A pale yellow to deep golden Belgian ale with a spicy clove-like nose and a sweet malty finish.
Vienna	An amber lager with a balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness.
Weizenbock	Highly carbonated and full bodied for a wheat beer. Malty with little use of hops.
Winterbok	A stronger and sweeter version of the traditional Dunkles bock
Wit (White)	A cloudy Belgian ale made from raw wheat and barley malt and spiced with coriander, curacao orange peel and hops.
Zomerbok(Summer bock)	A variety of Helles bock that is usually lighter and possessing a bitter taste. A seasonal sweet barley beer.