[BikeGeek]

(Stepping out of another thread to continue talking beer.)

I wouldn't mind that. How do the american wheat beers fit in that equation?

They do and they don't. There are some very good examples of classic hefeweizens brewed in America. Brooklyn brewing has one that comes to mind. There are also some great white ales coming out of America too, such as Allagash, Blue Moon, Ommegang, and others. There is a published set of style guidelines that beer judges use to judge beers in competition. I don't know if they're considered to be a worldwide standard, or just an attempt to categorize everything out there. Regardless, a lot of American brewers are stepping outside the style definitions and coming up with some great tasting beers.

I think at the heart of your question is another more important question: what defines a beer? In my opinion, the answer is yeast. I've brewed beers with the exact same ingredients, but used different yeasts and ended up with very different beers. By law, a German hefeweizen is required to be at least 50% malted wheat, with the remainder being pilsener malt. Free from those requirements, some American brewers are playing with the grains, but using the same yeast and are creating some very nice variations on hefeweizens.

American brewers are playing around with a lot of things in beer. I'd like to think they're attempting to define an American style of beer that isn't Bud/Miller/Coors/etc. (like the steam beers of San Francisco). Another country (Belgium) did quite a bit of experimenting over a century ago and now is considered to be home to some of the best beers in the world.

 

[Raacerx]

I really enjoy beers from Belgium, but the best part I seem to have found is the size of the bubbles. I do not know enough about beer and the brewing process to know how they change the consistency of the carbonation. But many beers I found have larger bubbles and can be very hard to drink, like a soft drink. In general, for some reason all of my Belgian beer experiences, the carbonation is extremely fine and I love it. Some heads on beers are super thick, Guiness or Boddingtons for instance, where other beers get that thin and bubbly head that disapears quickly and gives me gas. A random rant by me thats backed up by nothing. More of a question.

What has drawn me to hefeweizens is the ultra refreshing taste and unfilitered status. The unfiltered really gives it some body and often reminds me of pulpy orange juice (in a good way). Summer days... wheat beer can be wonderful. About the only hefeweizen I have disliked is the Gordon Biersch/Trader Joes. For some reason I just dont like it, tastes flat to me.

How about fruit flavored beers though? I was never a fan, however now that I enjoy dark beers, I have grown to enjoy fruity beers as well. I speak of Purple Haze, Butte Creek Cranberry Christmas Ale, others and my all time favorite; Framboise Lambic from Belgium(their rasberry is the best but cherry and peach also very good). The Lambic has super fine bubbles, a very good but not overly strong fruit taste, but its obviously not a wine cooler or anything else. Its beer. If done correctly, this can be a great party drink or something light and fun. I have come across some downright horrible fruit beers, but I cannot conjure the names (blocked out of memory). Im also heavily against flowery beers (Maudite, etc).

EDIT: Having just reread what I wrote, Ill admit I have a few empty Maximus IPA bottles next to me (hey, its a Friday...)

 

[BikeGeek]

I know what you mean about the tiny bubbles in Belgians. I think it's because they're bottle conditioned, at least all the one's I've had are.

Most mass produced beer is pasteurized, filtered, and then carbonated with "forced carbonation." The pasteurizing kills anything living in the beer, including yeast. Filtering clarifies the beer. Then they force CO2 into the beer to carbonate it.

Bottle conditioned beers for the most part are not pasteurized*. Instead a small amount of corn sugar or wort (unfermented beer) is added when the beer is bottled. The yeast that is still living in the beer consumes the newly provided food as it normally does, giving off CO2 as a byproduct. Since the bottle is capped, the CO2 can't escape and instead dissolves into the beer. Natural carbonation.

*Some brewers pasteurize, filter, then add a different yeast with the sugar or wort at bottling.

 

[SilentJ]

beer, beer, beer, beer

Dude. You're, like, my hero. I feel like a kid at story time learning about my favorite subject.

Should be BeerGeek.

 

[BikeGeek]

Dude. You're, like, my hero. I feel like a kid at story time learning about my favorite subject.

Should be BeerGeek.

Heh. I started brewing a little over a year ago. I guess you could say it's become sort of an obsession.

 

[dogwonder]

Heh. I started brewing a little over a year ago. I guess you could say it's become sort of an obsession.

What have you brewed? I'm a bit of a beer geek myself and am attempting to take the plunge into home brewing myself. I got my eye on a real sweet all grain set up but the $400 shipping charge is proving problematic.

 

[BikeGeek]

What have you brewed? I'm a bit of a beer geek myself and am attempting to take the plunge into home brewing myself. I got my eye on a real sweet all grain set up but the $400 shipping charge is proving problematic.

A bit of everything. I have a pretty tasty wit in the fridge now and a saison that I'm bottling today. I'd love to make the switch to all-grain, but I'm renting and just don't have the room. I've been doing mini-mashes instead. I use a base grain extract, and then flavor by mashing specialty grains. For example, I made an oatmeal stout this winter by mashing chocolate malt, crystal malt, roasted barley, and oatmeal, then added a "dark malt" extract to bring the ferementable sugars up. It turned out great.

 

[dogwonder]

A bit of everything. I have a pretty tasty wit in the fridge now and a saison that I'm bottling today. I'd love to make the switch to all-grain, but I'm renting and just don't have the room. I've been doing mini-mashes instead. I use a base grain extract, and then flavor by mashing specialty grains. For example, I made an oatmeal stout this winter by mashing chocolate malt, crystal malt, roasted barley, and oatmeal, then added a "dark malt" extract to bring the ferementable sugars up. It turned out great.

Yes...I'll take a bottle...