Beers: young and not set in stone

There are so many types of beer these days that even the most passionate beer lover can lose track. There is something for everyone, allowing you to perfectly match your beer to the weather, your mood or the matching dish. For those who are curious about the origins and creation of different beers, we have collected all the answers in this blog. Reason enough for Uiltje to dive deeper into beer types and give you some more explanations about them!

History of beer types

It may sound crazy, but beers we have been using for not even half a century. Before that, we talked mostly about the geographical origin of beer. Even pilsner, still the most widely consumed beer style in the world, is essentially nothing more than a geographical designation: beer, coming from Plžn, a town in the Czech Republic.

It was English beer writer Michael Jackson who was the first to make real work of it. In his Beer Atlas, he categorized beers by similarities in taste, color and brewing method. He grouped these as "style because of those similarities: you get why IPAs and stouts became a style.

Actually, English beer expert Jackson did exactly what came before. Before long-distance transportation made it possible to use ingredients from elsewhere, people brewed with what was available locally and in a similar fashion. As a result all beers from that region tasted the same, exactly what is meant by a beer style meant. Hamburger, Münchener, Liège Wit or Nijmegen Mol: geographical designations that are actually the precursors of a beer style!

Not cast in concrete

Nothing is unchanging, including beer. New techniques and changing ingredients mean that each brew has its own character. Nowadays you hardly ever taste that: brewers aim for consistency. They used to want that too, but they couldn't do it back then. In the last century and a half, we have discovered or invented so many new techniques that a beer is fundamentally different now than it was 150 years ago. It makes beer types not immutable. Also, new ones are created all the time: just look at the endless list of IPA subspecies. Most of them have been around for less than 15 years....

Session IPA is a great example of that: so we're happy to explain that one again for you. We'll pick up these styles right away: cider, Weizen, pilsner, fruit beer and Mexican style. Cider and Mexican, along with Session IPA, are great examples of styles that have only recently gained tremendous interest. Weizen, fruit beer and pilsner have been around much longer and are also immensely popular!

New, hip beers

Cider

Granted, it's not a style of beer, because there's no grain involved. But in countries like England and Ireland, it has been on tap in pubs for years, sitting brotherly next to stouts, IPAs and lagers. So we classify cider among beer styles; on Untappd they don't give it a hard time about it either!

Cider is fermented apple juice, nothing more or less. From very dry to mildly sweet and always sparkling, but don't confuse it with the French variety. Which is much heavier in alcohol and has more of a vinous character. English cider is often dry and has more alcohol than the Irish version, which is also sweeter. There are also varieties made with pear juice (and officially called "perry") or with berries, which is called "berry.

Since the beginning of this century, cider has been gaining popularity in the Netherlands. It is often drunk from the bottle in a glass with ice cubes for a long, cool and refreshing taste experience.

Mexican style

For a long time this was not considered a distinct beer style, the basis being pilsner. But since we distinguish between Italian pilsner (dry-hopped), German pilsner (crisp bitter and heavily hopped) and, for example, American lager (very light, partly due to the use of rice and corn), Mexican is also seen as a sub-style.

Again, the main characteristics are that it is light and easy to drink away. The taste of this beer is very accessible and certainly not as bitter as most European pilsners. It evokes the atmosphere of a relaxing afternoon at the beach, whether in a hammock or not.

Session IPA

This type of beer emerged on the tidal wave of the beer revolution, of which IPA is the great standard-bearer. Session refers to the English expression "sessionable," which means "nice and drinkable. That drinkability here lies mainly in the fact that they are lower-alcohol beers than the "big" brother, which usually contains more than 5.5%. Session IPAs are between 3% and 4.5%.

Of course, aromatic hops play the main role here: scents that remind you of tropical fruits, citrus fruits or, on the contrary, freshly cut grass are central to this. All these things are not in the beer, of course, but that suggestion is entirely created by the hops used. These in turn come mainly from the "new world": America, New Zealand and Australia. European hops, especially the "noble hops," rather have the role of imparting bitterness to the beer.

Classic beers

Weizen

Ancient: people were already brewing wheat beer in the fourteenth century. Wheat beer! Yes indeed: the German word "Weizen" means wheat. The Belgian variant witbier is thus the result of a translation error: although the beer looks white, and Weizen sounds like Weiss (meaning 'white'), it should actually have been translated as 'wheat beer'.

The major difference with white beer is twofold: German Weizen uses only four basic ingredients (water, grain, hops and yeast, as required by the Reinheitsgebot) while white beer always contains herbs and spices (think anise, coriander, cloves and orange peel). In addition, you brew witbier with unmalted wheat and Weizen with malted wheat. It gives witbier a slightly sharper, more acidic touch than Weizen.

The characteristic of this type of beer is the banana aroma. Banana is not in it, partly because of that famous Reinheitsgebot, of course. That suggestion comes purely from the yeast used. It makes this style of beer an absolute favorite, whether on a summer terrace, or after a wonderful day of skiing at the après-ski!

Fruit Beer

The name says it all: beer, in which fruit has been used as a important flavoring. It has been a practical solution for centuries: in times when the brewing process was not yet under optimal control, it fulfilled the role of flavor enhancer to override spoilage. Today, that no longer and fruit hangs the garlands in beer!

In lambic, cherries are used to make kriek; many strong beers today have a "rouge" variant, in which red fruit plays a leading role. The same starring role is played by red fruit in the unique Rodenbach foederbier, with which the popular Fruitage by Rodenbach is made. Pure nature, you can taste it!

Pilsner

We talked about it briefly, pilsner is the most widely consumed style of beer in the world. Pretty clever, considering that it has only been around since 1842. In that year, the Czech town of Plžn opened its new city brewhouse. Locally grown barley and hops, combined with the super-soft river water, proved to be the winning combination for a golden yellow, crisp and super-fresh beer style. In the following decades it conquered the world: some forty years ago it was so dominant that 99% of all beer worldwide, was of the pilsner type.

Nowadays this is less, but still roughly 1 in five beers drunk is a lager. Its main characteristic, besides the points mentioned earlier, is its brilliant simplicity: nothing frenzied aromas like an IPA, nothing impressive dark color like a Stout, and nothing wondrous taste or mouthfeel like a smoothie sour: simply, straightforwardly fresh, crisp and thirst-quenching.

Enjoy the various beers

The diversity of beer styles is a testament to creativity and innovation within the beer world. From old classics like Weizen and Pilsner to new favorites like Session IPA and Mexican style, each beer style offers a unique experience and contributes to the rich tapestry of the brewing craft. Whether you're a fan of the dry, sparkling taste of cider or the refreshing simplicity of a well-chilled pilsner, there's always a beer that perfectly suits your taste and occasion. At Uiltje you will find an extensive selection of these beers, ready to be discovered by you. So, dare to experiment, try a new type of beer and discover the endless possibilities the world of beer has to offer. Cheers!