The daytripper: A taste of ale

By Paul W. Ross
Special to the Coastal Point

	Coastal Point • PAUL W. ROSS The lobby area at The Dogfish Head Brewery.

First, we need a little background on beer. Next week we’ll discuss wine-making, which is essentially the fermentation of grape or other fruit juice with yeast.

Beer-making is a little more complex. Beer contains four main ingredients: barley, water, hops and yeast. Barley is the seed of a grain that looks a lot like wheat. Before barley can be used to make beer, it must be malted, which involves a natural conversion process.

The barley is allowed to germinate, or start to sprout. During the germination process, enzymes released by the plant convert the starches in the grain into sugars that can feed the plant while it grows.

The key to the malting process is to stop the germination of the barley at a point when the sugar-producing enzymes are present but most of the starch is still unconverted. Eventually, these enzymes will produce the sugars that will feed the yeast to make the alcohol in the beer. This produces what is known as “green malt.”

After this natural process has released the enzymes, the green malt is dried by gradually raising the temperature. The intensity of the malt flavor and color depends on how high the temperature is raised during the drying process.

The next ingredient is hops. Hops are the flower of the hop vine. Hops contain acids, which give beer its bitterness, as well as essential oils that give beer some of its flavor and aroma. Adding hops to beer also inhibits the formation of certain bacteria that can spoil the beer, which was their original purpose.

Yeast is the single-celled microorganism that is responsible for creating the alcohol and carbon dioxide found in beer. There are many different kinds of yeasts used to make beer; and just as the yeast in a sourdough starter gives sourdough bread its distinctive flavor, different types of beer yeast help to give beer its various tastes.

There are two main categories of beer yeast: ale yeast and lager yeast. Ale yeast is top-fermenting, meaning it rises near the surface of the beer during fermentation. It typically prefers to ferment at temperatures around 70º F. Lager yeasts are bottom-fermenting. They ferment more slowly and prefer colder temperatures, around 50º F.

Water is water, more or less. But the mineral content of the water can have a distinct effect on the taste of the beer. Addition minerals can often be added to the water to control the desired mineral content. Other ingredients are added for the particular recipe.

	Coastal Point • PAUL W. ROSS Where the magic happens.

Hops were originally added as a natural preservative. Now, it’s for the distinctive flavor. Different hops, grown in different areas of the world — plus different yeasts — determine the flavor of the beer.

After some additional processing, and appropriate aging, the beer can be bottled or placed in kegs for consumption.

The Dogfish Head Brewery brews a wide variety of beers, depending primarily on the season; so not all of their beers are always available at any given time. The brewery itself is located in Milton, and they also maintain a brewpub at 320 Rehoboth Avenue, in Rehoboth Beach. (The pub’s number is (302) 226-2739.)

The Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton offers tours Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 3 p.m. It is wise to be a bit early to be able to participate in the beer tasting. You do need to be over 21 years of age to participate in the beer tasting. The brewery can be reached at (302) 684-1000.

For those under 21, and if all else fails with day-tripping on a hot summer afternoon in Milton, King’s also has an ice cream parlor on Union Street in Milton. They have excellent ice cream, for the perfect finish to a summer afternoon.