The Wake

Because I’m not that interested in writing today here is a history of why beer is great today and where it came from the New York Times.

Beer used to be easy: You were a Bud guy or Miller guy, maybe even a Schlitz or Ballantine guy. Not that it mattered much, since they tasted virtually the same.

But the days when American beer was all suds are long gone. In a great example of grass-roots renaissance, the American industry has been completely reborn in the last 30 years with the rise of craft beers. A trip to the deli can now offer some of the greatest beers in the world, characterized by freshness, vibrancy and depth of flavor.

Would you like an ale or lager? Brown ale? Red, golden, amber or pale? India pale? A porter or stout, a bock, pilsner or dunkel, a bitter or Kölsch, a wheat beer, a Trappist, abbey or farmhouse ale, a lambic or gueuze?

How did we get this glorious bounty? The story begins with Prohibition, which devastated the local and regional brewery business. Then came the Depression and World War II; by the middle of the last century the brewing industry was well into its long consolidation. By the early 1970s a few giant corporations were responsible for just about all domestic beers in the United States.

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Beer lovers had few attractive options. They could try imported beers, but few good ones were available and even fewer survived the rigors of travel. So some aficionados began to make their own. These home brewers formed the core of the craft-brewing revolution, which, through the advent of small breweries and brew pubs, brought the lost or forgotten styles back.

The movement was not solely American. Even earlier in Britain, the Campaign for Real Ale protested the brewing industry’s consolidation and spearheaded its rejuvenation. Similar movements occurred in other beer-rich cultures.

The most basic division of beers is into ales and lagers. The two differ by the type of yeast that begins fermentation, which transforms sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ales, older by far, are generally fermented at ambient temperatures and tend to be rounder, fruitier and more complex.

Lagers were discovered almost by accident. Bavarian brewers who would store their beer starter over the summer in icy Alpine caves found that a different sort of fermentation was taking place. Unlike ales, which were ready to drink shortly after brewing, these cold-brewed beers fermented more slowly and needed time to mature. They came to be called lagers, after the German word for storage, and they were simpler, sharper and livelier. In the 19th century, scientists discovered the role of yeasts in fermentation and found that ales and lagers were products of different strains. The yeasts in ale floated to the top; in lagers the yeasts sank to the bottom.

Malted barley is the preferred grain in most beers, and its preparation can affect flavors. Dark roasts can be used in porters and stouts, while the palest malts are used in lagers. Some beers add different grains, like wheat or even rye. Insipid mass-market beers cut the barley with rice or corn.

Then there are the hops. Brewers use dried cones of the hop plant to impart flavors, aromas and bitterness. Hops also act as a preservative, which is why India pale ale, created to survive the long ocean voyage from Britain to India, is so hoppy. Specialty beers can be created by adding herbs, fruits and spices, by altering quantities of the ingredients, or by otherwise manipulating the brewing process. — Eric Asimov, March 11, 2008

I salute you Eric.