Beer: Ales and lagers

This is by no means a comprehensive list, as there are literally hundreds of beer styles. This is simply a glossary of those mentioned in the accompanying story.

Every beer falls into one of two categories: ales and lagers.

Ale: Top-fermenting beer with yeast that prefers warm conditions. Ales tend to be fruitier, spicier and more aromatic than lagers.

Lager: Bottom-fermenting beer with yeast that prefers cool conditions. Lagers are crisper with fewer nuances in flavor than ales.

Bock: A strong, malty lager with a rich amber hue. Sub-types of bocks include honey bocks, maibock and dopplebocks.

Brown ale: Full-bodied ales with sweeter, maltier notes. Color ranges from reddish-amber to dark brown. Brown ales can be fruity or nutty and tend to be less bitter than other ales.

Hefeweizen: A hazy German-style ale made from at least 50 percent wheat. The specific yeast used gives this beer notes of banana and cloves.

Helles: A German-style lager that is medium-bodied, golden in color with notes of malty, breadlike flavors. Similar to Czech pilsner.

IPA: Short for India pale ale, this hops-forward style ranges in color from very pale to amber. Depending on the variety of hops used, flavor can range from fruity, floral or citrusy to piney and often with a pronounced bitterness.

Marzen/oktoberfest: This full-bodied lager is rich and toasty; often with caramel notes. It has a copper color and is the beer of Oktoberfest in Munich.

Porter: A forebear of the stout, this dark ale style has numerous origin stories; one claims the style is the result of 18th-century Londoners blending fresh-brewed beer, aged beer and strong beer in alehouses. Pub owners tired of the blending and eventually created a single beer that showcased the best characteristics of the blend. Porters range in color from reddish brown to black with flavor profiles that include chocolate, coffee, smoke and vanilla. Porters are typically made with malted barley.

Session: These beers are typically lower in alcohol, usually no more than 5 percent by volume. Sessions can be found in almost any style but are most often IPAs.

Stout: One of the darkest of dark beers, stouts are ales often made with roasted barley creating a flavor that is reminiscent of coffee or chocolate. Many brewers, especially American brewers, are adding real coffee or chocolate to accentuate this characteristic. In addition, many American stouts are barrel aged, giving them an even more complex flavor. Sub-types of stout include coffee stout, milk/cream stout, spiced stout.

Witbier: A hazy Belgian-style ale brewed from wheat and spiced with coriander and orange peel. Also called Belgian white.

Sources: Beer Advocate, All About Beer Magazine, Cheese and Beer by Janet Fletcher

Food on 10/18/2017