6 Types of Brewers
paul royal
The Six Types of Brewers.
By Paul Royal
As a home brewer, drinking beer is necessary research that makes me a better brewer and appreciator of beer. While out of state enjoying some beer tourism, I was surprised by which breweries the locals kept trying to send me to. I asked about those breweries and several others that the locals had never heard of. It became clear that the locals and I had different ideas of what constituted great craft beer.
Beer epiphany! That’s when I figured out the six types of brewers. Each type has a different vision of great beer, and the same goes for their beer-fans. My list of the six types of brewers is Traditionalist, Engineer, High-Drinkability, Trickster, Artist, and Chef. What we know about each type of brewer tells us much about them, but also about their fans who are looking for their beer. Brewers can adapt to be in more than one category.
The Traditionalists want to perpetuate tried-and-true beers. Hundreds of years ago, brewers made beer without knowing what they were doing. They didn’t have thermometers for temperature control, or microscopes to know what yeast was. Over time, this trial-and-error method evolved from old-wives’-tales into traditional methods. These beers have been made for so long that these beers are synonymous with “beer” and are protected by tax laws (like Rheinheitsgebot). The fans of the beers of the Traditionalists are critical of “craft beer” and its many new, unfamiliar flavors. The Traditionalist breweries are highly regarded around the world, and their bottles often have a Coat of Arms.
The Engineers want to make the perfect beer, using the best equipment. Their beers are textbook perfect, reference standard, Gold Medal winners. These brewers have all the precise measurements documented and, ideally, their equipment is automated and computerized. Their fans like flawless beer, and they have never been disappointed. The Engineers include the brewers at Alesmith, Chuckanut, Wayfinder, and a few others.
The High Drinkability brewers want lots of simple, cheap beer that is nothing special. Corporate pressure keeps this beer free of expensive ingredients, so it is more like bread-flavored seltzer water. If their beer is tasteless enough, it can go with any food and serve as a water substitute for “hydration.” If it is fizzy enough, it can serve as a palate-cleanser to wash the taste of greasy sausages out of one’s mouth. This beer’s fans are the ones who go into a bar and say, “Bartender, give me a beer” and the bartender knows this customer doesn’t want craft beer. This drinker of high drinkability beer will tell you that they just like to have a case of this beer in the garage for when they need a “lawnmower beer.” Or they will say they don’t like hops, intensely bitter beers, high-calorie beers, beers with too much yeast, complex beers, or their own happiness. The High Drinkability brewers make the extremely common beers with “Lite” or “Ice” in their names.
The Tricksters started “craft beer,” and then moved on to their own artisanal beverages category. They know that craft beer is the most complicated and variable beverage in the known universe. They push the envelope with every unpredictable brew, refusing to plagiarize any beer or even any known style of beer. Their fun beers inspire and delight, and they are never boring. Their beers will have extravagant ingredients that can include Indian coriander, yarrow blossom, black limes, Spanish cedar, licorice root, blackberry honey, wild yeast, and many other delightful ingredients we rarely associate with “beer.” Their fans are looking for something unique, curious, and fascinating. The Tricksters include Off Color Brewing, Mikkeller Brewing, and a few others.
The Artists want to make the best beer, with the best ingredients. They want to unveil a dazzling beer that only skilled brewers can attempt make. The process can take months of barrel-aging, and some of their ingredients can be rare or garden-fresh. Their fans close their eyes and sip this beer, trying to isolate and appreciate the ingredients, hoping to develop their palates. The Artists include the brewers at Upright, Ale Apothecary, Alesong, Logsdon Farms, Jester King, Crooked Staff, Holy Mountain, and many others.
The Chefs want to make beers that go with food. They know that every plate comes with a glass, and together they can make a “food and beer comfort food pairing.” Chefs are familiar with all of the other beers, brewers, and beer fans. But their skills allow for them to add another dimension to flavor. Flavors can cooperate, conflict, or dance around each other. We can all imagine a beer that doesn’t go well with food. You sip that beer alone, by a fireplace. What is the opposite of that beer? A bright beer that can be gentle on the intensity scale, and very agreeable to the many people around the table. The best way to make a flavor stand out is to remove the competing flavors. This meal beer has no distracting, “dark”, or earthy flavors, or any off-flavors that can fight against the food at the table. This beer has flavor “gaps” in its sequence of flavors, so it does not mask the flavors of the meal, which are instead allowed to “dance” with the beer. The Chefs’ fans are foodies who crave interesting food, with something pleasant to drink that can improve the shared experience of the meal. The Chefs include Pizza Port and Grand Fir.
Michele Wonder
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Portland Brewers Collective" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pdxbrewerscollec...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pdxbrewerscollective/1316844858.3221980.1690081690533%40mail.yahoo.com.