I enjoy a good beer now and then. I used to only drink strongly-flavored
imports, but now, I savor the Microbrews too.
In the early part of the 19th century, American brewers were
steeped in the ale producing traditions inherited from the British. Brewing was
done in small, locally produced batches. But by the end of the century, two
things had occurred. German immigration had introduced what would ultimately
become an American preference, the lighter tasting bottom-fermented, Pilsner
style of Lager beer. This was followed by improvements in refrigeration, which
lead to easier transportability. The stage was set for watering-down a product
that was itself a lighter version of its predecessor. Beer was made in bigger
and bigger batches, with great consistency, but with less fullness and flavor.
If that weren't bad enough, leave it to modern day marketing techniques to
popularize something-even worse, light beer. Ugh1x There ought to be a law.
Actually, there is a law: Rienheitsgebot, the German Purity Law of 1516. It
essentially states that beer should be made of only four ingredients: water,
yeast, malt, and hops. Although water is the major ingredient in beer, its
source is of limited importance. Some brewers have concerns about mineral
content of the water relative to the style of beer they are making. But overall,
if it's drinkable and palatable, whether it's from a mountain spring or a
reservoir, it works for beer. Yeast is used for fermentation, converting the
sugars of the grain to alcohol.
It's in the malt and the hops that the differences between the methods of
the mass producers and the micros are most apparent. A good craft brewer uses
strictly barley malt, particularly the stronger, "two row" type. The malt flavor
is balanced by the addition of considerable amounts of hops, the better and more
expensive versions of which have names like Saaz, Fuggles, and Styrian Goldings.
The hops add a pleasant bitterness, and act as a natural preservative.
The big boys have an imaginative interpretation of what constitutes malt,
substituting liberal quantities of other grains, especially corn and rice. The
smaller amounts of barely they do use are typically from the less intensely
flavored "six row" plant. With less malt flavoring to balance, the addition of
hops is minimal, further limiting the development of a semblance of a true beer
taste.
The proliferation of microbreweries in the last 15 years or so has had some
mixed results. Some brewers should spend more time perfecting their five-gallon
basement batches long before they try to open a brewpub. Also, I think there
should be more concentration on developing better versions of the traditional
beer and ale styles before branching out to the fringe areas of milk stouts and
fruity wheat beers. But generally, I applaud the attempts of any beer producer,
micro, macro, or home brewer, who provides an alternative to the mass
producers.
Now, happily, big is not necessarily bad. Sam Adams is an example of a craft
brewer who has maintained micro brewing standards while growing into what may
reasonably be considered a mass producer. They have an interesting web site at
