brewing

Craft Beer 101: Lagers

October 9, 2015 by DogfishHead Alehouse

What is a Lager?

All of your favorite beers, whether they are IPAs, stouts or brown ales, fall into just two categories: lagers and ales. Many of the lagers popular in the United States are pale, light-bodied brews with low to medium alcohol content. But it’s a misconception to think lagers aren’t as exciting or inventive as ales. There’s a wide range of different styles of lagers – some crisp and carbonated, some malty and rich – and you’re sure to find one that strikes your fancy.

Lagers are brewed with a particular kind of yeast that ferments from the bottom, not the top like the yeast used for ales. And while ale yeast ferments rapidly at warm temperatures, lager yeast ferments at cooler temperatures and takes longer to mature (often several weeks). Lagers often have a cleaner, less yeasty flavor than ales.

Ales have been around for thousands of years, but lagers are still pretty new on the scene – appearing over the last few hundred years.

What Are Some Popular Styles of Lager?

American Pale Lager

This is probably the style you’re most familiar with seeing in the US grocery store aisle. American pale lagers are extremely light in flavor, color and aroma, contain around 4 to 5% ABV and are served very cold.

Pilsner

The pilsner, originally hailing from the Czech Republic, is a global favorite, offering a well-balanced and malty flavor.

Bock

Bock beers are a traditional German style of lager, and varieties range from helles (light and refreshing) to doppelbock (dark and strong).

Dortmunder

This crisp, golden lager delivers well-rounded notes of hops and malt – with moderate carbonation and bitterness.

Dunkel

Dunkel beers are low in bitterness and high in maltiness often with sweet notes of caramel or chocolate. Dunkel means “dark” in German, and these beers range from coppery red to deep brown.

Why Drink Lager?

Lagers are generally approachable and easy to drink. Whether you’re looking for a bright and bubbly beer to sip during warm weather or a toasty and filling pint to enjoy in the fall, there’s a lager out there for you.

The Delight of High-Gravity Beer

May 26, 2015 by DogfishHead Alehouse Leave a Comment

high gravity beer If your motto is “Go big or go home,” you will probably love the big flavor and strong alcohol content of high-gravity beers. Just remember that they pack a punch, so take your time and sip leisurely!

What is a High-Gravity Beer?

“Gravity” refers to the amount of fermentable sugars present during the beer brewing process. Higher sugar content means more food for the yeast to consume and turn into alcohol.

Brewers take the gravity reading of the unfermented ingredients before adding yeast to them. That original gravity has a number like 1.061 or 1.080, and the higher the gravity, the higher the potential alcohol content of the beer.

Throughout the beer brewing process, brewers keep checking the gravity to make sure it stays consistent. After fermentation is complete, they measure the final gravity of the beer and compare it to the original. The difference between the two numbers shows how much sugar was converted into alcohol.

What’s the Appeal of High-Gravity Beer?

High-gravity beer is not for the faint of heart – it does, after all, have a high percentage of alcohol. But high-gravity brews are perfect for craft beer enthusiasts who love to explore bold flavors and creative combinations. Strong ales, barley wines, imperial porters and imperial stouts are just a few examples that offer a range of bitterness, sweetness, maltiness and fruitiness.

Dogfish Head High-Gravity Beers to Try

120 Minute IPA
Called “the Holy Grail for hopheads,” this beer has 15-20% alcohol by volume (ABV) and balanced flavors of citrus, spice and caramel malt. The 120 Minute IPA goes well with smoked or grilled meats.

World Wide Stout
This dark, complex stout only gets better with age. It has 15-20% ABV and has hints of chocolate molasses, pairing well with dessert.

Inside the Bottle: What Determines the Alcohol Content of Beer?

March 25, 2015 by DogfishHead Alehouse 7 Comments

craftbeerpint 4%. 6%. 9%. 11%.

You’ve seen the different alcohol by volume (ABV) percentages listed on your favorite beers. But what exactly do these numbers mean? How does ABV vary from beer to beer? What affects the alcohol content of a beer?

Alcohol by Volume (ABV)

ABV is the most common measurement of alcohol content in beer; it simply indicates how much of the total volume of liquid in a beer is made up of alcohol.

So what makes a beer have a higher ABV than another beer? The simplest approach to make a higher alcohol beer is to add more sugar during fermentation.

During beer’s fermentation process, yeast eats the sugar made from malted grain and then converts it into alcohol and CO2. If there is more available sugar, the yeast has more food to eat, which produces more alcohol. Sometimes brewers opt to add different types of sugar – for example, brown sugar, dextrose, honey or palm sugar – to increase the alcohol content and change the flavor of a beer.

How ABV is Measured

In the beginning of the brewing process, brewers boil mashed grain and water, which produces a thick, sweet liquid called wort. Brewers measure the original gravity of the wort to determine how much sugar is present before adding yeast to it. When they add yeast to the wort, fermentation begins.

After the yeast has eaten its fill of sugar, brewers will take another measurement to determine the final gravity of the beer. By comparing how much sugar was originally present to how much has been converted into alcohol by the yeast, brewers can calculate the ABV.

Beers Across the ABV Spectrum

Don’t know if you prefer beers with low or high ABV? Sample different types of beer across the spectrum and find your favorites. ABV is just one of many factors that affect a beer’s flavor and drinkability. Here are a few Dogfish Head favorites to start with:

• Namaste: 4.5% ABV
• 60 Minute IPA: 6% ABV
• Black & Blue: 10% ABV

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