A Brief History of Beer

Have you ever found the lingo around craft beer confusing? Do you know your IPAs from your DIPAs, the difference between a Saison and a Lambic, a Farmhouse from a Red Rye. Your blondes, browns and ambers and the difference between a Stout and Porter?

There truly are more types of beer than you can shake a stick and at you can find a dizzying array of choice ales at Bristol Craft Beer Festival this weekend, with 40 of the world’s best breweries under one roof.

We’ve teamed up with the Bristol Craft Beer Festival organisers to give you the definitive lowdown on craft beer so you can flex those beery brain cells throughout the festival.

IPA

We all know that the initials stand for India Pale Ale, but its origins date back to the 18th century. The earliest IPA on record was George Hodgson’s Bow Brewery, which became hugely popular in part due to the brewery’s proximity to the East India Docks. Hodgson’s IPA was packed with hops and made to age like wine, which was handy as it would spend 6 months on a ship to India.

Modern IPAs are now more akin to American Style then the traditional English. Characterised by floral, fruity and piney American-variety hop character the use of American hops such as Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Chinook, and Simcoe are now commonplace.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Amundsen: Apocalyptic Thunder Juice
Left Handed Giant & Dry and Bitter: Cycle City
Burnt Mill: Sleeping Giants DIPA

Imperials

You may see the term Imperial banded around many types of beers from IPAs to stouts and pretty much everything in between. The term was coined in the 1800s and was used when referring to stouts that were brewed in England but shipped to Imperial Court of Russia. Over time the term became a more general terms for brewers to indicate their top of the line beers. Be careful with Imperials – while they go down a treat they can pack quite a punch, often ranging from 8% – 12%.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

To Øl: Dangerously Close to Stupid Amounts of Lychee
Thornbridge: Mango Imperial IPA
Burnt Mill: Layers Imperial Stout

Wheatbeer

There are two main varieties of wheat beer, the German Weissbeer and Belgian Witbier and both are termed as white beers; firstly because suspended yeast and wheat proteins cause the beer t look hazy and white, and secondly because wheat has the same etymological root as white in most West Germanic Languages.

Low in hop bitterness these beers have a somewhat sour taste due to the presence of lactic or acetic acid and the style dates back hundreds of years but was revived in the ’60s by Belgian brewer Pierre Celis, the founder of the Hoegaarden Brewery.

A variety of wheat beer is the Berliner Weisse, a low abv and intentionally tart beer that is often sweetened with fruit syrups before drinking.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Lost & Grounded: Summer ’18 #4 White IPA
The Kernel: Wit Bier
Pressure Drop: Rhubarb: A User’s Guide

Pilsner

Pilsner, as you probably already know, is a type of pale lager which is quite possibly the most iconic beer style in modern history. It has been recreated the world over, however there are two distinct styles of Pilsner – German and Czech. It was in 1842 in the Czech region of Bohemia, in the city of Pilsen, where the first ever Pilsner – Pilsner Urquell – was produced and is still brewed there today.

The original Czech style has a golden colour, high foaminess and a light flavour. In comparison with its German cousin which is a little lighter in colour with a more bitter, earthy taste.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Lost & Grounded: Keller Pils
Amundsen: Run To The Pils
Moor: SimPILS

Sour Beers

Once again we’re going back to the Belgians for this iconic and often opinion dividing beer. The most common sour beer styles are Belgian Lambics, Gueuze and Flanders.
Once upon a time all beers were sour, to some degree. As pure yeast cultures were unavailable, batched usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria. Modern sours, which are made in a sterile environment, are made by intentionally allowing wild strains into the brew.

Highly carbonated, fruity, spicy and lip-smackingly striking, the Berliner Weisse has evolved from a summertime farmhouse ale to a year-round sensation thanks to the experimentation of brewers the world over.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Lost & Grounded: Barrel-Aged Sour Red Ale with blackcurrant
Lervig: Passion Tang Sour
Gipsy Hill: Dodger – Lemon Sherbert Sour

Porter & Stout

The famous porter can be found all over the world from the Baltics to the States though its history dates back to 18th century London. Early London porters were strong, even by modern standards and became the first beer to be aged at the brewery and dispatched in a condition fit to be immediately drunk. London porter breweries were also pioneers of brewing technology, using thermometers and hydrometers as early as the mid 1700s.

The development of stout is intertwined with that of porter. The name stout was traditionally given to the strongest or stoutest beers a brewery produced. The term was adopted by many breweries for their ‘stout porters’ and because of their huge popularity the term stout became synonymous with dark beer, rather than strong beer.

However the main difference between the two is that Porters use malted barley whereas stouts are primarily used from unmalted roasted barley, which is where the coffee flavour that most people associate with stout comes from.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Mikkeller: Chipotle Porter
Arbor Ales: Breakfast Stout
Wiper & True & Dugges: Space Time Stout

Farmhouse

The Farmhouse Ale is an interesting concept as unlike other styles of beer there is no one true style that defines what a farmhouse beer is. This is an ancient European practice which saw farmers brew beers based on local traditions and many countries have their own variant.

Belgium’s Saison, Finland’s Sahti, France’s Biere de Garde and Sweden’s Gotlandsdricka are some of the best known but examples of farmhouse ales can also be found across Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Norway and Russia.

Look out for these at BCBF 18:

Good Chemistry: Barrel Aged Saison
Harbour: Lavender & Lemonbalm Saison
The Kernel: Biere de Saison Galaxy

Bristol Craft Beer Festival 2018 is at Lloyd’s Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside, 14 – 16 September. For information and tickets visit www.bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk/tickets