BJCP 2C.  Classic American Pilsner

Examples: Hard to find bottled but look to your local brewpub.
Serving Temp: 35°- 40°
Glassware: Flute, Pilsner, Seidel, Stange or Stein

Aroma: Grainy with a corn-like sweetness with a pronounced hop aroma. No fruity esters or diacetyl.
Appearance: Yellow to deep gold with a white head and crystal clear.
Flavor: Restrained malt flavors that may have a slight corn-like sweetness. The corn-like sweetness will balance the hop bitterness, however, if rice is used the beer will be crisper and drier.  No fruity esters or diacetyl should be present.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with a medium body.  Carbonation will medium to high.

Food Pairings: Choose accordingly depending if it is more crisp like the German or maltier like the Bohemian.

HopHeadSaid:  I am not a fan of the Classic American Pilsner.  I don’t care for the corn-like sweetness and the smooth creamy body only accentuates that.  The rice versions are more agreeable to me but I swear I can taste the rice in those beers. Rice isn’t one of my favorite flavors in a beer, either.

Unfortunately, this version of pilsner has a big hole to climb out of.  It was originally brewed by German immigrants and was nearly wiped out by prohibition.  After prohibition this style started to incorporate adjuncts like corn or rice to lighten the body and decrease the cost of production. This led to the “watering down” of this style.  It has, however, made a comeback with the increase of craft breweries and brewpubs so be sure to try one next time you see it on tap.

BJCP Style 2A.  German Pilsner

Examples: Bitburger, Trumer Pils, Victory Prima Pils,
Serving Temp: 35°- 40°
Glassware: Flute, Pilsner, Seidel, Stange or Stein

Aroma: Light grainy malt aroma is present with pronounced flowery or spicy notes.  No fruity esters or diacetyl should be present.
Appearance: Light straw to gold, crystal clear with a white head.
Flavor: Crisp with a pronounced hop bitterness and a subtle sweet grainy malt flavor. No fruit or diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium light body, high carbonation and dry.

Food Pairings: Cuisine: German. Cheeses: peppery (Monterey Jack).  Meat: pork, poultry.

HopHeadSaid:  German pilsners are drier and crisper than Bohemian pilasters do to the hard water used in brewing which accentuates hop bitterness and drier mouthfeel.

BJCP Style 10B.  American Amber Ale
Examples: Fat Tire Amber Ale, Stone Levitation Ale, Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale
Serving Temp: 40°- 45°
Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug
Aroma: Moderate hop aroma, generally citrusy, sometimes with a pronounced caramel malty sweetness.
Appearance:  Brilliant clarity, unless dry-hopped, amber to copper with off-white head.
Flavor: Malt flavors can be moderate to strong with a caramel sweetness with an assertive hop flavor and bitterness to balance the beer.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with elevated carbonation 

Food Pairings: Cheese: sharp (blue, Cheddar), Meet: beef, poultry, seafood, Dessert: salted caramels.

HopHeadSaid:  American amber ales are great transitional beers for people moving from maltier beers (Browns or Belgians) to hoppier beers (American Pale ales or IPA’s) as they are usually well balanced but contain lots of hop aromas and hop flavors.

18D.  Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Other Examples:  Westvleteren 12, Rochefort 10, Chimay Grande Reserve
Serving Temp: 50°- 55°
Glassware: Snifter, Tulip, Chalice, Goblet
Aroma: Rich malt sweetness reminiscent of caramel and toast with a mild to moderate yeast derived spiciness.
Appearance: Deep amber to brown with a frothy, light tan head.
Flavor:  Malt sweetness (caramel) and dark fruit will dominate while the yeast spice and alcohol help balance the beer.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer. However, the high carbonation, the spiciness and the alcohol warmth help thin your perception the body.

Food Pairings: Cheese: buttery or sharp.  Meat: grilled, smoked. Dessert: dark fruits, chocolate.

HopHeadSaid: These beers, sometimes called Quadrupels (yes that is spelled right), are perfect for desert but also pair well with dark fruits or chocolates.  These are also great beers for your wine friends because there is very little bitterness (common among BIG Belgian beers) and many layers of complexity; from dark fruit to caramel or wood flavors from the casks to peppery spiciness from the yeast. 

19C.  American Barleywine
Examples:  Bigfoot, Old Ruffian, Old Crustacean, Hog Heaven, Old Guardian
Serving Temp: 45°- 50°
Glassware: Snifter
Aroma: Assertive hop aroma (earthy, floral or spicy) may be present especially in young samples.  Sweet caramel notes will be present in young samples.
Appearance: Crystal clear, amber to deep copper with red highlights.  The head can be off-white to light tan but generally the head dissipates rather quickly.
Flavor: Sweet caramel malt will be noticeable at first but the finish will be all hops (flavor and bitterness) especially in young samples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium to full and smooth with a smooth alcohol warmth.

Food Pairings: Dessert: chocolates. Cheese: sharp.

HopHeadSaid: I love American Barleywines, young ones anyway.  I enjoy their assertive malt flavors and crazy-over-the-top hop flavor and bitterness when they are young.  If you find young barleywines to be too assertive I suggest you buy a few six packs and save them for a year or two.  If you do buy some for storage, be sure to store them upright in a dark and cool place. Taste one every few months after the first year and note the changes in the beer.  Barleywines age well and after a few years the bitterness will diminish but the hop, malt and oxidation flavors meld to create an incredibly complex beer.  I do enjoy these aged beers especially when paired with the right meal but I am too impatient to wait a year or more to drink a beer.

Lightstruck is a term used to describe a beer that has been exposed to a strong light source. Storage under fluorescent lighting or in direct sun light causes a chemical break down of isohumulones (the bittering part of the hop), which in turn releases the previously undetected sulfur compounds and produces that distinctly skunky aroma. 

This is especially problematic for beers in clear or green bottles because they filter out very little if any light. Unprotected beer can be “skunked” in a matter of seconds and can easily happen to the freshly poured beer in your glass especially if you are outside enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if a beer is skunked before you buy it. You can reduce the chances of purchasing a skunky beer if you avoid clear or green bottled beer that is sitting out unprotected in the sunlight or under florescent lighting.  Reach for the bottles packaged in boxes or the ones toward the back of the shelf in the dark.  If you do buy a beer that has been skunked (assuming you took good care of it) return it to the store and ask for a replacement.

Oxidation happens when oxygen is introduced into the beer through stale malt, splashing wort during the brewing process or fermentation or during bottling processes such as bottling, canning or kegging. Oxidation used to be described solely as a wet cardboard or paper taste; but as brewing techniques have become more advanced and the range of beer styles has grown AND as people have begun to understand that beer can be aged the taste descriptors for oxidation have changed.  

Yes, wet cardboard or paper is still the most recognizable but beer enthusiasts, Cicerones, brewers, etc. have identified a couple other oxidation off-flavors. Sherry-like flavors have been described in big beers (Barleywines, Belgian Strong Darks, etc.) that have been aged for several years. Even almond or honey flavors (in beers that didn't include honey) have been linked to oxidation.

Commercial breweries and quality beer stores take great care to prevent oxidation, as you might imagine so the most frequent example of oxidation is in homebrew.  To prevent oxidation it is always a good idea to flush carboys, kegs or bottles with CO2 (CO2 is heavier than O2 and will stay at the bottom of the vessels) before filling them. This pushes the O2 out of the vessel and reduces the risk of oxidation especially if you run your racking tube all the way to the bottom of the vessel and fill from below the CO2 blanket

"But what about my growler re-fills? Those don't get a CO2 purge!" Well in a sense they do. That is what is happening when you see a beertender overflow your growler while he/she is filling it. The beertender is only trying to fill the growler completely but the resulting foam actual works a a CO2 blanket and pushes the O2 out of the vessel. This ensures that you can get the beer home for almost-imediate consumption but you don't want to age full growlers.  Not because of oxidation but because their caps are notorious for leaky seals and you would hate to pull that beer out of the fridge in two weeks only to find that it has gone flat.

Unfortunately there isn’t anyway to tell if the beer you have in your hand is oxidized until you open it but keep the following tips in mind:


1. Look at the bottling date (if there is one) and don't buy if it is passed it "Best By Date". 

2. Pay attention to how the beer is being stored.  Heat is the biggest accelerator of off flavors and if the beer has been sitting out in the middle of a hot store or in the window (a popular advertising place) give it a pass, no matter how cheap it is!  Chances are good, especially if it has been there for a couple of days, that it will have pronounced off flavors.