The Pocket Guide to Beer

As the beer world continues to expand and the choice increases, it is easy to become a bit overwhelmed and end up shopping within the confines of one style or one brand. The BeerTubeMap is designed to help open up the options, without too much geeky beer chat. Whether you're after a beer to impress over dinner, something to sip on the sofa or give as a gift, there are plenty of options out there, all you need to know is what your starting point on the map is.

The BeerTubeMap encourages you to take a step back from the cult of novelty that has taken over the beer world and explore your flavour preferences, as well as why you might switch your beer depending on the occasion, the time of day or night and what you're eating. Despite its humble roots there is quite a lot of beer snobbery and one-upmanship out there, especially when it comes to the 'newest' edition or brewery on the block. Ticking off all of the Double IPAs from a cult brewery is all well and good, but do you actually like what you're drinking?

You don't need to take it too seriously either, just take a moment to think about what you do (and don't) like about the beer you're drinking so you can start to make some more deliberate moves. If you're keen to develop your tastes it helps to sample two or more beers side by side; this helps you pick out the differences between them and gives you some contrast. Take your time to pick out the aromas, flavours and textures you like; to begin with all beer tastes like 'beer', but you'll soon start to find more depth and flavour.

Modern brewing and artistic licence

Without the severe restrictions on production methods that the whisky and wine industries face, creativity and experimentation run wild in the beer world. Although this book is based on styles, new beers are constantly being produced which don't sit comfortably within any pre-existing style guidelines, and some can eventually break away to become entire style categories of their own. The rules are totally fluid, and nothing is off-limits.

The openness of brewers on social media, and the global economy, have allowed for information sharing and collaboration on an unprecedented scale. Breweries from tiny villages in sleepy Middle England are being invited to work with some of the biggest names in the beer world and the result is more creativity, innovation, shared knowledge and an increase in quality across the board.

The modern beer market is increasingly becoming consumer-led, and these consumers appear to have a never-ending thirst for new beers. This means brewers will continue to innovate and tweak even their core range of beers so, even if you continue to drink within just one station, you'll always find something new to consider.

What influences flavour

The beer-making process is relatively simple, it mostly requires just four ingredients, yet the end product can differ enormously. Each ingredient or process can be manipulated to change the flavour or texture of a beer. At each station there are explanations of how that type of beer gets its specific flavours, but it helps to understand the basics behind these flavour influencers. Once you start discovering your favourite beers you can see which flavour influencers they have in common.

Malt

The malt is the product of malting and roasting barley, and is the main ingredient in most beers. The way the barley is malted has a major influence on the end-flavour of beer as well as giving it its colour. Malting is the process of germinating and then applying heat to the barley grains to stop their progress, and it is this heat that has the most flavour impact. The kilns use a high heat to dry the barley, in essence roasting it. The longer and hotter it is roasted for, the darker and stronger the beer will be. A lightly roasted malt will produce a pale lager or ale where you don't really notice the malt taste. A golden roast will result in a more golden beer with a sweeter, more biscuity or bready character, whereas a darker roast will create more intense coffee and chocolate flavours. These darker roasts also tend to create more texture in the beer, giving them a fuller body. The resultant malt may have a speciality name, like Vienna Malt, due to the roasting level and qualities that this brings. The brewer's art is to blend together a selection of malts, known as a malt bill or grist, to create the exact flavour and textures they require for their beers.

Yeast

Without fermentation, there would be no beer. Traditionally yeast was considered a magical, invisible ingredient; now it's a highly scientific tool used by brewers. In some beers the use of yeast is purely for the creation of alcohol: the yeast eats sugar and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products. But in other beers the yeast has other outputs which add complexity and flavour. There are two principal types of yeast used in beer: lager yeast and ale yeast. Lager yeasts are light and give off less flavour, they work at a long, low temperature, whereas ale yeasts are quick and flourish in a warm temperature: it is this warmth and speed which result in the fruity, spicy flavours in ales.

Hops

The buzzword in craft beer is 'hoppy', referring to the bitter, zesty character that hops bring to beer, traditionally to balance the sweetness of the malt and as a preservative or antioxidant. The term doesn't really tell the whole story as the type and origin of the hop make a big difference to the end flavour, as does the point at which they are added to the brewing process. Hops are the flowers of a climbing plant, Humulus lupulus, which grows across the northern hemisphere. The strains used in beer are split predominantly into European, British and US varieties, all of which have different flavour properties. These strains are all named, and modern brewers will sometimes name them on the label: Mosaic, Citra, Cascade etc.

Some hops are used to add bitterness and are introduced early in the boiling process to extract as much of the bitter character as possible; this bitterness can be measured using the International Bitterness Units scale (the IBU level). In contrast, aromatic hops are added at the latest stage of the boil so as not to quash their delicate aromatics. This commonly shows up as a slightly bitter citrus or grassy flavour, but it can also be floral, herby, resinous or tropical. The craze to make and drink extremely hoppy beers has led to the creation of a number of technological advances, most notably in the process of 'dry hopping', where more hops are added after the boiling process has finished to infuse even more of the aromatic hop flavours.

Grain

Whilst malted barley is the key ingredient in beer, other grains can be used and this will impact on the end beer in terms of flavour, aroma, colour, texture and residual sweetness. Wheat is probably the most commonly used alternative grain, but unmalted barley, oats and rye are also added in differing quantities. These other grains contain different proteins and compounds, which during fermentation will change the resulting beer's flavour and texture, so the ratio of grains added to malted barley dictates how strong their influence is. For example, and very generally, wheat tends to add a bready character, oats a creamy texture and rye adds a spiciness.

How beer is made

At its most basic, the beer-making process is pretty simple, however the brewer is making decisions at every step of the way that will affect the ultimate flavour, body and style of beer. Here we give a simplified view of the process to help you understand the differences as you read about each station.

Germination - Barley is harvested and sent to a maltster, who germinates the grains. The process of grain-sprouting releases starches and enzymes that are key to the fermentation process. The enzymes break down the starches into smaller sugars; without this the sugars are too large for the yeast to metabolise into alcohol. The level of enzymes the malt contains is known as its diastatic power, and this indicates the potential for the grain to convert starch to sugar. High levels mean the brewer can more efficiently convert the sugar, which in turn becomes alcohol, lower levels mean more starch is left, which can add texture and flavour to a beer, but less potential alcohol.

Malting - The germinated grains are then dried in a kiln to stop them growing any further and using up their sugars. This is where much of the toasted flavour and colour in beer comes from. The more intense the roast, the darker and toastier the flavours.

Mash - The malt is then crushed and mixed with hot water in the mash tun, essentially making a giant bowl of porridge. This allows enzymes contained within the malt to break down the starch granules into an array of fermentable sugars. The sugary, malty liquid produced is known as sweet wort. Different factors of the mashing process influence the make-up of the sugars and thus the fermentability of the wort, such as temperature, pH, water (known as 'liquor' in the brewing process) and time. It is the skill of the brewer to manipulate these factors to produce the type of wort he wishes to make. The sweet wort produced from mashing is able to provide all the nutrients required by yeast. The wort sits at an optimum temperature for sugar extraction and is then pumped from bottom to top to allow the mash to filter the wort and clarify it.

Run-off - When ready the 'first runnings' are drawn off into the kettle, water...