Evaluation of beers














DEFINITIONS ALT German term for old or traditional. Altbier are bitter beers produced by a high fermentation process. We can compare it to an Ale with copper aromas, very bitter. AROMA It is an olfactory perception. Beers often have a hops and malt aroma, but also fruity and spicy notes. BEER Legal definition: Beer is a beverage obtained by alcoholic fermentation from a must prepared from the malt of cereals, raw materials from cereals, dietary sugars and hops, bitterness-inducing substances from hops, drinking water. Cereal malt accounts for at least 50% of the weight of the starch or sugar used. The dry extract represents at least 2% of the weight of the primary must. BITTER Classic British ale, bitter, with little gas and little foam. BITTERNESS It comes from hops, and in particular from its resins. It is evaluated in units of bitterness. BLACK Black beer is usually brewed from black wheat and/or barley and/or spelt, giving it a black colour. Black beers have in principle a strong character. The main production region is Brittany. BLONDE A blonde beer is designated by its colour. BODY Term used to describe the size of a beer in the mouth. This sensation is provided by the content of unfermented sugars and protein complexes present in beer. BOUQUET Bouquet is the combination of all the floral scents emanating from beer. These scents usually come from high fermentation beers. BREWING Consists in mixing the malt with water and then heating everything to obtain the must. During brewing, the enzymes present in malt, alpha-amylase and beta-amylase (amylase means which can break the starch molecules) transform the starch into sugars: carbohydrates and fructoses whose proportion varies according to the brewing temperature. Only glucose will be converted into alcohol during yeast fermentation: a low-temperature brew generates more glucose and produces a more alcoholic beer and a high-temperature brew generates more fructose and produces a softer beer. BRUNETTE Brunettes are dark beers with shades from red brown to ebony black. This colour is due to the use of heavily worked (roasted) malts. CARBONATION Add carbon dioxide to beer. But the term saturation should be used. DENSE BEER Unlike a light beer, a dense beer provides a feeling of roundness as well as a generous and mellow taste. This usually comes from a sweet, well-malted beer. A beer with such qualities will generally be higher in alcohol and less bitter. DREGS Deposit that forms at the bottom of the containers in which the liquids have fermented. It is essentially composed of yeast. DUTY BEER Beer that has undergone prolonged fermentation, during which sugars and yeasts continue to work in bottles. FERMENTATION The transformation of sugars into alcohol or carbon dioxide through the action of microorganisms such as yeast or bacteria.FLAVOURING It is a matter of flavouring the must with fine hops or spices towards the end of the sterilization, within minutes or even during the fermentation or storage period. FLAVORS Floral or fruity, balance between bitter and sweet, between malt or hops aromas. FLAVOUR Refers to the overall combination of all aspects of taste and aroma. The aroma thus defines all the perceptions of the nose (aromatic impression) and language (taste in the strict sense) as well as the physical impression in the mouth that is also called "roundness". GENEROUS TASTE Gives a lasting sensation after a sip. GUEUZE Beer specific to the region of Brussels (Belgium), resulting from spontaneous fermentation and composed of lambics of different ages. Generally, this beer benefits from a refermentation in bottle. HOPS A climbing plant of the cannabinaceae family, grown for its cones, or female inflorescences, and used to flavour beer. These inflorescences, or groups of flowers, produce a yellow powder containing bitter resins called lupulin. This is what makes beer taste bitter! Hops can grow up to 8m tall. It was once grown on wooden rods and now grows on taut wire. On the European continent, only the female flowers of hops are used to flavour the beer and give it its bitterness. Some types of hops are known for their bitterness while others shine by their aroma, so the brewer can use several hops to make his beer. IBU (INTERNATIONAL BITTERNESS UNITS) Method of measuring the bitterness of beer. ICE BEER Method by which the beer is brought to a temperature that allows the water to freeze in crystals. By removing the latter, we increase the density of the beer and therefore its percentage of alcohol. KRIEK Belgian beer of spontaneous fermentation made from lambic to which whole cherries are added for a second fermentation in oak barrels. LACE Traces of foam remaining on the walls of a glass after each sip. LAGER Common name for low fermentation beers. This term also refers to light, sweet and flavoured beers. MADERIZATION Term used when the taste softens with age and notes of candied fruit leave a heavier finish. MELLOW Says of a generous beer, which remains in the mouth. You can feel the texture of the beer, which does not immediately flow into the throat, thus releasing the sweetness of its aroma. MOSS Foam is important! It protects the drink from contact with its enemy, the oxygen contained in the air, and thus preserves the flavour of the beer and its aromas. The foam crown comes as a jewel, enhancing the dress of the beer. OXYGENATION During the cooling of the must, it can be oxygenated to promote the action of the yeast during fermentation. PALE ALE Amber beer, well hopped from the Ale family. PASTEURIZATION The beer is pasteurized for sterilization and subjected to a temperature of 140°C for 15 minutes. Pasteurization is usually done just before packing. PILS, PILSNER, PILSENER Blonde and clear beer, low fermentation and going to 5% alcohol, which finds its origin in the Pilsen brewery in the Czech Republic. REFERMENTATION Action allowing the natural appearance of carbon dioxide in beer by secondary fermentation in bottles or barrels. During bottling, the beer is not filtered and is therefore unpasteurized. ROASTING, ROASTING Grilling, roasting the beans (coffee, malt...) ROUND Refers to a beer that presents, in the mouth, a sensation of corpulence and fullness. STOUT Dark brown or black beer, high fermentation, containing dark-colored roasted malt with a bitter taste. TANNIC TASTE Sensation of dryness in the mouth and appearance of astringency. Usually this sensation is found in very hoppy or sour beers. TRAPPIST Beer made exclusively by or under control of the Trappist monks. Very strong, closed in the bottle, these are excellent high fermentation beers. Currently, only 6 abbeys in the world manufacture Trappist beers (Orval, Westmalle, Rochefort, Chimay, St Sixtus, Koningshoeven). The name 'Trappist' has its origin in the ND abbey of the Great Trappe, founded in 1140 by Rotrou II, count of Perche, in Soligny (Orne). This abbey, first Benedictine, then Cistercian from 1148, was reformed in 1664 by the abbot of Rancé. It is the mother abbey of the Cistercians reformed from strict observance, called 'Trappists' whose abbey of Cîteaux is the general abbey seat (Cîteaux: Cistercians). Trappists are, to our taste (with real Belgian lambics and a few other rare exceptions), the best beers in the world. Having a real history, they are used to finance works. WEAR Black beer, usually of high fermentation, with a pronounced taste of roasted malt and hops. Of London origin and dating from the 18th century. WHITE White beer is a pale, turbid, unfiltered, high fermentation beer. The alcohol content is about 5%. It is brewed from a third of wheat, wheat malt. It is often flavored with various ingredients such as coriander or citrus zest. YEAST Fungus that produces the alcoholic fermentation of sweet solutions or that causes the floury pasta to rise. Each fermentation has its own type of yeast.