Find Your Brew: Which Craft Beer is Right for You?

In this week's blog post, we'll be showing you three of the most popular kinds of craft beer on the market. There are hundreds of different types of craft beer. Their flavor notes and taste profiles can be tweaked and can differ greatly. We hope you find this post informative and that it leads to a new love of a beer you've never tried before!

Let's get started:

IPA

The first type of beer that we'll discuss is undoubtedly the most popular in the craft beer world. IPA stands for India Pale Ale and it is the favorite of a majority of beer lovers.

The beer got its name from not because it was brewed in India, however. In the 1700s, Britain had troops, trading posts, and settlers in camps all around the world. One very large trading post was in India. English men stationed in India were upset that their beers would not hold up on the voyage from England to India without becoming skunky and going bad. To combat this, brewers began adding hops and higher alcohol content to help preserve the beer for the long journey. Thus, the IPA was born.

The three main styles of IPA are English-style IPA, American-style IPA, and Imperial-style IPA. All very slightly in terms of taste and color. The American and English styles are similar, but vary depending on the variety of hops used during brewing. American IPAs are typically higher alcohol content with a higher hop count as well. Imperial IPAs are sometimes referred to as double IPAs because they contain double the amount of hops. The resulting taste is much more bitter than the average pale ale.

These beers go great with food and are a favorite in the warm Summer months. We recommend trying one once you have already established a craft beer palate as the bitterness is off putting to some. The color profile is darker than lagers but lighter than stouts and porters; usually amber in color.

Photo courtesy of Wisegeek.com

Pilsner

The next type of beer we'll discuss is a pilsner lager. Ales and lagers differ due to the type of yeast used during fermentation. Lagers are also typically brewed at lower temperatures. Pilsner is the most popular form of lager. The beer has its roots in the Czech Republic. 

Pilsner is arguably one of the most popular styles of beer in the world. Because of their characteristics, they are difficult to keep fresh when compared to other types of beer. Because of this, brewing can be expensive and difficult.

They are very light, both in body and in color. Very drinkable with low bitterness. Typical alcohol levels reach around 5% ABV. This is a great choice for those just dipping their toe in the vast pool of the craft beer world. Because of their drinkability, it's easy to drink more. Please enjoy responsibly. 

Photo courtesy of Wisegeek.com

STOUTS & PORTERS

Stouts and porters are two very similar styles of beer. Stout is typically the name given to a very strong porter. The beer's roots go back to the early 18th century in Ireland. Arthur Guinness was first to perfect the brew in the 1800s. Guinness quickly became the largest brewery in the world. 

Stouts and porters are identified by their dark color and unique taste. Their dark color is achieved from the use of roasted barley. Today's most popular porters and stouts are brewed with notes of coffee, chocolate, or vanilla. Stouts and porters are very versatile beer because of their drinkable and range of flavors. They can be enjoyed in the Summer months but we prefer them more in the winter as they can be a bit heavy for some. 

Like IPAs, we recommend trying stouts and porters once you have an established palate as their taste can be powerful and overwhelming.   

Photo courtesy of Wisegeek.com

As mentioned in the intro, these are just the three main types of craft beer. There are hundreds more styles and variations. We recommend starting here and working your way through. Once you find a style that you like, see how different breweries tweak the styles to make them their own. An IPA from one brewery can taste completely different than one from another brewery down the street. The brew process is so customizable that the options for the consumer are endless. As always, enjoy responsibly and reach out if you have any questions. Let us know your favorite kind of beer and tell us your favorite breweries. We look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers,

TCBA

Top 5 Michigan Beer Events of 2017

This week's blog post will take you through five of the most popular craft beer events and festivals taking place in Michigan this year. We'll include ticket prices, locations, and what to expect at each event. Let's take a look:

🍺  The first event is The World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth on May 19th and 20th. Over 300 beers from 70 different breweries on 5 different continents! The festival features live music, souvenirs, and awards to the best craft beers. Tickets start at just $18 and include 8 beer sample tickets. Click here for more info.

Here's a photo of the crowd from last years festivities courtesy of Jobbiecrew.com:

 

🍺  Also on May 20th is the 3rd annual Kalamazoo On Tap Craft Beer Festival. Featuring 150+ beers from over 65 breweries, this festival also has BBQ and live music with fun and games too. Tickets start at $35 and include 15 beer sample tickets with a souvenir glass. Click here for more information.

 


🍺  The 4th annual Mount Pleasant Craft Beer Festival is returning on June 10th. Tickets start at just $20 and include 6 drink tickets with a souvenir glass. 25 beer and wine vendors will be on site with live music and food available for purchase. Click here for more info.

🍺  The 20th Annual Summer Beer Festival takes place in Ypsilanti July 21st and 22nd. This event features over 100 Michigan breweries and will have over 1000 different beers for sample. Guests can purchase food (not included in ticket price) and enjoy live music from local bands. Tickets are available for preorder and at the gate. Prices range from $40-$50 and include 15 drink tokens.

Click here for more information


🍺  The 9th Annual Detroit Fall Festival is returning to Eastern Market on October 27th and 28th. Food from Detroit area restaurants will be available for purchase. Enjoy local music from talented musicians along with over 700 craft beers from over 80 different Michigan breweries. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the gate.

Here's a photo of the crowd from last years festivities courtesy of Jobbiecrew.com:

We hope to see you at all of these wonderful craft beer events. These types of festivals are great for experiencing new types of craft beer and breweries. They are also great for tourism in the cities where they're held. Please remember to be respectful and to drink responsibly. If you know about other craft beer events, reach out and let us know!

Cheers,
TCBA

The Brew Process

This blog post is going to teach you the basics of what it takes to brew a batch of beer. There are so many different ways to brew so many different flavors. We suggest trying a few until you find what works best for you. We all come into homebrewing with different budgets, equipment, space, and preferences. It's important to keep trying until you feel comfortable with the process. We hope you find it rewarding and delicious!

Let's get started!

1. The first step is to gather all of your supplies and carefully read the instructions. Nothing is worse than getting halfway through and needing to run to the store because you're out of an ingredient. 

The four main ingredients that you will need are WATER, HOPS, MALT, and YEAST. 

You will need to gather a variety of brewing supplies. Because our readers may have different budgets and available space, we recommend visiting a few local homebrew stores and see what price ranges suit your needs. Most ingredients like saucepans, sugar, and measuring cups, you'll already have in your kitchen. You will also need two large brewing buckets, some bottles and some caps. 

2. The next step is to clean all of your brewing materials. Bad bacteria on your supplies can potentially harm your beer.

3. Boil 1 gallon of water. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the MALT extract. Stir until it is dissolved.

4. Return your new mixture of malt and water to a boil. Once boiling, add in your HOPS. 

NOTE: Hops will bitter your beer and add flavor. When you add it and how much you add will affect the taste of the batch. 

5. Congratulate yourself. Once you have boiled for 30 minutes, you've created WORT! That's the name for the unfermented mixture that ultimately becomes beer. 

REMINDER: Be sure to sanitize everything that the wort comes in contact with. If your wort gets infected, the batch is ruined!

6. This is where your brew vessel comes into play. You can use anything for your receptacle but we recommend a large bucket from the hardware store. Fill halfway with cold water after allowing the wort to cool a few minutes. Allow it to sit until the temperature reaches between 70-75° F.

7. Add the YEAST. Packets can be purchased online or at your nearest homebrew supplier. 

8. Seal the bucket. It is very important that the bucket is air tight! Your local homebrew store should sell supplies to help. Give the bucket a good shake to provide oxygen to the mixture. 

9. Store for one to two weeks in a steady temperature environment depending on the instructions on your yeast package. 

10. Celebrate! The hard part is over! You have successfully made your beer.

11. Now we need to add carbonation and bottle the batch. Boil 2 cups of water and 5oz. of sugar for about 10 minutes and add to bucket.

12. The next part is a bit tricky. We need to transfer the brew from our fermentation vessel to our bottling bucket. Now there are a variety of products available to make this process easy. If you don't want to spend the money, get some clean hose and siphon the mix the same way you see people siphon gas in the movies! The point of this practice is to get the mix into a new bucket and leave the ingredients in the fermentation vessel behind. This is very important for the quality of your beer.

13. Pour mix from bottling bucket into bottles. If you want to spend the money, get a bottling bucket with a spigot for easy transfer. Fill and cap the bottles and store in a dark room at room temperature. This allows carbonation to take place.

14. Enjoy! After sitting 2-3 weeks, you'll have perfectly fizzy beer.    

Woo, M. (30 March, 2011) Infographic. How to make beer at home. OC Weekly.

Here at The Craft Beer Aficionado, our favorite thing about brewing beer is that you can start small and work your way up. The process explained can be completed for under $100. It yields about 5 gallons of beer. From here you can try new recipes, upgrade equipment, and perfect your brew. 

If you get stuck or need any help, Tweet @CBeerAficionado, comment on our blog or our Facebook. We would love to help and hear your favorite recipes!

Until next time,

Cheers

TCBA

Who We Are: An Introduction to The Craft Beer Aficionado

This post is an introduction to our new brand, The Craft Beer Aficionado. Welcome to our blog!

We're just like you, we enjoy the simple things in life. A day at the beach, a picnic at the park, going downtown for a sporting event. All things that can be made even better when accompanied by your favorite craft beer! In the coming weeks you can find interesting posts and information all about craft beer. We hope you'll keep up with our blog and follow us for even more craft beer content.

Our first week will focus on home brewing! A wildly popular and challenging hobby with sweet, satisfying rewards. Getting started can be a daunting task. We will offer tips on how to start brewing at home along with information on how to perfect your process. Get started brewing and share your progress on our social media so we can see how it's going! Tweet us if you have any questions or suggestions for other brewers. Share your recipes so we can try your favorite creations!

In the following weeks we will have some information on local craft beer events in the Detroit area. Craft brewing is huge in Michigan and the best way to experience is by getting out and trying something new! After that we will offer some other information about  how to classify the many different types of various craft beer. We'll start with the differences between porters and stouts and then get into specifics like IPAs vs APAs. Stay tuned for that!

If you are a casual beer lover or a hardcore beer brewing expert, we will have a little something for you. Follow this blog for weekly updates and information. We hope you enjoy our content! Be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter! @CBeerAficionado 

- TCBA