You’re in the mood for beer in Abu Dhabi. You open your favorite liquor delivery app and quickly proceed to the store’s beer selection, only to get stumped by the wide range of options available.
There’s pale lager, pale ale, stout, wheat beer, specialty beer, dry beer, pilsner, and many more. Even if you want to taste everything, you can’t buy them all now, so you must make a choice. Which one should you try first?
To help you decide, this article takes on the mammoth (but intoxicatingly fun) task of exploring the different types of beer. Raise your glass as you embark on a flavorful journey that will take you through crisp, light-bodied lagers to deep, complex ales and an incredible array of beer variants.
What Is Beer?
Beer is a fermented beverage, like wine. However, while wine is made by fermenting grape juice, beer is made by fermenting wort. Wort is the sugary liquid that comes from heating a mixture of malt, water and whatever other ingredients the brewer is using (e.g., hops, fruits, lactose, lactobacillus, etc.).
Commercial and craft brewers make beer from four primary ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast.
1. Water
Water is the largest component of beer, accounting for up to 95% of its composition. Its mineral content (i.e., hardness or softness), pH level and alkalinity affect the flavor profile of beer. It is for this reason that some people prefer beer from specific locations. Water sources vary according to geography, and different regions have distinct water characteristics.
2. Malt
Malt is partially germinated cereal grain. The beer industry primarily uses malt from barley, although some producers combine malted barley with other malt from other grains like wheat and rye. Beer with a high percentage of malted or unmalted wheat is known as wheat beer.
Malt provides the sugars the beer-making process requires. Brewers typically use a base malt combined with one or more specialty malts, typically caramelized or non-caramelized (i.e., roasted). The choice of malt has the greatest effect on beer flavor. For instance, darker malts can imbue beer with rich chocolate notes.
The malting process involves soaking the cereal grains in water to infuse them with moisture and induce germination. Once the grain has sprouted, it is dried in a kiln or a roasting drum. However, some malt producers stew the sprouted grains before drying. Specialty malts are made by varying kilning/roasting methods and temperatures.
3. Hops
Hops is the Humulus lupulus plant, a member of the hemp family Cannabinaceae. When added to the liquid malt solution (i.e., the wort), the flower of this plant can add aroma and bitterness to beer that balances the sweetness of malt and elevates its flavor profile. Hops has preservative qualities, and it can help give beer an excellent and stable head (i.e., the frothy foamy top that forms when you pour beer into a glass).
Different varieties of hops offer a range of flavors and aromas, from floral to fruity to earthy.
4. Yeast
Yeast is a microscopic fungus that consumes the sugar in the wort. In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic fermentation), yeast metabolizes sugar, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts.
The type of yeast and duration of fermentation influence beer flavor and aroma. Brewers use two main types of yeast.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is top-fermenting (gathers at the top), while Saccharomyces pastorianus is bottom-fermenting (falls to the bottom of the tank). The former makes ale, while the latter makes lager.
Type of Beer: Ale
Ale is a beer produced by fermenting wort in warm temperatures for a short period. As mentioned earlier, it uses a top-fermenting yeast. Here’s an overview of the different beers that fall under the ale category:
India Pale Ale (IPA)
The most popular craft beer style today, IPA is characterized by a strong hop and herbal flavor. It can be extremely bitter, fruity/citrusy or a combination of both. IPA varieties include:
- West Coast or American IPA: West-coast IPAs are hazy, murky, with a balanced fruitiness and bitterness.
- New England IPA: NEIPAs are cloudy yellow beers with a high fruitiness that makes them taste more like juice than beer. Some brewers give them a milkshake texture by brewing with lactose or fruit purée.
- British IPA: Also known as English-style IPA, British IPA is an intensely hoppy and herbal beer. Its trademark characteristic is its cutting bitterness.
- Imperial or Double IPA: Imperial or Double IPA beer is characterized by aggressive hopping and a high alcohol content.
Pale Ales
Pale ales have lower alcohol and hops content than IPAs. They have a biscuit-like flavor. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Leffe Blonde are examples.
Stouts
Stouts are black ales. They get their dark color and chocolate or coffee aromas from roasted malt. Sometimes, stouts are aged in Bourbon barrels.
Stout variants include:
- Dry Irish stout: Dry Irish stout has a soft and full mouthfeel. Guinness is an example.
- Imperial stout: Imperial stouts are highly alcoholic with a rich, sweet and malty aroma.
- Milk stout: Milk stouts are creamy stouts, brewed with lactose or milk sugar.
- Pastry stout: Pastry stouts are dessert-sweet ales.
Porters
Porters are dark-colored malty ales. They are typically lighter-colored and lighter-flavored than stouts.
Sours
Sours are tart ales. They owe their tartness to lactobacillus. They may be flavored with sweet and juicy fruits for balance.
Gose
Gose is an ale brewed from malted barley and wheat enhanced with salt and sometimes fruit.
Type of Beer: Lager
Lagers have crisp, clean flavors and are the more accessible and mainstream beer variant. They are made through long fermentation at low temperatures with bottom-fermenting yeast. Examples of lagers include Budweiser, Amstel, Heineken, and Corona.
Pilsner
Pilsners are highly carbonated. They are refreshing and easy to drink, with a slight spiciness and a subtle complexity.
American Lager
American lagers are very crisp and refreshing lagers. They are very clean on the palate, lacking the flavor of malt and the spiciness of hops.
Helles
Helles is more complex than pilsners, but it’s still very easy to drink. They have a bigger malt flavor and a bitter finish.
Mexican Lagers
Mexican lagers are beers brewed with corn or maize. Corona is an example of a Mexican lager.
Vienna Lager
Vienna lagers are amber-colored beers with a balanced malt and hop flavor profile.
A Beer for Every Taste
The world of beer is complex and multi-faceted. While there are two main categories of beer (ales and lagers), there are many more variants out there than the ones listed above. Visit your favorite liquor store in Abu Dhabi and have fun tasting and exploring the many types of beers available.
