Beer and Wine Weekly Update: August 11, 2015

Beer and Wine Weekly Update, August 11, 2015

by Brian Wendt

What’s an IBU?

Hey everyone, you may notice that many craft breweries nowadays not only list the alcohol content of their beers (listed as a percentage, ABV – alcohol by volume) but they also list something called “IBU.” What’s an IBU? IBU, which stands for International Bittering Units, is a measurement of the bitterness of a beer derived from the addition of hops. In other words, knowing the IBU of a beer can give you an idea of how bitter it’s going to be. 

IBU and bitterness in general can be perceived differently from person to person, so keep in mind that the following are rough guidelines, not exact estimates.  If you’re looking for something not hoppy or bitter, try beers that have less than 20 IBU; they’re usually more malty and sweet. Looking for something balanced? Try a beer in the 20-45 IBU range.  You’ll get more hop flavor and some bitterness, but usually it isn’t overpowering.  Want a super hoppy, bitter double IPA or barleywine? Look for beers with more than 45 IBU. Keep in mind, though, that once you reach over 100 IBU you probably won’t be able to taste the difference (your taste buds can only handle so much bitterness!).

Here are some of my favorites from our selection based on IBU range:
Less than 20 IBU – Unibroue’s Blanche de Chambly. An extremely easy drinking Belgian Witbier with spicy, fruity, and bready notes.
20 to 45 IBU – Founders Porter.  The bitterness (45 IBU) really balances the deep, malty, coffee and chocolate notes in this fantastic example of an American Porter.
More than 45 IBU – Rock Art’s The Vermonster. At 100 IBU this American barleywine packs lots of hop flavor and bitterness.

Hybrid Beer Styles

The other topic I want to discuss this week is a certain set of unique beer styles. Most beers fall into one of two categories: ales or lagers. Ales are fermented warmer and have more complex, fruity flavors.  Lagers are fermented colder and tend to be cleaner and crisp. There are a few beer styles, however, that don’t fit neatly into one of those categories: Kolsch and California Common.

Kolsch, a style originating from Cologne, Germany, is a very light, delicately balanced crisp beer. They tend to have very subtle fruity notes and mild maltiness.  What makes Kolsch a hybrid style is that although an ale yeast is used, it is fermented and conditioned at colder temperatures much like a lager. Interested in trying a Kolsch? We have several to choose from including two from nearby Vermont breweries, Simple Roots and Stone Corral.

California Common, also known as Steam beers, are the opposite of Kolsch: they are made with lager yeast but fermented at warmer temperatures.  Steam beers are traditionally made in large, open shallow fermenters.  They also tend to be more aggressively hopped than lagers or amber ales, though hop flavors are usually less citrusy and more woody.  We currently have in stock the classic Anchor Steam beer in bombers and Baxter’s Tarnation in 6-pack cans.  Definitely a unique style worth trying!

That’s all for this week, cheers!