Beer 101

 This is an exciting time to be a beer drinker! The vast array of brands and brewing styles has created a subculture of beer connoisseurs. For those just getting to know craft beer, it can feel a bit overwhelming, so let’s discuss fundamentals; most beers are broken into two broad categories, Lagers and Ales. Your typical brewing ingredients are water, malt, yeast and hops. Belgians and other distinctive craft brews use spices, seeds, nuts, flowers, fruit, coffee and many other flavor enhancers. Most of the time barley, wheat, rye and oats are used to create the malt, but brewers have also been known to use corn, rice and other lesser grains. With so many possible ingredients, it’s no wonder there’s more than 4,000 active breweries in the United States alone!
If you’ve ever wandered through the aisles at BevMo, you know how over whelming it tends to be! Most beer drinkers are used to light crisp lagers. Major brewers producing Bud, Coors and Miller have set those standards.  Lagers and Pilsners can be very refreshing on a hot summer day, but don’t rule out the equally popular ales, such as Samuel Adams and Newcastle. Although you can’t pigeon-hole ales into such a simple flavor profile. They can range from candy sweet to pucker up bitter! It all depends on the levels of malt vs hops, gauged by the IBU (International Bittering Unit) measuring the amount of hops on a scale of 100.  This helps to define your much more complex brews, such as Belgiums, Stouts, Porters and the ever so sharp IPAs.
So that’s my dime tour into the wonderful world of beer… and with a history stretching all the way back to ancient Egypt, beer is truly a language everyone can understand. We invite you to come down to Newhall and do a little taste testing. Between Newhall Refinery, Smokehouse, Rep Theatre, El Trocadero, Persia and us at Eight & Rail, you easily have over 100 beer options to choose from! So come share a pint with us.
For more information, please call 661-255-7833 or visit www.eighthandrailpub.com.  They are located at 22505 8th Street in Newhall.