Midwest Brewers Fest: A Dummy's Guide to Craft Beers

Typically, when the average person hears the word “beer,” they think Bud, Miller or Coors. 

I have plenty of friends who hear me talk about Craft Beer (I capitalize it because it is a proper noun) and thumb their nose at me because they think I’m being snobbish. 

That could not be further from the truth. What I find is if you sit down with the average beer drinker and educate them, making transitional recommendations to styles that may be similar to what they drink, they’re usually hooked. 

As a Craft Beer enthusiast and founder of a Craft Beer blog, I do my best to educate the average beer drinker and welcome them into the family.

The , scheduled for Aug. 27 in Plainfield, focuses on those breweries that fall into the Craft Beer category. They are:

1)  Small – Brewers that produce less than 6 million barrels a year;

2)  Independent – Brewers who have limited or no ties to large corporations or professional brewing companies. If they do, it can be no more than 25 percent ownership.

3)  Traditional – A brewery with a lineup that features at least 50 percent malt beers or beers that use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

One of the other aspects of Craft Beer that tends to perplex people is the variety of styles and the differences between lagers and ales, your two basic types of beer. 

To keep it simple, a lager is fermented at a lower temperature and typically takes a bit longer to ferment than an ale. Ale is fermented at higher temperatures and typically takes less time to make. Both type use style-specific yeasts to ferment the sugars produced by the brewing process. 

Both lagers and ales use malted barley and hops, but to varying degrees based on the style. 

When it comes to styles, it a whole new ballgame. This year at the Great American Beer Festival there will be 83 different styles of beer judged. I’m not going to bore you by going through all of them, but here's a rundown on some of the typical, more popular styles. 

India Pale Ale (IPA) – There are many varieties -- American IPA, English IPA, Belgian IPA, Black IPA, White IPA. The style was developed in England when they used an abundance of hops to help preserve the beer for the long voyage from England to India. They tend to be gold to copper in color and have a bitter, hoppy bite that will sometimes be balanced by a sweet, malty flavor.

Pale Ale – There are also many varieties of pale ale as well. They tend to be dark golden to copper in color. The flavor does not have as much hoppy bite as an IPA and will usually be citrus, floral and fruity in taste. It will be medium in body and medium to low in malty sweetness. In my opinion, Pale Ales are a great place to start into your Craft Beer journey.

Imperial India Pale Ale – This style is also referred to as Double India pale ale. The name implies exactly what this style is; double the malt and hops using approximately the same amount of water. This gives you a much stronger hop and malt presence. This is NOT a style I recommend out of the gate, but for those of you with some experience, this is a great style that I thoroughly enjoy.

Amber/Red Ale – This style tends to be light copper to light brown in color and typically will be medium to high in maltiness. You will get a sweeter flavor with an amber/red ale but recently I have found that Craft Brewers have upped the hoppiness of the style and I, for one, highly enjoy hoppy beers. If you like Killian's or Leinie’s Red, I highly recommend a Breckenridge Irish Red or a Limestone 6450 Red Ale as superior alternatives.

Porter – This is another style that has a few varieties. Porters are darker in color, tend to be mid- to dark brown, have characteristics that are sweet and roasty, and you will sometimes pick up hints of toffee, chocolate and coffee. Left Hand Brewing Company’s Blackjack Porter is one of my personal favorites.

Wheat Beer – I am not even going to begin to list the variety of styles that fall into this category. To put it mildly, I’m really simplifying this one. The style tends to be straw yellow to pale in color. The body is light and considered very drinkable. A good example of a Wheat Beer would be New Belgium’s Sunshine or Two Brothers Ebel’s Weiss.

I really could go on and on about the rest of the different styles, but I think you would be better served to come out to the festival and discover for yourself. 

If you're on the fence about attending, I'll make you this commitment: I will personally make myself available to anyone who wants to learn more and I will help guide you to those beers that may best suit your taste. I want to ensure your experience is an enjoyable one. 

As the founder of a successful Craft Beer blog, there is nothing I enjoy more than helping people find their inner Craft Beer geek. I look forward to see you all at Midwest Brewer Fest and, remember, just ask and I will be your guide.

Cheers,

Jason Thalman - Founder of www.thegreatestbeerofalltime.com