Beer

Beer is one of the oldest beverages known to civilization. According to Wikipedia, beer is dated back to ancient Egypt and the Mesopotamia. Today there are hundreds of different brews available. Enjoy!

Types of Beer

• There are two main categories of beer: ales and lagers.
• The differences between the two originate from the different methods of fermentation.
• Ales are brewed at higher temperatures with and tend to have richer, fruitier flavors with a lot of variety between breweries.
• Lagers are brewed at lower temperatures, resulting in a "crisper" taste and in many cases a lighter color.
• For extensive information on the history and brewing of beer, read this Wikipedia article on beer.

Ales

There are many beers made in the ale tradition. Below are some of the most popular. Belgium Ales Blonde Ales  Brown Ales  (Newcastle , pictured above, is an English brown ale .) India Pale Ales  Pale Ale  (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale  is an American pale ale .) Porter  Stout (Guinness  is an Irish stout .)

Lagers

The more popular lagers know by most beer drinkers are: Beck's  Budweiser  Dos Equis  Heineken  Pilsner urquell  Samuel Adams  Stella Artois  Yuengling  Some lagers not as popular with the masses but good nonetheless, happen to come from the Czech Republic. Pilsner Bock /Doppelbock  Oktoberfest

Beer-like Beverages

Don't like beer? There are a number of beer alternatives on the market.

• Hard Cider 
• Made from fruit juice -- usually apple, but sometimes pear.
• Alcohol content varies.
• Slightly sweet.
• Brands include Woodchuck  and Cider Jack .
• Malt Liquor 
• Made in the same way as beer, but higher alcohol content prevents it from being marketed as beer in the United States.
• Frequently sold in 40-ounce bottles.
• Brands include Olde English 800  and Colt 45 .
• "Alcopops "
• Sweet, flavored alcoholic beverages sold in small bottles; also known as "malternatives ."
• Contain about the same amount of alcohol per serving as beer.
• Brands include Mike's Hard Lemonade  and Smirnoff Ice /Smirnoff Twist .
• Mead 
• Made by fermenting honey; sometimes known as "honey wine."

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
DE: Bier