German Stein and Beer Glossary


ETCHED. Design incised or engraved into body of stein.

LITER. Metric unit of measure equal to 33.8 ounces. Most steins are made in the half-liter size but can range from 1/8 liter to as large as seven liters.

PORCELAIN. Material made of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar fired at a high temperature. Porcelain first appeared in Germany in the eighteenth century and became popular in stein manufacturing in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

RELIEF. Decoration made in a seperate mold and applied to the body of the stein, giving the piece a raised effect.

STEIN. A drinking cup with a handle and an attached lid. The use of the lid makes a stein different than a mug.

BEER TYPES

American Lager

This mild flavored lager is often classified in levels as economy, standard, and premium. This indicates the use of higher quality ingredients and often an increase in alcohol content. Despite its very pale color and slightly bitter taste, this style of brewing has become very popular and has spread accordingly. Examples include: Budweiser, Michelob, and Miller High Life.

Bitter Ale

This bronze colored ale generally contains more hops, which can make the taste more bitter. Taste is measured as Traditional Bitter, Ordinary Bitter, and Strong Bitter. Ordinary and Strong classifications often contain a higher alcohol content and appear darker that Traditional Bitter. England can be accredited with the invention of this style of beverage. Examples include: Fuller’s, Hale’s Ale, and Redhook.

Bock Beer

Bock Beer is a mild tasting beer brewed from malted barley. It is brewed from the first pickings of hops and the first malt of the barley crop. It is then stored and aged for the winter giving it a dark color. Germany first started brewing it before it spread to a worldwide drink. Examples include: Kulmbacher Schweizerhofbrau, Einbecker, and Lucky Bock.

Draught Beer

Beer served from kegs or casks. Cask conditioning encourages light carbonation. The beer then reaches maturity while in storage. Draught beer also retains freshness, which is lost in the bottling process due to filtration and pasteurization. The taste of this beer can be described as fresh, smooth, or natural.


Ice Beer
Ice beer is a fairly recent innovation in brewing. The beer is allowed to freeze, and then the ice crystals are removed. This concentrates the distinctive taste and concentrates strong alcohol content. The freezing process often gives it a very dark color. This type of beer started in Canada and examples include: Budweiser Ice, Miller Ice, and Blue Ice.

Irish Ale

Irish Ale often features a red color, which is achieved because of the various colored malts used in the brewing process. A special caramel malt also gives it a mild and smooth taste. Ireland has produced several renowned ales in the past, but modern Irish Ales have lost much of the original flavor. Examples include: George Killian’s Irish Red, McGuire’s Irish Red Ale, and Kilkenny.

Lager

German originated lagers are beers that have been bottom fermented at low temperatures. They take longer to ferment than ales and have smoother, mellower taste. Colder temperatures naturally resist the formation of bacteria, thus lagers can be brewed with less hops and lower alcohol content. The coloring of this beer is usually a near-perfect gold. Examples include: Hofbrauhaus, Stoudt, and Lakerfront.

Lambic

Lambic beer is a wheat beer produced in Belgium, which is slow to ferment. Old Lambic styled beer has even been ages for two years. A sour taste is caused by a high amount of hops, which are needed to prevent spoiling during fermentation. Occasionally, aged hops are used due to a less sour taste. Modern lambics have become lighter with golden color and have less alcohol content. Examples include: Hassens of Dworp, Cantillion, and De Neve.

Light Beer

Light Beer is lower in calories, lighter in color, lower in alcohol content, and weaker in taste than regular beer. Unfermentable substances are converted to fermentable sugars, which will then convert to a somewhat diluted alcohol. Examples include: Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite.

Pilsner

Pilsner Urquell is the original Pilsner Beer. It was developed in Plzen, Czech Republic. It has since been copied all over the world. New yeast strains allow fermentation at very low temperatures, which make this pale colored beer contain a smooth, spicy, and a little dry taste. Examples include: Pilsner Urquell, Baderbrau, and Cristal Aiken.

Rye Ale

Rye Ale is a historic beer, which was originated in the Baltic Region during the Middle Ages. Rye Ale is made from part rye malt and it is stronger in flavoring than barley or wheat. This produces a spicy and tangy tasting beer and a low hops level keeps bitterness low. Although the use of rye in brewing can be traced back in history, it is only fairly recently that brewers have begun to produce rye beers in great quantity. Rye Ale has an average alcohol content and is generally pale in color. Examples include: Usher’s, Tugboat Rye Ale, and Schierlinger Roggenbier.


Stout

The Irish brewed a stronger version of the English Porter beer, which became known as stout porter and then eventually stout. Modern day stouts have become much lighter than original brews. Dark roasted malts (caramel, chocolate, and black) contribute to a bitter and creamy taste, very dark color, and average alcohol content. Examples include: Guinness Extra Stout, Grant’s Imperial Stout, and Oyster Stout.

Wheat Beer

Wheat Beer is a historic beer also known as white beer because of the cloudiness of the brew. The cloudiness is caused by proteins formed during fermentation. The Ageing process counteracts cloudiness to some extent leaving the beer clearer. Wheat Beer often tastes spicy or even fruity and it’s often drank with a twist of lemon. Examples include: Schramm Weizenbock, Stoudt’s Weizen, and Ayinger Export Weissbier.

Ale

Origins of ale date back to the 16th century England. The term ale refers to and beer that is “top fermented” using a top fermenting yeast, which settles on top of brew after fermentation. Brews at higher temperatures, strong and faster then bottom fermented beers. The taste of most ales is often ripe or fruity depending on method of fermentation. Examples include: Bass Ale, Legacy Red Ale, and McMullen.