Beer is a fermented alcoholic beverage, made from malted barley, yeast, water, and sugars. This drink can be sweet, bitter, or both. Some popular brands include Miller, Budweiser, and Heineken. However, there are many other beer styles.
There are also sour ales. These are typically fermented in wood tanks. They have a tart tang and pair well with spices and tropical fruit.
Other styles of beer include pale ales, stouts, lagers, and pilsners. Each style has its own distinctive flavors. A pale ale is generally hoppy, with a dry finish. Stouts are dark, rich, and smooth. The flavors of a stout may include coffee, chocolate, and hints of molasses. Typically, a stout is stronger than other styles.
Lagers are the most common type of beer in the world. Most brewers follow the German Purity Law, which states that a beer must be made with only four ingredients: water, hops, barley-malt, and yeast. While there are exceptions, the Reinheitsgebot is still in effect today.
Dark lagers have a malty flavor and are often slightly bitter. Vienna lager is reddish in color and has a subtle hop flavor. Often, the brewing process will involve adding additional fermentable sugars to boost the alcohol content.
Wheat beers are commonly found in Belgium. However, these beers are cloudy in appearance, as a result of the natural fermentation. In addition to being cloudy, wheat beers are made up of a larger percentage of wheat than other types of beers.