Beer Lesson #1 – Know the Bare Beer Basics (so you can impress your friends)

Okay, I’ll admit, when I was younger I would look through the beer list and order whatever had the highest alcohol content, regardless of the type of beer. Thankfully I’ve long grown out of that stage, but unfortunately there are still many people out there who continue to pick their beers based on the highest alcohol percentage for the lowest cost.

Most people do not know the difference between types and styles of beer and as a result when they pick the beer with the highest ABV they don’t always end up liking it. I try the best I can when working at the brewery to find the perfect beer for the guest. Countless times I’ve had someone come up to me at Imperial Oak asking for a light beer, but not knowing whether they really want something fruity (like a Hefeweizen) or crisp and clean (like a Kolsch) or with a little bitterness (like a Blonde Ale).

So many options – why not try them all? Beer flight from Hailstorm Brewing in Tinley Park, IL

Unless you’re a beer nerd, you may not know the difference, so I’m here to enlighten you!

Every beer has a few basic qualities that make it different from another beer:

• SRM (Standard Reference Method)
• IBUs (International Bitterness Units)
• ABV (Alcohol by Volume)
• ABW (Alcohol by Weight)
• OG (Original Gravity- also called Specific Gravity)
• FG (Final Gravity)

The SRM basically clarifies the color of the beer as set by the American Society of Brewing Chemists. It ranges from 1° (pale straw) to 40°+ (black). The Beer Drinkers Guide to Colorado has a cool chart showing the colors and the styles of some beer.

IBUs measure the bitterness of a beer and range from 5-100+.  Humans can generally start tasting a bitterness between 4-9 IBUs. The bitterness in beer is needed to balance the sweetness from the malt.

ABV is the measurement of alcohol content in beer.  To get this number, a brewer will use a hydrometer (that finds the density of liquid in relation to water) to measure the OG. They let the beer ferment and then remeasure (days, weeks, months) later to find the FG, then multiply that number by 131. Basicially: OG – FG x 131 = ABV% (easy enough even for a math inept person like me)

Beer may also show the ABW on the side of the bottle. Between 1933-1990, after Prohibition, brewers wanted to show that the alcohol in the beer was not that high and opted to use the ABW on the side of their bottles instead. The rest of the world continued to use ABV and eventually it became the norm in the US again.  In order to convert ABW in the ABV, another fun math equation: ABW x 1.25 = ABVWhat does all this information actually mean to a customer? A couple weeks ago I had a woman come into Imperial Oak who was looking for something light, not hoppy and had a little sweetness to it. She really had no idea what style of beer she was looking for, so I suggested our Dunkelweizen. Although it looks dark (due to the dark malt used), it is a wheat beer and therefore not bitter, and it’s also low in alcohol content. Needless to say, it was a perfect match for her and she ordered a couple more for her friends when they showed up to the bar.

There is SO much info out there about beer, but if you know some of the basics you can impress your friends next time you’re at the bar… heck, it might even impress me!

True Life: I Work in a Brewery

Good grief – I swear this summer is flying by, but I’m enjoying every minute of it (even if I am working 6 days a week)!

I’m still full time Tuesday-Saturday at Grace and every Sunday I’m now bartending at one of Chicagoland’s newest breweries: Imperial Oak in Willow Springs. Yes, you can be jealous.

I knew in February, after being laid up for three weeks with my broken toes, that I was going to jump head on into this beer scene and it has been a blast! I began studying for the Certified Beer Server exam back in March and after my second attempt, I passed at the end of June. I’m pushing on to take the Certified Cicerone test by the end of this year and literally using every chance I get to study…. which of course involves tasting beers (and I’m always accepting applications for drinking buddies)!

Since I work at a brewery, I am taking advantage of every opportunity I can to be near or around beer. This week I finally got my chance to brew alongside one of Imperial Oak’s brewers, Grant Hamilton. Let me just tell you, although I only got to be there for an hour before I head over to Grace, I saw how much work goes into making a batch of beer.

I don’t think I even have to say how much I love spending every Sunday pouring beer and talking with fellow beer lovers, but if you want to find out for yourself, stop into the brewery! Your first beer is on me!