Amber and Red: Different Shades of Ale
THIS BEER’S FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE: RED HAIR. NUTTY THINGS. DRY FINISH. GENERALIZATIONS. IRELAND.
Many people ask for an amber beer. But because amber can mean anything from yellowish to brownish to orange-ish, most beers can be considered amber in color. Therefore and thus, this style is a bit vague. Don’t be fooled by color; as we’ve said earlier, a beer’s color tells you nothing about its taste. Amber in the lager category usually means an amber to copper-hued beer around 5% ABV. These beers often have a caramelly, nutty profile with a varied degree of hop bitterness. If you feel like you want to order an amber beer, you are probably craving something a bit nuttier than a Pilsner and not super fruity like a Hefeweizen. That’s fine, but you’ll have to be more specific. Just as ordering a blond beer can be a challenge for a craft beer bartender, ordering an amber can have him wondering what it is you really want: a beer with amber in the name? A nutty lager? A Brown Ale? A slightly bitter beer? So be ready to use your newfound skills and communicate whether you want a beer that is bitter, sweet, or smoky. While some beers have their color in the name, it’s always better to use specific flavors rather than hair colors when you are ordering your beer.
Red beers are a shade deeper than the amber, but to us, this color is slightly more specific as a style and is a fair request at a craft establishment. The red beers are so called because of a deep ruby hue and often have a sweet toffee caramel quality that’s a bit bigger than what most refer to as an amber ale. Perhaps the most famous red beers are Irish Reds, which have a malty, toasty, tea-like quality and very low hop presence. American-made red styles, on the other hand, have a pronounced bitterness and are sometimes grouped with American Pale Ales, which tend to have a bigger hop presence. Red beers have become quite a popular labeling for American brewers and can vary greatly in intensity, ABV, and bitterness. Try these great ales to get right with reds:
BROOKLYN LAGER (AMERICAN AMBER LAGER): Brooklyn Brewing Company, Brooklyn, New York. Lightly nutty, bready, with a good hop bite. 5.2% ABV.
REUDRICH’S RED SEAL ALE (AMERICAN RED ALE): North Coast Brewery, Fort Bragg, California. Well-balanced, refreshing citrus, rich malt, crisp, spicy, piney hops. 5.5% ABV.
GREEN FLASH HOP HEAD RED (AMERICAN RED ALE): Green Flash Brewing Company, Vista, California. Bright citrus hops, bold bitter flavor. 6% ABV.
SMITHWICK’S IRISH ALE (IRISH RED ALE): Smithwick’s Brewery/Irish Ale Breweries Ltd., Kilkenny, Ireland. Caramel, grain, and mild hops with a dry finish. 4.5% ABV.
Note: This red ale is not to be confused with Flanders-style red ale, which is an altogether different thing (see Chapter 6).
Nuts to You: Browns and Nut Browns
THIS BEER’S FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE: BROWNIES WITH WALNUTS. HAZELNUT LATTES. SESSION BEERS. ENGLAND. LOW ALCOHOL. NUTTY FLAVORS. LOW BITTERNESS.
Brown, or Nut Brown, beer originated in England around 1600, and the Brits are still great producers and fans of this style. Brown Ales are a great showcase for malt in the same way that Hefeweizens and Witbiers are a great showcase for yeast. Drinking Nut Browns is a good way to test your palate on the different styles and roast levels of malt used in an ale. Of course there is a presence of both yeast and hops in this style, but they are meant to add a nuance of butterscotch or balance the sweetness of the malt, respectively. Describing a Brown Ale is a test of your nutty vocabulary: hazelnut, peanut, almond, filbert (wait, isn’t that a hazelnut?). As we always say, use words that you know when searching your brain for a way to describe the malty taste of these ales. Much of the malt itself is named after common foods: biscuit malt, chocolate malt, coffee malt, and so on. Other, more daring descriptors that pop up with Brown Ale flavor profiles include crème brulee, toffee, caramel, brownies, fudge, chocolate-chip cookies... (okay, now we’re just naming our favorite desserts).
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH REAL ALE?
You may hear a lot of chatter in the pub from beer lovers about Cask Ale or Real Ale. So does that mean that the Pale Ale in front of you is an illusion? Are all the beers on tap just pretending? And isn’t cask that beer you heard about in England? What’s the deal?
Real Ale (or cask-conditioned ale) is a term coined by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), a voluntary group formed by four British beer devotees in 1973 in an attempt to protect the quality of English ale. This was a reaction to the spread of highly carbonated, pasteurized, boring beers taking over the pubs of Europe at the time. Traditionally, Real Ale is beer left to mature in an 11-gallon cask, where it undergoes a secondary fermentation (this is what is meant by conditioned). It is then served to the public from this same cask. It is understood that this beer will not be filtered or kept super cold (though it is kept cool) and therefore has a shelf life, meaning it is meant to be consumed fairly quickly and is not for the mass beer market. Because it is not filtered or pasteurized, and the yeast is still alive and fermenting, it is considered a living thing.
Typically, Cask Ale is served without the addition of the CO2 pressure that is usually used to propel beer through modern draught systems. The CO2 pressure added to modern beer kegs keeps the existing CO2 in the beer from being released until it hits your glass. In Real or Cask Ales, the beer is preserved in its native state without this pressure. Because of this, Cask Ales tend to be flatter than typical draught beer, but this isn’t a bad thing; this is beer in its natural state, with as many bubbles as God intended.
Cask Ales favor some beer styles over others. Beers that are meant to contain their carbonation and be quite sparkly, such as Hefeweizens, may not be best on cask, whereas others that go well with a creamy, less-carbonated mouthfeel, like Brown Ales and Stouts, tend to show well on cask. In fact, the nitrogen taps, or “creamer faucets,” used for beers like Guinness were created in part to re-create the creamy mouthfeel of a Cask Ale. The lower carbonation allows different flavors to come through that may not be as present if the same beer is on a traditional tap.
Cask beer in the American craft beer world has become a highly desirable thing among its devotees, though still relatively rare in bars. In England, any respectable pub will have at least one cask tap, but American pubs aren’t used to the pump, and the general public isn’t savvy to the pleasures of cask. Those who are in the know actively seek out cask offerings. Cask beer lovers trade e-mails and constantly call specialty beer bars searching for Real Ale. A craft beer on cask can have quite a different flavor profile from that same beer on a regular tap, and this makes the experience desirable to beer lovers searching for the best and most rare.
Nut Browns are ales that use brown or dark malt and have relatively low bitterness, leaving the malt free to express its nutty characteristics. The alcohol is generally low, and these ales are often described as sweet. We find a lot of ladies respond well to the hazelnut, chocolate, caramel, toasty character of these ales, especially if they want something sweet but not necessarily fruity. Here are some great Brown Ales that can start you down that nutty road to happiness:
SAMUEL SMITH’S NUT BROWN ALE: Samuel Smith Old Brewery, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. Creamy and nutty, buttered bread, dry finish. 5% ABV.
HOW DOES A KEG WORK?
A keg—or, more appropriately, a half barrel—has a stainless-steel tube inside of it that goes all the way to the bottom. At the top is a spring-loaded ball valve that opens when you tap the beer. The beer keg has added CO2 pressure to contain the carbonation until tapping. Once tapped, the CO2 pressure mixed with the pressure of the gas in the beer line will force the beer through the line all the way to the pint glass. The top of the keg is attached to something called a coupler (a device used to tap the keg), which is attached to the beer line (a long plastic hose that hooks up to the tap system in the bar) and a CO2 line (a line that hooks up to the gas system).
Now if you have ever gotten a keg for a party at home, you may remember that these have that hand pump thing (are you having high school flashbacks?). This pump pushes air into the ke
g, forcing beer to come out of the hose in the same way the CO2 gas forces the beer out of the keg in a bar.
NAUTICAL NUT BROWN ALE: AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, California. Roasted almonds, caramel, bitter hops. 4.8% ABV.
HAZELNUT BROWN NECTAR: Rogue Brewery, Newport, Oregon. Sweet American Brown, super hazelnutty, not bitter. 6.2% ABV.
SIXPOINT BROWNSTONE:Sixpoint Craft Ales, Brooklyn, New York. Chocolate, toffee, grassy bitter hops. 5.8% ABV.
Mild Ale: Better Than It Sounds
THIS BEER’S FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE: MELLOWNESS. DRY BISCUITS. LOW, LOW ALCOHOL. NOT GETTING WASTED. NUANCE.
Mild Ales are low-alcohol (around 3%), low bitterness beers that originated in England around the 1600s. Mild originally meant “young beer,” meaning it had not been aged (as much of the beer of the time was), but the term now defines a low bitterness beer. Mild Ales have been described as “running beers,” referring to the fact that the beers were served just a few days after they were brewed; they became popular in the pubs of the late 19th century. This was probably because the aged beers had a bit of a sour taste due to the stability issues with the yeast used. The idea of drinking a freshly brewed beer is still popular among British pub-goers. Mild Ales were also often mixed with other English Ales, like Browns, to create a unique, complex brew. Mild Ales tend to be nutty and mellow, with subtle fruit, molasses, toffee, and caramel notes. Their low alcohol and full flavor make them perfect for a session (see page 98). The style is extremely rare in America, where the idea of a session is a bit foreign and where using the word mild as an advertisement wouldn’t sell a cheap hooker to a salty sailor. Here are a few tasty Milds:
SURLY BREWING MILD ALE: Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Toffee flavor, caramel malt, mild hops. Served in a can, but don’t let that keep you away. 4.2% ABV.
THE TAP MERRIMACK MILD ALE: Haverhill Brewery Inc., Haverhill, Massachusetts. Roasty sweet caramel, hint of coffee, mild hops. 3.4% ABV.
VICTORIAN RUBY MILD : Dark Star Brewery, Haywards Heath, UK. Just slightly bitter. Nutty, mild, mixed with aged dark beer. A bit high in alcohol for its style at 6% ABV.
Bitter, but Not Angry: Bitters
THIS BEER’S FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE: BEING SURLY BUT NOT MEAN. LONG DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SHAKESPEAREAN THEMES. NOTES OF TOFFEE. STAYING ON YOUR STOOL. EVENINGS AT THE PUB.
British Bitter is one of the most popular styles in Merry Ole England. Bitters are almost synonymous with Pale Ales, but were coined “bitter” by drinkers who wanted to differentiate these beers from other popular brews like the Mild Ale and Porter. The Bitter has a higher hop profile
SESSION: A SINGLE CONTINUOUS SITTING
Session is one of our favorite beer terms. Session beers are a British invention, referring to any style of beer meant to fuel the tongue for hours of chatting and general camaraderie. Unfortunately, we don’t really have an equivalent term for this kind of beer drinking in the United States. Session beers are generally between 3% and 5% ABV, keeping the alcohol from forcing one to quit the evening too early (or too ugly). The British treat their pubs like a second living room, going there to chat the way we Americans meet at the coffee shop. This requires a particular beer that can last long and keep one from getting too sauced too quickly. One may have seven beers in a particularly enjoyable session. This is not to be confused with binge drinking, which requires a super-speed downing of many pints, often higher in alcohol, with the goal of getting wasted and making an ass of yourself. Nor does this relate to the sipping of a high-alcohol, intensely flavored beer, like a Barleywine or a Russian Imperial Stout, or the way one would drink a fine Scotch. The flavor of a session beer, too, must be sustainable for many gulps. This means perfect session beers tend to be well balanced, not too bitter, and not too sweet, with a complexity of flavor that doesn’t hit you over the head but won’t leave you bored.
than the others and is thus described by its taste. Bitters gained popularity around the mid-1800s and are still a common request by Brits. Bitters have a nice wide range of alcohol, anywhere between 3% and 7%; a malt roast level of golden to deep brown; and a variety of bitterness. The most important thing, we think, to remember about a bitter is this: It’s not that bitter! This is where the British accent on beer is something we Americans need to decode; the bitter in England is not the bitter in America. When a British fellow walks up to the bar and asks us for a Bitter (BITT AH), we know he doesn’t mean an American IPA or even a bold American Pale Ale. He means bitter as opposed to mild, light amber, dark Stout, or Porter. To the American craft drinker, these beers may simply taste dry, not bitter. To the British, these beers benefit from a subtlety that is appreciated by their countrymen. Some Bitters are popular session beers, being fairly low in alcohol but flavorful enough to enjoy pint after pint.
Bitters have several different titles, as it were. These titles are general categories of Bitters, usually giving information about the alcoholic strength of the ale. Here they are in loose order of strength, from mellow to high: Session Bitter, Ordinary Bitter, Regular Bitter, Best Bitter, Special Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, Strong Bitter, and Premium Bitter. British IPAs will often be found around the session section of the Bitter scale. This is again quite contrary to our American IPAs, which would be somewhere way past the Premium Bitter on the way to “Holy shite!” for most Brits. Perhaps the most common British-style Bitter found in the states is the ESB. It is one of the biggest styles of Bitter, referring to a higher-alcohol brew with slightly bolder flavors of a fruity, roasty, toasty nature. ESBs sometimes use darker malts in the mash, leading to a deeper copper- or brown-colored beer, and may have more hops in an effort to balance out a higher malt content, but they are still not ... what? Yes, you guessed it: bitter. Here are some Bitters that make us happy:
ANVILESBALE: AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, California. An American-style ESB with bold toasted malt flavors and a good dose of hops; well balanced. 5.5% ABV.
FULLER’S ESB: Fuller Smith & Turner PLC, Chiswick, London, UK. A famous British ESB; earthy, caramel sweetness; bitter end. 5.9% ABV.
MORLAND OLD SPECKLED HEN : Greene King Brewery, Bury St. Edmunds, UK. Nutty, caramelly, touch of bitterness. 3.5% ABV.
OAKHAM ASYLUM: Oakham Brewery, Peterborough, UK. Bitter with bold grapefruit and bitter, resiny hops. 4.5% ABV.
TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY: THE BLACK AND TAN
You’re probably familiar with the black and white cookie of beer: the Black and Tan. This is usually a combination of a Pale Ale or English Bitter with a Porter or Stout. Sometimes a Pale Lager is used in lieu of the Pale Ale, but either way, the tan part of the concoction is a beer that is low in bitterness and alcohol. The most popular combo for this drink are the Irish beers Harp and Guinness; however, Black and Tans are not actually consumed often in Ireland and are much more popular with Brits and Americans. In fact, in Ireland the term black and tan refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, which was engaged in the 1920s in active suppression of the revolution in Ireland. Employed by the queen of England and made up of World War I vets from England and Scotland, the force was supposed to focus on fighting the infamous Irish Republican Army (IRA), but instead they were famous for attacking Irish civilians. The point of this history lesson is that black and tan can be an offensive term in parts of Ireland; in fact, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream had to pull their black and tan flavor made in honor of St. Patrick’s Day in 2006 due to Irish feelings about the association.
Black and Tans are made by slowly pouring the tan portion into a pint first and finishing with Guinness (or whatever Stout is used) on top. The Stout is often poured over an inverted spoon, or “brolly,” which hooks onto the pint glass, preventing a mixture of the two beers. The perfect Black and Tan is pleasing to the eye and counterintuitive because the dark portion floats above the light. The reason the Stout hangs above the lighter beer is because the Stout is actually less dense than lager and Pale Ale. Wow for physics.
In addition to the
Black and Tan, here are some other 50/50 splits from around the globe:
The Naked Pint Page 10