There’s more to beer than just cracking a cold one after mowing the lawn. Digital Journal goes around the world to discover the beers you have to try before you die
Digital Journal — For too long, beer has been stereotyped as a drink to be chugged, brain-stingingly cold, after a sweaty day of yard work or as a companion to football and wings.
At least that’s how the major brewing conglomerates have portrayed it. While there are tens of thousands of beers on this planet, about 95 per cent of sales belong to the top five “macro” brewers who have spent the last few years scrambling to grab a bigger piece of the market through acquisitions. The recent creation of hybrid entities like InBev, SABMiller and the more recent Molson Coors explains such quirks as why Carling Black Label is now the most popular beer in England, and why some drinkers have nicknamed Stella Artois the “Belgian Budweiser.”
Despite all this, beer itself has undergone a renaissance over the last two decades, especially in North America. The explosion of small, independent microbreweries and brewpubs has awakened people to the notion that beer — we won’t name names — doesn’t have to be thin, flavourless and crammed with cheap filler like corn and rice syrup. A funny ad or a couple bucks off a six-pack doesn’t excuse a sub-mediocre product that tastes like liquid cardboard.
While beer’s basic structure — water, barley, hops, yeast — has remained more or less the same since prehistoric times, today’s brewers are discovering the incredible variety of flavours, fragrances and textures made possible through a blend of experimentation and old-fashioned skill. The sophisticated drinker recognizes that good beer can offer experiences that rival, and often defeat, those of the fanciest wines and liqueurs. Wine drinkers are always looking for that perfect glass of red; why shouldn’t beer fans seek that perfect pint of black (or amber, or golden)?
In this spirit, Digital Journal presents some examples of must-tries for any beer aficionado or travelling gourmet. We chose these particular beers because they’re aesthetically rewarding, diverse, and superior representatives of their respective style.
And if we’ve left out your personal favourite, apologies in advance — five is our limit.
The Country: Canada
The Style: Fruit Beer
The Beer: Unibroue Quelque Chose
Although Quebec’s Unibroue has recently been purchased by Ontario-based Sleeman, here’s hoping this wonderful, heady fruit beer remains as delicious. Pouring a deep ruby with barely any head, this beer suggests cherry pie or a fine Christmas punch, complete with tart fruit and holiday spices like nutmeg and clove. A seasonal offering for the winter months, it should be mulled like cider and served warm, further intensifying its seductive spirit.
The Country: USA
The Style: Imperial IPA
The Beer: Three Floyds Dreadnaught
In America, everything is bigger, bolder and brasher. Its craft beer is no exception. The Imperial or Double IPA (India Pale Ale) takes the classic British export ale and overloads it with native hop varieties. Indiana’s revered Three Floyds Brewing perfects this emerging style with its massively flavourful, bright amber brew, spiced with intense notes of pine, grapefruit and tropical fruit. A chewy, toffee-like malt presence balances it out.
The Country: United Kingdom
The Style: Sweet Stout
The Beer: Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout
This is as delicious as a pint can get. The opaque black appearance would normally indicate a dry, Guinness-like beer. However, the addition of oatmeal and cane sugar to this wholesome “breakfast brew” gives it a silky palate and malty flavours suggestive of Hershey’s Syrup or Caramilk ice cream, along with faint flourishes of red fruit. The bitter finish keeps it from being oversweet.
The Country: Germany
The Style: Weizenbock
The Beer: Schneider Aventinus
A vintage bottle of Aventinus is considered the holy grail of Weizenbock, itself one of Germany’s most extraordinary styles: wheat beer, brewed with the strength and character of a Bock (a darker, sweeter brew). Murky, reddish-brown with a large, frothy head, Aventinus almost resembles an ice cream float. Ripe bananas, burnt clove, raisins and caramel malts dominate the nose and palate. So smooth and well-rounded you almost don’t notice its high alcohol content (eight per cent). But Achtung, baby — this beer packs some serious oompahpah.
The Country: Belgium
The Style: Quadrupel
The Beer: Rochefort Trappistes 10
Out of the few Trappist beers still brewed by monks in an actual monastery, Brasserie Rochefort’s products are the most widely accessible to secular consumers. Their strongest offering pours a deep, tawny brown with assertive notes of blackcurrant, nougat, brown sugar and dark rye, finishing semidry with an earthy character. Begs to be served in a stemmed chalice at cellar temperature. Though it matches perfectly with strong cheeses and wild game, Rochefort’s vegetarian monks might not approve.
Digital Journal‘s Recommended Website: Ratebeer.com
Which country has the world’s highest-rated beer? Belgium? Germany? According to the number-crunchers at Ratebeer.com, it’s Sri Lanka. “The answer to the question is simple mathematics,” writes site editor Josh Oakes. “They make a great beer and have the good sense to export it.”
Fascinating factoids like this are yours to scrutinize at RateBeer, the virtual home to thousands of beer geeks worldwide. Users can judge any of the 46,328 known beers using the site’s Hedonic scale, providing each with a score out of 100 and a correlated stylistic percentile. In other words, RateBeerians seek to establish the best (and worst) beers in every category: brewery, state, country or style.
Admirably well-organized and searchable, RateBeer also features articles submitted by users, beer recommendations, event meet-ups and extensive guides for malt-minded tourists. Forums and “beermail” give the site a strong community vibe, allowing its members to swap their treasured acquisitions, or simply wrangle over esters and phenols.
