The Best Homemade Beers

almost as many classifications of beer as there are people who drink it. O.K. that is something of an exaggeration, but it is a fact that the breweries produce an amazing variety of beers with different tastes and textures to meet the varied tastes of beer drinkers.

The home brewer can also produce an almost limitless variety of beers, but they all generally fall into one of the main categories of beer. These categories are: -

bitter beer. – This is usually enough beer hops, with a medium to strong alcohol content. Bitter is comes in different colors and flavors, but always have a slightly bitter finish.

Pale Ale. – Sometimes referred to as “Light Ale”. This is a beer that is usually more drunk as an accompaniment to food. Being a light, not too strong beer, and not as bitter hops. Must have a clean refreshing taste.

India Pale Ale. – This is another version of bitter beer. Slightly stronger and more full flavored Pale Ale. With more hops and malt. There are still a clean taste.

Brown Ale. – One of my favorites as it can be easily customized to your individual tastes. A traditional brown ale can be dark brown to amber in color and has a very slight sweetness due to the use of lactose in the brewing process. Of hops is only slightly, and often mixed with other beer drinkers in search of an individual tastes. Irish Stout

.- This probably needs little description due to the popularity of Guinness. A very dark beer in appearance, taste very comprehensive, and quite bitter. Traditionally it is a thick, creamy head. Something of an acquired taste, those drinkers who have persevered with it tend to be lifelong fans. It is relatively easy for the home brewer to produce a very acceptable sound.

Sweet Stout. – Or Milk Stout is a less bitter version of Irish Stout. Not as dark or heavy, with a foamy head.

Oatmeal Stout. – This sharp falls between the two previous stouts. Being not as bitter as an Irish Stout, and not as sweet as candy Stout. Which has its own flavor to the use, as the name suggests, of oats in the brewing process. Barley wine

.- This is a very sweet, strong beer, with a high alcohol content. Commercial varieties often around the 10% ABV mark. High for a beer. Usually golden in color, with just a touch of bitterness in the aftertaste. Usually served in small glasses. Not recommended as a beer session. This is quite difficult to reach for the home beer brewer, but worth the effort.

Lager beer .- One increasingly popular for home brewing. Again, not easy to play, but well worth it when it comes right. Pale in color, light and the body has only a hint of hoppiness. For a good lager beer that is essential to use a bottom fermenting (beer), yeast.

These are the general categories, and most home brewers produce a beer similar to one of them. A common mistake many home brewers is to get a kit and make any beer that does, and either stick to it and get bored. Or not like it and give up. I can assure you that the use of ingredients and the recipe on the right can be found not only a beer that suits you, but many. And you will not be bored.