Desiree's Beer & Wine Blog

Ok Ladies,

This is the year.  This is the year that we expand our horizons and experiences in the world of beer.  Beer is more than Michelob Ultra and Coors Light.  The world that is out there is amazing.  As I’ve stated before, there are over 98 beer styles out there and this year I’m going to encourage the Ladies out there to try a new style every week.  Ok, I’ll be happy if you try a new style every month.  Beggars can’t be choosers…

To give an idea of what is out there to explore here are just a few of the beer styles that are out there: fruit beers, sour beers, bocks, wheat beers, Belgian Tripels and Dubbels and Quadrupels, cream ales, brown ales, pale ales and English bitters.  The list goes on and on.  If you would like to explore these styles for yourself, you can go to the Beer Judge Certification Program website to see a description of the beer styles that have been defined for homebrew competitions.

Every week I’m going to suggest a beer style for you to try.  I’m going to tell what defines that style and what to look for when you taste these beers.  Keep an open mind.  Except that there will be styles that don’t appeal to you but realize that just because you aren’t warming up to the beer you are trying, that doesn’t mean beer sucks. It just means that you don’t like THAT beer style.  I’ve said this before and I will say it again.  Saying you don’t like beer is like saying you don’t like bread.  You may like rye bread and hate white bread or the opposite but there is probably at least ONE kind of bread that you like.  So Ladies, let’s work hard this year to find a beer that you can appreciate and enjoy.

When you are trying a new beer, don’t drink them from the bottle.  Pour your beer into a glass so you can release the flavors and aromas.  Take several small whiffs of the beer before you take a sip.  Filling your nose with the aromas of the beer is going to enhance the flavor greatly.  The look of the beer also adds to the enjoyment of drinking your beer.  Seeing the head and the clarity all add to the experience.  After all, you wouldn’t drink your wine straight from the bottle would you!

This week I would like to suggest everyone try a wheat beer.  Wheat beers are a great transition beer for ladies that like to drink light beers.  The flavor is still very light. Many times wheat beer is served with lemon or orange wedges.  Wheat beers are cloudy because they aren’t filtered and this adds a pleasant yeasty character to the beer.  They are light bodied and the wheat in the beer adds a nice grainy quality that doesn’t overwhelm the drinkability of the beer.  Wheat beers are lightly hopped.  They aren’t bitter and the balance is towards the wheat malt character.  Some versions are lightly spiced with coriander and orange peel which adds a pleasant spicy, citrusy flavor.

There are several breweries out there that make a wheat beer.  The most popular and well known in Oklahoma is Boulevard Wheat out of Kansas City.  Our very own Marshall Brewing Company has their Sundown Wheat.  Another Oklahoma brewery, Choc, has a few wheat beers to choose from, including their 1919 and Waving Wheat. Give a few of these a try.  Go to your local liquor store grab a “pick six” of various wheat beers.

I would love to hear your feedback.  Give me feedback.  I would love the opportunity to discuss your opinions.

Cheers,

Desiree Knott
High Gravity Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies
7164 S Memorial
Tulsa, OK 74133
(918) 461-2605
desiree@highgravitybrew.com
http://www.highgravitybrew.com

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This entry was posted by Desiree Knott on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 10:41 pm and is filed under Beer Related Posts, Random Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.