Artisan Beer: A Complete Guide to Savoring the World's Finest Beers by Gary Monterosso

Author:Gary Monterosso
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Tags: Beer, Cooking, Beverages
ISBN: 9781580801683
Publisher: Burford Books
Published: 2011-04-15T07:00:00+00:00

Again, do not think of this as the definitive listing of beers that age well. It’s only a beginning and represents those beers I’ve had that were from previous years.

What is there about high levels of alcohol that seem to prevent some beers from developing bad traits? One thing we know for sure is that the presence of ethyl alcohol is effective in retarding the development of those microorganisms that cause a beer to spoil. The more alcohol present, the longer it takes for a beer to turn bad. As a beer ages, alcohol reacts with other compounds that are present to yield fruity, wine-like aromas and flavors. Many vintage beers tend to have components of banana, apple, grape, and orange, for example—qualities that aren’t objectionable. This change just doesn’t occur in those beers with little alcohol.

Bottle-conditioned, unfiltered beers with a low amount of alcohol will not age as well as those with higher levels. Those are the beers with active yeast added at bottling time, the same yeast used during fermentation. As for why this type of beer can be more effectively stored than those that aren’t bottle-conditioned, remember what the yeast still in the bottle does. Any remaining sugars are converted into alcohol and bubbles of carbon dioxide. Knowing that oxygen is an element that destroys a beer’s essence and there is a tiny bit of oxygen in the bottle, the yeast more or less binds that oxygen, reducing instances of bad flavor.

Of course, the yeast does not stay alive forever. After about a year, the dead and decaying cells (sounds appetizing, huh?) can affect the flavor of the beer. This change could be positive or negative, depending on the strain of the organism and the style of beer. For this reason, some brewers filter their beer then add fresh yeast as a way to control future flavor.

You need to be aware of the fact that yeast cells are vulnerable to temperature variations. Warmth will speed the refermentation process and hasten the deterioration of those cells. Refrigeration will slow things down and add time to your aging beer, but will not stop what naturally is going to occur.

By now some of you may be wondering about the bitter, hoppy beers, such as the India pale ales (IPA). What a curious history to this style of beer, dating back to eighteenth-century England. Briefly, because back then the beer didn’t survive the journey to the British troops stationed in warm climates without spoiling, extra hops and grain were added to existing pale ale, then shipped. The result was a highly bittered drink, very high in alcohol. The preservative effects of both the alcohol and hops ensured against contamination.

I’ve tried aging a few well-hopped beers, including Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, arguably two of the best of its type. What I experienced with that beer has been replicated with other India and American pale ales.

The smell of hops is influenced by the variety of hops used and when these are added.

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