The Great Beer Experiment

Beer is a social activity as much as it is a brew. Most beers are based on 4 ingredients: malt (roasted barley), water, hops and yeast. So the taste of beer can vary widely depending upon the recipe. However, most of us who drink beer tend to tune into the social activity, not the taste.

After meeting with several local brewers in St. Paul, I began to understand what beer geeks already know--beer is supposed to be infused with flavor, not be devoid of it. Surly Furious, the latest release from a Minnesota microbrew about knocks your head off it is so infused with hops. Then there is Flat Earth's varieties all based on different malts. Summit--a craft brewer, like Sam Adams--falls somewhere in between offering drinkable beers with varying flavor and seasonal offerings.

But what did I really learn? It is easy to have a brewer tell you what you are tasting; the question is, would I be able to understand what I am tasting once I am at home?

Upon discovering the make-your-own-six-pack wall at Blue Max Liquor, I decided to host an experiment in my own home. I chose my own six-pack, then had my husband go buy one of his choosing. We had to explain why we chose the singles, taste them together and then try to discern what it was we were tasting.

My choices were simple: I selected single beers based on origin. I was intrigued by the idea that I could buy beer from Italy, Czecoslavokia, England, Colorado, Michigan and Washington. I was curious to try organic beer, too.

Todd also sought a world variety after having sampled Minnesota local beer. He was curious to see how the tastes compared. He wondered if English beers would be more "hoppy" in flavor. He also chose a German beer to see if the import was anything like the German brews he had in Germany while in the service.

We pulled out our frosty mugs from the freezer and popped the cap on an Italian pale ale--Peroni Nastro Azzurro. This was my first choice. We quickly agreed that this ale was very champagne-like in the American style of Budweiser or Coors. No malt or hops taste. No aroma.

Todd's first choice was Hobgoblin, a dark English ale. It formed a deep creamy head because of the nitro-infused CO2. It had a rich flavor from a medium roasted malt. We didn't detect any bitter taste of hops.

Todd's second choice was Stouteric, a Belgium Stout also nito-infused with CO2. However, when Todd said, "Wow!" I knew it was different from the English ale. Oh, my--it had a toasty-malt flavor that left a lingering essence of peat-smoke. Like the Hobgoblin, it wasn't hoppy at all. We were so impressed that we realized our experiment required more sharing. At that same moment I saw our next door neighbor step outside. "Go get Dave, " I directed Todd.

Dave joined the experiment quite willingly; after all it was 18 below outside and beer? Well sure, beer sounded fun on a Saturday night. Todd and I watched him closely as he took a swig of Stoutereric. "Wow, " he said. Yeah, wow. Those Belgiums know their craft.

My second choice was a Czech pilsner, Vyshovske. This beer was paler and didn't form much of a head. It wasn't malty at all, yet neither was it bitter. It tasted like bread. We decided that must be the strain of yeast used in the brew.

My third choice was Hazed and Infused, a dry hopped microbrew from Colorado. 'Dry-hop' refers to the process of adding hops at the end of the beer brewing. This creates aroma that is typically citrusy. Snap! The favor was a big burst of citrus without anything lingering, as if the flavor evaporaed from the toungue immediately. We all savored the aroma of oranges and greatly appreciated the clean finish.

Todd's third choice was Olde Suffolk, a standard English Ale. We were surprised to discover that this malty beer was also dry-hopped. It held a very different flavor, blending roasted malt with cirtus. It was like orange toast.

My fourth choice was McEwan's Scoth Ale. It was dark and had a toasted malt flavor that was surprisingly sweet. It didn't taste as dark as it looked and we all commented on the sweetness.

Next we tried Todd's fourth choice, a Czech beer called Golden Pheasant. While it was a pale beer it was not light. Hops were discernable, but not the later hops. Malt was not strong.

Todd's fifth beer was Okocim Full Ale. It was ok. Not malty, not hoppy. We could detect a mildly sweet yeast in the profile.

My fifth choice was organic Wild Salmon. What an utter surprise! It tasted like sprouts! Malt sprouts? We weren't sure. We hadn't encountered such a flavor in a beer before. It wasn't really hoppy, either. We decided it tasted like an alfalfa beer.

My sixth choice, concluding my six-pack, was Bells Sparkling Ale. Bells is a MI microbrew and as a rule of thumb, you can't go wrong with Bells. It looked very pale and we anticipated an American-style, easy drinking beer. Instead we were greeted by a distict taste. Not hoppy, not malty. The beer looked hazy, too so we surmised that it was a strain of yeast.

Todd's final beer--our final beer of the experiment--was German Weis, a wheat beer from Germany. Todd wondered if it would remind him of his service stay in Germany. Nope--this beer tasted almost exaclt like the Bells. But then again, it was the last beer of the night...

Our experiment was fun and educational. More places are offering singles so people can explore the incredible diversity of beer. Keep in mind that the west coast prefers hops and the east coast malt. Strains of yeast can greatly alter either profile. If you like a citrusy profile, try dry hopped beer. Invite friends for a beer experiment of your own.