ONE-A-DAY
-Julian Zelazny '96(1)
There is no phrase in the English language that represents
more of a challenge to me than "I don't like beer." As
inconceivable that this statement may seem to some people, the
speaker is invariably being completely candid. What they are
referring to, naturally, is their dislike for the fizzy, yellow,
lager product that has "that unpleasant aftertaste". What they
don't realize is that the sweeping statement "I don't like beer"
(ouch! there it is again) immediately dismisses hundreds of
different styles of beer from thousands of breweries worldwide,
and relegates them all the status of that all too familiar
product called American lager.
Banished are the wonderfully malty copper beers of France
called, Bi‚res de Garde; the unusual ales of northern Germany;
the classic ales of the British Isles; the rich dark beers of the
Carribean; and Belgium! What about Belgium, where they have a
different style of beer for every day of the year. The range of
beers in Belgium is absolutely staggering. If you don't care for
the spontaneously fermented, slightly "horsey" flavor of the
Lambic beers, perhaps an chocolatey, brown ale from a 1,000 year
old monastery/brewery is more to your liking. Belgian beers are
bitter or sweet, strong or mild, made with fruit or just barley.
Well, I could go on and on. And I won't.
It's not that there is anything wrong with American lager,
there isn't. Their origin can be traced to Pilsen, Bohemia.
Loosely speaking American lagers are based upon a classic beer
style called Pilsner beer.(2) This style became famous virtually
at its introduction in 1842, when Bohemia was a province in the
Austrian empire.(3) The beer was a malty golden color with an
assertive hop bitterness. It can still be enjoyed in the form of
a beer called Pilsner Urquell, whose name translates to "the
original pilsner." It is brewed in the same brewery that was
used in 1842 and by all accounts, neither the recipe nor the
technique has been changed in all that time.
The characteristic that made Pilsner Urquell an instant
sensation was derived from what was then an unusual yeast. The
state of the art of microbiology had allowed for the
identification of individual yeast strains. The brewers in
Bohemia isolated the strain that fermented at cold temperatures
(down to 32 F) and produced a clean flavor devoid of the fruity
characteristics associated with the previously predominant ales.
Because this beer needed to be fermented cold it was stored in
cold underground caves for its fermentation. The German word for
storage is "lager", therfore all beers made with this new yeast
was called "lager beer." Word spread rapidly and the technology
moved just as fast. Today Pilsner-style lagers are by far the
most widely enjoyed beers in the world, bearing such familiar
names as Budweiser, Heineken, Becks, Carlsberg and Foster's.(4)
The United States is the largest producer of beer in the
world, and over 99% of that beer is Pilsner-style lager.(5) For
the most part, the beers are clean, well-made and very
consistent-even from one regional brewery to another. This is
fine as far as it goes, but with the entire spectrum of beers to
choose from, why would you want to limit yourself to just one
color? I liken it to the famous quote from Henry Ford: "You can
have a car in any color as long as it's black." Well, Henry,
cars come in almost every color imaginable and, Americans, beer
is just as varied. I'm sure that those who claim to dislike beer
have simply not yet met the beer that they like.
The reasons for the monochrome look of the American brewing
industry are many, starting with Central European immigration,
through Prohibition, and ending with mass marketing. Happily, it
is beginning to show signs of change across North America.
Indeed it seems that a revolution is afoot. Therefore, in the
revolutionary spirit that founded this nation, I will attempt to
fan the flames of the beer revolution by providing the occasional
column for the consumption of a thirsty VLS campus.
(1)Julian Zelazny is an award-winning homebrewer and a Master beer judge. He is a founding member of the Brew Free or Die, a New Hampshire homebrewer's club.
(2)Sometimes spelled Pilsener or shortened to Pils.
(3)Jackson, Michael. Beer Companion, Running Press, 1993.
(4)Jackson, Michael. The New World Guide to Beer, Running Press, 1988.
(5)ibid.
If you have any comments, questions or advice concerning this
article or anything else that may be on your mind, please feel
free to email me.
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