by Manda Carr

Created on: August 20, 2008   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

Beer comes in many different shades. The simple answer to why this is can be found in one main ingredient: malt. Malt is the another word which brewers use to describe Malted Barley.

Malted barley contains fermentable sugars (Maltose) and a less fermentable sugar which can add taste and sweetness to the finished beer (Dextrose).

The paler beers were once synonymous with Europe, possibly to do with their preference for more hoppy flavours and less malt sweetness. Our British beer palate preferred more sweet malts and so the chestnut coloured 'bitter' and dark 'mild', with more malt and less hop, were popular. The Irish opted for stouts, like Guinness, and I was lead to believe got their trademark darkness came, not only from the deeper roasted malt, but from the addition of cochineal (bug colourant). However, it was always 'the dark blonde' and 'chestnut' ale which I was interested in, because this is what I looked after during my time as a cellarman.

Even when creating a Guinness type ale, brewers use 'Pale Malt', as this has the highest content of fermentable sugars. Dark malts are made by further roasting after the initial malting and their rich caramels add darkness to the ale and a 'burnt' sweetness to the taste. Different kinds of malt can be added together to create different beer recipes, which is why we have varying colours of beer.

The malts are ground into a floury substance and added to water to soak and extract sugars. This mixture is called the sweet wort to which hops are added, but are, technically, not necessary to make a beer a beer. The hops are then removed and the liquor is then known as hopped wart and it is this which is fermented. There are two kinds of yeast and it is the top fermenting yeast (creating a creamy head on top of the brew) which is used by beer makers; the bottom fermenting yeast being preferred for lager brews. Once fermentation is complete the beer settles, is casked, stored, and then transported to sale point cellars.

I know from experience that some of those beers didn't travel well, and some did. Some could be thrown on the cask rack, tapped and vented and served in a day. Others had to be gently mothered and approached wearing full Personal Protection Equipment, because they could go off like Vesuvius. One thing they all had in common was the richness in variety of colour and taste was evident in the care and attention to ingredients, recipe, and brewing techniques.

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