BEERS THAT CHEER

Crack open a new thirst for enjoying a frothy cold one

FOR many of us, beer is a staple we pick up with the grocery shopping, never straying from our favourites.

But it’s time to wander off the beaten path a little. Matt Kierkegaard, one of Australia’s most experienced beer educators (beermatt.com), and Sid Ajala and Rob Carter, from the BWS beer team, discuss the top five trends we should all be discovering.

BRUT IPA

WHAT IT IS: “India Pale Ale, or IPA, is the flagship style of the craft beer revolution,” Kierkegaard said.

“Hop-driven and with aggressive bitterness, they’re not everyone’s glass of beer. The Brut IPA is a very new style of IPA that showcases the hop flavours without the sometimes harsh bitterness. WHAT IT TASTES LIKE: “Very light bodied for a big beer, like a champagne, but bursting with tropical fruit characters and citrus but with next to no bitterness.”

PILSNER

WHAT IT IS: “The ubiquity of lagers saw all lagers tarred with the same ‘boring’ brush, but true pilsners are a classic style and it’s great to see them coming back,” Kierkegaard said.

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE: “Earthy floral noble hop aromas with a moderate-bodied bready malt, body-cradling a crisp bitter finish in an elegant beer,” Kierkegaard said.

PORTERS AND STOUTS

WHAT IT IS: “Porters and stouts are some of the oldest beer styles, but with the cooler months they really come into their own,” Kierkegaard said.

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE: A dark beer can taste anywhere from treacle to chocolate to licorice. A stout is generally “roasty” in flavour, while a porter has more milk chocolate tastes.

MID-STRENGTH, LOW AND NO ALCOHOL

WHAT IT IS: “Lower in carbs and lower in alcohol are big growth categories as people look for options that better complement a healthy lifestyle,” Ajala and Carter said.

“Against a declining beer market overall, the midstrength beer category has grown more than 12 per cent in the last year. Australians are also finally getting access to some great tasting alcohol-free beers, which is seeing their popularity increase.”

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE: Just like a regular beer, but with fewer carbs and lower in alcohol.

LOCAL PALE

WHAT IT IS: “This is the evolution of Australia’s growing interest in craft beer with drinkers driven to support local businesses,” Ajala and Carter said.

“Pale ales aren’t so much a trend as the mainstay of the craft beer revival. The hop characters are very accessible to beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike and provide a real point of difference from the mainstream lagers that went before,” Kierkegaard said.

WHAT IT TASTES LIKE: Full of flavour, and a reflection of the local neighbourhood.

For more expert tips, visit lifestyle.com.au.