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Have a question about craft beer you need an answer to? E-mail tgob@beerscenemag.com to get your questions answered. To learn more about Two Guys On Beer, visit www.twoguysonbeer.com.
How do you choose a good beer to cook with?
-Mia M., Philadelphia, PA
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...February/March 2012 | The Variety Pack
Which country drinks the most beer?
- Mike K., Philadelphia, PA
It depends on who you ask. In terms of a per-capita consumption (latest data is from 2004), Czech Republic is currently in the lead with 158.6 liters. That’s just over 3 liters per week per person–including infants!.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...December/January 2011-12 | The Variety Pack
Have a question about craft beer you need an answer to? E-mail tgob@beerscenemag.com to get your questions answered. To learn more about Two Guys On Beer, visit www.twoguysonbeer.com.
Can you please tell me how to stop a foamy keg?
- Jarod P., South Jersey
Ahh, yes! The common problem of large house parties and inexperienced keg tappers. The cause of it all is poor tapping. Most kegs should be tapped with one swift motion so as to not let a lot of air into the keg. After it is tapped, DO NOT REMOVE THE TAP AND DO IT AGAIN. Unless you totally screwed up and need to start over. You will always have a little foam and high pressure to start off with and this will not continue if, when pouring a beer, you open up the thumb valve or tap handle all the way. Read more…
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All of the Unibroue bottles say, “Ale on Lees.” What does that mean?
- Kristen P., Philadelphia, PA
“Lees” is another word for “yeast” or yeast deposits, so the almost-literal translation is “Ale on Yeast.” The simple answer is- it’s a nod towards the fact that all of Unibroue’s ales are “bottle conditioned.” Yeast is added to the bottle before the ale is, and then sealed. The result is natural carbonation and a specific second (or third) fermentation in the sealed bottle. Read more…
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Is there a patron saint of beer?
- John G., Philadelphia, PA
“A” patron saint? Try four well-known saints, and a host of others. Here are two you might recognize: St. Luke – of the Gospel of Luke – is the first patron saint of brewers, who has no real reason to be named so, other than his apparent recognition that the beer of the day was safer than the water, and his knack for mixing medicinal herbs that found their way in to beer. Nicholas of Myra – you might know him as St. Nicholas (yup, that Santa) is also a patron saint of brewers and barrel makers (and about 100 other things). If you ever see Santa on a beer label, don’t be offended. He belongs there.
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Are dark beers always heavier?
- Kevin P., Westmont, NJ
This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to new beer drinkers. In actuality, the color of the beer has nothing to do with its strength or weight, but has a lot to do with the overall flavor of the beer. Dark beers get their color from the malt used in the brewing process. The darker the malt, the darker the beer. Roasted malts, predominately used in porters and stouts, give beer a rich flavor similar to coffee and chocolate as well as make the beer almost black in appearance. Munich malts, Black malts and even Brown Malts make for a darker beer, but unless you augment the quantity of the malt used in the brewing process, you will not have a stronger beer. For readers who are newcomers to the craft beer world, our advice to you is not to be scared of dark beers because you think they are heavy. Heavy beers have higher ABV and since higher ABV has nothing to do with the color, you should not limit yourself to beers which are lighter in appearance. Read more…
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How long should you barrel age a beer?
- Aaron P., Montgomery County, PA
This is one of those situations where a brewer has to let his brew talk to him. Get to know it a bit. From what we have discovered, beer should be aged at least nine months in the barrel, following the initial fermentation. At that time, the beer should be tasted to get a gauge on how much longer it will need. Because different types of barrels will have different characteristics, this nine month taste test is almost necessary. Oak barrels previously used for bourbon or whiskey can really give some great flavor and character in as little as 12 months, whereas barrels previously used for wine could take a little longer to collect the wonderful flavors from the wood. Traditionally, an annual cycle is used; one year, two year, etc. With a taste test done almost every three, six and nine months. Most breweries that have barrel aged beers adhere to this time system. Read more…
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What is an “ice” beer?
- Sam J., Bucks County, PA
Interestingly enough, the name is almost backwards. There isn’t anything additional in an ice beer. Instead, ice is actually removed. After finishing the beer itself, it’s brought down to temperatures below freezing and “fractional freezing” occurs. Fractional freezing is the process of separating two liquids with different melting (or freezing) points. In this case, water freezes long before alcohol, and the beer begins to form ice crystals. The ice crystals are then filtered out of the beer, leaving a stronger, higher ABV beer. It is, in fact, a type of distillation known as “freeze distillation.” Ice beers are actually partially distilled and find their pedigree in German Eisbock beer. These beers, made by fractional freezing of doppelbocks, create beers that range from 9% to 43% ABV. Read more…
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What makes a beer a Heather Ale?
- Patrick K., Mount Holly, NJ
Heather Ales are primarily a Gruit beer made popular in Scotland due to its use of local Common Heather flowers to replace the hops for bittering and preservation. This style of brewing with Gruit is one of the most ancient ways to brew and releases some very interesting flavors when done correctly. Because the shrub that produces the flower grows best in more acidic soil, you get a floral but slightly spicy profile on the nose and flavor. Fraoch is probably the most commercially accessible Heather Ale, and is brewed by the Williams Bros. Brewery in Scotland.
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Have a question about craft beer you need an answer to? E-mail tgob@beerscenemag.com to get your questions answered. To learn more about Two Guys On Beer, visit www.twoguysonbeer.com.
What’s older – beer or wine?
- Stephanie P., Philadelphia, PA
Technically – Beer. There is evidence of beer that dates back over 9000 years ago to when humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers. To give you a sense of how long ago that was, it predates what many scientists agree is the approximate formation of civilization by about 3000 years. That’s not to say that fermentation wasn’t happening on its own – birds have been getting drunk off of fermented fruit for as long as there have been birds and fruit – but when it comes to human intervention, beer comes first. Read more…
