We are now entering a world which is someway even more complex than the wine one. When a customer orders a beer, he/she is not making an easy choice, because there is a wide range of different types according to the methods of production, the malt, the hops, the yeasts… IPA, APA, Lager, Porter, Weiss, Lambic are not only names, they are completely different drinks! Beer is not a contemporary-born drink, you know? The best productions can be dated back to the Middle Ages, and we must thank monks for having passed on this ancient art to the present brewers. Producing beer is an art, as we have just written, and being able to recognise and enhance each product is the proud of any professional bartender. Not to mention glasses, which make a huge difference: being a good bartender implies the knowledge and skills to serve the perfect beer mug, whatever your client's desire is. Are you ready to start?
First of all, we can distinguish between industrial and craft beer. The other important distinction is between bottled and draft beer.
Beer is made of four main ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water. Malt: is the soul of beer and it contributes flavor, aroma, color and body. It’s a cereal grain, generally barley, that has been partially germinated then roasted. Roasted malts impart color and flavors like toffee, nuts, chocolate, coffee, bread, raisin and prune. Hops: pungent flowers that add aroma, flavor and bitterness to beer. Hop bitterness balances malt sweetness. Common flavor and aromatic descriptors include floral, citrusy, piney, fruity, earthy and spicy. Yeast: during fermentation, yeast eat sugar and expels alcohol, carbon dioxide (CO2) and flavor compounds. The main point of differentiation in yeast types is lager (low fermentation) vs. ale (high fermentation) yeast. Within these two broad categories are a wide variety of yeasts. Some craft brewers make unique beers using wild (indigenous) yeast. Yeast may give distinct flavors to beer, or it can be more neutral. Water: according to terroir, water changes a lot. It can be more or less mineral, spring or glacier… Different waters mean different beer.
You can define colour, bitterness, alcohol and sugar in a beer through four different international parameters: Colour: SRM (Standard Reference Method); Bitterness: IBU (International Bitterness Units); Alcohol: ABV (Alcohol by volume); Residual sugar: Gravity.
A beer tasting and evaluation is also based on four parameters: Appearance: colour, body, legs (large legs = more alcohol), foam (thin or thick), bubbles (fine or gross, a lot or a few). Mouthfeel: body, carbonation. Aroma: (perceived with your nose) malt, bread, fruit, flowers, spice, pine, citrus... Flavour: (perceived with your mouth) sweet, malty, bitter, bready, spicy, sour, fruity, nutty, roasted, chocolate…
There are some guidelines which cannot be forgotten if you are serving craft beer: Glass: appropriate glassware enhances aromatics, delivers more flavor and releases bubbles so you ingest less carbonation. Generally, the stronger the beer, the smaller the glass. Beware: frozen glassware causes foaming, masks flavors and can impart off flavors. Pairing: match intensity with intensity. Strong-flavored foods overwhelm light-flavored beers and vice-versa. Look for flavor harmonies and bridges between craft beer and food—shared notes that can tie together the pairing. Temperature: most lagers of average strength are best enjoyed chilled to 3° C. Many ales and stronger craft beers are enhanced when served warmer and closer to cellar temperature: 10° C to 15° C.
Beer and Food Pairing follows two rules: - Complement Beer and food complement each other when they share similar characteristics. - Contrast Beer and food contrast each other when their characteristics are balanced and enhanced by the opposite ones without overshadowing each other's unique flavour and peculiarities. Pay attention: some pairings can be both by contrast and complement!
How to suggest beer to a customer: If a customer asks you... - What types of beers do you have? - Which beer can you suggest? 1) First of all check the customer's preferences! - What are your general preferences? - Which kind of beer do you generally drink? - What are you in the mood for? - Would you rather drink weiss or blonde beer? Amber or red? Or perhaps you'd rather drink dark beer... - Are you in the mood for weiss, blonde, amber, red or dark beer? - Would you like a bitter/hoppy or a malty/sweet beer? A spicy or a fruity one? - Would you like something refreshing, bitter, strong, sweet, mild....? 2) Then suggest (and explain the reasons for your choice)! - I suggest a....because it is.... (describe it)/ I think that it matches perfectly your preferences.