Beer is one of the cornerstones of our podcast, and with this episode we dive in deep to learn all about it! In the next 90 minutes we learn how to taste, how to make, and other fun interesting facts all surrounding beer! So hit that play button and crack open a cold one as we dive into this journey together!
We had to follow up our Whisky Episode with a full fledged beer episode! Over the course of this episode we are tasting 8 different types of beers, each one with their own unique flavor, appearance, and personality. During the tasting of each of these delicious drinks we discuss interesting beer facts and other important information to know to become a beer expert!
Tasting beer is very similar to the techniques used to taste whiskey which we covered in our previous episode. There are 5 different steps to get the full flavor profile:
Take a quick sniff and look, this will help set your expectations on how the beer will taste.
Swirl It. Just like whiskey, this will help release the beer’s aromas allowing you to get a full inhale of its scent
Taste with front part of your tongue, this will help highlight some of the full bodied tastes of the beer.
Large sip to get broad flavors. This will help narrow down if the beer is sweet or bitter.
Enjoy! This is the most important step.
IBU stands for the International Bitterness Units scale and gives an idea for how hoppy a beer will taste! Technically this is a measurement of the parts per million of isohumulone found in a beer. Isohumulone is the acid found in hops that gives beer that bitter bite that we all know and love. The typical ranges of IBUs are from 1-100, but can range higher with specialized beer. While IBU gives an idea of how hoppy a beer is, that can be countered by the amount and types of malt included in the mash. This can pull in a sweeter taste curbing the bite a bit. We taste an imperial stout late in the episode that displays this nicely, while having a high IBU count, it is very sweet!
As we initially discussed in our Story Arcs Episode, SRM is a measurement of the color of a beer. This value is obtained by passing a blue light through a centimeter of a beer and measuring how much light comes out the other side. This one measurement captures 92% of the beer's color and we would need 81 other points to get the remaining 8%! Below is a reference to the SRM vs type of beer!
Beer is quite simple to make when boiling it all down! Beer is made in a few steps:
First the mash is made by combining malted barley (or other grain) with hot water
Drain off the sugary liquid from the mash to get the wort (pronounced wert)
Take your favorite hops and boil them with the wort to get your best flavors
Add some yeast to create bubbles and alcohol
Bottle, wait, refrigerate, enjoy!
The type of glass can play a huge role in how a specific beer should be tasted. Different beers have attributes they are attempting to display and the glass can help highlight that! The IPA has a specialized glass that was developed to help keep the beer colder for longer while highlighting its strong aromas, while the Hefeweizen needs a Weizen glass to display the golden color and exhibit its clove and banana flavors. Each beer we taste in this episode has a glass type recommended, however you can always default to the trusty old Pint Glass!
The Beers
We walked through 8 different beers in this episode ranging from light, crisp beers to heavy imperial stouts. Each of theses beers has a unique flavor profile which we dive into as we talk about different aspects of making and tasting beer. The best way to taste a flight of beer is from lightest to darkest. There is a bit of debate on what constitutes light vs dark, but we stuck to increasing in hop level and then diving into some of our darker ales. Below is a list of beers we tasted for reference!
Name: Kosmik Hefeweizen
Timestamp: 4:58
Brewery: Fountain Square Brewing Co.
APV: 5.9%
IBU: 6
Best Type of Glass: Weizen
Tastes: Light and Smooth, a little banana flavor
Name: Amber
Timestamp: 14:38
Brewery: Alaskan Brewing Company
APV: 5.3%
IBU: 18
Best Type of Glass: Pilsner
Tastes: Rich and Malty (Sweet and Nutty)
Name: Kentucky Irish Red Ale
Timestamp: 28:35
Brewery: Lexington Brewing Company
APV: 5.3%
IBU: 19
Best Type of Glass: Pilsner
Tastes: Not bitter, bit of a malty taste
Name: Pils
Timestamp: 37:45
Brewery: Karrikin
APV: 5.2%
IBU: 29
Best Type of Glass: Pilsner
Tastes: Tangy Hops with a crisp finish
Name: Pale Ale
Timestamp: 46:39
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
APV: 5.6%
IBU: 38
Best Type of Glass: Pint Glass
Tastes: Slightly hoppy with a bit of spice
Name: 90 Minute Imperial IPA
Timestamp: 56:52
Brewery: Dog Fish Head
APV: 9%
IBU: 90
Best Type of Glass: Tulip
Tastes: Bitter, Hoppy, No Malt
Name: Old Leghumper
Timestamp: 1:04:11
Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
APV: 5.8%
IBU: 24
Best Type of Glass: Pint Glass
Tastes: Slightly Fruity with a coffee-like roasted malt aftertaste
Name: Old Rasputin
Timestamp: 1:18:33
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company
APV: 9%
IBU: 75
Best Type of Glass: Stout Glass
Tastes: Hints of Coffee, chocolate and Licorice, No Hops
Thanks for reading! There are more fun facts and information in the episode, so take a listen to capture all of those! Let us know which of these beers is your favorite in the comments!
Cheers!