Exploring the World of Craft Beer: Styles and Flavours

Craft beer has undergone a renaissance in recent years, captivating the taste buds of enthusiasts worldwide. 

From the hoppy bitterness of an IPA to the smooth richness of a stout, the world of craft beer offers an extensive array of styles and flavours to explore. Let's embark on a journey through this diverse and fascinating landscape.

The Rise of Craft Beer

Craft beer, unlike mass-produced commercial brews, is typically produced by small, independent breweries. These breweries prioritise quality, innovation, and flavour over mass production. This dedication has led to an explosion of creativity within the craft beer industry, with brewers experimenting with unique ingredients, brewing techniques, and flavour profiles.

Understanding Beer Styles

One of the most intriguing aspects of craft beer is its diversity of styles. Each style offers its own distinctive characteristics, from colour and aroma to taste and mouthfeel. Here are some popular craft beer styles you might encounter:

India Pale Ale (IPA): Renowned for its hop-forward bitterness, IPAs often feature prominent citrus, pine, and floral notes. Variations include American IPA, English IPA, Double IPA (DIPA), and New England IPA (NEIPA).

Stout: Dark, robust, and full-bodied, stouts are characterized by their rich flavours of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and sometimes hints of caramel or toffee. Examples include Irish Dry Stout, Imperial Stout, and Milk Stout.

Pale Ale: Pale ales strike a balance between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, with a focus on showcasing the flavours of the hops. They come in various iterations such as American Pale Ale, English Bitter, and Belgian Pale Ale.

Sour Ale: Known for their tartness and acidity, sour ales encompass a broad spectrum of styles, including Berliner Weisse, Gose, Lambic, and Flanders Red Ale. They often feature fruity, funky, or complex flavours derived from wild yeast or bacteria.

Wheat Beer: Brewed with a significant proportion of wheat in addition to barley, wheat beers are typically light-bodied and refreshing, with flavours ranging from citrus and spice to banana and clove. Examples include Hefeweizen, Witbier, and Berliner Weisse.

Exploring Flavours

Craft brewers are constantly pushing the boundaries of flavour, incorporating a diverse range of ingredients to create unique and memorable brews. Whether it's adding fruits, spices, herbs, or even coffee and chocolate, there's no shortage of experimentation in the world of craft beer.

Some breweries specialise in barrel-aged beers, which are aged in wooden barrels previously used for aging spirits such as whiskey, rum, or wine. This process imparts complex flavours and aromas, often with notes of oak, vanilla, and the spirit itself.

Conclusion

The world of craft beer is a vibrant tapestry of styles, flavours, and experiences waiting to be explored. Whether you're a seasoned beer aficionado or just beginning your journey, there's something for everyone to enjoy. So, raise a glass to the creativity and passion of craft brewers everywhere, and embark on a delicious adventure through the world of craft beer. Cheers!

Welcome To Squires Kitchen Bake School, a new publication!

SKMP, publishers of Cakes & Sugarcraft, Wedding Cakes - A Design Source, and Inspired by Food, are launching a new title for budding bakers and cake decorators: Squires Kitchen Bake School.

This title is a unique new concept which presents a whole host of baking inspiration from expert tutors at the esteemed International School, based in Farnham, Surrey as well as other top names in the industry.

With home baking and crafting both enjoying a phenomenal resurgence, this brand new title will help satisfy even the most avid bakers and cake decorators. And with cupcakes still leading the way in the fashion stakes, they take centre stage in the first issue. Features include:

• Classic, contemporary and allergen-free recipes for cupcakes and frostings

• Trade secrets and top tips from some of the best-known tutors, writers and bakers in the industry, including Mark Tilling, Fiona Cairns, Ann Skipp, Peggy Porschen, Eddie Spence MBE, Paddi Clark, Susan Griffiths and Jan Clement-May

• Creative and original ideas for dressing up your cupcakes, including quick and easy solutions for the busy baker

• Year-round ideas for every occasion, including Easter, weddings, summer holidays and Christmas.

If this tantalising peek at what's on offer at Squires Kitchen's International school is tempting you to learn more, information about what's on offer is detailed in the magazine. Whether you're making your first wedding cake or you're looking to discover the secret of making perfect sponges or pastry at home, there is a wide range of courses covering all baking and decorating topics for every skill level.

Out 8th March 2012 onwards!

160 pages, RRP £5.99, ISSN 2049-6001

Available from WHSmith, Sainsbury's, selected newsagents or direct from the publishers at www.squires-shop.com.

SKMP and Squires Kitchen's International Cookery School are part of Squires Kitchen, The Grange, Hones Yard, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8BB Tel: 0845 61 71 810 Email: customer@squires-shop.com Online shop: www.squires-shop.com.

Pure, natural beer indulgence with Daas

Daas is a new range of premium, organic & handmade craft beers, lovingly & traditionally brewed in Belgium and strictly follow the same brewing method dating back over 9 centuries.

Daas produce premium & organic beers that strictly follow the Belgian brewing principles & techniques dating back over 900 years. Brewed in Hainaut the Belgian province renowned for fine beer production and part of the agriculturally rich Walloon Region, Daas offer the consumer three very different craft beers. These supreme beverages are organically and ethically made and deliver a unique taste experience to a dense market.

Daas say “Our beers are top Fermented Bottle Conditioned beers’ meaning they undergo a second fermentation in the bottle, similar to Champagne production. Dass continue; “This contributes to the overall quality and flavour of the beer, but also ensures that the liquid remains stable for longer than a pasteurised beer.”

Due to the refined ingredients and brewing process, Daas is being served at the dinner table instead of the usual bottle of wine. Each of the three beers rewards the palette with something special and pair very well with most dishes.

The range consists of:-

Daas Organic Ambre (6.5% ABV)

Daas Ambre is traditional rich and complex Belgian Ambre ale. The deep fragrant aromas with smooth caramel and sweetly mellow malt flavours finish with dry and delicately spiced hops. Great when hooked up with a traditional roast dinner of lamb, chicken or beef.

Daas Organic Blond (6.5% ABV) Daas Blond is an authentic strong Belgium beer, its honey and spice aroma and perfect balance of bittersweet flavours are followed by a classic dry hope finish. Blond is an ideal aperitif and a worthy pairing to spicy foods such as Indian, Vietnamese and Thai.

Daas Organic Witte (5.0% ABV)

Daas Witte is a naturally cloudy Belgian wheat beer. The fruity aroma and refreshing blend of subtle citrus and spice flavors compliment its crisply dry and bitter hop finish. Goes down well with seasonal seafood and sushi.

The three Daas Craft Beers, Witte, Blond and Ambre RRP £2.49

Daas is the only Belgian craft beer to carry the UK Soil Association Organic certification and the Belgian Certisys Organic certification. They grow their own barley in our farms and use locally sourced hops that are grown without pesticides and chemical fertilisers which they believe makes Daas beers ultimately more appetising.

The beers are suitable for vegetarian and vegan drinkers and both Blond and Ambre will soon be gluten free. Daas will continue to develop its links with organic and ethical traders with the aim of eventually becoming a carbon neutral beer; it is delivery by road to the UK that allows Daas to wear the Zero Air Miles badge with pride.

Daas guarantee “Each brew is hand crafted by a solo master brewer with two dedicated assistants and we fully intend to keep it that way.” Craft beer is about creating a flavourful, high-quality beer, which in most cases is very different from the mass-produced beer. Like all artisanal craft breweries their approach towards creativity, exploration and sustainability remains second to non.

Since their recent launch Daas has won numerous awards, supporting that both trade and consumer not only appreciate the taste but also the brands ethical standards and the attention paid when making the beers. Their marketing slogan of “The Pure Indulgence” backs up their use of the finest ingredients and the brand’s conscientious ideals.

Daas finish by saying “For many people it is not a question of drowning a few cold beers as possible, it is more a question of finding the right taste, the right beer for the right occasion.”

Daas is available throughout the UK from specialist, luxury and organic retailers. The beers are also on the shelf at selected stores of Waitrose, Able & Cole and can be purchased online at www.daasbeer.com & www.ocado.com

For enquiries outside the UK visit www.daasbeer.com