There are still folks who think a dark beer is a beer to avoid. Not anymore! The playground of dark beers include dark and black lagers, brown ale, porter, stout and imperial stouts. The secret in making these beers is, once again, balance. Brewers across the country are embracing darker malts to bring out flavours of coffee, chocolate and roasted nuts. These beers are flavourful and aromatic but should generally be smooth and gentle on the palate. On top of that, since they are so well suited to many foods, the opportunity to pair beer and food becomes much easier. Finally, dark beers are loaded with anti-oxidants and are excellent from a health perspective, when consumed in moderation.Categorization of beer stylesBrewers are experimenting more and more each day. While they are using traditional beer styles as a starting point, they are exploring the beer world by creating hybrids. While it’s exciting to embrace creativity, it is creating confusion among beer consumers and restauranteurs. The old standard of categorization is becoming less relevant. It is no longer acceptable to just have ales and lagers in the same way that listing just red and white wines is truly not fair to the consumer. It is equally as confusing to link everything to common pricing categories such as domestic, premium and import. The best way of presenting beer to the consumer is by flavour profile. We all understand flavour and aroma and it becomes easier to choose if the path is clear. Fad or trend?In the past year, we’ve witnessed the resurrection of traditional Belgian beer styles such as Saison. These farmhouse-style beers are by and large impossible to put into a narrow description. Centuries ago, farmers brewed beer using available ingredients so each farm had a different perspective on the style (if it was even a style). To fully understand these beers now, you have to be open-minded. Most Saisons are straw coloured, somewhat hazy and should have aromas that include citrus, bright apple and pear and some mild funky or musty notes. They are typically slightly acidic or sour and are extremely refreshing. I think Saisons are here to stay. They will never achieve mass appeal but are excellent choices with a lot of different foods. On the other hand, some brewers are making sour beers that push the limit of balance. These are short lived fads. In this day and age, a crystal ball on predicting the trends in the world of beer would be wonderful. However, even a prophet might have difficulty predicting the next big thing in an industry where creativity is so abundant. Cheers! See also:
About the author: Roger Mittag is the owner of Thirst For Knowledge Inc® (www.thirstforknowledge.ca) and the founder of Prud’homme Beer Certification® (www.tfkbeer.com) and can be reached at [email protected]. | |
