beer brewing

Characteristics of Beer Brewing Regions in the United States

Characteristics of Beer Brewing Regions in the United States
By Michael Briggs

Regional Characteristics of Craft Brewing.

It is surely apparent to even the most casual observer that the selection of small batch, or micro brewed, beer has grown steadily for many years. Early on in the craft brewing revival it was widely speculated that the microbrew revolution was merely a fad and once over, factory beers would once again be the only beer left standing on the shelves. But these smaller brewers have not only survived, they have thrived and revitalized many brewing traditions nearly lost forever. What has emerged is rather amazing. When you travel the United States and sample beers over a wide geographic range, patterns emerge in the beer styles and flavors you sample. These brewing tendancies are based on the history of beer making in the region, the availability of ingredients, and even the climate of the area and its effect on the demand for various beer styles.

Let’s look at some of the broad regions of the country and what you can expect in the general styles of beers. While this exercise sheds some light on how each region has evolved, it is by no means an absolute reference. There are many wonderful exceptions to every generalization.

North East

New England has roots that run to the very beginnings of when Europeans first settled North America, and one of the first traditions these settlers brought with them was brewing. Many of our founding fathers not only enjoyed a brewed libation, they often made their own. One of the biggest craft brewers even takes its very name from a famous patriot and brewer from the American Revolution. The microbrew revolution has not traveled far from its heritage, and you will find almost exclusively beers made in the English tradition. This is ale country, and most brewpubs even have the traditional hand pulled beer engine offering true cask conditioned ales at cellar temperatures. While English ales rule in the North East, a few renegades are offering Belgian style ales. These beers are very traditional in their hops and malt balance, smooth and very drinkable.

Midwest

Many Germans migrated during the 1800′s to the Midwest in search of farm land and work in the booming cities. With them they brought a long tradition of brewing cold fermented lagers from their homeland of Germany, Bavaria, Poland, and other middle European countries. True to form, this portion of the country still has some of the best lagers to be found in the world. It is this part of the country where brewing survived during prohibition and then blossomed after its downfall. The United States largest brewers are still in the Midwest, but they are no longer alone. The beer selection you will primarily find here focuses on lighter beers that have been cold fermented and offer crisp clean colors, the floral and citrus aromas of Noble hops, and little in the way of estery yeast by-products. The exception to this rule is the amazing bounty of aromas you may find in a glass of traditional Hefeweizen, or wheat beers with the yeast left unfiltered.

South

Settled mainly by the French, the south and Gulf Coast has little in the way of a brewing history. The very warm climate made growing malt and hops nearly impossible, and fermenting in this heat is unpredictable. As such, the South does not have many brewpubs and Micros in order to define their space. With the advent of refrigeration, and the ease of shipping ingredients now, there are some great brews beginning to take shape. So perhaps it would be better to wait until more brewing traditions have been created before pigeon-holing this newcomer to the brewing scene. One thing that is noticeable is the effect hot weather has on the beer drinkers desire. Lighter beers served ice cold are in much greater fashion than the heavier and warmer ales served by their neighbors to the North.

Mountains

The mountains of Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho are especially noted for unparalleled skiing. Along with skis, vacationers often bring a hearty thirst worked up from multiple trips down the mountains. Here an ever-growing brewpub scene offers some of the most varied selections in the country. It is almost like the brewers of the mountain region reflect the many expectations brought by visitors from every corner of the world. Here you will find German lagers, English Ales, and American originals all served side by side. But one characteristic that begins to shine through comes from the proximity of the hops growing region in the Pacific Northwest. Beer here has a distinct extra dose of hops that make them All American. Instead of using hops imported from Europe, beer is most often embued with American varieties descended from traditional hops of the world.

West Coast and Pacific Northwest

The West Coast is mostly affected by the very close US center of hops growing in Oregon and Washington states. Beer styles here are most certainly American. The Pacific Northwest is also the heart of barley growing in the United States, so it is no surprise that the density of micro brewed beer is higher here than most anywhere else in the country. And every brewery or brewpub offers many styles with assertive hops; in the kettle for bitterness as well as large amounts of dry hops in the barrel for aroma. Most styles are American adaptations of German or English traditional brews, adapted for the cool wet weather and utilizing the abundance of local ingredients.

While throughout the world there are literally dozens of styles of beer, relatively few are brewed in any one region of the United States. Each area has been influenced by climate, availability of ingredients, and tradition, to develop a limited number of distinct beer offerings.

Michael Briggs is a beer fanatic and a frequent contributor to BreweryMall.

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Why Brew Your Own Beer?

By Ong Boon Leong

You know, if you enjoy beer so much, why not go out and buy some? Or just visit the nearest pub with a nice ambiance and have a nice enjoyable drink there? Why bother to spend time and effort to brew your own beer? Well, there are lots of reasons why I brew my own beer and some of them might even surprise you.

1. It just taste better. If you have not tried the beers I brewed, you may not agree. The beers you brewed from the basic beer kits will most likely taste better than the cheaper commercial ones you buy from the store. Unlike commercial ones which pasteurized, home brewed beers have no preservatives or any artificial additives (as they will kill off the yeast), so they are all natural. Of course, high quality ingredients will give a better quality batch. And like wine, beer will usually taste better as it ages but with commercial beers you can’t age it since it is already pasteurized.

2. It can be actually very easy. In fact, all you need to do is to add some dextrose (or malt) to the beer ingredient kit and the resulting beer should work out fine and you can have a very decent drink in just under 4 weeks. I mean what is easier than that? But with that said, you can make the brewing process complicated as well, depending on what style and what type of beer you want. Some brewing styles take up to a few hours to complete and needs tons of expensive equipment.

3. You get to experiment and taste different beers. This is probably the best part. You get to play around with malt extracts, grains, sugars, yeast, hops and other ingredients and make yourself a batch that is truly yours and ultimately unique. Or you can simply attempt a clone of a very popular commercial beer. Time consuming, but fun.

4. Cheaper. Of course with the high tax on alcohol in most countries, it will definitely be cheaper to brew your own beer. Sure, it depends on the ingredients and the style of the brew, but most of the time, you will find it to be cheaper.

5. It’s a great hobby! I mean it is like taking a break from your stressful life and relax by brewing beer, that’s it. Nothing much to it. Some people go around and attempt to kick a ball into a huge net and scream while others jump off tall buildings with a rubbery rope tied around their ankles. I brew beer, so can you.

6. Teaches patience. You won’t get it anywhere else. Imagine, after you finish your wort, you will have to leave it to ferment for a few days or even a few weeks. And after bottling, you will need to leave it to carbonate for a few days or even a few weeks as well. And if you are patient enough, you could age your beers for even longer and this of course will produce a even better tasting beer. So the longer you wait, the better the result will be. Patience is a virtue!

7. It makes beer. The result of all your hard work is beer. You get a lot of it if you are successful. So you don’t have to worry about not having beer when your friends come around. And you will find that your friends are coming by more often than not because you have an continuous supply of good quality and delicious alcohol to share. And beer brewing is all about sharing with your friends right?

Boon Leong is a vivid beer brewer. He has a blog about beer brewing and he administrates a web directory with a comprehensive listings of Restaurants in Singapore

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Making Beer Tips For Dads

By Paul Weese

Beer is an excellent pastime, both to drink and brew. Home brewing beer is as rewarding as a fantastic pile of barbecue ribs, rubbed and sauced. In the household, Dads are the most common brewers in America, especially with beer kits. Over the years, being Dad has given me new opportunities in beer. The two main ones are educating my kids in the brewing process and the history of beer. The second is the new, um, moments to increase my relationship with my wife by containing the messes I make with being King Brew Master of my home.

My wife loves beer as much as I do. Having beer brought in from the store in a clean case and discarding the bottles is very efficient. A fermenter, gear, empty bottles, full bottles, books, and magazines are a project unto themselves, often being very messy. In managing beer inventory, studying how to brew better beer, and sampling, I have had to get creative with my small house. I have taken up to keeping much of my brewing equipment in dark places of the house. The first reason for this is to control the temperature of the wort. I want my wort to fluctuate as little as possible and stick to the cooler side. (This has been a challenge because my house is a very warm structure.) The second reason is that my wife doesn’t want to see the equipment laying about the kitchen, dining room, or bedroom. Though I enjoy the thought of a good brew fermenting nearby, I know that beer happiness starts with household happiness.

The biggest items for Dads to remember is to keep your area temperature stable, clean, and out of the way, preferably out of sight of company and wife. A clean area can be a hard find. My area is under my stairwell. This area is excellent for my wort to remain a stable temperature and I have built an area to keep it off the floor (away from gunk on the floor) and a shelf above to prevent dirt from falling onto the top. This area is made to contain all my brewing equipment and supplies. What I run out of most is area to store the cases of beer I brew, which is a good thing. When considering a place to put your fermenter and beer gear, think about ease of cleaning up of spills, and everyday access.

Some brewing systems are made to be in a refrigerator for the entire brewing process, like Mr. Beer. Some beers require a chilling process. In both cases, this can be cumbersome for the one frig household. As well, it’s tough to brew beer at someone else’s home and hope to taste the results! If you are using a cooling type process, make sure to plan around the amount of cold storage you have.

Including my family has been very rewarding. Telling my kids about the history of beer from mead to Prohibition, and the German Purity Laws, has been entertaining for us all. They enjoy mixing the boiling ingredients, filling the bottles, capping, and making an occasional big batch of root beer. When I was younger, it didn’t occur to me that beer would be such a great family pastime. In all of this fun, it is also great time to encourage drinking responsibly. Having a caring and responsible approach to brewing beer at home has brought extra rewards.

To keep beer making in the home a great day, remember to hear the input from your family members. Overall, make sure that beer making is cleaned up, out of the way, and happy. Happy beer is good beer. Good beer is good for Dads.

Paul Weese is the editor and chief beer maker for http://thebarleyreview.com, a home brewing beer kit review website devoted to helping you find the best beer brewing kits, ideas, and recipes since 2008.

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Homemade Beer – Get Started With This Simple Guide

By William Swan

She’s a pretty girl, and she can make a cake from scratch, but can she make homemade beer? You might be surprised at how many people make and store homebrewed beer. Is your mate among them? Are you?

Beer making follows very simple rules. So, why wait? If homebrewed beer is something you’d like to try, then this should help you get started. And the good news is that it costs very little to bottle your first homemade brew.

People have been making homemade alcohol for thousands of years, ever since man first stumbled onto fermentation. After tasting the results of fruit left to rot in the bottom of a jug (wine), he moved to grains, which are the main ingredients of beer. Beer recipes have been found among some of the world’s oldest recorded Sumerian writings.

Homebrewed beer is a thoughtful process, not a complicated one; it involves 6 components or steps:

1. Mash is made when a malted grain is mixed with water and then heated causing the starch to change into sugar. Mashes are available in a “No Boil” Kit, a partial mash, or the most complicated option, a full mash.

2. Wort (pronounced wirt, not wart) is the liquid formed by the malted grain mash. Wort can be purchased pre-made in dry or liquids.

3. Fermentation happens when a sugar mash is encouraged to convert into alcohol and carbon dioxide via the introduction of bacteria (yeast). Once yeast is added, wort becomes beer.

4. Conditioning (also known as secondary fermentation) is when the beer is siphoned from one container to another and allowed to brew again.

5. Carbonation takes place with the addition of a second sugar to the beer, which is then stored in either bottles or kegs.

6. And the easy part….Drinking!

Still afraid to get started? Perhaps master brewer and author, John Palmer, can help. He knows the ins and outs of home-brewing beer and the mistakes that can be made. He says his first homemade beer was “fit only for mosquitoes to lay their eggs in.”

He suggests beginning with a “fool-proof” ale beer recipe because ale is the easiest type of homemade beer to make. Palmer includes terms and tools you’ll need to make your first beer.

You could start brewing beer from scratch or you could begin with a home brewing beer kit which can be had for under $100. Beer kits are available from your local beer and wine supplies store, eBay, or one of the links below.

A simple search of the Internet will leave you with thousands of returns for recipes, games and other important beer information. Making your own beer can not only be useful it can also be a great experience. Think about it, they brewed their own beer years ago and look how much fun they had. So much they tried to shut them down! Try and stay out of trouble, but there is nothing any better than a home brewed cold one.

Caution

Homemade beer is for your consumption; stay out of trouble, don’t sell it.

And play it safe, check with your state or provincial laws before embarking on your homebrew beer adventure.

Love beer? Check out theses beer t-shirts

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Beer Brewing Big and Creative in America

By Andrea Nichol

Breweries in America are growing at an exponential rate. Beer brewing is becoming big business with a resurgence of traditional types of ales and lagers combining with more exotic offerings. With a colourful history, beer carries on its controversial way to regain the traditional role it’s always played as an every-day beverage, while taking on a more creative flavour to please every palate.

Back in 1620, when the Mayflower came to America’s shores, the boat fell a bit short of its destination due to a shortage of beer, according to a passenger’s journal. One doesn’t think Puritans would have drunk beer – they were Puritans, after all – however this was the every-day drink of choice. People drank beer as we drink pop, juice, milk and water today. Each tavern and inn brewed its own beer.

It is only in modern society that we see beer as having a perilous quality. There were no laws governing beer brewing and drinking. There were no police roadblocks to catch drunk drivers. How much damage could a horse and cart inflict? Certainly there were no scantily-clad women prancing about at parties, drinking beer and impressing men with their sudsy sexiness. Beer was an every-day beverage drunk by everyone in the household from adult to child. When the Mayflower arrived, the people discovered that the Natives made their beer from maize. Wonder which beer was drunk at the first Thanksgiving? This may have been the first ever “Bring Your Own Beer (BYOB).”

The United States has become an international contender in beer brewing and the country can hold its own when in competition with other countries that are notorious for making amazing beer. The U.S. prohibition slowed things down a little, but in the 21st century, things seem to be heating up for American breweries. According to the Brewer’s Association, nearly 7 million barrels of beer will be made and drunk by Americans in 2006. That’s a lot of kegs, bottles, pints and glasses!

Online there are multitudes of sites about beer: beer brewing magazines to read like “Yankee Brew News” and “Brewery News;” breweries to visit; associations for beer-makers to join like the Brewer’s Association; festivals to attend like the Barleywine Festival in Buffalo, New York; and competitions to enter like the World Beer Cup held in Seattle, Washington. Of these sites, about 85% are based in the U.S. so the Americans seem to be leading the pack!

During the 1960s, 70s and 80s, beer in America was primarily made and distributed by large beer brewing companies. In the early 1980s, many of the states passed legislation that allowed the smaller microbreweries to get in on the action. The large companies still do big business, but many patrons are fussy and want high-quality, exclusive beers; they are the “yuppies” of beer drinkers. In and around any city in America, there are anywhere from 2 to 20 breweries within a 15-mile radius of that city and the numbers are growing. Some states have more breweries than others. Each microbrewery has a family tradition they want to maintain and each beer is different; a return to the old days when two taverns a mile apart had two different-tasting beers.

The breweries have gone back to creating beers that are made from all-natural ingredients like malt, hops and yeast. They produce traditional lagers and ales together with exotic beers that have a hint of spices, vanilla, caramel, coriander and anise. One brewery, found online, uses rose hips in their beer. Usually used for tea, rose hips must provide an interesting taste to beer. Lemon coriander beer may be quite refreshing on a hot day.

Soon we will be having discussions about what type of beer goes best with chicken or beef. We’ll hear opinions like: “The caramel-flavoured beer would go great with that cheesecake; a sweet beer just made for dessert.” Is that beer good for pasta? Would it be better with a roast beef dinner? Already there are countless beer-tasting functions. Is beer the new wine? Is there a “twirl-glass-sniff-liquid-swish-in-mouth” process for beer? Like martinis, there are excessive amounts of beer types. Perhaps the process should be expedited; Beertinis for everyone!

The beer brewing companies in America, found online, emphasize the importance of quality. They discuss the importance of tradition. They discuss the importance of bringing beer back to its every-day role played for thousands of years. This time, breweries also seem to feel beer can be creative-tasting and still be in demand.

Andrea Nichol is a contributing writer to Excalibur Communications, the company that created The Beer Home Page – Your Online Guide to Great Brew Pubs and Beer Labels. If you would like to find the best breweries worldwide and discover the world of beer, visit http://www.thebeerhomepage.com

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