What you need to know about craft beer: The essence of the phenomenon. Foamy drink: what you need to know about good beer Everything you need to know about beer

Craft beer has taken over almost all the bars in St. Petersburg and Moscow, but still few people can clearly explain how it differs from regular beer. In order to correct this, The Village, together with the founders of the Malt and Hops beer school - the main promoter of craft beer in St. Petersburg, Alexey Burov, and its major distributor, Ivan Shishkin - is launching a series of materials dedicated to craft brewing. In the first issue, the owner of the bars "", "" and "" talks about how craft brewing began and what its features are.

Ivan Shishkin

General Director of the beer distribution company "Fest Federation"

Alexey Burov

co-owner of the bars “Beer Card”, “March and Barrel” and “Trappist”

The craft beer phenomenon

We, the founders of the school, coined the expression “craft beer” for ourselves as a definition of an interesting original product about five years ago. Today we catch ourselves thinking that the phrase is beginning to take on a completely vague meaning, often appearing only in the menu. Everyone talks about craft beer, but few can explain what it is. The same thing happened five years ago with craft beer, ten years ago with live beer.

The difference is that the last two expressions are a purely Russian invention, while craft beer is an international, completely professional term, which in a number of countries has a legislative formulation.

Anarchy in interpretation simply interferes with working and building a proper dialogue with partners, beer lovers and industry participants. This, by the way, was one of the reasons for founding the school. We want Russia to speak the same language to the global beer audience. We must distinguish not craft beer from non-craft beer, but good from bad. And while the inscription “craft” in our country does not at all guarantee quality, unfortunately.

Definition

So what is craft beer? Among all the formulations, the simplest one is legislatively approved by the US Craft Brewers Association, the founders of the movement. They believe that a craft brewery should be independent (that is, managed not by a board of directors, but by people directly involved in the business), have a small capacity and brew beer according to a traditional recipe, where the ingredients are used only for taste, and not to reduce the cost. The approach is generally correct, but its digitization clearly demonstrates the conventionality of the boundaries. It is obvious that today the American craft market with a multi-billion dollar turnover has long become a platform for making big money with a very beautiful wrapper, but cynical content, in the spirit of Hollywood.

Thus, we accept the classic American formulation conceptually, but we cannot agree with its absolute values ​​(especially since they are periodically shifted by the Association to suit changed capacities, ownership shares in certain breweries, and so on). This approach does not seem to us the most logical. After six million liters a year, a craft brewery does not automatically cease to be a craft brewery. Isn't it?

In our opinion, craft is quality beer with character and meaning, brewed not by a board of directors, but by a brewer

The liberal beer community in Europe agrees with this. Therefore, they consider any beer that is brewed by independent brewers and has special taste characteristics to be craft. The European definition does not have a legal basis and therefore each manufacturer and seller interprets craft in its own way. This approach, unlike the American one, on the contrary, seems too free to us. This non-binding definition in the Russian open spaces allows you to start a “Russian business” by manipulating the term and sticking a fashionable label on any mediocre product without a twinge of conscience or even an approximate understanding of the issue.

Criteria and history

We have developed a craft beer recipe that we think is absolutely appropriate to become official for use in Russia. In our view, craft is quality beer with character and meaning, brewed not by a board of directors, but by a brewer.

One of the first criteria for crafting is quality. This is the ability of beer to meet the declared characteristics (physico-chemical, biological, organoleptic) throughout the entire shelf life, and not a subjective assessment of “like it or not.” In this regard, for example, we categorically do not like it when only bitter (sour/strong/other) beer is called craft beer. Let's go back to basics. Craft beer arose in the United States as one of the outlets of the exuberant 70s, a new post-war generation whose parents were raised on the American dream with the same clothes, shops, music, food and drink. Imagine what was happening at that time with the beer culture in the country, which was founded by representatives of the strongest beer powers in the world: the Dutch, the British, the Irish, the Germans, the Czechs (and where at the end of the 19th century there were more than 4 thousand breweries)? Everything is very simple, in the 60s and 70s, thanks to lobbying and aggressive development, the country was left with de facto two huge producers of dull beer: Bud and Miller. The grin of beer globalism has reached its limit. Meanwhile, hereditary brewers still have memories of how different and multifaceted the varieties were before Prohibition. The desire to revive the traditional recipes of their nation became the main engine of progress. Simply put, everyone is tired of drinking bottom-fermented light American beer. People just wanted another beer, and demand creates supply. And in 1978, the ban on home brewing was lifted throughout the country. This spurred the development of hop growing in the southwestern states, whose terroir, in wine terminology, brought absolutely fantastic aromas to the final product (compared to the classic varieties of the Old World) and the fashion for IPA, which has become (wrongly!) almost synonymous with us crafting Thus, all craft beer of the first wave was nothing more than a classic interpretation of old-world beer styles, adjusted for the American climate and nature. Some started with lagers (making Vienna-style lagers, in the California Common style), others with ales (brewing the first wheat ale in the style of Bavarian Weissbiers) or analogues of British bitters.

There was no talk of any radicalism (such as 100% IBU (International Bittering Units or, literally, the number of units of bitterness) or 10% alcohol aged in oak) in the era of the birth of craft. Already, table ale or unfiltered lager became revolutionary drinks for a country immersed in a light, tasteless brew of rice, maltose molasses and corn, proudly called light American lager.

This is the problem with modern crafting. Behind bright hopping, aging in barrels, playing with various ingredients and other products and technologies that greatly hide the shortcomings of the base beer, a very simple, but balanced and ideological beer for every day is lost - craft experts consider it not craft enough. For example, the cult brewery Fuller's, Smith & Turner is classified as "ordinary" despite having great ales of the highest quality.

The desire to revive traditional recipes of your nation has become the main engine of progress

Behind this lies an absolute ignorance of the issue and the desire of amateurs (from production, trade, marketing and gastronomy) to speculate on fashion trends. We observed a similar picture with pasta, pizza, sushi, steaks, and wine bars. We see something similar now: people who six months ago could not distinguish a lager from a lambic are today seriously discussing with the status of experts the differences in bitterness units of one crazy “ipa” ( Indian Pale Ale. - Approx. ed.) from another.

What are we calling for? We believe that it is necessary to understand the issue from the beginning. That is why we teach people how beer appeared, why it became the way it is, how we are used to seeing it and how we got unaccustomed to its other tastes, what flavors beer has and why they appear, and also how to distinguish good beer from bad beer by color, aroma, taste and smell.

In the end, craft beer is just a designation of the author's approach and honest philosophy, according to which a number of breweries have been perfecting their brewing technology for decades (and some even centuries) long before America offered the international community a fashionable definition of their product and production principles .

Photos: Dima Tsyrenshchikov

The beer production process has not undergone major changes since antiquity. Based on an infusion of sprouted grain, usually barley, with the addition of water, yeast and hops, a natural foaming drink with a low alcohol content is obtained through fermentation.

History of creation

The first written mention of beer dates back to the times of the Sumerians (Sumer is a country on the territory of present-day Iraq that existed in the 4th-2nd millennia BC). Their beer was called “sika-ru” and, already at that time, its production was based on malted barley. Later, the Babylonians continued these traditions and left many written references to the social significance of beer.

In that era, grains were usually ground into flour, and the mixture was shaped into loaves of bread. This made them easier to store and transport. To obtain beer, it was necessary to crush this “bread” and immerse the resulting mass in water, thereby subjecting it to fermentation, which lasted several days.

During the heyday of Ancient Greece and Rome, beer had a serious competitor - wine. But despite this, beer remains a very popular drink on the Mediterranean coast.

In the Middle Ages, barley was one of the most common grain crops, and each family brewed its own “homemade” beer. Gradually, family production gave way to professional production.

At the end of the 11th century, hops began to be added to beer, largely giving it the taste that we know today.

Subsequently, until the start of the industrial revolution, the beer production process remained unchanged. However, then, thanks to technical and scientific discoveries, the development of brewing technology went by leaps and bounds, especially noteworthy is the work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) on fermentation and brewer's yeast.

Beer production

The components that make up beer are water, grain, yeast and hops; the type and quality of the resulting beer will depend on them.

The grains commonly used for brewing can be of two types: malted (this is always barley) and raw (which can be corn, wheat and rice).

When adding hops, which give the beer bitterness, only female plants are taken, although for some English varieties male plants can also be used. Hop flowers, dried and pressed, are first kept in the cold. For every 100 liters of beer you need from 100 to 200 grams of such hops. Sometimes brewers use hop extracts.

See page 151 for a general diagram of the beer production process. Let's follow the diagram through all the stages of obtaining this drink.

Brewing consists of the preparation of malt, the preparation of beer wort and fermentation.

Malt preparation

The grain is cleaned, soaked, and then germinated, leaving for some time in a special, fairly warm room called a malt house (at a temperature of 17 ° C). There it turns into green malt, which is then dried in special dryers, while aromatic and coloring substances are formed in it, which determine the taste and color of the beer being prepared.

Preparation of beer wort

The malt is crushed and mixed with heated water, thereby converting starch into sugar. The resulting liquid is filtered and the purified wort is boiled with hops, which ensures sterilization, aromatization and thickening of the wort. This process usually lasts from one to two hours, depending on the type of beer produced. The hot wort is passed through a hop separator and cooled. This completes the preparation of the wort for fermentation.

Fermentation

Fermentation goes through two stages: main fermentation and post-fermentation. There are several types of main fermentation, which serves as the basis for obtaining different types of beer:

1. Fermentation at high temperatures

This is the oldest fermentation method, using yeast at a temperature of +15-+20°C. In this case, the yeast rises to the surface of the beer in a fairly short period of time (from 3 to 5 days).

The result is a rich, thick drink with a distinct taste. This fermentation produces beers such as ale, stout, porter, and some wheat-based beers.

2. Fermentation at low temperatures

The most common type of fermentation today. Occurs with the addition of yeast for 7-10 days at fairly low temperatures (from +6 to +8°C). The yeast remains at the bottom of the tank. This fermentation method gives us such varieties of beer as lager (lager), pilsener (pilsener), bock (bock) and others.

3. Natural fermentation

Used in Belgium to produce Iambic beer and gueuze beer. In this case, fermentation is caused by yeast that exists naturally in the atmosphere.

After the main fermentation is complete, the resulting “green” beer is not yet suitable for drinking. It is fermented at a temperature of about 0-+2°C, at which time the beer is saturated with carbon dioxide, clarified and acquires a fullness of taste. The duration of fermentation and aging depends on the type of beer produced and can vary from 3 to 13 weeks or more.

The finished beer is filtered and bottled in barrels, cans and bottles.

Of course, this is just a general diagram of the brewing process. In fact, depending on the type of beer, it undergoes certain changes.

A few words about the production of non-alcoholic beer. It can be obtained in two main ways:

The first method is that, using a special filter, the finished beer is purified from alcohol;

The second comes down to interrupting fermentation by lowering the temperature, while the product retains the desired taste and the alcohol content is reduced to a minimum.

The beer bottle label contains information about the origin of the beer and its properties. This information may vary depending on the country, since international legal standards have not yet been developed. For example, in Belgium it is not at all necessary to indicate the place of production on the label. And in other countries, such as Germany or France, from a legal point of view, the presence of this information is simply necessary, although sometimes the place of production is indicated only using a postal code.

Strength is usually expressed as a percentage of volume (% vol.), according to the same principle as for other alcoholic beverages. However, there are other measurement systems: in North America, a measure such as percentage of alcohol by weight is used. This creates a lower ABV compared to the percentage of volume. For example, a beer containing 4% alcohol by weight is equal in strength to beer with 5% alcohol by volume.

In the UK, it is still common to see the viscosity of beer on a scale that starts at 1000. From 1030 for very light to 1100 for stout or barley wine. Viscosity is sometimes expressed in degrees Plato on a scale from 7 to 30.

A typical European pils beer has an ABV of 4.6 to 5.6% by volume, 3.7 to 4.3% by weight, with a viscosity of 1044 to 1050, or 11 to 12° Plato.

Finally, the shelf life of the product must be indicated on the label.

International beer hall terminology and types of beer

Abbaye(abei)

Belgian beer (fermented at high temperatures), which is quite strong and thick, often undergoes secondary fermentation when bottling. Can be light, amber or dark.

Ale(ale)

English beer (fermented at high temperatures) of medium strength, light or intense amber color. It can be of different types: pale ale with a high content of hops, mild - weak beer with small additions of hops, bitter, stout or barley wine.

Alt(alt)

German name for beers produced by fermentation at high temperatures. Alt denotes "old", in reference to more modern varieties of pils produced by fermentation at low temperatures. Düsseldorf breweries specialize in this type of beer.

Barley Wine(barley wine)

This term means "barley wine". In the UK, this is the name given to the thickest and strongest ale varieties.

Bitter(bitter)

It is the most common type of ale in the UK and is quite bitter in taste and ranges in color from amber to orange. The largest amount of this beer is consumed in English pubs.

Blanche(Blanche)

Belgian beer with a wheat base, often with spices. It is not filtered, so it is quite cloudy and has a sour taste.

Bock(side)

In Germany this is what they call strong beer. The term “Double bock” is assigned to beer that is even stronger. The names of individual brands of this type of beer end with the suffix “ator”.

Gueuze(gez)

A Belgian beer made by mixing young and old Iambic beers, it is bottled in bottles similar to champagne bottles. Aging very well.

Kriek(scream)

Iambic beer variety, in which brewers soak cherries for several months. Its success gave rise to the creation of new types of this beer with raspberries, black currants and even banana.

Lager(lager)

German word lager means “to store”, “to preserve”, recalling the need to store this beer, prepared by fermentation at low temperatures, in a cool place. Today, the term refers to any beer produced through a similar fermentation process. Typically lager is a light-colored drink, although there are several dark varieties of this beer in Germany.

Lambic(lambic)

Belgian beer based on wheat, barley and old hops, obtained through natural fermentation. This is the “signature” beer of the city of Brussels.

Pils(pils)

This name comes from the name of the Czech city of Pilsen, where the first light beer in history, obtained by fermentation at low temperatures, was produced. Very similar to lager beer, the name pils today means any light beer produced by fermentation at low temperatures. The term pilsener or pilsner in Germany is an indicator of quality and is used for beer with a high hop content.

Porter(porter)

British beer, especially common in London, is produced at high fermentation temperatures. Very dark, with a lot of hops.

Premium(premium)

This term used for beer refers to a high-quality lager, but one that is more golden and rich than other types.

Rauchbier(rauschbier)

A German lager beer produced at low fermentation temperatures, containing a smoky flavor produced by drying malt over a pine fire.

Stout(stout)

Black beer produced by fermentation at high temperatures from well-roasted malt. Irish beer is dry and viscous, while English beer has a milder taste.

Trappiste(trappist)

A type of ale beer produced by Trappist monks. There are five types of this drink in Belgium and one in Holland.

Tips for a bartender

The ability to correctly pour draft beer is one of the most important criteria by which clients judge the professionalism and skill of a bartender and draw conclusions about the level of the bar.

Beer barrels and their storage

Beer barrels should be stored in a cool and clean place at a constant temperature and should be handled with extreme care;

Older barrels should be used first, keeping in mind that beer has a limited shelf life;

Place beer kegs in the bar area for 24 hours before using them, as they need to be at the same temperature as the bar in order for the beer to stabilize;

Barrels should be opened at the last moment and used no more than 72 hours; for this, it is necessary to accurately calculate the daily consumption of beer in a bar or restaurant, taking into account the fact that 50 liters of beer are equivalent to 200 servings of 25 centiliters.

Carbon dioxide

For safety reasons, the gas bottle should be attached to the wall in a place where the sun's rays penetrate, since the maximum permissible temperature for it is +32°C;

You should never close the bottle overnight, otherwise the beer may lose its carbonation;

Be careful with carbon dioxide emissions as they are toxic;

In any case, if you have problems, seek advice from your beer suppliers.

How to wash glasses

Grease stains, traces of lipstick and dishwashing liquid greatly affect the quality of beer foam: it quickly subsides, which is of course unattractive to customers, so beer glasses should be washed separately from others, using two tanks - one for washing, the other for rinsing. They should not be wiped under any circumstances. When machine washing beer f Glasses should also be washed separately from other dishes and not wiped.

How to pour a portion of draft beer correctly

The basic rules are as follows:

Choose a glass of the same brand as the beer;

Rinse it well, this is necessary in order to refresh the glass and improve the quality of the foam;

Carefully shake off any drops from the glass;

Fill the glass at once, to do this, open the tap completely in one motion and hold the glass at an angle of 45 degrees to the end of the tap so that the stream falls on the wall of the glass, and when it is half full, direct the stream directly into the glass, gradually bringing it vertical position to obtain the required amount of foam;

When the glass is full, close the tap in one motion;

Wash off the foam from the bottom of the glass if it has fallen on it, and then blot the glass with a towel;

Place a cardboard stand of the desired brand on the counter in front of the client and place the beer on it.

Beer storage

As stated above, beer should be stored in a cool, dark place, away from high temperatures. However, low temperatures (below +5°C) are also contraindicated for the ingot.

Unlike wine, the position of the bottle during storage does not matter. The exception is beer with sediment or beer sealed with a wooden stopper - they must be stored in an upright position.

As a rule, the younger the beer, the better it drinks. Accordingly, there is no point in stockpiling.

Temperature

Temperature is a determining element for the taste of beer. The denser and stronger the beer, the higher the temperature at which it is served should be (from +6-+7°C to 14°C).

An exception is British ale beer, which, although not very strong, ideally reveals its taste at temperatures above +10°C, but only if it is draft beer.

If the beer is warm, then its taste is truly terrible. You should never add ice to it. By depriving beer of gases, ice will also deprive it of taste.

Foam

With the exception of British ales and a few others that contain only a small amount of dissolved carbon dioxide, beer is served with a foam called “slipper”, at least 2 centimeters thick.

This not only looks beautiful, but also serves to ensure that the beer retains its taste in the glass for as long as possible. Foam protects it from the harmful effects of oxygen.

There is one exception - beer with sediment, which must be poured into the glass very carefully, without moving the bottle sharply, so that the sediment does not mix with the beer.

Some major beer brands

Dark or light, prepared using one or another fermentation method, the variety of beer brands is so great that I will only indicate the most common of them.

Beck's(Bucks) Bitburger(Bitburger), Bud(Bad) Bush(bash) Carlsberg(Carlsberg), Corona(Crown), Dos Equis(Dos Equis) Fax(Fax) Grolsch(Grolsch), Guinness(Guinness), Heineken(Heineken), Holsten(Holsten), Jever(Yever), Kilkenny(Kilkenny) Kronenbourg(Kronenburg), Miller(Miller), Murphy's(Murphys), Pilsener(Rilsener), Sol(Sol), Stella Artois(Stella Artois), Tuborg(Tuborg)

Among the most famous brands of beer, we can also highlight excellent, very famous Belgian brands Abbaye, Blanche de Bruges(Blanche de Bruges) Gueuze(Gez), Lambic(Lambic) and an equally famous Russian brand Baltika.

Beer is self-sufficient. You can add anything to it: the most suitable containers or glasses, perfectly selected food, the atmosphere of a classic Russian or German beer hall or even a pub in the British colonial style. But you can also take anything away from it - and it will still remain itself.

Lagers

The main beer of the world is light lager, which is most drunk from bottles and spilled in bars. Lager is opposed to ale - the world's second main type of beer. The whole difference is in the yeast. Lager - a pale, light and dry beer in the German-Czech style - was invented in Bohemia in 1842. No one knows when ale was invented. This is the most ancient method of beer production - hops, malt, water, wild yeast.

Beer, as you know, ferments. "Bottom fermentation" is a lager in the German-Czech vein, typical of Europe and generally accepted throughout the rest of the world. Its production is a high-tech process: beer ferments for a long time, with cooling and temperature control. “Top fermentation” is a process in which a cap of yeast simply floats on the surface of beer fermenting at room temperature. This is a more archaic method - this is how ales are fermented.

Many people are surprised that pubs serve beer at room temperature. This is not a quirk: beer fermented warmly will reveal all the beauties of its taste and aroma when not chilled. Lagers are always drunk chilled. In most Moscow pubs, however, English beer is also poured into mugs cold. Even in winter - as we once had the opportunity to verify as part of a special raid on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. Leaving the Belfast Irish pub in 25-degree frost, the participants of the tasting felt a sore throat.

There are countless lagers. About five years ago, American lagers were fashionable, of which there are three or four varieties, including Miller brewed in Kaluga. But now this fashion has passed. Everyone returned to pilsners - that is, lagers with an emphasis on hops. The Czechs rightly believe that real pilsner can only be produced in the Czech city of Pilsen, where, in their opinion, the best hops in the world grow. However, envious brewers from other regions already in the 19th century thought differently, and German pilsner (the most popular today is Beck’s) and even American pilsner appeared. Now Czech pilsner is brewed even in Kaluga and sold in Moscow restaurants.

German lagers are diverse; it makes no sense to list them. At Oktoberfest, the Germans brew seasonal beer - Munich and Bavarian dark varieties, including the smoked Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier. But these are all particulars. The world's main lagers are Foster's, Carlsberg, Beck's, Corona, Stella Artois, Kronenbourg, Heineken, which are produced in different parts of the world without being tied to one country.

Dark and light

Dark and light beer have nothing to do with the struggle between good and evil; it’s all about their main component - malt. The color of the beer is determined by the degree of roasting of the malt and the amount of dark malt used during brewing. The most common types: caramel, chocolate, burnt - all of them can be found on the label of Baltika No. 6. Both ale and lager can be dark. It’s about the same story with the once popular discussion about “filtered” and “unfiltered” beer - absolutely anyone can be one or the other. Moreover, wheat beer can be both dark and filtered, for example beer from the famous Bavarian producer Maisel’s Weisse, which can be bought in most supermarkets.

Wheat lagers

Beers that are made from hops and malt are usually either hop- or malt-focused. But sometimes it happens that malt is replaced by some other grain - wheat, rye or even rice, which is put into beer in China, as well as in large breweries to reduce the cost of the process. Wheat is actively boiled in Bavaria, probably due to excess grain. Schneider Weisse from upper Bavaria, popular in supermarkets, is the best example.

The Belgian “Hoegaarden” with the addition of orange zest has made wheat lagers popular all over the world - including at the Klin brewery. By the way, Belgian beer is the strangest in the world. Cherries, raspberries, and other vegetables and fruits are placed in it. These are the raspberry Lindemans Framboise or Bellevue. These varieties are closer, rather, not to lagers, but to ales. And in Moscow, you should go to the “Beer Cell” or “Birmarket” for Belgian beer. Belgian beer is so unusual that you have to try it before you buy it. What if you don't like it?

The best of what happens in the ocean of foamy drink.

All British and Irish beer is ale. The usual difference between dark and light beer among the British is very blurred and the gradation of beer by color is very arbitrary.

Let's start with light types. Bitter is a popular pale ale with a golden color. Served in 80% of pubs in England. Pale Ale is an amber or copper colored beer brewed from light dried malt. Light and strong ale quenches thirst in the heat. Very similar to bitter.

Then there are not quite light ones, but rather red-brown in color and semi-dark according to the global classification. Brown Ale - brown-red in color, flavored with toasted and caramel malts. Cask Ale is a barrel-filtered ale, matured in oak barrels. Irish Red Ale is almost on the verge of dark - almost red in color, rich, sweet and oily.

Borderline dark ales follow. English Strong Ale, often labeled as an old ale in the provinces, is brown in color and has a bittersweet taste. May also appear as dark ale. Scotch Ale has a dark color, a malty taste with a buttery-nutty hue, and often a light peat aroma, like in single malt whiskeys. The association with whiskey is not accidental. Everyone knows that they are made from malt, but few think about the fact that before the malt is distilled into alcohol, it needs to be fermented into some kind of beer - so, Scottish ale is most similar to the malt wash from which whiskey is made.

And finally, very dark varieties. Frankly dark ales are often called stouts. The main dark ale - porter - was first brewed in London in 1730 by a brewer named Harwood for porters and the industrial proletariat, and the real stout was invented by Arthur Guinness only in 1759. Traditionally, stouts are dry in Ireland and sweet in England. The most popular Guinness stout can be found in any bar.

Finally, even among the original British beers there are varieties and formats that fall outside the generally accepted series: like Barley Wine, a hybrid of wine and beer made from barley, or Oatmeal Stout, which is brewed with oatmeal. Barley wine, like regular wine, can be aged in oak, which gives it a tannic taste and rich aroma that is uncharacteristic of beer. The famous "Thomas Hardy Ale", aged for six months in barrels and having the aroma of meat broth, is practically barley wine.

The main players in the classic ale market are happy to export: Young’s, Greene King Brewing and Retailing Limited, St. Peter's Brewery, Wychwood Brewery - and recently their products have become more than available in Moscow, not only in specialized stores for fans like Kruger Hall on Tulskaya or Pilgrim on Savelovskaya (8 499 978 2507, Novoslobodskaya, 62, bldg. . 17), but also in retail chains - up to Daily mini-markets.

Russian beer

Typical Russian brewing has not existed for two hundred years. And in general there is no Russian beer - almost the entire pre-revolutionary brewing industry was built by the Germans and Czechs. Before the revolution, there were about 20 factories in different cities whose names included the word “Bavaria,” and about 15 with the word “Bohemia.” So it is not surprising that the market is now controlled by several multinational corporations.

Beer today in Russia consists of plastic containers and a limited number of brands. About the same thing, it seems, was happening in the States, and throughout the world. But consolidation there could not continue indefinitely - and the response to globalization was microbreweries that appeared in the early 80s, including those combined with restaurants and bars.

In Moscow, microbreweries brewing beer for restaurants still barely resemble an emerging alternative to mega-companies - rather, they look like a toy for successful restaurateurs. “Tinkoff”, “16 tons”, “Fifth Ocean” - all of them do not make a difference in the logic and style of beer sales, but they produce quite high-quality beer for amateurs. They all have regular fans who love them for their more or less varied beer menu in the German style, like Tinkoff, or the British style, like Tonn. In the case of the rest of the restaurants, there are three abstract house varieties: light, dark and red. All varieties are brewed at approximately the same breweries near Moscow and delivered to restaurants in returnable kegs.

Until the early 2000s, there were domestic breweries that stood out from the general background - Afanasy, famous for its dark variety, which, by the way, recently returned to the shelf, and Kazan's Red Vostok with its assortment of twenty items, but at the current moment their influence on the market and on the minds of citizens is practically zero.

Fans and foodies

Beer subculture and beer culture are two different things. Beer culture is when, at what time of year and with what food. Beer culture consists of people like the American beer guru Michael Jackson (not to be confused with the pop star), the main beer journalist, author of numerous books and guides, who died at the end of August. We planned to interview him, but we didn’t have time - he died of Parkinson’s disease.

The beer subculture is a strange group of football fans, celtomaniacs and neo-fascists, for whom beer is more than an ordinary male ritual. By the way, is it male? According to internal research by Tinkoff, the majority of girls who drink beer prefer to drink German-style dark beer, and mainly in the summer. Not many people choose beer not because of taste, but for some ideological reasons. Ultimately, with a limited assortment, everything comes down not even to subcultures, but to types of beer. Guinness and similar stouts are a cult item for fans of the Celtic theme. The few classic skinheads and football fans who support British clubs drink Spitfire and Newcastle Brown Ale. And fans of Italian clubs can run a couple of blocks for Birra Moretti. And Russian neo-fascists, even those who are focused on the national idea, drink German beer.

“Give me, my dear, a mug of bitter, and madam, as usual, lambic.” You can hardly hear such a phrase in a drinking establishment. Most often we order light or dark, filtered, unfiltered. However, the brewers who have been cultivating famous beers for centuries would not pat us on the back. Out of respect for their work, and simply for education, we understand the confusing classification.

Let's start with the fact that there are two large groups - lagers and ales, each of which is also divided into types. Let's deal with them first.

Lagers

A distinctive feature of lagers is that they ferment at fairly low temperatures - 4-9 degrees. And due to the fact that the yeast during the production of such beer is concentrated at the bottom of the container, these varieties are called bottom-fermented beer. German monks began producing lagers in the Middle Ages. And in the end they hooked the whole of Europe and the world on them. Lagers come in dark and light varieties, such as the Žatecký Gus brand.

Pilsner

If you order a light beer at a bar, it's most likely a lager. And there's an even greater chance that it's a pilsner. This variety is the most widespread in the world. However, the most classic pilsner is made from light malt, soft water and, of course, the famous Zatec hop.

Smoked beer

Now this variety with a noticeable smoky flavor is produced only as an exotic. However, in ancient times it was he who was in use. The point is in the way the malt was prepared: when brewers did not have time to dry it naturally, they did it over a fire. Smoked beer is not for everyone. As they say in the regions where it is common, only from the third mug does the taste become correct. The center of smoky brewing is the Bavarian city of Bamberg and its surroundings.

Munich

Beer produced according to the Munich type stands out in this category. His recipe appeared in the 10th century and is still actively used. Munich beer comes in both light and dark varieties.

Bock beer

Another German “classic”, characterized by density and strength. Typically, bock contains 6.3–7.2% alcohol. Also found in light and dark forms.

Eli

While lagers originated in Germany and the Czech Republic, the British Isles are traditionally famous for their ales.

Unlike lager, ale ferments at higher temperatures - from 15 to 24 degrees. During its production, yeast is pushed upward, which is why this method is called top fermentation.

It was through top fermentation that the ancient Sumerians produced their first beer in the fourth millennium BC. The British, in general, are adherents of traditions here too.

Porter

This variety appeared at the beginning of the 18th century in London. It was brewed as an alternative to classic ale. Porter was more nutritious than its predecessor, and workers and longshoremen fell in love with it, due to the fact that it supposedly replenished their strength like no other drink before.

Stout

A particularly respected variety in Ireland and Britain. Stout is always dark. Made from roasted malt. A couple of centuries ago it was considered a type of porter, but then it was isolated as a separate type, and a stout cult was born in the literal sense of the word. Various healing properties began to be attributed to it, and doctors prescribed it to their patients.

Bitter

Not to be confused with the group of strong alcoholic drinks, which includes bitters, vermouths and liqueurs. This variety began to be called bitter, that is, bitter, because beer producers began to add hops to it, which imparted bitterness. Bitter colors can vary from yellow to copper.

Pale ale

Pale ale is another iconic English drink. It also appeared at the beginning of the 18th century, in the town of Burton. Light malt and local water, which was saturated with minerals, gave the variety a special taste, which was appreciated not only by city residents. Pale ales come in pale honey and golden colors.

Here are other interesting varieties that differ in their production method and are known in Spain.

Wheat beer

It's white. Made from wheat malt. Has a fruity spicy taste. The production process for wheat beer is similar to the production of ale. However, it “arrives” already in the bottle. Traditionally, wheat beer is unfiltered. However, there are also transparent varieties. It is believed that this beer should not be drunk very cold so that its flavor can develop.

Lambic

Belgian pride and know-how. This type of fermentation is called spontaneous or spontaneous because it ferments in wine barrels, without the addition of traditional brewer's yeast. To ripen lambic, the microorganisms that were “inherited” from the wine that was previously there are sufficient. Researchers found 86 different microorganisms in the drink.

Lambic can be aged from one to ten years. Cherries, raspberries and other fruits are added to some of its varieties.

Just a few years ago, the range of beers presented in stores, was clear and very limited. Everyone had their own bottled favorites that saved them on a hot day or after a hard day at work.

Today we are witnessing a real beer revolution. The brewing process is a science and a process that has been calibrated to perfection.Beer bars and boutiques are opening not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in smaller cities. It can be quite difficult for a non-professional to understand the world of craft beer.

KitchenMag learned a lot of interesting information about beer from real professionals in their field: How to choose how to serve, what snacks and b people choose different beers. Approach the issue wisely!

A little history

Recently, humanity has become tired of drinking monotonous beer and It was decided to diversify the taste of this drink. They started brewing beer at home. Citizens appreciated such homemade creativity, and the demand for non-standard beer grew.

In 1978, American President Jimmy Carter issued law legalizing home brewing. Beer brewed at home could be safely sold to your friends, and not only to neighbors, but also to neighboring states. This beer was called craft, that is, handmade beer.

Since then, craft beer production has only grown. There are now more than 4,000 craft breweries in America. There are also enough of them in Russia - about 760. Traditionally beer is brewed from water, malt and hops. Beer is divided into two types of fermentation - lager and ale(bottom and top fermentation).

Today, there are several hundred different types of beer, such as milk stouts, dark lagers, fruit ales and many others. The variety may make your eyes run in different directions, but now every beer lover can find a drink to suit his taste.

Modern trends in brewing

At the moment the main trend is craft beer, that is, beer brewed by hand, according to its own unique recipes, with the addition of various natural ingredients. New varieties of beer, new production technologies, new inventions from brewers to add various berries, fruits and vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients to the drink are constantly appearing.

In Russia at the moment we are seeing the so-called craft beer revolution. Craft bars, draft and bottled beer stores, and bottle shops open daily. Today, even classic English and Irish pubs offer craft beer. Since there is such a great demand for beer, craft breweries are springing up like mushrooms. clearing after rain. Their numbers are growing exponentially. Beer giants are also not lagging behind: they produce pseudo-craft beer, which is referred to in the world as crafti.

How to choose craft beer

First you need to figure out which of the many styles of beer you like best. To do this, you should buy 5-10 varieties of beer, such as:

IPA- India pale ale (with a fair amount of hop bitterness);

APA- American Indian pale ale (differs from IPA in a more bitter taste and more hops);

BIPA- black India pale ale (it's simple: it's a dark IPA);

DIPA- double India pale ale (from the name it is clear that the beer is twice as strong, bitter and dense as its predecessor IPA);

Porter- dark beer with a characteristic taste (brewed especially for English longshoremen, which is where it got its name);

Stout- to put it simply, this is a stronger porter;

RIS- Russian imperial stout (usually a very dark and strong beer with an alcohol content of 8% and above, often aged in oak barrels used for a wide variety of alcoholic beverages).

There are many styles and varieties of craft beer. Start small. A little later you will definitely Get involved and start studying beer culture more closely, gradually forgetting and excluding from your life the mass-produced beer brewed by beer giants.

About craft brewing standards

Craft brewing appeared in Russia relatively recently, about 10 years ago, and is now experiencing a boom. In Russia there is no clear definition for this term, so it is customary to rely on the experience of Western colleagues.

In America there are clear requirements for craft brewing. Firstly, the brewery must be small (annual volume no more than 703.8 million liters of beer per year). Secondly, the brewery must be independent (this gives a certain freedom to the brewer; he does not have to adapt to the opinions and vision of investors). And the last, third point, the brewery must follow traditions. This means that such beer must contain at least 50% malt, and other additives must serve to create an unusual and interesting taste, but in no case to reduce costs.

Something similar is happening here in Russia: people are passionate about the idea of ​​creating something new and original. Hundreds of enthusiasts get down to business, look for old recipes, create new ones, experiment, and play with taste. Some open their own small factories, some rent tanks from large breweries, and some even brew beer in their kitchen.

What snacks to choose with beer: tips Helsinkibar

Drinking culture is now at a fairly high level. This applies to both strong alcohol, cocktails, wine and beer. They drink first to enjoy the process and enjoy the taste of the drink, so combinations of alcohol with food can be very different.

For example, strong beers go well with hearty food - steaks, rich soups. Sweet stouts pair well with spicy foods like pizza. Bitters – with fresh fruit. Lagers – with fish and chicken dishes. Pal Eli goes well with spicy dishes and cheeses. Porters - with chocolate desserts and even ice cream. These are generally accepted combinations, but yours may be completely different. Don’t be afraid to experiment, because this is the only way to find the best gastronomic pairings that suit you.