Denver brews more beer than any other metropolitan area in the U.S., making it America’s No. 1 beer ci! Don’t know a saison from a session? VISIT DENVER is here with a lesson on Beer 101 from one of Denver’s top brewers. Beer Glossary
IBU SESSION GET SMART ABOUT International bitterness units. The best Looking for something you can sip all measurement we have to predict the day? Session beers are perfect for bitterness of beers from hop additions. ball games and backyard barbecues because of their light body and low IPA alcohol content — generally under 5% The most popular craft beer style in ABV. Denver and the U.S., India Pale Ales are a hopped ale that originated in England SOURS in the 18th century as a way to keep beer Ranging from light and refreshing, to fresh (hops are a natural preservative) complex and mouth puckering, this on the long journey by boat to India. style of beer has many methods of BEER With many sub-categories ranging production, but the sourness is usually from black IPAs to the relatively new due to the addition of Lactic Acid New England IPA, you can bet on this producing bacteria introduced either ABV beverage showcasing bitterness and manually by the brewer, or naturally Alcohol by volume. The higher the ABV, the stronger the the wide range of flavors and aromas (spontaneously) from an open vessel. beer. “Session” beers are low ABV, starting anywhere we get from hops. Some of the most popular styles include under 5% ABV. “Imperial” beers are the opposite and Kettle Sours, Ode Bruin, Geuze and Kriek. pack a punch anywhere above 8% ABV. LAGER The most consumed commercial style STOUT AND PORTER ALE worldwide, these beers are fermented Both styles are dark, malty (rather than Any beer that is not a Lager. These beers are typically at cooler temps with bottom-fermenting hoppy) beers. Taste ranges from dry and fermented at warmer temps with top-fermenting yeast. Lagers usually have a crisp, roasty to sweet and creamy, with flavors yeast. Covers many different types and styles of beers clean flavor. While beers were stored of coffee, chocolate and caramel. Many from brown ales to IPAs. in cold caves thousands of years ago, new beer drinkers find them intimidating, the introduction of Reinheitsgebot, but with so much variety, there’s one for BEER the German purity law only allowing everyone! An alcoholic beverage made from basic ingredients 3 ingredients in beer that consisted of that usually include malt (ex: barley, rye, wheat), hops water, hops and yeast is what made the WEISSBIER/WIT and yeast. Some beers can have additions called delicious lager we have today. WHEAT “adjuncts”, which would be ingredients like milk, sugar, As the name implies, these beers trace corn, fruit and spices. NITRO BEERS their lineage to Germany and were A serving method made popular by unusual when they came about due to BELGIAN STYLES Guinness, instead of using CO2 to their lighter colors. They are typically Outside of the sour and spontaneous beers of Belgium, carbonate beer, a nitrogenous gas is brewed with a high proportion of malted these beers are typically described as having strong used to showcase a beautiful “cascade” wheat. American wheat beers are also flavors and aromas of clove, pepper and banana with when poured. They have a thick, creamy light in color and may appear cloudy some exhibiting deep flavors of dried fruits and caramel. head and a velvety soft mouthfeel. when poured. Some of the most popular styles include Saison, Witbier Although you can serve any beer on (wheat beer) and Tripel. nitro, it’s most popular with darker ales, such as stouts and porters. CASK-CONDITIONED Extremely popular in the United Kingdom, these complex, SAISON cloudy beers undergo a secondary fermentation in a This highly carbonated, golden-hued sealed cask. They’re often called “live ales” because Belgian-style beer - a type of farmhouse click for they’re unfiltered and still contain live yeast when ale - is dry, earthy, sometimes spicy and a list of poured. Cask-conditioned beers are best served at maybe even a little funky. The name breweries in “cellar temperature” (about 55°F) and typically have a means “season” in French. and around smooth, velvety mouthfeel due to the lower carbonation. Denver