The Barleypop FAQ

Here's a few Frequently-Asked Questions about beer and beer-related stuff.

1. What's the difference between beer, lager and ale?

Beer is a term that primarily refers to all fermented malted barley beverages and is an encompassing term including Ales and Lagers.  When put simply, the difference between the other two terms largely boils down to yeast.  The yeast converts the sugars in the mash to alcohol and they impart flavors to the brew during this process.  Within each of these broad categories, many styles exist - from pale to dark and flavors from clean to complex.

Lagers are what most people refer to as "beer."  Lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures and use a strain of yeast that settles to the bottom of the tank during fermentation.  The resulting beer is typically lighter, more dry, and presents a clean, crisp taste when contrasted with an ale.

Ales are fermented with a different type of yeast that rises to the top as the mash is fermented, and is usually fermented at warmer temperatures.  These strains of yeast typically impart a deeper, more complex flavor to the finished product, and the beer has a heavier, more full-bodied taste compared to a lager.


2. What are "hops" and what do they do for the beer?

You'll see references to "hops" and even references to different types of hops on beer labels and commercials.  However, to some the contribution that hops makes to a brew is less well-known.

Simply put, "hops" is a type of flower that is known as "the spice of beer."  Hops is what gives a beer its character and nuance, and imparts a bitterness to offset the sweetness of the malt.  Different strains of hops have very distinct flavors and experienced drinkers can easily tell what types of hops were used in the brew.

Some varieties have very little hops, such as American Adjunct Lagers while others are very heavily hopped, like India Pale Ales.


3. I see a lot of people using the term "adjunct," what's that?

The basic beer ingredients are water, barley malt, yeast and hops.  The German Beer Purity Law, or "Reinheitsgebot," specifies that these are the only ingredients allowed to be used to make beer in Germany.  Intitially, the yeast was not included in the original law, because in 1516 when the law was enacted, it was not known that yeast was a part of the process.  The yeasts were originally accidentally introduced and were carried from batch-to-batch as residue in the containers.

Unfortunately for us consumers, barley malt is expensive.  Some brewers use cheaper substitute ingredients like corn or rice to provide the sugar content instead of springing for barley malt.  These adjunct ingredients are frequently used in mass-produced American beer, and most people are so used to them that they don't notice that the brewery has gone cheap on them.