Cross Creek Courier Another Seabreeze Publication
VOL. 40 NO. 2
www.seabreezecommunications.com
FEBRUARY 2024
Ale Tales And Lager Lore By Diane Bothfeld, Certified Cicerone Here we are in February – still sticking to that New Year’s resolution to drink a different, new beer each month? Last month this article discussed bitterness from hops and linking coffee preferences with beer selection. The other big flavor in beer comes from grains, mainly malted barley. Other grains such as corn and rice are used to lighten beer but do not add any specific flavor. Oats, malted wheat and rye are also used to increase flavor and impact texture of beer. All of these grain and the flavors they impart can lead you to selecting those new beers to try. Many beer flavors are associated with products that are also made with grains. Descriptive flavors include unsalted saltines, cracker, biscuit (think graham cracker not buttermilk), toast and bread crust. Other descriptions of grain flavors include caramel, licorice, chocolate or roasted coffee. How do these flavor descriptions connect to beer styles? Let’s discuss. The malted barley in beer is heated as part of the process of preparing barley grain for use in beer. The heating can be a low temperature for a short duration or at very high heat for a long duration. Pale malts that are heated at low temperature for a short time make light colored beers. Think American lagers like Budweiser, international lagers like Corona, German lagers like Helles Hofbrau Original and Bitburger Pils as well as Belgian blonde ale like Leffe Blonde Ale. The malt flavors in these beers will be like unsalted saltines and can be described as grainy, but always very light in flavor.
Malts that in the middle of the heating and duration scale are darker in color and make beers that are red, amber or even slightly orange in color. Beers with this color range include American pale ale like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, international amber lager like Yuengling, Mexican lager like Dos Equis Amber, British bitters like Morland’s Old Speckled Hen, and Irish red ale like Killian’s Irish Red. The malt flavors in these beers will be more pronounced with toasted bread, crackers and caramel notes. The darker malts add more texture or mouthfeel to the beer. Malts that have been roasted at high temperature for longer duration are very dark in color and make beers that are brown to black to the point of being opaque. Beers with this color range include American porter like Founders Porter, Irish stout like Guinness, Imperial stout like North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout or German dunkel like Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel. Dark roasted malts can provide many flavors like chocolate, licorice, coffee or toasted bread crust. Remember to take in the aroma of these darkest beers – it makes my mouth water just thinking about that aroma! So linking up the grain-based flavors found in other foods with the malt flavors in beer can direct you to beers you might
like to try. Of course beer is the sum of its parts with hops, barley malt, yeast and water all playing a role in flavor. So the malt flavors should be balanced with the flavors of hops and in some cases yeast. If you do have a resolution to try new beers in 2024, then make it fun and invite some friends along on your journey with a shared beer tasting event. The Beer Club at Cross Creek had a Shared Beer Tasting event in December and the picture shows the bounty of beer that were shared. At a shared beer tasting, each person brings beer to share and beers can be something new, matching the theme for the event or just what is in the fridge. Make sure to have some cups, palate cleansing snacks like pretzels or crackers – not too strong in flavor, and plenty of water. You may also want a dump bucket – it is okay not to drink all of the samples of beer. Sample the beers in order of the intensity of the flavor – light beers and lagers first to dark beers and IPA at the end. Drinking a strong IPA and then a light lager will blow out your taste buds and make the lager taste very weak. Small samples of the beers are shared and each person can learn about new beer styles. You can talk about the aromas and tastes of the beers and why you like one beer versus another. You could hold a shared beer tasting to bring people together for Valentine’s Day – a theme of amber and red ales would seem appropriate. There are hundreds of beers out there to try, but as always, drink responsibility.
Cross Creek Travelers By Kathy Bonick Washington, D.C., Our Nation’s Capital, April 3 To 11, $1,330 Per Person Double Occupancy, An Additional $359 For Singles Nine days/eight nights with motorcoach transportation and Wi-Fi equipped/restroom 14 meals: eight breakfasts and six dinners Two guided tours of Washington, D.C., including the WW II Memorial, Capitol Hill, Embassy Row, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Smithsonian, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and an evening guided memorial and monuments tour Admission to the Museum of the Bible Admission to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens Tram ride through Arlington National Cemetery Don’t miss this wonderful history trip and perhaps we’ll see the cherry blossoms. Biltmore Estate And The Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, N.C., Oct. 20 To 25, $915 Per Person Double Occupancy, An Additional $209 For Singles Fall dazzling splendor at the Biltmore Estate should not be missed, harvest season in the vineyards and gardens brimming with colorful mums are one of the many reasons to visit at this time of the year. Five nights lodging including three consecutive nights in the Asheville area Eight meals: five breakfasts and three dinners Guided tour of Asheville, N.C. Full day visit to the Biltmore Estate Guided drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway Visit to the famous Folk Art Center
Visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center Join us for this fall trip not to be missed. A $75 deposit per person will hold your space made out
to Diamond Tours. Send deposit to Kathy Bonick at 8380 Arborfield Court, Fort Myers, FL 33912. Call (309) 265-7241 for additional information on both of these trips.
Here are some pictures from our Myrtle Beach Diamond Christmas trip.