“We’re branching out quite a bit,” Mike Anderson said as he poured a beer.
Anderson is an African-American assistant brewmaster at Anheuser-Busch. He was speaking of the local brewing giant’s move into the craft beer market, where brewers experiment with a wide range of beer styles.
Beer styles, that is, not brands. The vast majority of beer consumed in the U.S., whether it is any of the flagship A-B products (Budweiser, Busch, Michelob) or its mainstream competitors, is all one style: a light lager.
Anheuser-Busch has not slowed down in producing crisp, light lagers under various brand names. But now it is also busily experimenting with a delicious variety of ales.
Many of these tasty beverages – and many more produced by seven other local craft brewers – will be poured at the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival, to be held this weekend in Forest Park. Anderson will be one of many volunteers pouring them.
He also will be one of the brewmasters on premise to talk to folks about the beers they are tasting and answer their questions.
Questions like: Ales? Lagers? Huh? I thought a beer was a beer?
The basic beer division between lagers and ales, Anderson explained, is based on “different species of yeast.” The species of yeast used to make lagers results in bottom fermentation. The species of yeast used to make ales results in top fermentation.
In terms of craft, he said, lagers need to be aged for a longer period of time, which explains the name “lager,” which is based in the German word for “to store.”
In terms of flavor, he explained, the yeast used in ales yields “fruitier” flavors.
That’s not to say actual fruit or fruit juices are used to make all ales, though fruit and fruit juices and peels sometimes are added to beers of both basic types.
One of the newer beer styles A-B is brewing now (it was first released February 2006) is a Belgian-style wheat ale that has orange, lemon and lime peels (and the spice coriander) added to the brewkettle. The peels and spice add bright flavors. The wheat also makes for a distinctive and refreshing taste for this style; beer is typically made from a different grain called barley.
A-B’s brand for this style, by the way, is known as “Shock Top Belgian White,” though at the brewfest it will be identified only by style (Belgian Witbier, another name for wheat or “white” beer) and brewery.
“The festival is not about brands, it’s about styles,” Anderson said.
Fruit syrup is added to a barley-based lager to create another new style being brewed by A-B, a specialty blueberry fruit beer sold as Wild Blue since last December (and nationwide only since March). The blueberry syrup, made from real blueberries, makes for a very sweet and fruity beer. Wild Blue also stands far apart from most A-B beers for its higher alcohol content of 8 percent, which is closer to the alcohol content of most wines (12 percent) than of most mainstream beers (under 5 percent).
How do you get more alcohol – more booze – in a beer?
First, you have to understand that alcohol is created by the action of yeast on simple sugars, and that enzymes are used to convert complex sugars into the simple sugars that mingle with the enzymes. You can see why a brewmaster might be a chemical engineer, like Anderson.
“It starts in the mash process,” Anderson said.
“You allow it to mash for a longer period of time to convert more complex sugars into simple sugars, so you can make more sugars available to the yeast, which produces more alcohol during fermentation – to a limit.”
Did you get that? No? Then come to the festival and learn more.
“People at the festival can learn about mashing and fermentation and the whole brewing process,” Anderson said.
There will be educational displays about brewing, ingredients and beer styes, with numbers to call to receive text messages with even more information. There even will be a homebrewing demonstration by the local beer club the St. Louis Brews for those who want to try this at home.
Other participating local breweries include Alandale Brewery, Augusta Brewery, Morgan Street Brewery, O’Fallon Brewery, Schlafly Beer, Square One Brewery and Griesedieck Bros. Brewing Corporation.In all, more than 70 different beer styles will be on tap, rain or shine. Participating restaurants include Companion Bakery, Harvest, LoRusso’s Cucina, SqWires and Vin de Set.
All that, and all for good cause, as proceeds will benefit Lift for Life to help maintain their after-school programs.
After a VIP dinner on Thursday night that pairs beer styles with specific foods (for $100 a head), there will be a Business Day Special noon to 5 p.m. on Friday for $50 (includes food). General sessions 6-10 p.m. (Friday and Saturday) and noon-4 p.m. (Saturday) cost $30 in advance or $35 the day of the session.
Tickets are available at www.stlbrewfest.com, by calling 1-888-792-2424 and in person at the Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery Tour Center, the Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks. Only adults, ages 21 or older, are allowed to purchase tickets and attend the festival.
