Beer Lover, Do You Know Your Porter From Pale Ale? Here's A Guide

A lot of us drink beer, right? Let's rephrase that - a lot of us love beer, right? And we say 'us,' we do literally mean us. It is our go-to drink in summer, sometimes even in winter if the sun is out and it's a Sunday afternoon. It is what we go for on a regular basis. And yet it is amazing how many of us don't actually know one beer from another. Wine has a lot of connoisseurs floating about, but hey, the beer feels left out.

It is easy to go to a wine and beer shop and pick up a few beers, no biggie. But it takes a little bit of effort to educate oneself about the difference between a wit beer and a lager, an ale and a stout. Here is a basic guide to beer, so that the next time you head to a brewery, or a store, you will be wiser about the options and variety that's available to you.

Lager

A sharp touch and a crispy flavour, this German-origin beer finds a balance between body and bitterness. The beer is brewed with a slow fermenting yeast.

Belgian-Style Beer (Wit Beer)

A pleasantly delicious, light beer that is packed with citrus flavours and mostly flavoured with coriander. Once accredited to have been discovered by monks, this one is slowly climbing the charts to become one of the most loved beers.

Stouts and Porters

These are dark beers that are bitter-ish but leave an aftertaste of chocolate to sweet toffee (one that is absolutely yum!).

Indian Pale Ale

The story goes that the Britishers who undertook a voyage from England to India (when it was a colony) needed a beer that would beat the sapping heat of the country. And that's how IPA came to be. Expect lingering bitterness, but fruity aftertaste.

Aged Beers

Like wine, some beers are brewed and then aged in barrels which then makes them sour and strong flavoured. The final taste depends on the base beer.

Hefeweizen

German (as the name suggests) wheat beer that is made using a special yeast which gives this beer a fruity, bordering on spicy flavour. Expect banana, clove, even bubble-gum aftertaste.

There you go. Now that you are beer-wise, go show off the knowledge and win some brownie (beer) points.