Beer

Beer is one of the oldest beverages known to civilization. According to Wikipedia, beer is dated back to ancient Egypt and the Mesopotamia. Today there are hundreds of different brews available. Enjoy!

Types of Beer

• There are two main categories of beer: ales and lagers.
• The differences between the two originate from the different methods of fermentation.
• Ales are brewed at higher temperatures with and tend to have richer, fruitier flavors with a lot of variety between breweries.
• Lagers are brewed at lower temperatures, resulting in a "crisper" taste and in many cases a lighter color.
• For extensive information on the history and brewing of beer, read this Wikipedia article on beer.

Ales

Lagers

Beer-like Beverages

Don't like beer? There are a number of beer alternatives on the market.

• Hard Cider 
• Made from fruit juice -- usually apple, but sometimes pear.
• Alcohol content varies.
• Slightly sweet.
• Brands include Woodchuck  and Cider Jack. 
• Malt Liquor 
• Made in the same way as beer, but higher alcohol content prevents it from being marketed as beer in the United States.
• Frequently sold in 40-ounce bottles.
• Brands include Olde English 800  and Colt 45. 
• "Alcopops" 
• Sweet, flavored alcoholic beverages sold in small bottles; also known as "malternatives. "
• Contain about the same amount of alcohol per serving as beer.
• Brands include Mike's Hard Lemonade  and Smirnoff Ice /Smirnoff Twist. 
• Mead 
• Made by fermenting honey; sometimes known as "honey wine."

Links

Beer advocate is a great site with lots of information on serious beers and topics such as cellaring.  You can buy Belgium beers direct from Belgium via BelgianShop.com, but the shipping is quite expensive.