Clear Answers for Common Questions

India pale ale is a pale ale with a distinctively high alcohol content and a notably elevated amount of hops, creating a very aggressive, sharp, bitter beer. India pale ale is also widely known as IPA, referencing its initial letters, and this beer is especially popular in the United States ...

Scotch ale is a member of the pale ale family, which is known for its high alcohol content and rich, malty flavor. In addition to being produced in Scotland, it is also brewed by a number of overseas brewing companies, and this beer is especially popular in Germany and the ...

A macrobrew is a term used in contrast to microbrew. Microbreweries tend to produce and sell smaller amounts of alcohol per year, and may make smaller batches. Since the 1980s, the popularity of microbrews has been on the rise, with many small breweries creating brands that are really enjoyed by ...

Belgian white beer, sometimes called witbier or biere blanche, is a drink popular in summer for its slightly honeyed taste and high carbonation levels. Originally brewed in monasteries, the drink is usually spiced with various flavorings. Revitalized after a major reduction in breweries in the 19th century, Belgian white beer ...

Lambic beer is an unusual traditional Belgian beer which is produced through spontaneous fermentation, rather than through the careful introduction of specific yeasts and other organisms to malted grains. As a result, lambic beer has a very distinctive flavor, and the flavor of such beers can be rather unpredictable, with ...

Hefeweizen is a German wheat beer which is left unfiltered, causing the beer to have a very clouded appearance and a distinctive yeasty flavor. This beer originates in South Germany, where it continues to be extremely popular, and it is also produced by breweries all over the world. Hefeweizen tends ...

Even though it sounds like a miniature beer, a microbrew is actually a beer brewed in a small commercial brewery. In the U.S., it is a beer produced at a microbrewery that brews no more than 15,000 barrels of beer per year. Brewed and distributed on a regional ...

A lager is a type of beer that is recognized by its high carbonation level and light color, though some modern varieties are darker in color and may even be black. This type of beer was originally developed in the 19th century. During this time, brewers in Bavaria commonly stored ...

Porter is a type of very dark, rich beer which is often high in alcohol. It's particularly popular in Great Britain and Ireland, where several breweries produce traditional porters, such as Guinness Stout. The strength of this beverage can be intense for people who are not used to it ...

Cream ale is an American beer which is characterized by having a mild flavor, a smooth texture, and a refreshing finish. Cream ales actually come in two varieties: beers which are served with nitrogen, which creates a distinctively creamy texture, and beers which are brewed to resemble the German beer ...

Malt liquor has several definitions. It can be used to describe beers that are higher in alcohol content than a state regulation for beer allows, or it can refer to beer that has added sugar, corn, or other substances that increase their total alcohol content. Some people use the term ...

Light beer is beer that has been brewed in a special way to reduce the overall alcohol or caloric content, and in some cases both. Many people drink it because they enjoy the flavor, or because they believe that it is less unhealthy than regular beer. Other beer consumers are ...

Berry beer is a lot like what it sounds: a beer flavored with berries or fruit. Some common flavorings in berry beer include raspberry, blueberry, cherry, and loganberry, but any number of berries or fruits could potentially be used. Many breweries offer a berry beer seasonally, and it is also ...

Near beer is a malt beverage which does not contain enough alcohol to be considered a true beer. This beverage arose during the Prohibition in the United States, when alcohol was not permitted, but people still had a taste for it. It is not the same thing as small beer ...

Wheat beer is a beer which is made with wheat, creating a much lighter color and more delicate flavor than beer made with barley and other grains. Historically, wheat has been a challenging grain to use in brewing, but when prepared well, a wheat beer can be quite distinctive and ...

A stout beer is a dark, sometimes bitter beer that was first commercially produced in the 1730s. The first versions of this drink were from Ireland, where the still most popular stout is produced by Guinness. Yet Guinness is only one of the many companies that produce and market stouts ...

A tasty carbonated beverage that is made with elements that are common to the production of both beer and non-alcoholic beer substitutes, ginger beer includes the ingredient of fresh ginger juice to achieve a taste that is both invigorating and pleasant. This beverage can be produced fresh using home ...

Root beer is a beverage made from a variety of plant roots and spices. Recipes abound, so different commercially sold brands or homemade versions may differ widely in taste. This drink is typically non-alcoholic, though alcoholic versions were more common in the past, before the prohibition era. Sassafras root ...

Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, a member of the hemp family. Humulus lupulus grow on both coasts of the US, and in Europe. Hops are an essential ingredient in beer because they contain slightly to very bitter essential oils that help to give beer, ale and ...

A stout is a type of beer that is characterized by its dark color and heavily roasted flavor. This type of beer achieves its taste and color by being brewed with a heavily kilned malt. Unlike lager beer, it utilizes top fermenting yeasts. Today, the term has come to describe ...

Trappist beer is beer or ale produced under the supervision of Trappist monks. While only seven breweries are recognized in the 21st century as authentic producers of Trappist beer, the practice of monasteries brewing alcohol is more than 1000 years old. Authentic versions of the beer must conform to several ...

Brewer's yeast is a type of fungus formally known as Saccharomyces cervisiae. Along with other Saccharomyces species, brewer's yeast is used to brew beer and bake some breads, and can also be used as a nutritional supplement in an inactive form. Like other yeasts, brewer's yeast will ...

Cask-conditioned ale is an ale which is served fresh, unpasteurized, and unfiltered. The flavor and texture of cask-conditioned ale is quite distinctive; these ales tend to be very creamy and rich, with delicate carbonation and complex flavors. However, cask-conditioned ale also has a very short shelf life ...

Mississippi mud is a chocolate dessert native to the American South, traditionally made with simple ingredients that would be readily accessible to most residents of the rural South. There are several variations on the classic Mississippi mud recipe, but in all versions, the chocolate is the primary focus of the ...

Homebrew is a commonly used term for alcoholic beverages, especially beer, made in an individual’s home. Persons who want to brew their own beer can find useful information on recipes, equipment, bottling and sanitation from the Internet and specialty stores for the homebrew business. As the interest in home ...

Amber ale is an American term used to describe a variety of beers that range in color from light golden to deep red. They are slow-fermenting and are considered somewhat richer than pale ale, with a medium body. The US Association of Brewers describes these beers as having flavors ...

A beer cocktail is an unusual alcoholic creation combining beer with a variety of other ingredients. There are cocktail recipes available for nearly every kind of beer, from deep, dark porters to bright and fruity pale ales. Beer cocktails may be an acquired taste for some, but are a wonderful ...

A shandy is a drink which is made by mixing beer and juice or soda-water. Classically, the drink is made with beer and lemonade, and it has been enjoyed throughout Europe for centuries. The lemonade used in a traditional shandy, incidentally, is a more tangy variety with less sugar ...

As a popular cocktail in many countries around the world, the boilermaker is a simple but effective blend of hard liquor and beer. While the preparation and serving methods may vary slightly from one location to another, the basic component of this beer cocktail is a glass of beer that ...

A black and tan is a drink made by filling a glass partway with a pale ale, and topping off with a dark beer such as a stout or a porter. Because of the varying densities of the two beers, a black and tan will remain neatly layered, creating a ...

A snakebite is an unusual cocktail with dozens of variations. Many food and drink critics consider the drink to be an acquired taste. Popular opinion suggests that it will induce drunkenness much faster than drinking beer or any of its components alone, but this is not proven. In its basic ...

Not the most well known of all mixed drinks, the Irish car bomb is a variety of boilermaker that can be made with a number of different types of beers as well as several different kinds of liquor. The name for the drink is created from the union of two ...

Ale is a type of beer that is fermented at warm temperatures with a top rising brewer's yeast. They are often drunk as soon as they have settled in the cask, two to three weeks after brewing. There are a wide variety that cater to a number of tastes ...

Hops are climbing vines, which are dried and added to beer when it is brewing. They have a naturally bitter taste that helps counter the sweetness of the other beer ingredients. Depending upon the amount and type of hops you use while brewing, you’ll get more or less of ...

Although most people associate hops with beer, the twining bine actually has a long history of use in herbal medicine, and the plant has a few surprising applications as well. The use of this ingredient in beer was actually eschewed across much of Europe until the medieval period, although the ...

People have been drinking beer for centuries, and it has had plenty of time to evolve into many different types. All of the various flavors, body and colors of the many styles generally fall under two classifications, either lager or ale. Together, these two classes collectively make up thousands of ...

Beer, a fermented beverage made from grains and yeast, is a popular drink all over the world. There are many different types of beer, although they are usually broken up into two basic categories: ale and lager. The term lager is often interchanged with “beer”, especially outside of Germany, which ...

Non-alcoholic beer is a beverage that has a similar taste to beer, but contains no or very little alcohol. Though the exact criteria for how much alcohol a non-alcoholic beer can contain, it's generally less than 0.5%. This is significantly less alcohol than what is contained ...

Ales and lagers are the two main varieties of beer, although each is divided into several subcategories. There are several differences between ale and lager, both in taste and in the fermentation process. Although it is often suggested, the differences between ales and lagers do not involve color or alcohol ...

Microbreweries are small producers of beer that serve local or regional markets. To qualify as a microbrewery, the establishment must produce less than 15,000 barrels (178,841 decaliters) annually. Small local breweries are not a new idea. Before the days of refrigeration, most towns and villages had a brewery ...

Beer pong is a popular drinking game played in a variety of locations, but is common at universities and tailgating celebrations. The game is believed to have originated at Dartmouth University in the 1980's, though other universities claim claim ownership of its creation. There are no official rules to ...

A stein is a specially designed cup or mug which is intended to hold beer, although in theory, any beverage could be served in a stein. In Germany, the nation which invented the stein, the cup is better known as a steinkrug or glaskrug, depending on the material used. Krug ...

Is there no limit as to what a generous supply of alcohol can accomplish? One notable side effect is the creation of selective visual aids known as beer goggles. Beer goggles, also known as Stellavision or the Cider Visor, are fictitious eyeglasses which purportedly cause an inebriated wearer to see ...

A beer stein is a lidded mug that holds beer. The handle of the mug features a tiny hinge, which when pressed with the thumb, opens the lid. This allows the user of the beer stein to open the lid with the same hand holding the mug, but to close ...

Beer bongs are considered an almost essential component around many parties where drinking games are practiced. Essentially, a beer bong is a device that features a long funnel that is attached to some sort of container. Sometimes referred to as a tube bong, the beer bong is often employed in ...

Beer is one of the most popular drinks around the world. Brewed as far back as 4000 BC by the Sumerians, it is also one of the oldest alcoholic drinks still in production. One of the reasons that this beverage is so popular is that is easy to make and ...

Every beer connoisseur knows that in order to sample the very best of the thousands of types of beer in existence, you would have to spend a great deal of time traveling the world. That is why many beer lovers choose to join a beer of the month club. This ...