Beer Styles
by Gregg Smith
It was unique. In all of history theirs was one of the few revolutions not accompanied by a bloodbath of terrorism. Now they were called upon to produce something equally remarkable. Sectionalism was tearing the country apart and their loose confederation provided neither common defense nor the growth of commerce so vital to a young country. Somehow the delegates managed to put their regional interests aside during that sweltering summer and forged a new government. As the president of the convention swung his gavel to close the proceedings he already knew where they were headed. The representatives were beer drinkers and the business being concluded George Washington and the Constitutional Convention adjourned to Philadelphia's City Tavern for a drink, and to many it would be a mixed drink.
Ale was secure enough in its own right, and it was ale which provided the base for most of these colonial cocktails. Added to beer's regular consumption, iits use in mixed drinks was a factor in the growth of brewing.
One of the most widespread versions of beer mixing was "Flip". John Adams reported a person spending a day in the tavern would find it full of people drinking drams of flip, carousing, and swearing. This primarily American drink was found in England but with not near the frequency it was served up in the colonies. The earliest mention of Flip is thought to be in 1690, but the oldest reference in print was the December 1704 edition of the New England Almanac
"The days are short, the weather's cold,
By tavern fires tales are told.
Some ask for dram when first come in,
Others with flip and bounce begin."
What was this drink? How was it made? Fortunately, our forefathers wrote about everything, flip included. The most common recipe called for
"A great pewter mug or earthen pitcher filled twoÐthirds full of strong beer; sweetened with sugar, molasses, or dried pumpkin, according to individual taste or capabilities; and flavored with `a dash' Ðabout a gillÐ of New England rum. Into this mixture a red hot loggerhead, made of iron and heated in the fire, was thrust."
Other recipes could be found as regional variations. Lord May of Canton, Massachusetts devised his own version which started with four pounds of sugar and beat in four eggs, tothis he added one pint of cream and let it age for two days. When people ordered a flip he would fill a quart mug twoÐthirds full of beer then added four large spoonfuls of his aged mixture, stirred it with the glowing loggerhead and added a gill of rum.
Orders of Flip often punctuated the entries in General Washington's expense account, and General Israel Putnam had his own well regarded recipe. Almost anywhere a revolutionary fire was burning a loggerhead stood by the ready, although sometimes it was referred to in other slang terms such as hottle or flipÐdog. It was such a common and well loved fire place instrument it inspired James Lowell to pen lines of praise.
"Where dozed a fire of beechen logs that bred
Strange fancies in its embers goldenÐred,
And nursed the loggerhead, whose hissing dip,
timed by wise instinct, creamed the bowl of flip"
One other variation on the flip theme was when a fresh egg was beaten into the mixture. In this case it was considered different enough to earn the separate name of "bellowstop". As the loggerhead hit this mixture it foamed over the mug and most likely the rest of the table. What could be more fun than sitting around a fire in the tap room and ordering drinks you knew would cause the bartender a big mess? Flip was so widely ordered and of such a fashion that it was a hit well into the mid eighteen hundreds.
Though Flip was certainly one of the most common beer mixtures, it was by no means the only drink order by thirsty firebrands. A most curious mix was "WhistleÐBellyÐVengeance" and it was the altogether rage in Salem, Massachusetts. This little delight was probably born of New Englanders well known thrift. To begin required the tavern keeper to have a batch of sour household beer. The success of this venture is dubious, for after securing the sour beer it was simmered in a kettle and sweetened with molasses, crumbs of 'ryneinjun' bread were added to thicken and it was served piping hot. The recipe was common enough for Dean Swift to mention it in his "Polite Conversations"
"Hostess (offering ale to Sir John Linger). I never taste maltÐliquor, but they say ours is well hopp'd.
Sir John.Hopp'd why if it had hopp'd a little further, it would have hopp'd into the river.
Hostess.I was told ours was very strong.
Sir John.Yes! strong of water. I believe the brewer forgot the malt, or the river was too nearhim. Faith! it is more whip belly vengeance; he that drinks most has the worst share."
With an endorsement such as this is it any wonder the drink was also known by the name whipÐbellyÐvengeance. Thankfully this was a fad which faded away.
Other favored drinks included "Calibogus" or "bogus" which consisted of rum and unsweetened beer. Rather sounds like a colonial boiler maker. Another variation of this drink was cider based and went by the name "Stone Wall", its effect was reported to be much like hitting one. Yet another drink was "Mumm", don't be deceived by the name, this had nothing to do with champagne. In fact it's hard to imagine a drink further removed. "Mumm" was a charming flat ale made of oat and wheat malt.
If all this didn't tickle a colonist's fancy, or if it was just a case of boredom with the usual beer based drinks, you could try a "flip" based on cider instead of beer. The other possibility was a mixture called "Ebulum" which seems to be a cider based punch in which the cider was mixed with the juices of elder and juniper berries. The other New England favorite didn't use beer at all. "Black Strap" was a mix of cold rum and molasses. Casks of this were found in most every General Store. Next to the barrels were hung dried, salted cod fish which the customers could munch on at no charge. Of course there was a charge for a drink, crafty those New Englanders.
Though we often long for the simplicity of the early days it would seem Billy Joel may have hit the nail on the head when he wrote"..the good old days weren't always good..." Even today's worst beer seems pretty tame next to these. But if you mix one up write us at All About Beer and let us know how it turned out.
What if you could go back in time to colonial America? Imagine visiting Monticello as the guest of Thomas Jefferson. Soon Martha Jefferson appears and asks if you'd like a beer, and she hands you one of her latest batches. It strikes you how refreshing this beer seems, surely Martha was a knowledgeable brewer. Indeed she was, and the beer she handed you was a wheat beer.
For centuries brewers have been making wheat beer. Brewers like Martha made their beer with wheat for a number of reasons. It gave them more raw material for making beer, provided good "heading" properties, and made a very drinkable beer. These remain just as important to brewers and beer drinkers today as they ever were.
Despite their resurgence in popularity wheat beers remain a mystery to most people. Let's try to clear some of that up. Wheat beers are very popular throughout Germany although there are local differences in the style. Even the names vary. They might be called wheat, weiss, weizen or hefe–weizen. Despite this they do share some common characteristics, so let's talk about those.
Though German style wheat beers come from the land of lagers, they are actually an ale. Therefore you'd expect to find some fruity "esters" in the aroma and indeed they are present, most commonly as the smell of banana. Another familiar "nose" character is the spiciness of clove. In some wheat beers the aromas of banana and clove are balanced in an unexpected, but much sought after complexity.
After evaluating the aroma, take notice of the head. The "heading" comes from the high amount of protein in wheat. The relatively long protein molecules break surface tension and results in a big, thick, creamy crown of foam. Of course, these protein molecules cause another often seen trait – haziness. The protein molecules are actually long enough to refract light and haze is not uncommon. However, some brewers filter the beer, so it is bright and clear, especially in the American versions.
Another notable aspect is a layer of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Most frequently this is observed in the hazy versions known as "hefe–weizen". Translated this means "with the yeast" which is left in the bottle to naturally carbonate the beer. When pouring a hefe–weizen Germans will save a little beer in the bottle to mix up the sediment and then pour it on top of the head. An added side benefit is that the yeast contains a significant amount of vitamin B six and twelve.
What about the taste? It too varies, they can be light, bubbly, tangy or malty and in combinations of all these. They also come in dark (dunkel weizen) versions. The majority will have considerable effervescence and a tangy palate. Combined with the haze and layer of sediment, people often conclude the beers have gone bad. But these are actually considered desirable traits in wheat beers, all derived from the protein and yeast. In fact when you consider all the benefits of protein, brewers yeast and vitamins in wheat beer you could think of them as health food.
For summer refreshment the tangy character is a natural thirst quencher. Despite all the variety wheat beers do share one universal trait; they are a popular favorite of the summer months.
A beer with one of the more intriguing origins, all agree that bock it first appeared in the area of Einbeck, Germany. But there are many explanations for how it came by its name. One of the most believable is the corruption of the area's name to Beck, which then became Bock. The German translation is "goat" which accounts for the symbolic billy goat used so freely on the labels of bock beers.
Bocks are full bodied brews with a prevalent malty sweetness that can include some chocolate undertones. A common bock is usually a dark beer. Like other styles there are several sub categories, but all are brewed around the general traits of low hops that places the flavor emphasis on malty sweetness and high alcohol in the neighborhood of 7 percent.
Helles (pale) Bock - These possess the same general characteristics of Bock except that in the Helles style the brewers forgo the chocolate under taste. Full bodied, it has a predominant malty taste with the gold color found in Munich style Helles beer. Enough hops are added to balance the sweetness with no aroma. Once again alcohol levels are high.
Dopple Bock - is a stronger version of Bock, but don't be confused by the name, it's not twice as strong. The original Dopplebock was brewed by monks of St. Francis Paula, later to become Paulaner Brewery. In those days, while observing their religious holiday of lent, there were mandatory periods of fasting. But since beer was not included among the items forbidden they made what was a "liquid bread" to carry them physically (and spiritually) through this period. They must have been very happy fasters. In fact, the Paulaner Dopplebock was named "Salvator" in homage to the Savior and to this day it is released for the Easter season. Other dopplebocks continue this tradition by ending their names in "ator". They are typically very full bodied with intense malty sweetness and alcohol in the taste and aroma. Color is dark amber to dark brown with low hops leaving the entire emphasis on malt.
Eisbock - The strongest bock, its name comes from the use of ice in the production. A regular dopplebock is brewed and then lowered to temperatures cold enough to freeze out part of the water (but not the alcohol which freezes at a lower temperature than water does.) The ice is removed leaving a concentrated alcohol level. This beer is very full bodied with increased sweetness and alcoholic warmth. Eisbock is amber to dark brown and once again hops are added to balance, leaving the emphasis on the malt.
Lately it seems every time you turn around there's another new "Red Beer" coming on the market. Brewers from coast to coast have been rolling out the barrels as quickly as they can devise a formula. Truth is, this newest, hot craze in cold beers is really quite old.
As far back as ancient Summeria the brewers were making a red beer they called 'Kassig' and the beer of more modern origin "Vienna" was probably invented by brewer Anton Dreher in 1841. But the style eventually feel out of favor. However, a group of immigrants fleeing Austria took the style named Vienna with them to Mexico and the Southwest United States. Where the brewers of Dos Equis and Negro Modelo carried it on.
Fortunately the rise of the microbrewing movement brought with it an interest in traditional brewing. Along with this was a natural curiosity about the old methods and beer styles. Meanwhile down in Texas and Mexico a few examples of Vienna beer lived on and waited for micro brewers to revive Vienna style beer.
With a change in name to reflect the reddish amber hues, the style is characterized by the toasted malt which imparts the color. The taste is of soft malt and sports a complex nose of malty sweetness mingling with low aroma hops. It's also not unusual to hear people describe the flavor as toasty.
Excellent with any matter of sweet, spicy foods, Red Beers make a good year round choice. So admire the light shining through the and reflect on a beer that reaches back to ancient Summeria.
