There’s nothing better than a cold beer on a sizzling hot afternoon. Beer is many people’s favourite and one of the most consumed alcoholic drinks worldwide. There’s evidence of brewing beer from barley from 3100 BC but it’s possible that it started many years before that. This tells us that people have always been passionate about making their own drinks and what’s a better way to do that than by using what you have in abundance- cereal grains?
Australian Beer: A Tradition that’s Here to Stay
Just like in other countries, beer is widely consumed in Australia as well. It was first brought by Captain James Cook in 1770 when he landed on Botany Bay. In the 19th century, the first breweries opened and some of them are still operating today. Nowadays, there are many major breweries but the popularity of microbreweries or craft breweries is constantly on the rise. The major brands are still some of the most consumed ones but Australians love the taste of brews from locally-owned breweries. There are around 300 independent and craft breweries, most of them in New South Wales and Victoria. That’s why you can find many breweries in and around the capital cities Sidney and Melbourne. If you happen to go to Melbourne, you can taste some of the best melbourne beers from the many craft breweries. There’s a lot of them, which makes it hard to distinguish the good from the bad ones. Make sure you check what the best ones are according to your taste and you don’t even have to go there in order to try them. You can just order your favourite ones and have them delivered to your doorstep. You’ll be able to find many unique variations and surprise your taste buds with refreshing and explosive flavours.
What Is Special about Craft Beer?
Craft beers evolved from beer enthusiasts who wanted to try something innovative and never-tasted before. The brewers aren’t afraid to mix and add new ingredients and use new methods of brewing. This is what makes them sought-after. Since these craft beers are usually produced in a small amount with great attention paid to quality, people are eager to taste everything that microbreweries have to offer. This being said, here are some of the reasons why you should choose craft beer:
Greater Choice – These small breweries provide you with a variety of choices. For instance, there are numerous melbourne craft beer variations that you could find, and imagine all the variations from other craft breweries. It wouldn’t even be possible to try them all.
Better Flavour – All are trying to create a unique taste that you will remember. Craft beers have a richer taste, full of flavour, which is something that’s rarely found in major brewers.
High in Alcohol – Usually, craft beers are those that have the highest ABV. Beer produced in bulk that you regularly find in markets has up to 5% alcohol, while some craft beers can have much more. This means lower cost since you can drink less to get more ABV that will satisfy you.
High-Quality Ingredients – Small brewers brew with love. This is why they make sure that only the best ingredients go in the beer that they’re making. More often than not, they use organically grown ingredients that are always fresh. They strive to be eco-friendly and sustainable, which is something that we all could learn from. Because of the high-quality ingredients, craft beer can be more beneficial for your health and provide you with all the nutritional values that can be pretty low in mass-produced beer.
Better Spent Money – Since you’re drinking local beers from the community where you live, such as Sidney or Hobart or melbourne beer, you’re supporting the local economy. You’re helping your people and these breweries are usually the ones that give money back to the community by hosting local events or fundraising.
Beer Types: What Is the Most Common Type of Beer?
There are no boundaries to what you can make your beer taste like. New and custom flavours are constantly coming out but there’s something in the popular and common types of beers that makes us always come back to them. After all, they’re widely consumed for a reason, right?
Ale vs. Lager
Lager, together with ale, is the main beer type, which is also pretty popular among the melbourne craft beers. The difference between ale and lager lies in the fermentation of the yeast. The yeasts in fermenting lager ferment at the bottom of the tank, which is why lager is a bottom-fermented beer, while ale is a top-fermented beer. The yeasts used for ale don’t tolerate low temperatures, while lager yeasts prefer these temperatures and ferment more slowly. Lager can be left to age for months in cool temperatures, which makes it more tolerant and reduces the number of by-products during the fermentation. This means that lager is a clean and crisp beer, compared to ale, which due to the warm temperatures has fruitier and spicier notes. Lager is also a younger beer, since the first beers were made of wild ale, and in Australia, it was first brewed in 1882.
There are many lager and ale beer styles, especially when it comes to melbourne beers, but they can often be a combination of the two and many other different types of microorganisms. This makes it possible for every beer lover to find their favourite style and beer flavour.
IPA – Stands for India Pale Ale and it’s a hoppy beer that can be found in a wide range of styles. It’s most often associated with craft breweries since they were the ones that started brewing many varieties of the flavourful IPA.
Sour Ale vs. Wild Ale – Although wild ales can be sour that doesn’t have to be always the case. Sour beers have added bacteria that result in a sour flavour at the end of the fermentation process.
Stout – It’s a dark beer made of roasted malt or barley, with plenty of different variations.
