Good news: as of this year, The Brewer’s Association has documented 140 registered styles as of beer (all falling into the categories of lager or ale). Bad news? The majority of the map drinks one. More good news: from the ubiquitous to the elusive, Philadelphia has them all. Many brewed by our local hopback heroes, and others we are lucky to procure from Europe because of our East Coast position.
And the perfect time to try them is upon us: Philly Beer Week, which came about as a ten day festival in lieu of The Book and the Cook, is celebrating its third birthday with over a week of festivities. And it makes sense, we’re the best “Beer Drinking City in America.” We’ve got better beer in our stadiums and in our hotels than most of the country. I’ve been to two weddings in the last year that opted for a sophisticated beer toast as opposed to champagne to celebrate the newlyweds. Beer has been elevated at the table, with local sommeliers being just as wellversed in their barley, malt, water, and hops as they are in their viniculture.
Last year I heard a news anchor ask a guest, “What’s a pilsner?” I scoffed, but then I started to think, “maybe a lot of people don’t know, let alone understand, the oxymoronic wee heavy or why a barley wine is called so.”
And thus here’s a lil’ guide to help you know what you’re drinking this week. And hopefully, for the rest of your lives.
Pilsner
A golden lager that’s been fermented at colder temperatures over longer periods of time than other beers, resulting in a crisp, smooth beer. They tend to be dry, with a snap of bitterness and a nice bready character from the Pils malt. Many of the mass marketed ones are using 20% adjuncts, such as corn and rice, to produce the beer at a lower cost. The number one selling beer in the world for years was Bud Light. The concept of Lite was born out of the 1940s as a “diet beer” for women. As Randy Mosher shares in Tasting Beer, “Fungally derived enzymes are used to reduce all starches present in to fermentable sugars, ensuring that there will be no residual carbohydrates and that the maximum alcohol is produced with a minimum calorie content.”
Local Love: Victory Prima Pils, or Sly Fox Pikeland Pils. If you want to see what West Coast is pimping try the Lagunitas Czech-style Pils.
Around the Globe: The first pilsner was Pilsner Urquell (actually translates to “original source) but one can barely find that on draft around the city. Jever is a bit more popular.
Kolsch
A style that wasn’t popular in these parts until Philadelphia Brewing Co. broke out with Kenzinger. These straw-colored refreshers, are less bitter than a pilsner, but more lager-like than any other ales. They’re brewed at warmer temperatures like an ale, but then cellared like a lager (lager actually means “to store” in German). They are indigenous to Cologne, Germany in the same way that Champagne can only come from Champagne, France.
Local Love: The crisp Karnival Kolsch from Stoudts, was voted one of Philly’s best new beers by Craig Laban. It is one of the most refreshing, clean beers to recently arrive on the scene.
Around the Globe: If you want to go to the homeland, a reasonably priced Gaffel Kolsch could even switch a Miller Lite drinker.
Stout
As a coffee lover, for years these were my favorite. I even named my beer blog, “I’ll Have Another Stout,” after a Tom Waits Ballad. They’re riddled with roasty flavors; coffee and chocolate as the most notable. Some might have molasses, oatmeal or lactose added, like Lancaster Brewing Co’s popular Milk Stout. Some actually have coffee added to the kettle. There’s a fine line between a stout and a porter. Some say distinguishing between the two is even up for debate, claiming that stouts are stronger versions of porters because stout actually means “a strong black beer.” The most popular sub category to the style is the Dry Stout, poured on nitrogen for a creamy pint. For the health concerned out there, darker beers contain more of the phyto-chemicals that protect against age-related diseases.
Local Love: Troegs Java Head Stout, Philly Brewing Co’s Joe Coffee Porter, or Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout if you wanna be drinking Guinness Book of World Record Style. Also look for YARDS Love stout to be poured off of Nitrogen later this fall.
Around the Globe: Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout is a benchmark out of Britain.
Hefeweizen
Literally translates into “wheat beer with yeast.” Some beer’s distinguishing ingredient is the malt (as in the Rauchbier, for the case of pale ales where the hops used are going to affect the taste, whether it’s more piney, or like biting into a ruby red grapefruit in the morning). With a hefe, the grain bill is not to be ignored because over 50% of the bill is wheat malt which will make it lighter on our palette - and produces a head as fluffy as a bubble bath. But, as you can tell by the beers actual name, it’s all about the yeast, producing phenols of clove, pepper, banana and bubblegum, but none of those are actually added to the beer, of course.
Local Love: You can choose from Troegs Dream Weaver Wheat, Sly Fox Royal Weisse, or Stoudts Heifer-In-Wheat.
Around the Globe: If you want to go German proper, go Schneider Weisse.
Single/Dubbel/Tripel talk
There’s a bevy of world-class beer coming out of the very small country of Belgium. Many are under the impression that a dubbel has been double fermented and a tripel, thrice; not really the case. A Belgian single is a Monk’s table beer. It’s golden in color and fit for consumption at their monastic table, because of its lower volume of alcohol (abv). Back in the day, a dubbel was marked with 2 X’s to label it twice as strong with notes of spice and dark fruits like raisins, and the tripel was marked with 3 X’s. Tripels were originally created to compete with lighter styles of beer like the pale ales and pilsners popular in the 1930s- yet they’re much stronger in alcohol ranging from 7.5% to 10 % abv. Tripels were marked with 2 X’s.
Local Love: Flying Fish’s Abbey Dubbel. Victory’s Golden Monkey is the most talked about tripel locally.
InterContinental: Allagash Tripel (Portland, Me.) South Hampton Tripel.
Around the Globe: Tripel Karmeliet and the Westmalle Tripel are best bets. For a dubbel, go St. Bernardus Prior 8.
Barley Wine
My friend Curt calls this style “a short cut to midnight.” The Beer is rooted in England which is odd considering the country’s reputation for session beers. The heavy dose of hops and malt result in a bittersweet pour; perfectly paired with blue-veined cheese and certainly easier to find with a little frost on the ground.
Local Love: YARDS Old Bart, DogFish Head’s Old School, or Troegs’ Flying Mouflan
Continental: Stone Old Guardian or Arcadia Cereal Killer
Around the Globe: JW Lees Harvest Ale (Plenty of vintages around the area)
Berliner Weisse
It is rare to find this beer outside its Teutonic homeland, but in Philadelphia you can drink it all summer long at Nodding Head. It’s a low-alcohol tart treat which is almost thirst-quenching in these warmer months. Some bars may use woodruff syrup, green in color, to add a sweetness detracting from the acidity of the beer.
Local Love: Head to Sansom St.’s Brew Pub.
Around the Globe: The best German example available, 1809, can be found at watering holes like Jose Pistolas or Brauhaus Schmitz.
American Pale Ale
Popularized by Chico’s Sierra Nevada in the mid 80s. For many a gateway to the better beer world is often loaded with cascade hops that impart a citrusy, piney flavor. This style illustrates how many different hop varietals are out there (120+). For ex: “Philly Pale Ale” which makes up about 30% of YARDS sales, is golden-hued, oozing simcoe hops loaded with grapefruit character- a totally different drinking experience from enjoying the copper-colored Sierra.
Local Love: Troegs Pale Ale, Sly Fox Phoenix (in a can!)
Around the Globe: A British Pale ale, tending to be subtler, will vary greatly from an American Pale Ale with American Hops. The age-old was Bass, but I now consider it a dead brand outside of faux Irish Bars. Try Belgian Pale Ale with American Hops like Tara Boulba or the new Exit 6 from Flying Fish debuting during Philly Beer Week.
I.P.A.
Traditionally, India Pale Ales were shipped to British troops stationed in India (Britain was generously thinking of their thirst). They would add extra hops to preserve it for the long journey, but American interpretations don’t always have the malt backbone of the traditional English types.
Local Love: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, Dogfish Head 60 min.
InterContinental: Bells Two-Hearted, Stone IPA, Elysian Avatar (a Jasmine IPA).
Around the Globe: Belhaven Twisted Thistle or Samuel Smiths IPA.
Rauchbier
I’m going to slide this one in because it’s a unique style, thankfully not ignored by local breweries. It’s brewed in the lager tradition, but the malt is first smoked over an open kiln. Some actually refer to it as “bacon beer.” I refer to it as downright dreamy with an angus burger.
Local Love: Sly Fox Brewing Co. makes a smoked lager that’s available on tap at South St.’s Percy St. barbecue all the time. Yards brewed a low alcohol “Grodziksi” for beer week which is debuting at Percy as well.
Around the Globe: Captain Lawrence “Smoke from the Oak” out of New York and the most commercial example; Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen.
Wee Heavy
These are the "Give me your malt, your toffee, your subtle smoke yearning to be consumed,” types of beers. Very dark beers. Car parked for the night beers. Find a fork and some bread pudding beers.
Local Love: On this side of the pond, Philadelphia Brewing Co. made a “Kilty Pleasure” for the first time this year.
InterContinental: A few states away, Founders Dirty Bastard from Michigan is brewed year round. Ale Smith Wee Heavy just entered the market from California.
Around the Globe: Orkney’s Skull Splitter from Scotland.
“Oak-Aged”
What happens to all those Heaven Hill barrels once the bourbon has left the cask so we can choke it down with a “Doobies Wide Special?” (a shot of HH and a can of Pale Ale for $5)? Brewers all over the country are throwing their beer in used bourbon/wine barrels. Sometimes fruit is thrown in to the beer before it’s matured in its new natural vessel. Brewers might add Brettanomyces yeast which will impart an earthy funk on the beer as well as tartness, acidity, and a complexity almost unrivaled in the industry. Gordon Grubb, Head Brew of Nodding Head, shares, “Barrel-Aging will mellow the more aggressive characteristics of a beer while adding flavors of oak, perhaps the previous contents of the barrel or from the micro-organisms in the barrel-sometimes in unexpected ways. And-it’s so much fun.”
Local Love: Iron Hill Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad. Nodding Head "Phunk".
InterContinental: Russian River Supplication.
Around the Globe: This has definitely been a brewing trend that hit the States in recent years. In Europe, many of the Belgian breweries like Cantillon age all their beers in wood. When the cash flow allows, try one of their life-altering lambics.
Witbier
Many people confuse Wits with Hefeweizens, but there are different yeast strains used. Wits are rooted in Belgium whereas Hefe’s are of German heritage. The Belgian style wit tends to be paler. Both are served unfiltered, thus cloudy in appearance. Wits have hints of chamomile, coriander and bitter orange, where as Hefe’s are more banana and clove as mentioned earlier.
Local Love: Ommegang Witte or Philly Brewing Co’s Walt Wit.
InterContinental: Allagash White has been stealing the hearts of Philly Hoegaarden fans for a while now.
Around the Globe: Hitachino Nest White might be the world’s best, but Hoegaarden is the most popular.
Hopefully, you are now set to navigate Beer Week. Remember aroma, appearance, flavor, mouth feel, and overall impressions are taken into account when judging your beer.
Also, it’s a matter of trust. Trust your bartender. They drink a lot, know what they’re talking about, and often delight in finding you your next favorite beer.
Visit Suzanne Wood's website at http://www.beerlass.com/.
"Eat Drink Philly" photograph from suvodeb, via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Philly" photograph from camardella, via Flickr (Creative Commons).
