German Beers

German Beer Styles:
Variety, Quality, Complexity, Versatility

Brewing in Style
Germans are very conscious of distinct beer styles. When they order a beer, they rarely ask for it by its brand name. Rather they order beer by its style designation, asking for a Pils, an Alt, a Kölsch, a Weissbier, a Helles or a Dunkel, for instance. Depending on your definition of beer style, there are arguably between two and four or five dozen styles in Germany. Some people consider Bockbier, for instance, a broad style that comprises many subcategories, such as the stronger Doppelbock and the even stronger Eisbock, while others count each of these brews as a separate style. The same goes for Altbier and its stronger version, the Sticke Alt, for instance. Likewise, the large family of yeast-turbid German wheat ales, called Weissbiers or Hefeweizens, has a clear, filtered member, called Kristallweizen, as well as a strong member, called, Weizenbock, which many consider separate styles.

Except perhaps for the ubiquitous Pils,which holds a roughly 60% market share throughout Germany, most styles have a stronger following in their regions of origin but are much less known, though usually available, elsewhere. The unfiltered, low-carbonation, malty Kellerbier, for instance, is a specialty of Franconia in northern Bavaria, but it can be hard to find along the Atlantic and Baltic coastlines. Likewise, the blond Kölsch, which is by far the most popular beer in and around Cologne as well as the copper-colored Altbier, which holds the same rank in and around Düsseldorf, would be hard to find in, say, southern Bavaria. Conversely, Weissbier, which is the most popular beer style in Bavaria, with more than a one-third market share there, holds only about a 10% market in the rest of Germany.

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German Beer Regions
German beer making has taken different paths in different parts of the country. Broadly speaking, beers become maltier as you travel from north to south and hoppier as you travel in the reverse direction. In addition, some styles have more than one, often regional, name. A Kellerbier, for instance, may also be called Zwickelbier, Kräusenbier or Zoigl; a Dortmunder may be called Export; a Maibock, Helles Bock.

Among all the German regions, the southern-most state, Bavaria, clearly has spawned the greatest variety of beer styles. They vary in shades of color and strength. There are very blond and almost black lagers as well as clear and yeast-turbid, pale and brown wheat ales. Some brews, like the Helles, are quaffing, or easy-drinking, beers, while others, like the Eisbock, are sipping beers.

Neighboring Bohemia to the east of Bavaria (once part of the German-speaking Autro-Hungarian Empire and now part of the Czech Republic) has produced, under Bavarian influence, the world's most popular style, the Pilsner, which is the mother of all modern lagers, including the popular German Pils, the Dortmunder Export, and the Bavarian Helles.

Rhineland and Westphalia, which together now form the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, probably rank second in contributions to the German beer landscape. The Rhineland, with its Alt and Kölsch ales, has become the custodian of the ancient German ale tradition, while Westphalia has enriched the world with its peculiar interpretation of the blond lager, the Dortmunder Export.

The northern regions, until the late Middle Ages hot-beds of ale brewing, have given us the dry, assertively hoppy Pils, the original Bock from Einbeck (which was an ale in the Middle Ages), and a light, acidic wheat beer called Berliner Weisse. 

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Understanding German Beer Labels
German breweries often use prefixes or adjectives in conjunction with their style names to highlight a particular characteristic of their beer. For instance, ungespundet means a low-effervescence beer that was fermented to the finish in an unpressurized fermenter. The carbon dioxide in the solution, therefore, is minimal and the beer tastes only gently pétillant and very smooth.

The word hell or helles means "light," but, unlike in North America, this designation refers to color only, not to the beer's calories or alcoholic strength. A light beer in the North American sense would be called leicht or, more commonly, by the English term "light."

If a beer features the prefix ur or urtyp, which mean "original" or "original type," the brewery tries to emphasize the authenticity of its beverage.

A spezial is just what you suspect it is: A beer that the brewery made as a seasonal special or one it considers especially good.

Singapore beers

It has remained unknown to me until a recent business trip that Singapore is a developed country not only in terms of its economy and infrastructure but also in terms of the wide range of beers available on this dense and bustling, but relatively small, island.

While Singapore is known around the world for its enthusiastic use of the death penalty, corporal punishment and fining people for chewing gum and not flushing after using public toilets it has remained virtually unreported that Singapore is a relative oasis of beer in an otherwise alcoholically undeveloped region.

While I have been slumming drinking cheap chemi-brews in Thailand and other South East Asian countries and quite often moaning about them to all and sundry not one person has ever mentioned that Singapore offers a good variety of domestically produced beers with three micro breweries (Brewerkz and another couple of new start ups) and two large scale breweries (Tiger and Carlsberg), not to mention the unusually good selection of imported brews equal to those available in any western country.

A visit to a Singporean supermarket uncovered an entire section dedicated to beer. Not just a shelf or a small space in a fridge but an entire dedicated row of shelves rising from the bottom to the top. I was so impressed by this that I took the photo that you see above. There was pretty much everything there from local and regional favourites such Tiger, Chang and San Miguel to international brews such as Guinness (Draft), Becks, Grolsch and Stellas Artois. They even had space for crap like Miller Lite and a number of no-brand European beers.

Some of the bars I visited also offered a tempting and varied array of brews. Most bars, restaurants and pubs normally offered two or three beers on draft but Harry’s Bar had at least five beers on tap including Guinness, Paulaner Weissbrau, Kilkenny, Carlsberg and Tiger.

The most noteworthy drinking establishment I visited was the Brewerkz Microbrewery at Riverpoint on Merchant Street. Offering nearly twenty different brews made either by themselves or by other selected microbreweries the drink menu at Brewerkz caused me much salivation. Expect a full and glowing review of the place in the near future….

It is only fair to note though that the major downside to drinking beer in Singapore is the high cost. Frequenters of Orchard Towers will pay around 12 Singapore Dollars per mug of beer, which works out to about 8 US Dollars, while those who hang around the trendy river area will pay upwards of 15 Sing Dollars. A can of Carlsberg in a 7-11 costs as much as 4 Sing Dollars but supermarkets seem to offer the best prices if you purchase in bulk.

My trip to Singapore was very enjoyable and I am quite glad that my work took me there as it had never been high on my travel wish list and I would never have visited the country under my own steam.

The sheer joy of drinking really good beer in a clean and vibrant, if expensive, city was what made my time there so pleasurable and I hope to return at some time in the future to try a few more brews.

Australian whisky

The last few years have seen a meteoric increase in both the popularity and quality of Australian whisky, yet by world standards, the industry is young. This comes as quite a surprise for several reasons. A taste for spirits arrived with the First Fleet (1788), as did the British Navy custom of trading and rationing spirits (beer and wine didn't keep well on long voyages). Initially, these were mainly rum type concoctions meant strictly for officers and officials and used medicinally or on special occasions. However, they quickly became an article of exchange between all social classes. Convicts and soldiers were often paid with rum, even abstainers received a ration. Given the difficult conditions in the young colony combined with an ignorance of viticulture, it's not surprising that strong spirit became entrenched as the preferred palliative well before wine and beer. Spirits were set to be big business. The privately contracted Second Fleet which arrived in 1790 sought to maximise the material opportunities of the voyage, loading ships with goods to trade at exorbitant prices - including spirits. Recognising 'New Holland' as a lucrative market, visits from other suppliers followed. With them came a diversity of peoples, many of whom brought skills and practises previously unseen to Australia, affording them the opportunity to establish businesses that could supply other immigrants with a taste of home.

One might have anticipated a scenario in early Australia similar to that which led to the birth of American Bourbon and its sister whiskies, when in the early 1700s, a combination of bad economic times and religious unrest against the established Church in Great Britain set off a wave of emigration from Scotland and Ireland. These settlers who came to be known as the "Scotch-Irish" in the new World, brought to North America their religion, their distrust of government control, and their skill at distilling whiskey.

Instead in Australia, the wine industry won out, although many early wineries did produce Brandy (an oak matured spirit distilled from grapes) in large quantities for both consumption and the fortification of wines such as Port, Tokay, and Muscat - all of which were far more popular than table wines until relatively recently. It's also noteworthy that while beer has been an enormous part of Australia's drinking culture for well over a century, whisky has not - despite the fact that the primary ingredient of beer is malted barley, also the key ingredient for Scotland's malt whiskies. One is a logical extension of the other. By contrast, the American whiskey industry was founded by immigrants who made use of surplus local ingredients, namely corn, wheat and rye (in fact, several existing American stills were originally named 'beer stills'). In short, the ingredients (grains), the knowledge (immigrants) and equipment (pot stills & barrels) have been available in Australia for a long time. As to why Australia didn't take to whisky earlier remains uncertain.

The elements of great Scotch whisky - peat (a primitive form of coal), casks for maturation, clean water and quality grains are all available in Australia. A thought for quiet contemplation next time you taste one of Australia's whiskies: If the ingredients (grain, peat), the knowledge (immigrants) and equipment (pot stills & barrels) have long been available in Australia, why has it taken over 200 years to begin producing whisky of global renown?

Indian rums

Few people realize that the top five selling brands of rum in the world are Bacardi of Puerto Rico, Tanduay of the Philippines, Old Monk and McDowell's of India and Captain Morgan of Puerto Rico.

Old Monk 7 Rum is the most popular
cane spirit exported from India
Photo by Robert Burr.

What do we know of the popular rums of India? With two thirds of the world's population living in Asia, rum is the spirit of choice for hundreds of millions of consumers half a world away from the Caribbean.

Old Monk 7 Year Old Rum is a vatted Indian Rum, blended and aged for 7 years. Old Monk is said to be the third largest selling rum in the world with 7.2 million cases sold each year, and the leader in exporting Indian rum to the world.

Old Monk also has a 12 year old version. Both are dark rums with rich buttery flavor, full of molasses and caramel.

American rums

New American Rum: mind the wave

Last week I spent four days at the American Distilling Institute's annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. This year's focus was on rum distilling. (I gave a short talk on rum history. And sold some books. See photo below.) This was chiefly a gathering of microdistillers, who seem to be happily growing in number by the day. And the rum focus this year drew folks out of the woodworks interested in making our great American spirit. I'm here to tell you that American rum seem to be poised to go big.

Most of the current rum microdistillers I knew about were here: Rogue from Oregon; Dogfish from Delaware; New Orleans Rum from, well, you know; Bardenay from Boise, Idaho; and Prichard's from Tennessee. Pirate's Choice also made an appearance (they market two rums, a lime flavored rum and an aged rum, both produced under contract by Phil Prichard). Maui rum was here in spirit, if not represented by a distiller.

But then there were the new kids on the block – or rather, the new kids visible down on the next block: Newport Storm brewery from Rhode island has been producing rum several weeks, putting some in the barrel and getting some ready to sell sooner as a white rum. It should be on the shelves this summer, although they're not yet revealing what the name is. They're looking to emphasize the historical connection of rum to New England – an idea so simple and powerful I'm puzzled that no one else has gotten there first.

Someone is on Newport Storm's heels, however. Another Newport, R.I., resident flew into the conference, with a head full of plans to start producing a New England rum and a whole bunch of domain names registered in advance. He's done a bunch of research on Rhode Island rum history, and was raring to go. Not surprisingly, he was a bit crestfallen to find out that someone had anticipated his idea, and was out of the gate ahead of him. But he insists he's still pushing on. I'll update as I hear more. (In the small world department: they're both graduates of the same college: Colby in Maine.)

I also spoke with a North Carolinian headed to New Mexico to distill a molasses-based rum on the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque. It will be called Rio Grande Rum; they haven't yet applied for permits, but they have a facility already. Rum and the southwest don't have much of a history, but he's made a connection, if with tongue a bit in cheek: Rum is from the Caribbean. The Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Slogan: It took 400 years to make it to the headwaters.

Green Bay Distilling in Wisconsin also has rum in the pipeline. They're producing a white rum that's aged six months then filtered, as well as one- and three-year rums aged in old bourbon barrels.

Those are the folks who are moving along. I met several others with ideas and lots of ambition, but as yet no facility nor permit nor firm timetable. But rum distilling seems to be seriously returning to American shores. Clearly, it's not just palm trees and piña coladas anymore.

I'll try to update as I get a chance to savor some of the New American Rums, and report back when some of those in the pipeline start to decant onto the shelves.

Russian beers

Russian beer (Russian пиво – Pivo): in Russia, beer is the second most popular alcoholic drink after Vodka, but is seen by many as a healthier almost non-alcoholic alternative (such that it is the number one alcoholic drink in the always more westward leaning St.Petersburg, consumption 95 l. per capita, 2005).

Unlike the Germanic language speaking peoples (i.e. English, Dutch and German Speakers), Russians (like Spanish speakers) categorize beer by color, and not by fermentation process: Light, Red or Semi-Dark, and Dark. Light is a more or less equivalent to Lager and the

Thailand beers

Brewing beer in Thailand began in 1934. (although the Singha label says "SINCE 1933") Locally produced Thai beers face competition from major international brands, but have successfully found their own niche in the Thai market and abroad.

Thai beer is typically lager. The oldest and most popular Thai beer in Thailand and abroad isSingha, brewed by Boon Rawd Brewery. Singha also appears in Thailand in Light (3.5% ABV) and Draught versions.

Recently, Singha has been challenged by Chang beer, made by Thai Beverages. Chang is noted globally for its sponsorship of Liverpool's Everton football club, as

Indian whisky

Amrut Amrut is the first Indian whisky to meet EU regulations, and when we offered it to staff blind we were impressed, and although we suspected it wasn't Scotch it certainly passed the test. The whisky is made from Indian malted barley grown in ...

AMRUT Indian Malt Whisky 46% Deal Price, £2 saved ~ RRP is £28.50 Try it, you'll be surprised how good it is! £27.50 (Inc VAT) £22.92 (Ex VAT)

AMRUT Peated Cask Strength Bottled by the distillers Currently Out of Stock Incredible. Taste it to believe it

European rums

 Rum Exotica Master Class at the European Cocktail Museum

Some of you certainly still remember Ian Burrell, official UK Rum Ambassador and the man behindRumfest UK and his entertaining presentation on the main stage of BCB 2008 which drew a crowd of almost 300 people. 

We are proud to announce that this rum-drinkin' and rum-talkin' legend will hold the next Master Class at the European Cocktail Museum!

He will take the time to introduce the participants to the rum category itself, its varying production methods, methods of aging and the different origins of rum. 

In a tutored blind tasting the participants will then have the chance to sample not your average run of the mill rums but only sugarcane distillates from exotic places, rare bottlings and antique vintages.

Irish whisky

ish whiskey (Irish: Fuisce or Uisce beatha) is whiskey made in Ireland.

Key regulations defining Irish whiskey and its production are established by the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, and are relatively simple (for example, in comparison with those for Scotch whisky orAmerican whiskey). They can be summarised as follows:

• Irish whiskey must be distilled and aged in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland.
• The contained spirits must be distilled to an alcohol by volume level of less than 94.8% from a yeast-fermented mash of cereal grains (saccharified by the diastase of malt contained therein, with or without other natural diastases) in such a way that the distillate has an aroma and flavour derived from the materials used.
• The product must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks.
• If the spirits comprise a blend of two or more such distillates, the product is referred to as a "Blended" Irish whiskey.

There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland, including those referred to as Single Malt,Single Grain, and Blended Irish Whiskey. However, in contrast to the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980 does not actually contain a definition of the terms "Single Malt Irish Whiskey" or "Single Grain Irish Whiskey" or specific rules governing their production, so the exact definitions of these terms may not be clearly established. The meaning of such terms can vary substantially from producer to producer. For example, some Scottish whisky that could have been considered "Single Malt" prior to 2009 was distilled using continuous stills, and there is an American whiskey marketed as a "Single Malt" that is made from rye grain. Both of these practices would violate the 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulations definition of "Single Malt Scotch Whisky" but may not be prohibited for "Single Malt Irish Whiskey".

The word whiskey is an Anglicisation of the Goidelic branch of languages including Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx as "uisce beatha" which translates as "water of life". (The Craythur is a modern Irish term for whiskey.)

Most Irish whiskey is distilled three times, while Scotch whisky, apart from Auchentoshan, is distilled twice. Peat is rarely used in themalting process, so that Irish Whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the smoky, earthy overtones common to some Scotches. There are notable exceptions to these "rules" in both countries; an example is Connemara Peated Irish Malt (double distilled) whiskey from the independent Cooley Distillery in Riverstown, Cooley, County Louth.

Although Scotland sustains approximately 90 distilleries, Ireland has only four (although each produces a number of different whiskeys): economic difficulties in the last few centuries have led to a great number of mergers and closures. Currently those distilleries operating in Ireland are: New Midleton Distillery (Jamesons, Powers, Paddy, Midleton, Redbreast, and others, plus the independently sold rarity Green Spot), Old Bushmills Distillery (all Old Bushmills, Black Bush, 1608, Bushmills 10-, 12- and 16- and 21-year-old single malts), Cooley Distillery (Connemara, some Knappogues, (the '94 was by Bushmills) Michael Collins, Tyrconnell, and others) and the recently reopenedKilbeggan Distillery, which began distilling again in 2007 and released samples of its still-maturing spirit at 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years worth of aging in 2009 as "The Spirit of Kilbeggan." Irish Distillers' Midleton distillery has been part of the Pernod-Ricard conglomerate since 1988. Bushmills was part of the Irish Distillers group from 1972 until 2005 when it was sold to Diageo. In addition to the 4 distilleries, there are a number of independently owned Irish Whiskey brands, such Tullamore Dew and The Irishman. The Irishman specialise in re-creating some of Irelands lost whisky treasures such as Potstill whiski.

Types

Irish Whiskeys.

More Irish Whiskeys.

Irish whiskey comes in several forms. Most Irish whiskey contains alcoholcontinuously distilled from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley and other grains. This mixed-grain whiskey is much lighter and more neutral in flavour than the type called single malt, and most such mixed-grain whiskey is blended with single malts to produce relatively light flavoured blended whiskey. However, there are a few Irish whiskies made from 100% malted barley and distilled using pot stills. Such a whiskey, when produced by a single distillery, is called a single malt whiskey.

It is possible Irish whiskey may be one of the earliest distilled beverages in Europe, however such theories have no foundation as the first evidence for the distillation of whiskey in written sources dates from the 15th century (see Distilled beverage). TheOld Bushmills Distillery claims to be the oldest surviving licenced distillery in the world (it received a licence from James I in 1608), although production of whiskey didn't commence at Bushmills until the late 18th century. A statute introduced in the late 16th century introduced a viceregal license for the manufacture of whiskey.

[edit]Examples

• Blends: Black Bush, Bushmills Original, Inishowen, Jameson, Kilbeggan,Locke's Blend, Midleton Very Rare, Millars, Paddy, Powers, Tullamore Dew,Clontarf, The Irishman Potstill, Writer's Tears
• Pot still blends: Green Spot, Jameson 15yr Old Pure Pot Still, Redbreast (12, 15 yrs)
• Single Malt: Bushmills (10, 16, 21 yrs), Connemara Peated Malt (Regular, Cask Strength & 12 yrs), Locke's Single Malt (8 yr), Tyrconnell, The Irishman Single Malt, Tullamore Dew Single Malt (10 yr)
• Single Grain: Greenore (8, 10 yrs)

Two Irish whiskey brands at the top of their game

Knappogue Castle and Michael Collins Irish whiskeys have been around for a while. There are new releases by both labels that I enjoy, and wanted to share this information with you.

Knappogue has offered many expressions over the years, from three different Irish distilleries, including vintage release and whiskeys with age statements.  Other than the original 1951 vintage from the long-gone B. Daly distillery (where Tullamore Dew used to be made), I think this “Twin Wood” 16 year old is my favorite.

It’s aged in bourbon casks first, and then finished in sherry casks. My main issue with some of the Knappogue releases in the past is that they have been a bit on the youthful side. This one is nicely matured and the sherry adds an extra layer of flavors. (There’s no disclosure on where this came from, buy my guess is Bushmills.) It will set you back $100.

Michael Collins, offering both a single malt and a blended whiskey (from the Cooley distillery), was originally released with no

German wines

German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion, especially among non-German speaking wine consumers. The official classification is set down in the wine law of 1971, although some changes and amendments have been made since then. The classification is based on several factors, including region of origin, whether sugar has been added, and the ripeness of the grapes. The system is quite different from the FrenchAppellation d'Origine Contrôlée system, or the systems in most other countries. In addition, German wine labels can be confusing for non-German speakers, although they give much information to those who are able to read them.

In recent years, the official classification has been criticised by many of the top producers, and additional classifications have been set down by wine growers' organisations such as VDP, without enjoying legal protection. The two main reasons for criticism are that the official classification does not differentiate between better and lesser vineyards and that the quality levels are less appropriate to high-quality dry wines.

Bottles from two of Germany's top producers showing the various pieces of information that can be found on a German wine label.
The bottle on the left displays information in the following order: Producer (Dr. Loosen) - vintage - village (Bernkastel) and vineyard (Lay) - variety (Riesling) and Prädikat (Eiswein) - mandatory information in small print - alcoholic strength, region (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) and volume.
The bottle on the right uses a slightly different order: Region (Rheingau) and variety (Riesling) - vintage - village (Kiedrich) and vineyard (Gräfenberg) - Prädikat (Auslese) - producer (Weingut Robert Weil) - volume and alcoholic strength.

Tequila shots

Tequila (Spanish pronunciation: [teˈkila]) is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.

The red volcanic soil in the surrounding region is particularly well suited to the growing of theblue agave, and more than 300 million of the plants are harvested there each year. Agave tequila grows differently depending on the region. Blue agaves grown in the Highlands region are larger in size and sweeter in aroma and taste. Agaves harvested in the Lowlands, on the other hand, have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavor.

Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Mexico has claimed the exclusive international right to the word "tequila", threatening legal actions against manufacturers in other countries.

Tequila is most often made at a 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), but can be produced between 35–55% alcohol content (70–110 proof). Though most tequilas are 80 proof, many distillers will distill to 100 proof and then dilute it with water to reduce its harshness. Some of the more well respected brands distill the alcohol to 80 proof without using additional water as a diluent.

England beers

Bitter

Bitter is a broad term applied to a well-hopped pale ale, from about 3.5% to 7% in strength and pale gold to dark mahogany in colour. British brewers have several loose names for variations in beer strength, such asbest bitter, special bitter, extra special bitter, and premium bitter. There is no agreed and defined difference between an ordinary and a best bitter other than one particular brewery's best bitter will usually be stronger than its ordinary. Two groups of drinkers may mark differently the point at which a best bitter then becomes apremium bitter. Hop levels will vary within each sub group, though there is a tendency for the hops in thesession bitter group to be more noticeable. Bitter is dispensed in most formats — hand-pulled from the cask, on draught from the keg, smoothflow or bottled.Drinkers tend to loosely group the beers into:

Session or ordinary bitter Strength up to 4.1% abv. The majority of British beers with the name IPA will be found in this group, such as Greene King IPA, Flowers IPA, Wadworth Henrys Original IPA, etc. These session bitters are not as strong and hoppy as the 18th and 18th century IPAS (or as an India Pale Ale would be in the USA) although IPAs with modest gravities (below 1040º) have been brewed in Britain since at least the 1920s. This is the most common strength of bitter sold in British pubs. It accounts for 16.9% of pub sales.

Best bitter. Strength between 3.8% and 4.7% abv. In the United Kingdom, Bitter above 4.2% abv accounts for just 2.9% of pub sales. The disappearance of weaker bitters from some brewer's rosters means "best" bitter is actually the weakest in the range.

Premium bitter Strength of 4.8% abv and over. Also known as extra special bitter, for instance Fuller's ESB.

Golden ale Golden or summer ales were developed in the late 20th century by breweries to compete with the pale lager market. A typical golden ale has an appearance and profile similar to that of a pale lager. Malt character is subdued and the hop profile ranges from spicy to citrus; common hop additions include Styrian Golding and Cascade. Alcohol is in the 4% to 5% range ABV. The style was marketed in 1989 by John Gilbert, a former brewer at Watney in Mortlake, London, who had opened his own operation, the Hop Back Brewery, in Salisbury, England. His aim was to develop a pale ale that could be as refreshing as lager. The result was a drier and hoppier pale ale he called "Summer Lightning", after a novel by PG Wodehouse; it won several awards and inspired numerous imitators.

India Pale Ale It is often said that India Pale Ale, a strong and well-hopped beer was designed to "survive the sea voyage to India", but modern authorities consider this to be a myth. Twentieth centry IPAs were equivalent to a typical bitter, although there has been a recent tendency to return to 18th century strengths (5.5% upwards) and hop rates, e.g. Thornbridge Brewery's Jaipur IPA and Fuller, Smith and Turner's Bengal Lancer. As can be seen from the examples, such "true" IPAs tend to emphasise the Indian connection in their branding.

]Brown ale

English brown ales range from beers such as Manns Original Brown Ale, which is quite sweet and low in alcohol, to North Eastern brown ale such as Newcastle Brown Ale, Double Maxim and Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale.

Mild

Mild ale in modern times is generally considered to be a low-gravity beer with a low hop rate and predominantly malty palate. Historically, mild ales were of standard strength for the time (and rather strong by modern standards). Modern mild ales are mainly dark coloured with an abv of 3% to 3.6%, though there are lighter hued examples, as well as stronger more traditional examples reaching 6% abv and higher. The term 'mild' originally had nothing to do with strength or level of hop bitterness, but rather as a label for beers that were not "vatted" (aged) and hence did not have some of the tart and even slightly sour flavor of ales that were subject to long aging, which was considered a desirable attribute of premium ales. The dark colour characteristic of modern day milds can come from either the use of roast malt or caramelised sugars, or more commonly, both. These ingredients lead to differences in flavour characteristics.

Mild is often thought to be partly a survival of the older style of hop-less brewing (hops were introduced in the 16th century), partly as a cheaper alternative to bitter (for a long time mild was a penny a pot, and bitter beer tuppence), and partly a sustaining but relatively unintoxicating beverage suitable for lunchtime drinking by manual workers. But in reality, mild was likely not hopped any differently than other beers of the day, since the term 'mild' referred primarily to a lack of the sour tang contributed by age, and not a lack of hop character or alcoholic strength,

Once sold in every pub, mild experienced a catastrophic fall in popularity after the 1960s and was in danger of completely disappearing from many parts of the United Kingdom. However, in recent years the explosion of microbreweries has led to a modest renaissance, and an increasing number of mild (sometimes labelled 'Dark') brands are now being brewed. Most of these are in the more modern interpretation of 'mild'...a sweeter brew with lower alcoholic strength.

Some breweries have revived the traditional high-gravity "mild", with alcohol content of 6% or so, the classic example being Sarah HughesRuby, brewed to a Victorian rec

   Old ale

Old ale is a term applied to dark, malty beers above 5% abv, also sometimes called Winter Warmers. Many have "old" in the name, such as Theakston's Old Peculier, Marston's Owd Roger, Robinson's Old Tom. Many brewers make high abv old ales for bottling, some of which are bottle-conditioned and can mature for several years. Some of these stronger versions are known as barley wine. Stock ale is a strong beer which is used for blending with weaker beers at the brewery and not sold directly.

Porter and Stout

Porter is a historically significant style developed in 18th century London, which is the ancestor of stout, a style now considered typicallyIrish. English Porters and stouts are generally as dark or darker than old ales, and significantly more bitter. They differ from dark milds and old ales in the use of roast unmalted grains, which adds to the bitterness, and lends flavours of toast, biscuit or coffee.

Variations on the style include oatmeal stout, oyster stout, the sweet milk stout, and the very strong imperial stout, all of which are generally available in bottles only. These speciality beers have a tiny proportion of the market, but are of interest to connoisseurs worldwide.

London porter differs from stout in having generally lower gravity and lighter body, closer to bitter. Porter as distinct from stout virtually disappeared during the mid-20th century, but has had a modest revival since the 1980s (e.g. Dark Star Original, Fuller's London Porter).