I thought a good starting place for the series would be to talk about the two major lines of demarcation when speaking of beers.  As far as beers go, there are Lagers and Ales.  Here is a basic breakdown that will help us to be clear about how the terms are being used. Lager stems from a German word that means "to store."  This comes from the fact that at certain times of the year the weather was too warm to brew the types of beer that were desirable to Germans.  In order to ensure that they had the necessary provisions to drink, they would store their beers in icy caves.  This cold aging first stemmed from necessity.  However, they soon discovered that the aging and cold conditioning of these beers produced a clean and less fruity taste.  It wasn't until modern refrigeration that the spread of these beer was possible.  In terms of modern definitions, a Lager is fermented and stored from 32 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Furthermore, a yeast strain that is specific to Lagers is also utilized in the brewing process.  Beyond this, the yeast is also bottom fermenting (i.e., the yeast rests on the bottom of fermentation vessel).  For ...

In an effort to talk about more beers, we are planning to review an additional beer or two a week.  This will happen on top of our Drink It with Us Friday beers.  We want to beginning building a database a beers for those who visit to scroll through.  We're also hoping that this will create wider exposure to our site.  The first beer in this series hails from Belgium.  The Oerbier website has a history and blurb about this beer and its others; check out their site.  It may take a little bit of looking to get this beer, but it is worth it.  I found mine at the Hop Shop in Indianapolis.  Without further ado, I will offer my thoughts on this beer. When I poured this beer, there was an extreme amount of carbonation.  Who's to say that this isn't appropriate to the style?  I'm sure it is intended in the brew.  The extra carbonation may come from an extra does of candy sugar in the bottling process.  Of course, Belgian beers are known for utilizing candy sugar in the brewing, as well as conditioning, process.  Either way, the head was creamy and slightly bitter.  The head retention (because of the high carbonation) lasted a virtual eternity.  ...