

Provided you haven’t been living under a rock over the past half a decade, you are sure to have experienced the hype surrounding Australia’s most contemporary drinking craze. Brought about by a group of thick-moustached and heavily tattooed individuals primarily concerned with making sure no one else was holding the same beer bottle as they were, comes the craft beer aficionado -the only slightly less wankey and trendier dressed, younger brother of the wine connoisseur. Many Australians now expect a more exotic and exclusive range of international and local brews to be found in their nearby bars, pubs, restaurants and liquor stores across the country, replacing quintessential tap staples like Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter which we are all used to.

To solve this dilemma, Liquor Barons has compiled our very own three part Craft Beer Guide to help unpack the trend and provide our customers some insight and piece of mind for the next time they’re facing this type of craft-draught gauntlet up at the bar.

In PART 1 of this Craft Beer Guide we will be breaking down the wide variety of different beer styles from around the world.

PART 2 of the Craft Beer Guide will examine what ingredients go into the making of the perfect brew.

To conclude our Craft Beer Guide mini-series, PART 3 will break down the beer brewing process so you’re not the one asking why that beer smells like grapefruit and if there's really any in there.

Beer Styles

Before we begin looking into the process of beer making in this Craft Beer Guide, we first need to understand different beer styles. There is an incredibly large number of beer styles enjoyed throughout the world in a multitude of ways which can appear daunting to the casual drinker. It’s safe to say all the beer you have ever tasted were either styles of ale or lager. The difference between these two styles can be easily compared to understanding how different types of grape varieties and wines fall within two categories of colour.

Ales

A pint of ale has been something to relish and enjoy since medieval times but was also a major source of nutrition and hydration, consumed by all ages nowhere more so than Germany as early as 800BCE. With only slight traces of alcohol to preserve the liquid from expiring, ale was often safer to drink than most sourced water. Unlike its less alcoholic ancestral origins, modern Ale can be anywhere from 5 to 15% alcohol. Ale is the most common beer type in the craft kingdom with most craft beers falling under a sub-category of ale variety due to the incredibly bold flavours which the brewing process can produce. Ales are hugely popular across the world as different styles and ways to enjoy this type of beer have developed in a number of unique ways. Ales are brewed by through fermentation in a warmer tank for shorter periods of time where ale yeasts fond of higher temperatures begin producing carbonation and alcohol from the sugars at the top of the tank. This process can often produce a more fruity flavour and scent profile while the length of time malted barley is roasted for will largely determine the colouring and strength of flavour.

Stay tuned for PART 2 of our Craft Beer Guide to learn more about the ingredients and brewing process.