Tollgate Liquors

Tollgate Marketplace
615 Bel Air Rd
Bel Air, Maryland
410-638-0002

Beer Guide:

There’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot day! That first sip is the absolute best! But did you also know the right beer on a cold winter afternoon is just as enjoyable? With so many beers and beer styles how do you know which beer is right for you? Here’s a quick and easy guide to help you choose the right beer. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Many Premium beers are less than $10.00 a six pack. If you don’t like it, let your friends try it, use them to steam crabs and vegetables or for beer battered goodies. Careful here, hoped up bitter beers can make your food bitter; experiment with it. Beers that are made with lots of hops can be kept for more than a year without losing their flavors. They were originally brewed for just that purpose. India Pale Ale or IPA, was invented in England so their soldiers fighting in India could enjoy beer.  By adding large quantities of hops they found the beer would endure the long journey in the hold of a ship without spoiling as other beers had done.

A quick note on beer dates, Lager beers like Miller, Coors and Budweiser have freshness dates stamped on them. Coors for example has an expiration date on it, however the longer it’s kept cold the fresher it stays. Does the beer suddenly go bad the day after the date? You mean its good one day before the date but not one day after the date? It’s true, they are fresher when opened by the date but don’t throw out beer just because of the date. Don’t get too hung up on old wives tales. Also beer that has been cold then warm is not ruined. Nobody gets beer delivered to them in a refrigerated truck! Cold beer is loaded onto warm trucks and delivered to us. In the summertime the beer is warm when the truck gets to us, in the winter the beer is cold. Just delivered beer is put out on the sales floor and sold warm until the beer in the cooler is sold then the stock is rotated. This is true at every bar, restaurant and liquor store. It’s the same with beer that comes from overseas. In the summer it’s delivered warm, in the winter it’s delivered cold. Only extreme temperatures of less than 32 degrees or more than 75 degrees damage beer. So don’t worry about buying cold beer and letting it get warm, it’s already been through it several times.

Before we get to the fun part, let me give you a few pointers on how to taste beer. A little education will go a long way. First, you absolutely need a Pilsner glass. Pilsners are made specifically for beer drinkers. The shape of the glass is made to produce a head and to encapsulate the nose while taking a sip. Pour the beer down the side of the glass, the speed of the pour should be adjusted to leave about a two finger head. Some beers may have a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle, as a general rule; make sure to get that in your glass. Take a moment here to examine the head; some will be dark and foamy while others may be light colored with smaller bubbles. This is your first clue as to the flavor of the brew. Notice the color of the beer, darkness, cloudiness or is it clear. This is the second clue about the taste of the beer. Check out the aroma, put your nose into the glass and take a good whiff. In general, hop beers will be clear or light colored and have a hop fragrance. Beers with heavy malts will be darker and will smell of malt, roasted or even chocolate and coffee. This is the third clue about the taste of the beer. Take your first sip breathing through your nose at the same time. What can you taste? Sweet, bitter a combination of both or something else? How did it finish? What was the texture on the palette? Dry, thick, thin, chewy? These are all characteristics of the beer you want to recognize so you can determine what style of beer you prefer. Bitter beers usually have lots of hops, sweeter beers have lots of malt, stay away from hopped up beers if you haven’t acquired the taste for bitter. Some beers can have a combination of both; their start and finish are quite different and give your taste buds a real ride.

No longer are beer drinkers characterized by fat guys in flannel lying on the couch surrounded by a bunch of dead soldiers. Today, beer has become much more sophisticated and is a rapidly growing market. So, how do you choose a beer in the store? All beer falls into two categories, ales and lagers. What’s the difference? Ale yeasts are fermented at the top of the tank at 60-72 degrees. Lager yeast is fermented at the bottom between 46 and 55 degrees. Ales lose some of their flavors while Lagers retain their flavors. Ales are aged for only a few weeks, Lagers are aged for months creating a clear and cleaner beer. This aging process is called “lagering” this term may help you remember the differences. Ales are generally more aromatic and fruity and can range from bitter to sweet with varying amounts of alcohol. Lagers are smooth, crisp, mellow, more subtle and drinker friendly. Ales are served at warmer temperatures while lagers are always served cold.

You now have a general understanding of beer. On a hot day you may choose an ice cold lager, it’s crisp and light. On a cold day choose maybe an ale that’s served warmer, a heavier, richer beer. Use the pointers I have given you and the following descriptions to choose the beer that is right for your taste. When you get ready to taste remember the three clues about beer we talked about earlier, head, color and aroma. These will help you differentiate between the various beer styles in the two categories, ales and lagers. Now when you see an aromatic thick, frothy head and dark color you’ll know what the taste is. Here’s a guide to help you:

Ales

• American Brown Ale: Brown, deep copper color, roasted malt, caramel and light chocolate flavor and aroma, medium to high hop bitterness, medium body. Pete’s Wicked Ale, Sierra Nevada Brown Ale.

• English Brown Ale: Copper to reddish brown color, dry to sweet nutty malt, low hop bitterness, light fruit aroma. Newcastle, Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale.

• Amber or Red: Light copper to rich amber color, high hop bitterness, medium to high malt, light caramel undertone, medium to heavy body. Killians, Pete’s Wicked Red Bush.

• Bitter: British style beer, high hops, aromatic, gold copper color, light to medium body, medium bitter and malt. High alcohol content. Boddington’s. Young’s, ESB

• Black & Tan: Dark amber or brown color. Light malt, light hops, light alcohol content. Saranac Black & Tan, Yuengling Black & Tan. Originally the English combined Stout and IPA to make this beer thus Black & Tan

• India Pale Ale or IPA: Gold in color, large quantities of hops stored in oak barrels, definite oak flavor, high alcohol content, clean dry after taste. Sierrra Nevada Celebration Ale, Sam Smith IPA, Hop Devil

• Pale Ale: Deep gold to copper color, high hop bitterness, very aromatic, medium body, medium malt. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bass Ale, Sam Adams Pale Ale

• Porter: Very dark color, light to medium body, medium hop bitterness, medium malt sweetness. Lacks the roasted flavor many malt beers have. Sam Smith Taddy Porter

• Stout: A more intense version of Porter, definite coffee flavor, roasted, barley, sweet caramel flavor. A rich heavy beer, an acquired taste. Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout, Young’s Oatmeal Stout, Guinness Stout.

• Winter Ale: Very Strong, spicy herb flavors, definitely a sipper, served up to 60 degrees, great for cold winter days.

Lagers

• American Lagers: Gold color, highly carbonated, crisp, light body, well balanced no discernable aromas or flavors. Bud, Miller, Coors, Rolling Rock, Molson

• American Lager Light: You are already familiar with these beers. Coors Light, Miller Light, Bud Light, Sam Adams Light

• Amber Lager: Amber to reddish in color, medium body, caramel malt flavor and aroma. Sam Adams Boston Lager, Killians, Yuengling Traditional Lager

• Bock: Made from mostly malt, full bodied, mild hop bitterness followed by sweet malt overtones. Spaten Optimator, Michelob Amber Bock

• Dark Lager/Dunkel: The original lager beer, deep color to dark brown, light crisp body, high malt, light hops. Beck’s Dark, St. Pauli Dark, Warsteiner Dunkel

• American Pilsner: Deep gold color, medium body, medium hop bitterness and aroma. Corn is used to brew this beer. Coors Extra Gold, Labatt’s Blue.

• Bohemian Style: Gold to light amber, moderate hop, slight sweetness. Pilsner Urquel

• European Pilsner: Golden color, medium body, brewed with rice, corn, wheat and other grains. Low to medium hop bitterness, low malt sweetness. Guiness, Harp, Grolsch, Lowenbrau.

• German Pilsner: Light straw or golden color, medium body, high hop bitterness and aroma, light malt, dense, rich head. St. Pauli, Warsteiner, Victory Prima Pils, Bitburger, Sierra Nevada Summerfest.

Specialty Brews

• Cream Ale: A lager beer fermented at high temperature like an ale. Low hops, mild malt, moderate carbonation. Creamy mouth texture. Sam Adams Cream Ale, Genesee Cream Ale

• Fruit Beers: Made from fruit extracts. Sweeter than traditional beers, usually a basic Pilsner with fruit added. Oxford Raspberry, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

• Wheat Beer or Weizen: Usually medium gold with a spicy, fruity aroma, made from wheat or Weizen and barley a light refreshing beer. Dunkel Weizen or dark wheat is the dark version. Hefeweizen, Hefe translated is yeast, therefore a yeast wheat beer, cloudy color, frothy head but still very refreshing. Sam Adams Summer Ale, Sierra Nevada Wheat, Hefeweizen, Pete’s Wicked Summer Brew, Blue Moon

• Oktoberfest: Gold to reddish color, malty toasted flavor, sweet, mild hop bitterness. Originally brewed in March or Marzen and lagered for many months, hence Octoberfest. Beck’s Oktoberfest, Spaten Oktoberfest

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Hopefully this will help you discern the flavors of different beers. Try to remember what you liked or disliked about each variety. This is supposed to be fun so have fun with it! As you become more experienced you may want to visit more detailed websites to expand your knowledge and hopefully tastes. I wanted to give you a quick overview, there’s a lot more information out there. Should you have any questions feel free to drop us an e-mail or stop in to see us. We look forward to seeing you.