The Hospitality Handbook Series Volume 3 Know Your Beers A Guide to Alcoholic Drinks, Drinking Culture and the Hospitality Industry in Australia INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 1 KNOW YOUR BEERS ....................................................................................................................................... 2 WHAT IS BEER? ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BEER? ................................................................................. 4 KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT... ....................................................................................................................... 5 TYPES OF BEER ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN BRANDS AND REGIONS ......................................................................................................... 10 FOOD MATCHING TIPS .................................................................................................................................................. 12 BEER CULTURE .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Hospitality Handbook: Know Your Beers INTRODUCTION It’s a warm summer evening and Rebecca is out with a few friends, intent on trying a new bar that recently opened up down the street. The place seems cool with funky decor and when she opens the drinks menu, the usual classics appear, along with some cocktails she’s never seen before. A relaxed guy approaches from behind the bar, smiles and, discovering she’s partial to fruity cocktails, suggests his favourite; the Upside Down Pineapple Cake - if she’s after something new. She is. It arrives at their outdoor table a few moments later, along with a couple of beers and a white wine for her friends. The first sip is refreshing and sweet and glancing up at the server she smiles to indicate a good suggestion. He nods back, knowingly, and slips back inside leaving the friends to enjoy a setting sun and relaxed conversation over a few drinks. Serving alcohol in Australia is performed in many different environments, from a packed, rushed and noisy Happy Hour in a city bar to the muted clinking of glasses in an upmarket restaurant overlooking a city view. Whichever culture you prefer, this eBook series will provide you with the basics to get started as a part of the world famous hospitality culture Australia provides with its wonderful weather, relaxed beach environment and love of all things fun. Perhaps you want a holiday job while travelling, a few part time shifts while studying or you’re inspired by the magic performed by great mixologists and bartenders and want to give the more challenging end of the profession a go. Either way, you can be sure you will be inspired and encouraged by the guidance in this book and, at the very least, gain new knowledge you can use to impress your friends on your next evening out! Typically people working in the hospitality industry enjoy the social aspect the most; there’s plenty of interaction with your customers and the people you work with, without spending any money or dealing with a hangover the next day! To truly enjoy the service of alcohol you’ll need to be the type of person who enjoys talking to new people and assisting them to have a good time with the knowledge and expertise you’ve worked hard to gain. You’ll likely meet some really fun and interesting people in the venues you work at and you could potentially take home extra cash from a big tipper. There are many roles in the alcohol service industry; server, barback, mixologist, sommelier. It can take a number of years to become a professional of the sort who can competes in competitions or discuss the finer aspects of liquor in an expensive cocktail lounge. To get started on the road to a lucrative, interesting and varied career, begin with learning the basics. A bit of reading and practice will see you you’ll be drawing beers and mixing vodka with lemonade in a few weeks as if you’ve been doing it all your life. 1 Hospitality Handbook: Know Your Beers KNOW YOUR BEERS WHAT IS BEER? Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza. -Dave Barry Simply put, beer is four main ingredients; barley, yeast, hops and water, fermented, mixed and aged. As one of the oldest beverages known to mankind, its followers come from a wide range of cultures from a relaxed group of friends around a Summer pool to “Beer Sommeliers” intent on finding the perfect balance between hops and malt taste. Harking back to the Middle Ages, some followers are especially fond of creating their own homebrews but it was the industrial revolution which really geared up production and made mass consumption of the liquid a reality. Beer arrived in Australia at the very first moment of colonisation and we were ranked fourth globally for consumption of beer per capita in 2006. The bottom line is; Australians love their beer! And while the average Australian may not be a connoisseur to match a Belgian or German, a wide variety of beers, local and imported, are enjoyed every day in nearly every establishment with a Liquor License. How is Beer Made? 1. Malting The main ingredient in Beer is barley, which is tall grass with seeds on top. The starch contained within the Barley needs to be broken down so it is soluble and ready for fermenting. This is done by soaking the barley and allowing it to germinate for 3-5 days. At the end of this process, the barley is soft and called ‘green mash’. This substance is dried out at varying temperatures, dependent on the desired finish, into the finished product known as Malt. 2. Milling: Milling is the process of cracking the grains to expose the natural sugars which are really the key ingredients in malt. The grains are passed through large machines which apply enough pressure to open the grain without grinding it into flour. Too much flour will create a murky beer. 2 Hospitality Handbook: Know Your Beers 3. Mashing The third M in the process of making beer is mashing; combining the malt with water to create a liquid solution consisting primarily of sugars, which is then strained. This process results in ‘wort’ (pronounced wert). The amount of sugar converted from the original mash determines the beers’ sweetness and is known as its ‘maltiness’. 4. Brewing The wort is heated to boiling point and it is at this stage that important decisions about the beer will be made. Hops, the other side of the beer flavour equation, are added at various stages in varying quantities to reach the desired flavour and texture. Hops contribute aroma and act as a preservative. A large amount of hops or long exposure periods to hops creates greater bitterness in a beer, known as its ‘hoppiness’. 5. Fermentation The wort is cooled through an exchanger and transferred to the fermentation tank for yeast adding. This is an important step in the making of beer because without yeast, no fermentation takes place. Additionally, the type of yeast added determines the type of beer the finishing product will be. Top-Fermenting Yeasts: create what is known as Ale. The yeasts rise to the top of the fermentation tank at higher temperatures of 15 − 24 degrees, creating rich, fruity flavours. The fermentation process usually does not last any longer than a few weeks, resulting in a more complex taste. Bottom-Fermenting Yeasts: create what is known as Lager. The yeasts drop to the bottom of the vat at cooler temperatures of 7-12 degrees and then at a longer secondary fermentation of even colder temperatures (around 1-4 degrees). This process lasts a few months and results in a cleaner, lighter tasting beer without as much flavour. Lambic Yeasts: combine some elements of both of the above types and are typically used in traditional breweries, notably those of Belgium. 6. Serving. Beer is either bottled (for private, individual consumers) or drafted into kegs (the most common form of serving beer in public venues such as bars). The fresher the beer, the better, so quick distribution is desirable. Beer bottles are dark coloured to reduce the effect of sunlight on the beer inside. 3 Hospitality Handbook: Know Your Beers WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BEER? Beer is a slightly simpler world than wine; all beers fall into one of two styles - Lager or Ale. As previously explained, Ale is top-fermented beer with a richer and more complex taste. Lagers are bottom-fermented beers with a lighter, cleaner taste. Over 95% of beer served in Australia is Lager, perhaps due to our warm climate. Beer typically has an ABV of between 4-6%, making it much lighter than wines and on par with Ready to Drinks (or Alcopops). When considering the quality of a beer, you want to know about two main characteristics: its “Hoppiness” and “Maltiness”. A good balance of malt and hops