Life123

Home > Food & Drink > Cocktails & Beverages > Beer > Understanding Different Types of Beer and Beer Pairings
E-mail Print Facebook Digg
Article ID: 4546
Title: Understanding Different Types of Beer and Beer Pairings
By: Rachel Mork

Reason for flagging?



Comments:



Understanding Different Types of Beer and Beer Pairings

Beer, Wine & Cocktails

Drinking beer is a favorite pastime, not only for the variety of different types of beer you can choose from and the relaxing feeling a good glass of ale can bring, but also for the overall experience of savoring an icy cold mug of your favorite brew. If you’d like to expand your knowledge of beer and experiment with beer and food pairings, it’s important to understand the various types of beer.

All beer is made from four basic ingredients: hops, malted barley, yeast and water. Most beers have other botanicals—spices, fruit or vegetables—added to the basic beer recipe.

Know Your Types of Beer
There are two main types of beer: lager beer and ale beer, referred to as lagers and ales. There is a third rather obscure type of beer, called a Lambic, which is made only in Belgium, and is not as popular as lagers or ales.

Beers are divided into these two categories by the kinds of yeast used during their creation and by the temperatures used to ferment the two different kinds of beer. Lagers use a yeast that best ferments at cool temperatures, and ales use a yeast that best ferments at warmer temperatures.
 
Types of Lagers