I went outside today, February 13th, and it was beautiful. The sun was shining, it was a balmy 28 degrees outside, and the day couldn't have been any nicer. If any birds were around, they would have been singing, and you could just tell that love was in the air. Everywhere I went, all of the people I saw were getting ready for the big Valentine's Day. The grocery store had a line out of the door of guys ordering flowers, the video game store was packed with ladies that were trying to find some sort of gift for their significant others, and the liquor store was full of people of all sorts stocking up with wine and champagne for fancy candlelit dinners at home. Needless to say, I was inspired. I am about to give all of my wonderful readers the most romantic Valentine's Day alcohol blog post ever! Its about the most romantic alcohol ever! Beer! The undisputed most romantic alcohol is beer! I did a survey of a small focus group (me) and found that it is surprisingly the most romantic! I then realized that this would be a perfect time to do a basics of craft beer post to talk about some of the main styles of craft beer and just a few recommendations of styles to try if my description makes you want to try something new.
Before I get into all of the beer, however, I want to talk about the difference between an ale and a lager. I am starting to get tired of people coming into the store and looking for beer recommendations while saying, "I am getting really into stouts lately, but I really hate ales." Then I think to myself about how a stout is an ale and how he just contradicted himself, but I say nothing and show them towards some good stouts. Really the only difference between lagers and ales is that lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures for a longer time, and ales are fermented at warmer temperatures for a shorter time. That is it. Lets get on to some beer.
Pilsner
Pilsners are a very light lager that tend to be a very good starting point for many beer drinkers. Many of your cheap domestic beers are slight changes to the classic pilsner formula, which is usually pretty gentle and floral with a bitter hoppy finish. Personally, I am almost always thrown off by the hoppy finish, if it is not a light, floral, European hop, I am usually not super interested. You will always find some good pilsners around, but during the summer when more people like drinking a lighter beer, you should find some more. Good ones to start with are Pilsner Urquell, which is actually the original pilsner from Pilsen, Czech, and B-Side Pils by Indeed Brewing out of Minneapolis.
Hefeweizen/Wheat Beer
These are usually the styles of beer I recommend to new craft beer drinkers. These ones tend to be lighter again, but with a light bready flavor. Nice and sweet they are quite easy to drink. If you find an authentic German Hefeweizen you might end up with a distinct, funky flavor from the yeast that they use. These might have flavors of banana and bubblegum, which is a lot tastier when you actually drink it and not when you hear about it. Definitely pick up a 6-pack of Boulevard's Unfiltered Wheat, which was easily my favorite craft beer soon after I turned 21 for a few months, and Weihenstephaner's Hefe Weissbeer, which is a beautiful, funky hefeweizen.
Fruit Beer
Typically, when I look at a tap menu and see that the style is fruit beer I find that I end up having more questions than answers when I look at that description. The only similarities between most fruit beers is that they have fruit in them. That's about it. Honestly lots of brewers throw fruit into lots of different styles of beer ranging from light to dark. Regardless, fruit is awesome and so is fruit beer, and a few good ones to try are Kona's Hanalei IPA which has passion fruit, orange, and guava in it, and my dad would murder me if I didn't mention Grain Belt Blu, which is a nice light beer with so many blueberries that its purple, but it is a summer seasonal so get it while you can.
Bocks
Another fun style of German lager is the bock, and now we finally get out of the realm of lighter beers. I always love a good story, as my readers have learned, and bocks have a great story. This was originally made in the Northern town of Einbeck, Germany, and when it was introduced to southern Bavaria, they thought it was called "ein bock" or billy goat. Therefore, most bocks you find have a goat or a ram on the label. Regardless, this one is more medium bodied and tends to be sweet and malty and quite easy to drink for how dark it looks. Shiner bock is a good one to get year round, but most bocks are spring seasonals, so pick up Schell's Bock then.
Brown Ale
Surprisingly similar to a bock, brown ales tend to vary a bit more and sometimes can have a bit more complexity. Again, they are quite malty and are usually sweeter, they can have a bit of a nutty note or even some nice light floral hoppy notes, there is a little bit of room for experimentation and variance in these beers. So far I have given two recommendations, but I will only recommend one this time because Odell's 90 Schilling is the best brown ale I have ever drank. With bready, nutty, and caramelly notes, the complexity of this beer is beautiful.
IPA/Pale Ales
I mentioned in an earlier post about how IPA beers tend to be quite the debate amongst beer drinkers. You either love or you hate the bitter, hoppy character of IPA's and pale ales. You can sort most styles of hops into 4 flavor categories, piney, citrusy, tropical, and floral. Beers with floral hops end up being a little lighter and less bitter than the other three, which tend to be more robust. Also, pale ales tend to be a little lighter than IPAs. A few good ones to try are Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, which has a heavy citrusy taste like grapefruit, and Golden Road Wolf Pup Pale Ale, which is lighter and has a floral, citrusy note.
Stout/Porter
Finally, the dark stuff. The barley that is generally in stouts and porters is roasted in the same way as coffee and chocolate beans, so you will generally get coffee and dark chocolate flavors out of these beers. I always tend to surprise people when I do beer tastings and they say they don't like dark beer and they say they like coffee, and they find out that they love dark beer. Also the neat part of these beers is that they have a quite wide ranging ABV (Alcohol by Volume) that will range anywhere from 5-15% alcohol. Some good ones I have had lately are Lagunitas Willetized Coffee Stout, which is a really limited run and I'm not entirely sure that I still have it, but is a heavy rye barrel aged coffee stout, and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, which is much lighter and has a nice balance between chocolate and vanilla. Before we leave this section of beautiful beers, I want to talk about IBU's for a second. It stands for International BITTERNESS Units, and many people tend to associate this with how hoppy a beer is. While it is a good measure of that, many people look at the IBU of many stouts and think it is too hoppy for them. This is not the case, usually you will find that it is bitter in the same way that coffee and chocolate is.
Sours
Ugh, sours. They are starting to gain a lot of ground in the beer community, and I don't get it. If I wanted to drink a Warhead, I would do just that and save some money while I am at it. Regardless, many people are falling in love with sours and their typically fruity tartness. Try Duchesse de Bourgogne, one of the original sours that people always fall in love with or Golden Road Tart Mango Cart, one that I actually enjoy to some extent.
Cocktail of the Month
More Beer!
Just kidding, it's gonna be Valentines Day, so I had better do something actually romantic.
French 75
1 oz Gin or Cognac (Aviation Gin or Hardy VS Cognac)
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
Champagne (Tott's Extra Dry)
Add gin or cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake for a good bit and then strain into a champagne flute. Fill the glass the rest of the way with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist if desired.
The first time I had this drink, I was at a game night with a friend of mine that adores cognac and we had it with cognac and it was wonderful. Then, this year at a New Years party, I had it the traditional way with gin and to this day, I can't decide which way I like it better. Cognac lends a sweet floral note, whereas gin gives more herbs and complexity. Both ways are beautiful and gives a wonderful, easy to drink cocktail for your romantic, candlelit dinner.
My heart swells with all of the romantic advice I have given in this post in a way not unlike the Grinch. Maybe next year, I'll take Valentine's Day more seriously and do something actually romantic, like wine. Until then, beer will be king and nothing will change that.
P.S. Please drink responsibly, please.
P.P.S. Also, don't drink and drive.
P.P.P.S. I am not paid to promote any of these products, these are all my own opinions. Also, the availability of these products are subject to change at any time
P.P.P.P.S. Mom, if you share this post saying, "This is my son Dean's blog. He is obviously very lonely. Will someone please date him?" I may be quite angry with you and I may disown you.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I am very lonely. Will someone please date me?
Before I get into all of the beer, however, I want to talk about the difference between an ale and a lager. I am starting to get tired of people coming into the store and looking for beer recommendations while saying, "I am getting really into stouts lately, but I really hate ales." Then I think to myself about how a stout is an ale and how he just contradicted himself, but I say nothing and show them towards some good stouts. Really the only difference between lagers and ales is that lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures for a longer time, and ales are fermented at warmer temperatures for a shorter time. That is it. Lets get on to some beer.
PilsnerPilsners are a very light lager that tend to be a very good starting point for many beer drinkers. Many of your cheap domestic beers are slight changes to the classic pilsner formula, which is usually pretty gentle and floral with a bitter hoppy finish. Personally, I am almost always thrown off by the hoppy finish, if it is not a light, floral, European hop, I am usually not super interested. You will always find some good pilsners around, but during the summer when more people like drinking a lighter beer, you should find some more. Good ones to start with are Pilsner Urquell, which is actually the original pilsner from Pilsen, Czech, and B-Side Pils by Indeed Brewing out of Minneapolis.
Hefeweizen/Wheat BeerThese are usually the styles of beer I recommend to new craft beer drinkers. These ones tend to be lighter again, but with a light bready flavor. Nice and sweet they are quite easy to drink. If you find an authentic German Hefeweizen you might end up with a distinct, funky flavor from the yeast that they use. These might have flavors of banana and bubblegum, which is a lot tastier when you actually drink it and not when you hear about it. Definitely pick up a 6-pack of Boulevard's Unfiltered Wheat, which was easily my favorite craft beer soon after I turned 21 for a few months, and Weihenstephaner's Hefe Weissbeer, which is a beautiful, funky hefeweizen.
Fruit BeerTypically, when I look at a tap menu and see that the style is fruit beer I find that I end up having more questions than answers when I look at that description. The only similarities between most fruit beers is that they have fruit in them. That's about it. Honestly lots of brewers throw fruit into lots of different styles of beer ranging from light to dark. Regardless, fruit is awesome and so is fruit beer, and a few good ones to try are Kona's Hanalei IPA which has passion fruit, orange, and guava in it, and my dad would murder me if I didn't mention Grain Belt Blu, which is a nice light beer with so many blueberries that its purple, but it is a summer seasonal so get it while you can.
BocksAnother fun style of German lager is the bock, and now we finally get out of the realm of lighter beers. I always love a good story, as my readers have learned, and bocks have a great story. This was originally made in the Northern town of Einbeck, Germany, and when it was introduced to southern Bavaria, they thought it was called "ein bock" or billy goat. Therefore, most bocks you find have a goat or a ram on the label. Regardless, this one is more medium bodied and tends to be sweet and malty and quite easy to drink for how dark it looks. Shiner bock is a good one to get year round, but most bocks are spring seasonals, so pick up Schell's Bock then.
Brown AleSurprisingly similar to a bock, brown ales tend to vary a bit more and sometimes can have a bit more complexity. Again, they are quite malty and are usually sweeter, they can have a bit of a nutty note or even some nice light floral hoppy notes, there is a little bit of room for experimentation and variance in these beers. So far I have given two recommendations, but I will only recommend one this time because Odell's 90 Schilling is the best brown ale I have ever drank. With bready, nutty, and caramelly notes, the complexity of this beer is beautiful.
IPA/Pale AlesI mentioned in an earlier post about how IPA beers tend to be quite the debate amongst beer drinkers. You either love or you hate the bitter, hoppy character of IPA's and pale ales. You can sort most styles of hops into 4 flavor categories, piney, citrusy, tropical, and floral. Beers with floral hops end up being a little lighter and less bitter than the other three, which tend to be more robust. Also, pale ales tend to be a little lighter than IPAs. A few good ones to try are Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, which has a heavy citrusy taste like grapefruit, and Golden Road Wolf Pup Pale Ale, which is lighter and has a floral, citrusy note.
Stout/PorterFinally, the dark stuff. The barley that is generally in stouts and porters is roasted in the same way as coffee and chocolate beans, so you will generally get coffee and dark chocolate flavors out of these beers. I always tend to surprise people when I do beer tastings and they say they don't like dark beer and they say they like coffee, and they find out that they love dark beer. Also the neat part of these beers is that they have a quite wide ranging ABV (Alcohol by Volume) that will range anywhere from 5-15% alcohol. Some good ones I have had lately are Lagunitas Willetized Coffee Stout, which is a really limited run and I'm not entirely sure that I still have it, but is a heavy rye barrel aged coffee stout, and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, which is much lighter and has a nice balance between chocolate and vanilla. Before we leave this section of beautiful beers, I want to talk about IBU's for a second. It stands for International BITTERNESS Units, and many people tend to associate this with how hoppy a beer is. While it is a good measure of that, many people look at the IBU of many stouts and think it is too hoppy for them. This is not the case, usually you will find that it is bitter in the same way that coffee and chocolate is.
Sours
Ugh, sours. They are starting to gain a lot of ground in the beer community, and I don't get it. If I wanted to drink a Warhead, I would do just that and save some money while I am at it. Regardless, many people are falling in love with sours and their typically fruity tartness. Try Duchesse de Bourgogne, one of the original sours that people always fall in love with or Golden Road Tart Mango Cart, one that I actually enjoy to some extent.
Cocktail of the Month
More Beer!
Just kidding, it's gonna be Valentines Day, so I had better do something actually romantic.
French 751 oz Gin or Cognac (Aviation Gin or Hardy VS Cognac)
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
Champagne (Tott's Extra Dry)
Add gin or cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake for a good bit and then strain into a champagne flute. Fill the glass the rest of the way with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist if desired.
The first time I had this drink, I was at a game night with a friend of mine that adores cognac and we had it with cognac and it was wonderful. Then, this year at a New Years party, I had it the traditional way with gin and to this day, I can't decide which way I like it better. Cognac lends a sweet floral note, whereas gin gives more herbs and complexity. Both ways are beautiful and gives a wonderful, easy to drink cocktail for your romantic, candlelit dinner.
My heart swells with all of the romantic advice I have given in this post in a way not unlike the Grinch. Maybe next year, I'll take Valentine's Day more seriously and do something actually romantic, like wine. Until then, beer will be king and nothing will change that.
P.S. Please drink responsibly, please.
P.P.S. Also, don't drink and drive.
P.P.P.S. I am not paid to promote any of these products, these are all my own opinions. Also, the availability of these products are subject to change at any time
P.P.P.P.S. Mom, if you share this post saying, "This is my son Dean's blog. He is obviously very lonely. Will someone please date him?" I may be quite angry with you and I may disown you.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I am very lonely. Will someone please date me?
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