Hello beer sapiens! I don't know about you, but every day I look on my mobile what the weather is going to be like today, tomorrow, and in the next fifteen days. It must be because I want good weather and a few beers on the terrace with my friends.
But let's be real. The State Meteorological Agency does not report good weather for a few weeks. And my beers in the sun?
Fortunately, since I've been getting to know the world of craft beers, I've discovered that bad weather and beer also go very well. Thanks to dark beers. God save the Black Beer!
BEER…BLACK?
So I placed an order for six dark or toasty craft beers, to get me through these long rainy February days.
When I was filling the glass with the first beer, the first thing I thought was, why does this beer have such a different color and body than the well-known “blond” beer?
Well, the fault lies with the roasting of the malt. The darker or roasted the malt used, the darker the beer will be. And this also affects to the consistency and taste of it. In other words, a dark beer is more complex on the palate, since it has more “hidden” flavors. On the contrary, a lighter beer will be more refreshing but will also have less nuance in the mouth, since the taste of hops will predominate.
Okay, doubt clarified. And then came the second question.
WHY ARE THEY FOR WINTER?
- Because if craft beers already have a higher degree of alcohol, black beers even more so. So they are ideal for when we need extra warmth! ;)
- Because due to their load of malts, they have a lot of body and are denser. They enter more slowly, and you have to savor them little by little.
- And also because they have more intense flavors that require food pairings that are also stronger. And you feel more like eating Roquefort cheese in winter than in summer, right?
WHERE DO I START?
This is what all the uninitiated, like me, will be wondering. The truth is that, given the care and affection with which the craft brewers make their beers, any option is good. But so that you have it a little clearer when choosing, these are the main types of dark beer that you can find:
DARK ALES: These are the Portes (I dedicated an article here) and the Stouts. The beers Stout, are very dark, with roasted and caramelized malts as well as a good dose of hops. Within the Stout there are several subcategories, highlighting the Imperial Stout that have a higher amount of alcohol by volume (from 6% to 15%) and a very characteristic bitter taste.
The type of malt that predominates creates other categories, such as Cream Stout which is sweetened with lactose, which causes a creamy consistency in the foam and a slightly sweet flavor with hints of chocolate. Its percentage of alcohol ranges between 5% and 8%.
PALE ALES: Light colored beers, brewed with small proportions of roasted malt. But don't let the color fool you: they are usually beers with a lot of hops and therefore with a lot of flavor, some of them even quite bitter.Stand out in this category the IPA (Indian Pale Ale), a highly alcoholic beer rich in hops The English Bitter is a UK pub classic and some American Ales made with USA hops are superb
BOCK: This German term is used to describe strong Lager beers, typical of this country. In fact, they began to be manufactured in the 14th century, in the city of Einbeck. They are low fermentation, with an alcohol content between 6 and 7.5%. The end result is a full-bodied beer with a mild malt flavor.
SCHWARZBIER: Another German beer, equivalent to the English Porter. It has a low fermentation and an intense black color. Its alcohol content is also low, with a strong flavor and hints of chocolate and coffee.
BARLEY WINE: Or barley wine, the one that takes the alcoholic record. Made with huge amounts of malt, the immediate result is a full-bodied beer with alcohol content that often exceeds 10%. You also have an article about this type of beer here.
As I have already told you, I made a selection of six black beers on the page. I will tell you my impressions in the next post…. Don't miss out!
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