A Sober Saturday

"There can't be good living where there is not good drinking." – Ben Franklin

It turns out that when you get your wisdom teeth taken out you’re not supposed to drink for a week afterward. So my week of not drinking has been extended an extra four days and I’m spending the weekend beer-free, or at least beer-consuming free. But don’t fret; next week is already filled with plans involving beer to compensate for my down time.

In the meanwhile, I figure it’s time to learn more about beer.

Last year at the Great American Beer Fest I bought the “3^rd edition Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado,” a map that lists all the breweries in Colorado and includes a ridiculous amount of Colorado and beer based information ranging from the Colorado fourteeners to tips on home brewing to which glasses are appropriate for which beers. From here on out, this wonderful source of information will be known as my “beer map.”

On my beer map there is a beer tree – a diagram that divides the various types of beer along limbs and branches. It looks like this:

Since the blog is still in its developmental stages, I figure now is as good a time as ever to explore a little bit of the different genres of beer and to see what I can find out about them.

All of the various kinds of beer come down to three types: ales, lagers and lambic (I’m not going to lie, before looking at this diagram I had never heard the word “lambic” before. In fact, the closest word that comes to mind is “iambic” and I’m sure that there is no correlation between beer and poetic verse. Except, of course, when Shakespeare talked about beer, but we’re getting off topic).

As you can see on the diagram, ales and lagers are differentiated by the kind of fermentation they undergo, which is determined by the kind of yeast used. The yeast found in ales ferments at temperatures between 10 to 25 degrees Celsius. The yeast usually creates a foam at the top when it ferments (there are some British yeasts that are the exception to this rule). Ales are usually stored for three weeks, although certain kinds may be aged for months or even years.

The yeast found in lagers has a bit of history to it, going back to a beer that claims to be the “best in the world,” Carlsberg. For the record, I disagree. But I appreciate their contribution to beer history.

In the late 19^th century, the head of Carlsberg Brewing laboratory, Emil Christian Hansen, developed a method for isolating single yeast cells by storing them in cold caves. The wild yeasts survived the cold (around 10 degrees Celsius) and would continue to ferment the beers after the other yeasts had died. As you may have guessed, these yeasts tend to collect at the bottom. This new kind of beer was then stored near freezing point for about a month, allowing it to mellow and develop a smoother taste. And, after that time, a lager is created, preferably one that tastes better than Carlsberg.

At least that’s how you used to distinguish the two different kinds of beers (I’m ignoring this lambic business for the time being). Now, since homebrewers and microbrewers continue to experiment and develop the beer-making process, the difference between ales and lagers is the yeast’s ability to process raffinose. Given I only had my wisdom teeth extracted four days ago and I’m still not entirely with it, I’m going to give this chemistry-related information a miss and will come back to it at a later date, probably about the time I can find someone who knows science and can explain it to me in a way I understand.

A bit of information on Lambic Beers.

Apparently these are only available in a specific region of Belgium -- the Pajottenland region, which is southwest of Brussels and Brussels itself. It’s made through spontaneous fermentation by exposing the beer to wild yeasts and a particular kind of bacteria that is native to the Sienne valley. The beers are the "winiest of all beers" -- dry and cidery with a slightly sour aftertaste. I expect them to taste like the champagne version of barleywines. I also don’t expect to like them, but I'll at least give them a shot. Someday. (If you know anything about lambic beers, or can suggest one I should try, please comment below or email me.)

Of course I’ll be going through ales, lagers and, yes, even lambic beers in more detail in the months to come. For now, I’m going to return to the Nuggets game and hope that my team remembers how to score free throws before the half is over (Come on, boys, it’s Rocky’s birthday!). And halfway through the week, I’ll return to my regular, beer-drinking self. I promise. As always, email or leave comments if you have questions, comments or suggestions.