Well-versed brewers know the main ingredients of beer – water, malt, hops. And a bit of yeast, that’s actually all that a beer needs. But is it really all? When having a look at Belgian beers, it’s difficult to avoid beers brewed with other ingredients, such as fruit. But why are they contained in beer? Let’s browse history a bit. Tradition has it that the ancient Egyptians added fruit to beer. One can only speculate about the reason. Some say simply for improving taste; others say that addition of fruit introduced more fermentable sugar, raised the alcohol content and made the beers “more intoxicating”. In the records of later centuries, recipes are found again and again describing addition of fruit to beer, but none of these beers established themselves. But wait – some will say –, what about e.g. Belgian Kriek? However, this Belgian speciality including sour cherries isn’t as old as many would like to think. Kriek was brewed, in significant quantities, and sold as of the 1930s. Beers such as Framboise Lambic made their appearance quite late, brewing of these beers started only in the 1950’s.

Gose is an enigmatic sour, salty wheat beer and has been brewed with a variety of herbs over much of its history. It originated in Goslar, Germany, at some point migrated to Leipzig and is now being brewed the world over; however, it has lost none of its mystery. This beer style was popular for a long time in the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia; but unfortunately like so many old European beer styles, during the calamitous 20th century, it faded slowly away. It was officially pronounced dead in 1966. Against all odds, however, the beer experienced a revival behind the Iron Curtain in 1986, in large part thanks to the efforts of a single publican in Leipzig. Gose has been said to divide beer drinkers into two camps: those who appreciate its tart, salty, citrusy flavor mingled with coriander (and perhaps other spices) and those who simply do not. For those who appreciate it, read on...

In an ad from 1907, Bass Barley Wine was praised as being similar in taste to “good old Sherry” but having the advantage of “high nutritive quality over all wine”. The ad claimed that the ale was able to help cure “low fever and other wasting diseases”, help nursing mothers and “give sleep to the restless”. Today, the health benefits of barley wines are not being advertised anymore – the beers are generally best known for their complex aroma and flavor and despite a revival in popularity are still among the rarer finds in the world of beer.

Pilsner is by far the world’s most popular beer style. After being invented in the mid-19th century it was copied many times and led to the development of many substyles like Munich Helles, Dortmund Export, American Pilsner and more.

When thinking of Stout most people think of Dry Stout, the black ale with a creamy head from Ireland. In actuality, there are several other members in the Stout family that are lesser known but definitely worth examining. In this article we will be looking at the most prominent ones as well as a few of the more obscure examples. All Stouts share a common history as well as their signature black color and roast malt character but there are notable differences that deserve exploration.

Dubbel Ales are mid-strength, dark, somewhat sweet, mildly hopped, top fermented beers of Belgian origin. Although they are very flavorful, they typically finish on the dry side due to the use of highly fermentable sugar in addition to specialty grains. They are typically high in carbonation (up to 8 g/l) resulting from bottle refermentation.

Pumpkin ale is probably the quintessential American beer style, having its roots in colonial times when the access to barley and wheat in North America was limited and pumpkin was used as a source of starch for brewing. As barley malt became more accessible, the production of pumpkin beer declined and eventually ceased. The beer made a comeback with the resurgence of US microbrewers in the eighties of the last century and is now a popular seasonal in the portfolio of many brewers...

Smoked Märzen is a regional lager beer specialty that is home to the Upper Franconian city of Bamberg, Germany and its surrounding area. The beer is characterized by a beechwood smoke aroma and flavor and a slightly sweet and malty finish.

India Pale Ale (IPA) is currently the most popular style of “craft” specialty beer in North America. It is a hop intensive ale whose origins are with beers brewed for long sea journeys to the British colonies. IPA has developed into several off-shoot styles including Red IPA, Session IPA, White IPA and Black IPA, but the standard IPA is the most popular and will be the focus of this article.

Though a popular style in its day, especially in the 19th century, witbier was virtually extinct by the 1950s. The style was, however, single-handedly resurrected in the 1960s and eventually made famous by Pierre Celis of the De Kluis Brewery in Hoegaarden, Belgium. This wheat beer is refreshing, spicy, pale and cloudy, can be slightly sour, has a dense head of white foam and is now brewed throughout Belgium and around the world.

Despite being one of the oldest German beer styles, Berliner Weisse is almost extinct from the German brewing landscape today. Thanks to its refreshing character, it has recently gained popularity among craft brewers around the world. It is often served “mit Schuss” – the addition of flavored syrups (raspberry and woodruff are traditional) – while purists prefer the beer to be served unadulterated.