How well do you know your beer?

If you're like me, you enjoy a cold beer on a hot day.  Whether on the golf course, at a ball game, or after you spent eight hours toiling away at your landscaping you want to open the fridge, grab a bottle and hear that familiar "pfft" after cracking the cap and taking in that refreshment.

Beer consumption really is that simple.  I know that I defy this blog's very existence by returning to the fact that all most people want to do is enjoy a beverage.  When I dove into this I really had no idea how vast the world of beer is, and if you humor me, we can explore this world together and hopefully enjoy these brews even moreso than before.

Having said all that, there are only two kinds of beer in the world: Ale and Lager.  Basically you can compare the fermentation of yeast to sex, some like to be on top while others like to be on bottom.  This applies to the position of the yeast in the vessel and the temperature at which the fermentation usually takes place.

Ales like to be on top.  The yeast ferments near the top of the vessel and at high temperatures, anywhere from 60 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lagers like to be on bottom.  This results in fermentation occurring near the 35 degree mark.

Now, when you hear the commercial mention frost-brewed, you can believe it.  Coors Light, Bud Light, and Miller Lite are all American style light lagers.  With fermentation occurring at such a low temperature they can all lay claim to the frost-brewed fact.  And the next time you hear people drinking Guinness warm, don't be in shock.  As an Irish Dry Stout Ale, the fermentation occurred at a higher temperature and the beer is probably at its happiest closer to room temperature than you may think.